GeezerCouple

8 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Make sure whatever travel insurance you decide to purchase waives pre-existing conditions. Cruise line travel protection policies do not waive preexisting conditions. The policy usually needs to be purchased within a short time after initial deposit.

I should also have emphasized that travel insurance may be especially important for you.  We feel that way in general (and have had several claims ourselves), but especially if there is something like this that could easily make someone sick enough to need to leave the ship for a hospital!

Here is the section on CC about travel insurance:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

You may want to browse there or also ask questions.

Note that as klfrodo wrote, you should be looking for a policy that *does* cover any pre-existing condtions.  This usually means that you MUST start the insurance within about 10-20 days of making your very FIRST payment (timing depends upon state of residence).  Then you up the coverage promptly as more non-refundable payments are made.

(There may be other ways to get coverage that doesn't exclude pre-existing conditions, but starting the insurance right away gives you the best choice of policies.)

You should definitely contact a travel insurance agent or broker so they can help you make sure that you get this right.

We are among those here on CC who use and recommend:

https://tripinsurancestore.com

But CALL them; don't just rely upon the short policy summaries on the website.  Those cannot capture all of the "fine print", which is especially important with insurance.

TIS is a broker, and they work with a few vetted insurers.  They can also help if there is a claim. They are wonderfully patient with those who have lots of questions; that included us just over 10 years ago, when we learned about travel insurance here on CC.  And we had a large claim the very first time we purchased travel insurance, and we were reimbursed for all of our non-refundable payments within about 2 weeks of submitting the documentation!  (And we've since had several more claims.  Now... we don't go far from home without that coverage!)

There is no extra charge to purchase insurance through them.

GC

Note:  We ALWAYS bring a bunch of pre-packaged diet-appropriate snacks (e.g., protein bars...) "just in case".

These can also be very handy for any excursions where either there is no diet-appropriate food, or the organizers didn't understand the needs and "thought" they were able to do it.

These are always in our hand luggage when traveling, too.

For example, what if we have an unexpected overnight between flights, maybe due to weather. We always know DH will have something safe to eat.

GC

14 minutes ago, SeriouslyNancy said:

How accommodating are the kitchens? Due to a rare gastrointestinal condition, he is on a strict paleo diet. I am wary of meats or eggs prepared on grills that might have had buns or other gluten on them that the chef did not scrape off.  
 

I would like to plan an Alaska cruise on Holland America, Princess, etc.  

 

Anyone cruised with this type of challenge?

 

thanks. 

Welcome to CruiseCritic!

The good news is that many (most? all?) cruise lines, at least the larger ones, are usually able to handle special diets VERY well.

For considerable discussion about just this, please also see (and post) the Disabled Cruise section of CC:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/

You'll need to contact the SPECIAL NEEDS group of the cruiseline.  They'll probably have a form for you to fill out.

In your case, you'll want to ask if they have a *separate* "special diets" kitchen, to avoid cross contamination.  IF that is a concern for your son,  be sure to *emphasize* that!

(DH was diagnosed late in life with serious celiac disease; a lot of damage had been done, but we never knew, as he was completely asymptomatic.  We've found that cruises, restaurants, hotels, etc., are really good about this these days.  But we ALWAYS double check when ordering AND when food is served!)

Enjoy!

GC

2 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

s a thought…

Many insurance policies that cover House, Property, Companies, Life and Car etc., have an additional premium to cover Legal Assistance.  

1 hour ago, hallux said:

I'll have to double check, but that may be something in your country, I'm not sure it is in the US.

Interesting issue!

I don't think this is customary in the US, but of course, there could be specialized policies.

However, more and more employers are adding a perk of some legal assistance, along with medical/etc.  The legal assistance is through a network of attorneys who have agreed to participate, such as "MetLife Legal" or "Hyatt Legal" (our plan changed from the latter to the former this past year).

Mostly, it's for a specified list of uses, such as for wills/trusts, real estate closings, etc.

