GeezerCouple

Way back (in the 1950s), our family doctor made house calls, as did many back then. And for stomach problems (e.g., nausea, vomiting), his little black bag contained a small bottle of a very viscous brown syrup that was always called "Coke [as in Coca Cola!] syrup". It did not taste good, but I still associate that taste with those visits. And whether it is related or not, for me, it is definitely Coca Cola that soothes an upset stomach. It's hard in hospitals to try to explain that I want Coca Cola and *not* ginger ale, which has never seemed to do anything for me. I don't particularly care for it no matter where I am... I suspect a lot of this particular effect of Coca Cola is some sort of placebo effect, but probably *not* all. And I'm very intrigued by TheOldBear's comment about the difference between Coke products and Pepsi! GC

Yikes! Any idea what ate this bag? (Do you know if all or most of the contents stay in/with the bag? That's what would matter the most to us.) As far as the "appearance" of any luggage... Huh!?? As others have stated, they are "containers". We don't want the "cheap and replace often" type, but there is a reason other than anything about "appearance". IF that strategy would "work", that would be just fine. However, the "cheap and replace when they break" - which is likely to be "relatively soon" - has a major problem. That "breakage" could happen DURING a trip. 😱 I'm not considering getting dirty or scratched here. The wheels or handle could break or fall off entirely, or such. ANYTHING that makes the bag "unusuable" is a very major problem; that is what we want to AVOID. Thus, "cheap but short term" is too risky. We want to minimize the chance of being in the middle of some small town or some bustling train station when... boom... the bag becomes a burden rather than a help. The longer the "time to failure", the better, in our minds, and that's one of the most important factors. Unfortunately, "expensive" doesn't guarantee "good" in this respect, but it's likely to be a lot better than the "cheap" versions. We tend to do a lot of research, but that's no guarantee, either, but it's the best we can do. So we try the best we can, and hope to be "at home", or nearby, for any actual "failure". [Keeping fingers crossed, etc...!] And as a side note/reminder: Never put *anything* that you MUST have with you (e.g., meds, passports...) in any checked bag. Keep all of that in a carry-on bag. We have one bag that includes meds, and it is exceedingly rare that one of us does not have "hands on" that bag! (And we have extra supplies elsewhere with us, just in case...) Our other goal is to avoid having the bag "walk away". So we put very obvious (and usually unattractive) tape or such on the sides, plus something like ribbons on the sides of the handle. And now we wrap the handle in something that FEELS different, to reduce the chance that someone just "grabs the wrong bag" in error, perhaps without even looking carefully (e.g., if in a rush or distracted). There are neon-type colored velcro-handle-covers for this dual purpose: both very visible and instantly noted by touch. The ugly and noticeable features are both so someone else will notice and also to make it easier for us to keep an eye on it... One thing I sometimes worry about with that hand-carried bag with our meds... I sometimes worry that I might appear like a Nervous Nellie protecting some $$$$ crown jewels, when there is actually very little of value to anyone else! GC

I never knew the reason people kept recommending GREEN apples. That's really fascinating. 🙂 (I had sort of assumed, without much thinking about it, that it was some sort of old tale...) GC

See if the organizer of the business group can be in touch with the cruise line, especially if they have a large-ish group. That might be the best chance to get any last-minute availability. Also, it isn't only the CFAR cancellations that are last minute. We always get CFAR just in case, but none of our claims have used that (yet!). But we've had two last-minute cancellations due to illiness, one just under 2 weeks before our departure date (DH medical emergency) and one less than a week (MIL medical emergency). "It happens". The trick is to maximize the chances of getting it IF it happens! Good luck! GC

My goodness. I making the assumption that the person IS going to take a cruise. If no cruise, then... no problem! Not sure if they know yet how they'll be on a large ship at sea, and of course, a lot depends upon conditions during that cruise... But *IF* they go on one, then why not have the best chance of making a go of it? So selecting a cabin with the best chance of having relative calm in their cabin, why not do that? GC

If someone is dreadfully ill with motion sickness, it only seems logical to me to hope that wherever one is sleeping or spending "down time" is going to have any additional/ongoing effect that is as minimal as possible. 🙄 How does having a cabin location that makes things worse than they might have been in a cabin located elsewhere (e.g., midship, low) make sense IF one could select the better location to start with? GC

Speak with your physician, and well before your cruise. That's in case there are any meds recommended, so that you can TRY THEM BEFORE YOU GET ON THE SHIP! (Sorry for the "yelling", but this is so important. It's important before any trip, but when one is on a ship, one can't "just leave or go home" right away, etc.) You want to double check if you have any side-effects, etc., before you leave home. And try to get a cabin that is mid-ship and on a low deck. The "middle" of the ship will have less motion than either "end" or the higher decks. Then... ENJOY! GC

For anything like this (even "just" distilled water), I would strongly recommend NOT going through "someone else", even a travel agent if that isn't necessary. And given there is a Special Needs group, it is not necessary to rely upon someone else to contact the cruise line. The more people in the chain of communication, the more chance of a misunderstanding. Sometimes such communications can be almost absurd ("HOW could they think THAT was what we meant!??"), but those misunderstandings do happen. GC

We flew to Florida earlier this December. It wasn't for a cruise, but if it had been, we'd have taken the same airline/flights. The trip each direction was absolutely "normal" (as in "similar to pre-Covid"), including everything being pretty much on time. GC

Contact their Special Needs department. Chances would be very good that they'd have it for you onboard no matter what, but we strongly advise that any such special requests/needs be arranged in advance, so things go smoothly. GC

What is the business activity that you are engaged in such that any part of cruising would be appropriate business deductions? Keep in mind that the "less business-like", the more likely the IRS would be to double check, probably through an audit. The rules for business deductions are relatively clear. You could ask your business accountant or tax professional if you aren't familiar with those. GC

Contact Special Needs, well in advance. (Okay, it's already too late for "well in advance" 😉 so contact them ASAP!) Explain precisely what you need, keeping in mind what they have to work with on board. [There are ways to have special equipment rented and waiting in your cabin/suite, but there's no time for that now.] They should communicate this to the ship, and there will probably be someone on board who will be in touch with you from the start to make sure it is working for you. Just do your best to help them to help you! That is far better than not speaking up, and complaining later. And then, ENJOY! GC

Whoa... As I wrote above, I do agree about how important - and helpful - it can be to deal with any special situations in advance. And "violating the dress code" was a known concern, even if the reaction of the manager was not. And THAT is worth some comment. Even though the footwear "violated the dress code", the way the manager handled that seems to me to be totally out of line. "Inappropriate footwear", in a dining room, is not likely to be "in your face" for other diners while everyone is seated and dining. Making a public fuss about it, by calling out someone, is likely to be far more disruptive. It seems unlikely that any immediate damage being done, something that needed public attention or rectifying *immediately*. Surely there would have been a way to handle this that would have been less disruptive to *everyone*, no?? I can quickly think of several different ways to deal with it, if the goal were to avoid similar "infractions", rather than making a bit (or more?) of a public spectacle of the immediate situation. That was likely to cause far more disruption and discomfort to others in the dining room than *not* making some sort of scene, or causing considerable public embarrassment of a passenger (and spouse, and likely, others nearby). It's not as though someone had arrived in a bikini to be seated in the dining room. That would certainly be likely to draw the attention of many, and in a very disruptive way. The more I think about a restaurant manager handling "inappropriate footwear" by publicly confronting a diner, to the point of bringing someone to tears...? Really!? I think OP's statement that "I truly believe there is a management issue on this ship" is... quite an understatement, at least with regard to that manager! (And something as dramatic as this would indeed leave us wondering about more general training...) GC