But starting in 2024, they added an extra specified amount for "other".  It wouldn't go very far, but it would probably cover a meeting (or two?) and some sort of "warning letter".  (The recipient wouldn't know that the covered legal services have just about run out, right? 😉 )

I guess IF one had that type of employee benefit, one could see if it might be useful.

GC

49 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

I understand he specializes in suing cruise lines, but does he also specialize in suing Travel Agents?

I don't think Elliot "sues" anyone.

His is a "consumer help" site.  That can include just about any "issue", not just cruise lines, and not just travel, either.

Recently, there have been some vacation rental issues mentioned.

But it can also be just purchases of <something>.

They apparently can make a huge difference.  That's part of the good news.

What we don't/can't know is what percentage they even help with, or, importantly, help with *successfully*.

But I'd certainly give them a try!

GC

2 minutes ago, Izzy&#x27;sMoms said:

We are considering booking an Owner’s Suite on Riviera and have concerns about bow thruster noise. Can anyone who has sailed in this suite please speak to the noise level. Did you enjoy the suite and location?

Bow thruster? Isn't that ... forward?

On the Riviera, the Owners Suites are aft.

Did you mean the Vista Suites?

GC

1 minute ago, bigboy61 said:

You are correct. After further research, that is what I found but too late now. To her credit, she also offered the option of paying direct to Princess by calling her with our credit card number or something like that.

Welcome to CruiseCritic!

And SO sorry that this is your "introduction to cruising"!

Hopefully, you will indeed have a chance to take a cruise in the future (maybe next year?) all together.

And please do ask here, step by step, if you have ANY concerns or questions, given your experience.  It would make sense for you to be extra cautious, given your unfortunate experience.

None of this sounds okay; you are right to be concerned.

It's hard to keep track of everything you wrote, and all of the "warning signs".  I'm not sure why you relied upon Reddit.  My understanding is that there is a lot of sketchy "things" that go on there (on Reddit).  (We do not ever use Reddit; I am relying only upon what I've read in several places, which is why we don't deal with them.  At all.  And one part of DH's work involves considerable "social media", but *not* Reddit.

This is a "bit late" (as in, "too late", unfortunately), but especially given that she did accept regular credit cards, why did you use something like Venmo?  It's probably good to learn from this just "don't use Venmo", and especially not when it is possible to use a regular charge card.

Also, if you were checking that she was licensed, was she *really* licensed or did you just accept her statement that she was?

(Current licensing can be verified through the appropriate licensing agency/etc.)

Please note:  I am NOT trying to "dump" on you here.  This is a very important learning experience for others, too.  And perhaps you'll also become aware of other ways fraudsters can operate.  It's very unfortunate that this happens, but... it does...

And it's far too easy for some people to think "this would never happen to me", until something like this *does* happen.  Honest people aren't constantly thinking, "What kind of scam could be hidden here!?"  And whenever doing something new - cruising for all of you - it isn't always obvious what the "regular routines" are, etc.  [See below; I'm hoping there will be a way for you to get your money back... maybe.]

For one thing, what/who is a "host"?  If that is a legitimate travel AGENCY where this so-called TA works, then you should be in touch with them... yesterday...

And what is this about *previous* agency?  She's worked with two of them recently?

Note that the TA is continuing to engage in those "shenanigans".

IF everything truly is fine, and the reservations are still "safe", then why in the world would she need to involve her E&O insurance, which I assume is "errors and omissions".  She's claiming there are NOT any "errors" or "omissions"!

A HUGE red flag (well, one of them, alas) is the statement that "the Princess app is new and they have asked her not to let all of us into the app at once".

Say what?

Princess is a very, very large company.  If their website or app can't handle your family group, how in the world are they dealing with tens of thousands of passengers who sail on their many ships every day, every week, every month..., with each ship holding thousands of passengers!?

What evidence do you have, still, that the TA really does have a "legitimate business"?  That would actually be encouraging, given some protections that might be involved.  Do you know that she *really* works for an "agency"?  If so, again, there should be some protections there, but not if she was only masquerading as being affiliated there.

This amount of money is probably well beyond small claims court.  I'd suggest a single, quick meeting with an attorney, to find out how you can go after this "TA".  The amount of money you mention may put this into a serious legal category.  (IANAL, so I won't speculate about categories or names of crimes, etc.)