I have a similar problem that requires orthotics and ugly shoes. Sigh. (Yup, I've got shelves full of lovely designer heels, etc., and.... I kept them far too long, hoping... hoping... things would improve. But alas, that is not to be.) Anyway, we *always* notify any establishment/etc., in advance of any special needs. Usually this is dietary. But for some years, I've had a serious "foot problem", requiring custom medical orthotics... and shoes that can accommodate them. Yes, ugly shoes, including one "go to" pair of ultra clunky "trainer/sports" type shoe. Usually, that's a non-issue wherever we go. However, if there is some stated attire requirement/restriction, we always notify ahead of time. And if ADA covers it (it does within the USA), we'll mention that if necessary. We've NEVER had any push-back, including on Oceania. We sometimes get followup inquiries from the relevant "Special Needs" group about whether there is anything else needed or such, to make our visit or trip better. We try very hard to avoid surprising someone who may be tasked with "monitoring" <whatever>, who may not understand or know how to handle a situation on the run, possibly at a busy moment. This way, we assume that the, say, assorted dining area staff have already been alerted. I mean, these days, eespecially on a ship, they always know "who you are", and they'll usually even see a note pop up when your card is scanned. schmidlapp: What did "the ship's food and beverage manager" say when you calmly explained this was a medical/handicap necessity, similar to someone in a wheelchair, but "less so"? It apparently was handled in a terribly inappropriate manner, but it's also possible that they just didn't have the necessary information, or have it fast enough, to realize how it should have been handled, especially "on the spot". And on the off chance that there was a problem, we'd insist on speaking with "the manager" and work our way "up". Even though ADA doesn't apply outside of USA-control/etc., we've never had any problems... not even in Japan, when we needed - and found - a "work-around" because I cannot walk far without some special support. [We cleared all of this in advance, too, and that was especially important, given the cultural emphasis about "no shoes inside" there. It worked in upscale onsen ryokans (very traditional hot springs inns), to private home formal tea ceremonies, to a 2-night stay in a Buddhist Monastery.] [Similarly, we plan VERY carefully in advance any type of "outing" for suitability, so we don't hold others back or get ourselves left behind. And because of this, we almost always take private excursions, which we prefer anyway: More time here, please, and less time there... etc. Sometimes we invite others to join us, especially if it's something like hiring a large catamaran for the day. In that case, it might mean I probably will stay on the boat if others head off for a bit. And everyone involved, from the catamaran crew to the others joining, know from the start if there are any special arrangements.] GC Hi, If you haven't contacted Special Needs yet, then give them a call. Explain what you need, what your concerns are, and ask them if you need to do anything once on board, or will they have notified those who need to be notified, etc. And no, although the Terrace Cafe had remarkably good food (and especially for "a buffet!"), standing and waiting like that is definitely not the best situation for me. Often, I'll sit down and DH will help bring me things, or... I just ask for help from the staff wherever I am. Once they understand and recognize me in the future, it all happens pretty much automatically - whatever level of assistance I might need. Then enjoy your cruise! Note: We were on the Riviera, but I can't imagine that would matter; it's the same cruise line. GC

DISCO BAY!! How was it? How much time did you spend there on this cruise? Did you have a chance to *really* see "icebergs"? We'd love to hear about your experiences. GC

Thanks for this update and the photos. When are they expected to arrive in Germany? Question: DId the Viking Sky not have survival suits on board? Did other Hurtigruten ships have survival suits on board? We were on the Trollfjord (I think that's the sister ship to Midnatsol, now "Maud"?), and we had one bad night near where the Viking Sky had trouble about a year later. (Glad of that time sequence! We had to crawl to our bed; we were on a top deck and aft, so worst of the "wild ride". We just stayed there all night, watching the bow cam and those *waves*. We weren't worried; it was sort of fun. But it was nothing at all like this or the Viking Sky... there was no hint of loss of control, etc. But we didn't quite realize what could happen, etc., to ships like this on routes like this....) Or perhaps was it after the Viking Sky, er, "episode" that the ships do now carry survival suits? And for the professionals: Do these survival suits really work? For how long? "Asking for a friend...." 😱 🙄 Thanks. GC

I understand that the more popular excursions will sell out the fastest. My question is: Has it happened (yet!?) that ALL excursions were sold out, so some pax had the credits but *no* way to use them? You know, sort of like, "All dressed up and no place to go...!?" 😠 (Yes, I understand that's it's not really useful to only had excursions one doesn't like, but that's a different question.) Thanks. GC

Not quite the same. That (the car/truck example) would be similar if one were trying to price compare, say, Oceania and Viking. Using the Ford/Chevy example, the problem as described here is more like... one can't figure out how much the car (or truck) will actually cost before committing to it. It's looking like Oceania's new pricing is even worse than it seemed. Having credits that can't be used? Question: Is it possible (not, "has it happened") that IF enough pax took the Simply More-or-Less option, there simply would NOT be enough excursion spaces possible for everyone to use all of their credits? (Or maybe that *has* already happened?) GC

I'm not sure if oskidunker meant what you stated above (bolding added) when they said "cruise less or not at all..." We are definitely in that category, except that we do *NOT* mean cruise less WITH OCEANIA and PAY MORE (FOR LESS or the same). We also love land travel, although it's not really the same thing of course. We often mix the two. If we'll be in Italy for a cruise, why not spend extra time before/after (or both!) the cruise? Win/win! One of the many goals for us with cruising is to find new places we may want to spend more time. We've still got quite a list of places to see or to spend more time. And IF a cruise is needed for certain locales (and that does happen), then... probably NOT Oceania. We were both more than slightly appalled when Oceania made OFFERS to some passengers and then YANKED BACK THOSE OFFERS WITHOUT NOTICE. How could we ever trust a company who did that, had it noticed, and then... left it that way!?? This is *separate* from their decision to continue the sailing into Suez/Red Sea/etc. We don't agree with the decision, but that is a good - albeit unexpected - example of why we get travel insurance with CFAR (Cancel for Any Reason), which now also includes INTERRUPT For Any Reason. IF we decide something isn't working right or isn't safe, we'll just leave, and get 75% cash back. And even without that CFAR, IF we felt unsafe, "we're outta there!" As I put it elsewhere, "They may have our money, but we do NOT have to give them our time... or possibly our bodies!" The payments are sunk costs. See "Sunk Cost Fallacy": https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sunkcost.asp#:~:text=A sunk cost is money,phenomenon of the sunk cost. It may "feel funny" to acknowledge that and act accordingly, as it would to us. But we don't need to make a difficult situation even worse. GC

klfrodo... This answer doesn't quite make sense, so could you explain your thinking? OP stated: "Fell on 10/25 - cruise on 10/31" Assuming they had appropriate travel insurance, if the physician (or surgeon, etc.) stated that they could not travel, this is *exactly* one of the types of events that should be covered... cancelling the trip for covered medical reasons. What would not be covered would be the medical/surgical costs, because those are not incurred *during* the trip. And those should be covered by the traveler's regular medical care, same as if there had not been any trip planned. GC