It is possible (maybe not probable, but *possible*) that a letter from an attorney will get her to take action that will at least make your family whole, even if it doesn't help others who may have been scammed.

And you all SHOULD file complaints with assorted regulatory agencies, including her state's Attorney General's office.  There may be other victims, but the AG/etc., can't see a pattern if victims don't report.

Good luck, and we hope that you all do end up spending special time with Grandmother!  And a cruise, eventually. 🙂 

GC

1 hour ago, Fox trotter said:

When I think back about this, I'm surprised that the medical team didn't call the insurance company before they began treatment, as the cruise line has details of all passengers insurance.

[emphasis added]

Hmmm... This must be something specific to the UK?  Or at least, not necessarily done for/by USA-based passengers. Or perhaps it is the specific cruise line or travel vendor that might not do business in the USA?

I don't think we've ever provided any cruise line about our travel insurance, or even whether we had any (we always have, since joining CruiseCritic!).  Yes, it's possible that we did provide such information but I've forgotten about it...

However, I think that for some of the more intensive expedition-type cruises/trips we considered or read about, the vendor does require evidence of some level of coverage.  But we have not actually signed up for any of those expedition type trips, and by now, very unfortunately, at our ages/conditions, we suspect we probably won't.

GC

34 minutes ago, mhsbeagle said:

What is the best way to transfer from CDG Paris to Cruiseport in Le Havre

Welcome to CC (or, your first post, anyway!).

When you repost this query in the France Port section of CC, as suggested, try putting the specifics in your TITLE, such as:

"Transfer from CDG Paris to Le Havre"

instead of "Airport to Cruiseport Transfers".

You want to attract the most eyes, and the eyes that are most familiar with *your* specific issue, from the list of topics.

The general header could sound like someone is asking about general transfer strategies (e.g., cruise line vs private, or whatever).

And what you want to know is about a very specific route, from one airport to one cruiseport.

It tends to help if the header jumps off the page with a few key words for those who are most familiar with the specifics.

Enjoy your cruise!

GC

10 minutes ago, chloe77 said:

I didn't buy travel insurance at my initial payment but I can buy it within 24 hours of final payment, and I'm wondering if I need the preexisting medical coverage for food allergies? We have a family member with anaphylactic nut allergies. He hasn't seen a doctor or received treatment in the past 8 months for a reaction, but he's been under the yearly care of an allergist since he was a baby to have his epipens prescribed, etc. Are nut allergies a preexisting condition? That's the only reason (aside from a freak accident) that I could see us needing medical coverage, and I don't want to choose a policy that doesn't have a preexisting condition waiver and then have them deny a claim. But the coverage seems to be better/cheaper if I don't need the waiver. Any advice? Thank you!

Welcome to CruiseCritic (or your first post, anyway)!

That's a very interesting question.

Others will chime in here, but in this situation, I would definitely want something IN WRITING that "the food allergy is not a pre-existing condition", or *preferably* get a policy that does not exclude pre-existing conditions.

We always get that waiver, so if there were something like this lurking that we hadn't thought about, it would still be covered.

We have a few other mild conditions, but we worry that IF something major happened, it could be linked back to some mild condition.  It's just easier not to worry about it.

And most of our claims *have* been based upon medical emergency (although the claims themselves were mostly for cancelled/interrupted trip costs).

As I've mentioned elsewhere, given that we do have possible pre-existing conditions, and some definite ones, we want the guaranteed coverage for the SWAN effect:  Sleep Well At Night! 😉 

Another likely advantage of having that waiver, although probably not worth the extra cost if this were to be the only reason (it isn't, for us) is that it may expedite some claims payments.

That is, when we've had claims that were based upon some medical situation, the insurer didn't need to comb through old medical records to see if there was indeed some pre-existing condition that might have been involved.  That could probably take considerably time in some cases.

I don't think we'd have had the claims, including large ones, paid within about 2 weeks if that had been necessary.