Something to keep in mind is when/whether the insurer will actually fly you *home* or just take you to some facility that is "adequate". Now, in your case, I'm guessing there was another factor: IF they got you home, then *your* health insurance would cover the actual medical/surgical care. If they did not, then *they* would have the privilege of paying for all of that care... Anyway, if one looks at the actual policy, it usually shows something like transporting you to a "suitable" (or similar wording) facility for the care needed. And what WE consider "suitable" may not be what the insurer or the local medical team considers suitable (or "satisfactory" or whatever terms are used) !! WE would want to come back to *our* hospital and *our* medical team, all of whom are familiar with the "peculiarities" of each of our medical situations, etc. That may NOT fit what the insurer or local medical team considers at all necessary. So we get MedJetAssist. They will fly you to *your* choice of hospital (in the USA, I think, for USA-based members) at YOUR request, assuming you are stable enough for transport including in a full medivac plane, etc. AND assuming you are admitted as an INpatient. NO beancounters are making the decision. NO local medical staff are put in the possibly awkward situation of needing to declare themselves/their facility unsatisfactory for your medical needs, etc. Note that this requires that you be at least 150 miles from home. We've let our membership end because we haven't traveled far since The Before Days, but back then, we got an annual policy. We came very close to calling MJA once when I was in hospital overseas. As we thought, okay, IS this the time to call MJA...? Yup, I suddenly started to recover. That was better, of course! And then our regular travel insurance stepped in, in addition to all of the to-date costs. They covered special transportation to get us to that final week of our trip. Again, we assume that the relative costs had some bearing on the decisions. Paying for special transportation was going to be a *LOT* less expensive than sending us home business class on last-minute fares, plus reimbursing us for that final week at a 5* lake resort. Anyway, we have had no complaints with Travel Insured or with TripInsuranceStore's assistance starting with helping us choose the most appropriate policy for our particular needs. GC

What is one supposed to do in a situation like this if one is, say, spending 1 or 2 or 3 days in the UAE en route to a cruise, or any longer trip? That is, one will need 1-3 days' worth IN the UAE, but will also need to have the full amount for that future cruise/the *entire* trip in one's possession while in the UAE, and that next part of the trip could be a couple of weeks long. [Even on the return trip home, we always carry an extra supply in case there are travel delays. And because this type of med - a narcotic - is unlikely to be easily arranged locally in a foreign area if there is a delay, this is one of the meds that we especially need to keep "extra" on hand.] We had to consider this situation not too long ago, and decided to take a different route, despite being eager to try one of the Middle Eastern airlines in F, plus to see a bit of the area as long as we were there. We've never had any problems with any of our meds (except that we couldn't bring original formulation of Sudafed to Japan). The paperwork for med permission explicitly allowed for situations where more was being brought in than for just the days planned while *in* Japan. We had no problems with the permissions for any of our meds, including that we were on our way to a multi-week cruise and then some land travel. However, the UAE area is *NOT* a place we'd want to risk running afoul of any "drug laws", to put it mildly! GC

As others have already mentioned, there is a huge variability in the "quality" of airport lounges. And what appeals to person A might not appeal to person B. A may want some nice drinks and nibble stuff, whereas B might want a nice meal and then a place to nod off. Thus far, the biggest differentiator in terms of "quality of lounges" has seemed to be those based upon the class of service. That is, and airline's First Class Lounge can be terrific and very different from most (all?) choices of "general airport/airline lounges". Needless to say, this approach would require one to spend a *lot* of money to get access; it's not a "per visit", "per day", or "per year" privilege. Those international first class tickets can be might expensive (and unfortunately there fewer and fewer truly "first class" cabins/service). Also, an airline's premium lounge is likely to be "best" (or among the very best) if it's in a major city in the airline's home country. Otherwise, they may be sharing a lounge with some other entity, and it may not be special at all (alas!). But a lounge like Cathay Pacific's F lounge in Hong Kong is ... beyond amazing. And the Lufthansa F lounges in Frankfort and Munich are also special (but nothing like that CX lounge in HK). We haven't (yet!) been in the F lounges for the Middle Eastern airlines, but we'd love to give those a try, along with the F flying experience. We do our premium internation travel using awards, and when the points are used that way, it tends to be the very best bang for the points! (But that depends upon *our* preferences; someone else may have different preferences of course...) One other "enhancement" I could mention are the private "Meet & Greet" services. In many locations (local laws vary and may restrict some of this), they'll meet you at the door of the plane as you are walking out, and escort you all the way to your local transportation pickup. Sometimes this involves going "behind the scenes" in relatively lonely hallways, where one is whisked away, avoiding all lines. In one airport, as we got off the jetway, while everyone headed "right", we were escorted "left", where there didn't even seem to be any place to go. There was a short velvet rope along part of the wall. Our escort opened that, and then we suddenly realized that this part of the wall was actually a door. And in we went, while the escort juggled ALL of our hand carried luggage (except for my purse and the little satchel containing our meds, which [almost] never leaves contact with one of us...). At one point, he asked us to wait, and took our passports and boarding passes and disappeared. He quickly returned, and apparently we had just "gone through" immigrations". (!?) I found that disturbing, because no official had actually seen us or spoken to us. However, we were no doubt observed by assorted cameras, of course, and the "escort" may have had special training to *do* the regular immigrations Q&A, etc. Perhaps if we seemed more "sketchy", we'd have seen some more serious officials "up close and personal". 😉 Not all airlines/airports allow this level of "care", for security reasons and local regulations. Some nicer hotels offer some variation of this Meet & Greet service, too, although how it is handled can vary a lot. In some of the F airport lounges, there are small, private bedrooms, with a proper bed. It looked like a small and spartan hotel room (very small and very spartan!). But very quiet, private, and peaceful. DH has had several very helpful long naps in those. Me? I prefer to watch the plane action, while stuffing my mouth with what are sometimes *very* nice meals or snacks. GC

I'm pretty sure you are correct about this, klfrodo (and no surprise there, of course. 🙂 ). On our trips with insurance coverage, we've never listed "all the places we were going and the dates of each". If it was relevant, we'd put in what we considered the "main location" for our trip. That could be a cruise in <area>, or a city if visiting friends, or just the country, etc. And, importantly, when making a claim (which, unfortunately, we've had to do too many times 😞 ), we've *never* been asked anything that included anything that was about "all the places we'd been", the dates of each locale, etc. I don't even know how one would necessarily identify "each trip" if the trips weren't strictly "one cruise". And although this specific Forum, CruiseCritics, is obviously geared toward cruises (duh! 😉 ), there is a LOT of travel that has nothing to do with "cruising" or even any water activities at all. Would going to City A from City B need to be considered a "separate trip" from going to City C from CIty B? I doubt it. And is one just 'overnighting' during transportation, or is one visiting the a specific city just for one night? We've done both. And we've definitely "mixed and matched" cruise and land trips. Indeed, I'm not sure how one would try to count separate trips when there's more than one "destination", be it for a short or longer stay, especially if it were a trip with multiple destinations and multiple modes of travel. With some trips, there could be a LOT of "destinations", and many modes of travel. And if there are no cruises involved, such as just a land trip with travel by air, how does one distinguish "one trip" from "another trip"? And if there *is* a cruise involved [or more than one], how does one characterize the non-cruise travel, which might involve much more time than a cruise did...? Needless to say, Real NHDOC may indeed have a policy that works as they describe, but I've never heard of one before, and certainly many (most?) policies do *not* work that way. GC

Just in case this is helpful (and I am NOT trying to justify any insurer denials; we've never used IMG and probably never will): Did you have *ANY* medication adjustment in the <however many days> window as specified in your policy? OR a recommendation for that... or any procedure? Sometimes the problem is the way the policy is worded, and someone doesn't realize that the terms are different from what is usually considered as "pre-existing". BTW, my earlier comment was intended to suggest that you give Trip Insurance Store a *chance* to see if they can straighten this out for you. You barely mentioned they would try to help and then your declared IMG still wasn't working for you. The one time we had a delay (again, NOT with IMG!), we asked Steve/TIS about it. That's how we found that we happened to submit a claim during a time when several hurricanes had caused massive travel disruptions... and hence, the insurers were swamped. Steve's assistance did seem to help: suddenly, our claim was paid. In all other claims, we got paid within 2-3 weeks of submission of all docs. It's unfortunate that the terminology (e.g., of "pre-existing condition") can vary so much, not only between regular usage and travel insurance usage, but also between/among different travel insurance policies. The other suggestion is: Contact your state's Insurance Commissioner's Office. Insurance is regulalated by the states. They may be able to help you (or explain what the problem really is...). I hope this gets fixed soon for you! Happy Holidays! GC