GC

How long a drive is it, in hours/miles, approximately?

Depending upon how many people, you might want to consider, or at least get an estimate so you know *whether* it's worth considering, hiring a vehicle and driver. Then they just drive the vehicle back, without you, while you continue on your adventures.

The more people sharing, the less "per person", for any vehicle type, etc.

You might contact an "executive car service" type of company for starters.

Or a "limo" company.  Those aren't always technically "limousines" anymore; they can use sedans, SUVs, classic "stretch limo" types, or vans.  You'd want a larger company so they actively are using a variety, plus professional drivers who are accustomed to the vehicles.

Does Uber offer the larger vehicles?  I'm wary of Uber, but DH uses it occasionally.  However, he's been using their "black" or "luxe" (?) service/vehicles, and I've now joined him on a few.  Most recently, when we were traveling, we unexpectedly needed to pick up two young grandsons and bring them back to our hotel for the weekend, and it wasn't a short drive.  We got a VERY nice large SUV, the type with three full rows.  The driver was just as good as "back in the day" and had a very late-model [very clean!] vehicle, like when I occasionally took car services for business purposes.

We ended up talking and laughing and having a great time during the drive back with the boys.  We could have rented a regular SUV, but it was a *vacation*, and I didn't think DH should be dealing with driving and traffic, and he agreed pretty quickly.  It was a major metro area we had never driven in before, and it wouldn't have been a fun drive, to put in mildly!

In our case, it obviously did not save money, but if it had been a larger group, it may have, etc.

At least check prices and compare with other choices.

GC

8 minutes ago, Jeep Guy said:

Sorry, I am sure these questions are answered here... somewhere! There is so much info, I feel like I'm trying to drink from the proverbial fire hose. This will be my first cruise and my wife's first on Princess.

 

We've reserved a Princess cruise to Alaska at the end of August for 4 adults. Questions are about costs.

 

We signed up for "Princess Plus" (I think it's called). a) Does this really include ALL gratuities? b) What do we expect to pay for alcohol? The upgrade says it includes drinks up to $14 I believe. Does this cover a standard Marguerita, for instance? Or a shot of Jim Beam? c) I find confusing information about Wi-Fi.  Does the upgrade pay for all passengers' Wi-Fi, or will we have additional expense?

 

If you can answer these, or direct me to the proper forum, I would be much appreciative!

Welcome to CruiseCritic!

Here is a link to the Princess section:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/119-princess-cruises/

You'll get lots of answers there.

And here is the full TOC (Table of Contents) for other topics:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com

Enjoy!!
 

GC

38 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

That is the best of both worlds. Using the ship for the big distances and land for the touring.  We often sandwich land tours between two cruises. 

Heh!

We more often sandwich a cruise between some sort of land trip before and after.  Often we have a larger "trip" after the cruise, while having a shorter <something> prior to the cruise.  And we also use those pre-cruise days as a buffer in case we end up delayed in our arrival.  We'd rather miss a few days near the port than to miss the ship!

GC

6 hours ago, ontheweb said:

And they can even be helpful when not doing a cruise. In it was either 2021 or 2022, we did a land vacation in Boston. I asked in the East Coast forum how to get from the airport to our hotel and got really specific directions that worked perfectly.

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

CC is excellent for travel recommendations, reviews, logistics and so on.  I enjoy those topics myself.  

2 hours ago, SelectSys said:

100% in agreement.  I have found the cruise air forum to be especially helpful as just about all my travel involves one or more flights.

So true; it's not only for "cruising"!

Several (many?) of the topics on CC can be very useful to those not cruising, or not even interested at all in cruising.

And who knows, by doing some browsing, maybe an occasional person not previous thinking about cruising... will decide it might sound interesting after all.  But if not, that doesn't matter, of course.

On another forum, I sometimes recommend that the person asking a question also read or post on CC (and give a link, etc.) about that topic, mentioning something like "a lot of the issues are not cruise specific".

This is especially true of air travel, travel insurance, traveling with a disability, and local sightseeing/tours in various locations (ports of call).  The latter can be useful for local guides or local hotels, or even suggestions for before/after cruises.

CruiseCritic is an incredible resource!

GC

16 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

In the closed loop Seattle - Alaska market, we have never denied boarding to a passenger that presented a passport that was expiring in less than 6 months from the day of embarkation.  In fact, as long as the passport is still valid on the day the passenger disembarks the ship, we will accept it (closed loop).  I personally have embarked a passenger whose passport expired the day after their cruise ended without any problems.

 

Now, for other types of cruises like the end of the season repositioning cruises that leave Seattle and sail off to Japan or Australia, there is a entirely different set of travel documents requirements - including having at least 6 months remaining on your passport from the date that the cruise is scheduled to end.  In these cases, we follow the requirements for the various  countries that the ship will visit or end up in.

Thanks.  You are the "real deal" here!

When you wrote:

"...we follow the requirements for the various  countries that the ship will visit or end up in."

Where do you/you associates/etc., get this information?

And is that source (or sources) available to the general public?

Thanks again!

GC

4 minutes ago, Cruiser4957 said:

My cruise is from NYC to Bermuda on April 28 on Norwegian. Expected temperatures are around 70. Is it going to be too cold to get use out of the vibe beach pass? 

Welcome to CruiseCritic!

Here is a link to the section about NCL:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/64-norwegian-cruise-line/

There will be many there who are knowledgeable about the assorted amenties.

You should also give the specific ship, as the amenities can vary from ship to ship, sometimes significant differences, so keep that in mind when reading.

Enjoy!

GC

13 minutes ago, ohmandi said:

@GeezerCouple  I meant take my chances on the cost of the trip insurance for the rest of the trip.  The woman at TIC said that the total cost of the trip insurance coverage could be higher if I purchased it in parts.

This doesn't make sense either.

I still wonder if there is some other circumstance that is affecting their (her?) statements.

Keep in mind that we here on CC are very unlikely to have all the information you would have given TIS or any other insurance agent/broker.

GC

1 minute ago, ohmandi said:

@GeezerCouple  I just meant that since the cruise isn't until Fall 2025, I'll only insure its cost now as those payments are non-refundable.  I can add the flights/hotels/etc. to the policy as we book them which won't be until next year.

That makes sense.

However, if that's what you meant, then what did

"take my chances on the rest" mean?

GC

1 minute ago, ohmandi said:

@GeezerCouple  Thank you for the reply. Trip Insurance Store is who I called.  We've bought many policies through Squaremouth and InsureMyTrip.  Given the recommendations in this forum, I thought I'd give Steve's company a try.  I'll call again and discuss it further with them. I'm inclined to just insure the cruise since it's so far away and take my chances on the rest.

I'm surprised that TIS simply said to insure the full cost far in advance.

That's who we use, and we ALWAYS start with insuring just the deposit, or whatever payment we've needed to make at the time.  And then we up the coverage as we up the *non* refundable costs.

Why pay for the insurance for the full cost of the trip so far in advance?

There may be some good reason(s) they suggested that, so please ask them directly.

I don't know what you mean by "I'm inclined to just insure the cruise since it's so far away and take my chances on the rest."

If it's "so far" in the future, why pay the insurance premiums now... unless there is something specific that is affecting this?

And WHY take your chances with the rest of the costs, unless those are negligible.  Or refundable, of course.

GC

You didn't mention which insurer or agent you used, but this doesn't seem to be the most efficient approach.

Why not call

www.TripInsuranceStore.com

but CALL, don't rely upon the short policy summaries on line.

For most policies, they'll probably suggest that you insure only what you have paid to date.  That not only avoids the "how much will the total be", but also avoids having you possibly pay more/buy more insurance than you need, due to needing to estimate.

You'd probably insure the deposit first, and then, as more and non-refundable costs are added, pay the extra insurance for those amounts.

Note that for some types of coverage one needs to start the insurance for the covered amount within 10-20 days of the FIRST payment (varies by state of residence).

GC

15 minutes ago, KMac26 said:

Hey all, Thinking about sailing out of Boston next year to Bermuda on the jewel. I’m debating whether I want to be pier side or ocean side while in port for the two days. We have 3 at sea days so I will see plenty of ocean but never been to Bermuda so I’m leaning towards pier side. What are your thoughts? Is the island scenic to gaze over?😁

Welcome to CruiseCritic!

Um, which side is going to be "pier side"??

The ships can dock in either direction.  It's not predictable.

You'll have an interesting view either way.

Or get two small cabins, one on each side! 😉 

GC

59 minutes ago, Orsino said:

Thank you for pointing this out. We are on the verge of booking this cruise, but you are right. This is a strange choice on Cunard’s part. All the other ports have departure at 5pm but on eclipse day they are scheduled to depart at 9pm just after totality. Why!? One wouldn’t even be able to see it on land if they wanted to. Everyone will have to be onboard before the eclipse anyway. 

 

for me, the whole point would be to be at sea during the total eclipse. 
in addition to chasing clear skies the ship could move closer to the center line for a few more seconds of totality. More importantly I would like to see what the ocean looks like with a total eclipse. 
 

now I’m rethinking this. It is still a good way to be in the right spot but another cruise might be better. I will probably book then cancel if I find something better. Other cruise lines don’t have August 2026 schedules out yet. 

Yes, if you can book this with a refundable deposit, you might as well.

Maybe (?) Cunard will come to their senses and change the schedule at least a bit.

Or if not, you could find some other place/way to see it?

Are there any ships that day/time off the coast of ... Spain?  Or ??

I'd think being at sea, for the sense there, would also be amazing.  NOTHING in the way to interfere with the view.

Where we were, in a park, there were a few trees, with bare branches from winter, and during the changes before totality, it was a bit annoying, but still didn't interefer with what we were watching.

But at totality, that amazing GLOWING CORONA was *so* bright, that we weren't aware of anything at all in the way if viewing.  We didn't realize it at the time, but shortly after, we both agreed that at totality, it was as if all of the thin branches just vanished.  We didn't even think about them untl after totality.

Enjoy, no matter where!

GC

5 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

I agree with you on this.

 

I left Facebook a number of years ago, but when we were considering various different travel options friends told me about all these great Facebook groups that I should join.

 

First you have to complete your "application" and in that application make an oath to never do this or that or the other thing, and like you say, heaven help you if you are negative.

 

I also noted that as a new member to one of these groups your posts are put into purgatory until a moderator reviews them and decides if they are worthy of being posted.

 

Cruise Critic discussions can get out of hand from time to time, but this is rare, and only if people are being really disrespectful are things shut down.

 

The folks that look after Cruise Critic are top in their game and I love that you can have opposing views and still be part of the discussion.

About the "Cruise Critic discussions can get out of hand from time to time, but this is rare, and only if people are being really disrespectful are things shut down"...

I think CC is *so* much better in this regard than when we started, mid-2013.

Back then, there tended to be more, er, disagreements, and by that, I mean "disagreeable disagreements".  Too many were of the ad hominem type, which is just not appropriate.

I was getting a bit tired of some of these (there were "the usual suspects" plus occasional others, etc.), so I participated less and less.  But we were sort of cruise newbies; DH was about to take his first cruise, and I hadn't cruised for far too many years (those two facts are, er, related! 😉 ).

Thus, we were still benefitting a *lot*, so we didn't leave entirely.

And then, almost suddenly (??), it seemed that things were SO much more pleasant!

HUGE difference.  It was really a nice change.

I have no idea if I'm alone in this opinion, or if others noticed a change several years ago, too...?

I give the moderators a huge amount of credit for this, and thank them! 🙂 

Anyway, it is a pleasure now.  The collective knowledge here has been invaluable!

THANK YOU, ALL!

GC

2 hours ago, coolbluegreenseas said:

I have read the literature on Oceania’s site and scoured through here, but still undecided. TL/DR: Bucket list item for hubby. Trip is in October 2025 11 night Antiquity starting in Rome and ending in Istanbul. We tend to spend a lot of time on our veranda and enjoying each other’s company but do like to venture out. With this tiny bit of information in mind, is the suite worth it? The Concierge level is really, really nice, but the butler serving dinner from the speciality restaurants in the cabin sounds really luxurious. Does anyone have personal experience and thoughts? Thanks for any responsess.

Yes. as asked above, which ship?

We've had PH suites on the Riviera (and also on larger suites on other cruise lines/ships).

However, I have a bit of a mobility problem, so we tend to spend more time in our suite than we would have when younger.  So the extra space and services do make a real difference (although we would do quite fine without these extras, and have done just that on some other ships and still had wonderful trips!).

We have a big breakfast delivered almost every morning.  There's not much better on vacation than waking up to the aroma of coffee and bacon, and perhaps a few gentle clinks of china.

NOTE:  We tell our butler to IGNORE any "privacy" sign, that if we really don't want anyone else, we'll bolt the door.  That is, if they are bringing us something, knock (or ring bell), wait a short time, and then just come right in.

They are professionals.  They can be very unobtrusive when that's what's called for, and very friendly when *that* is what is called for, etc.

And we do enjoy extra specialty restaurant meals, so we tend to get those en suite, given the limitations on "in restaurant".

We ALWAYS tell our butler that we are usually *very* flexible about timing (and if we aren't, we'll make that clear).  So IF we have requested service at what ends up being a busy time, just give us a quick call about a better time and do it that way.

One thing we REALLY enjoy/prefer is a forward view, and we prefer that a lot!  But not all ships have cabins/suites with forward views that work well for us, so we are flexible with that, too.  (Or they are limited and we just can't get those...)

But we can make do and enjoy quite a variety of "amenities", or lack thereof.  We've been places that didn't even have simple room service, and we had wonderful times, there, too. 🙂 

Until now, we have been somewhat time limited on taking vacations, so we don't mind spending a bit more (on land or at sea).  If we start doing more traveling, we may cut back a bit on some of the luxe if that seems prudent.

There hasn't yet been a single trip where we didn't have a *wonderful* time!

GC

 A few comments about this exciting possibility.

First, and less encouraging, it seems that the ships will be docked at Totality?

That means they can't move around if there are clouds "here" and fewer clouds "there"...

And are they all going to be in totality?

Totality vs 99.99% is like, literally, Night and Day.  Different things entirely.

Yes, seeing a solar eclipse with "a lot of coverage" is special, no question.

But it is NOT "almost as good" as being IN Totality!

There were some ships off Mazatlan last Monday, and apparently they moved a bit to get better views (not sure if it was specifically cloud-related??).

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3001696-eclipse-april-8-which-ships-will-be-watching-off-the-coast-of-mexico/#comment-67217270

We flew to Nashville for the August, 2017 solar ecliplse, for Totality.  There was a nice crowd gathered in a downtown "square".  Lots of open space.  Clear sky!

... until "that cloud over there" started heading... our way! 😞 

The eclipse started... and then... that cloud!

The crowd groaned.

At least we had planned other activities in Nashville, so it wasn't a complete bust, but we wouldn't have gone (or not then, anyway) except for the total solar eclipse.

A week ago today, we flew to Montreal to give it another chance on Monday.

SUCCESS! 😁

It was awesome.  No... it was a complete and true sense of AWE with TOTALITY.

There is no way we can find the words to describe what we saw, with the "black sun", the GLOWING corona (it was SO bright... just stunning!), the darkness, the drop in temperature.

Everyone in the park where we were (just a block from our hotel - convenient!) gasped; some screamed words like, "OH WOW!!!!!"  Or the obvious, "Look at THAT!" 😉 

If you can get to totality, do it!

Montreal was on the edge of totality, but it was still TOTALITY.  That just meant that we had 1.5 minutes of totality instead of 2 or 3.5 minutes.

Sure, we'd rather have had more time, but we *experienced" totality and we will NEVER forget it.

DH reported that he almost cried (that's apparently a somewhat common report).  Usually *I* am the "emotional one".

If we knew we'd actually see a total eclipse in the future and not have clouds interfere, we'd go again, and almost regardless of price (within vague reason).

It was that special!

GC