GeezerCouple

For those of us raised in the USA (or most parts of it?), it *is* a "habit" to tip. It actually feels strange in a place where tipping isn't just not conventional but it could be considered rude. Do we (DH and I, and many others) like this? Not at all. But most of the people who tend to get tipped are not paid what they should be paid. Why? Well, now, it's "because they get tips", so it's ended up as a circular explanation. Truly, some workers are paid a pittance, in our opinion anyway. (I was once "there", so I know... it was almost entirely "tips... or nothing". I'll never forget - way back circa 1970 - when someone ordered one drink and then tipped me with a $5 bill and insisted I keep it. I know what that amount meant to me at that time. So we try to make a point to tip well, when the service warrants, even though the price point has changed.) So in the above case that you mention, it may be an oversight and inadvertant "double tipping", or it may be that the person giving the extra tip is very intentionally trying to help out with wages, etc. GC

Do you not have time to renew her passport at any time before the cruise? GC

As Jersey42 wrote, there isn't any single "best travel insurance", and each person/family is likely to have their own combination of preferences, needs, and characteristics of the actual trip. Why don't you contact a travel insurance broker? They handle several different travel insurers, and a good one will spend some time with you (especially for the first trip, when they don't yet know "you" and your travel preferences) not only to answer your questions, but to ask you some questions as well. That way, they can help find the policy that best meets your needs for this trip. (It could be a different policy/insurer for a different trip.) There should be NO extra fee to the traveler for the service. We use - and strongly recommend - www.TripInsuranceStore.com Please CALL them and do *not* rely upon the policy summaries online. There is just too much fine print, plus not all of the situations and choices may be obvious. Also, if you happen to need to make a claim, they can help with that if you need/want it. GC

I assume OP is referring to glass *below* the top "railing', instead of the metal bars between the top railing and the "floor"/balcony deck. As an aside, a major pet peeve of ours about those metal railings... I wish they were vertical instead of horizontal. Horizontal railings almost scream out an invitation to youngsters to "Climb Me!" 😱 (And same thing about horizontal decorative railings near residential stairways or across balcony type landings. The newer homes don't have the fancy curlique-type metal work, but simple thin bars, and too often... horizontal "ladder-like". In a large home with several bedrooms, where children are very likely to be living... Why!!??) </rant> GC

Welcome to CruiseCritic! As mentioned, you can certainlly bring a wheelchair on board. Indeed, IF you need a wheelchair, you must bring your own OR arrange in ADVANCE to rent one from one of the recommended vendors. (There are not "extra" wheelchairs on board.) But do make SURE that your cabin is large enough, including the doors, to let the wheelchair in and to maneuver within the room. A folding wheelchair is unlikely to be a problem; a motorized one... double check dimensions and get an "accessible" cabin. Those are intended to accommodate a wheelchair, etc. Enjoy your cruise! GC

We get our "pre-trip" currency from our bank also. However, we can order online, and have it mailed directly to us. GC

There have been reports from passengers who were on cruises immediately before and also those on cruises immediately after dry docks. Both groups have reported "inconveniences" of various sorts, but it's not clear how widespread they were (e.g., was almost everyone on board affected, or perhaps mainly just those in certain locations or using certain facilities). We have not experienced either... and hope to keep it that way. However, the reports included things like having carpets/flooring removed and roped off, for example... getting a head start for the new flooring... Similarly, immediately afterwards, there was some of the new carpeting still being put down. And there were reports of noise, no surprise, both before and after. But I have no idea how widespread or disruptive this was. On the other hand, it doesn't necessarily matter how many *others* are bothered, if *you* are among those being bothered. Worse, there were reports of the off-gassing of various new materials, after the dry dock. *That* could be very bad for someone with certain allergies, and something they wouldn't necessarily expect to find on a cruise. And unlike with some similar problem with a hotel immediately after some renovations, on a ship, one can't just move to a different hotel the next night... I don't know where those workpersons would be staying (unless the need is predicted?). Would the ship try to entice a bunch of less expensive cabins in some separated area to move to another cruise (tempting offers can certainly be made, when cruise lines want or need to "encourage" passengers to change to a different cruise!)? I assume the crew quarters don't have empty accommodations sitting around waiting for too many "others". GC

Are you really going to need a cruise departing on a specific day of the week, and NOT possibly the day before or day after? That could really restrict your choices. Given travel time, etc., might you be able to shift by even one day IF "the right cruise(s)" 😉 happened to sail then, rather than on *the* specified day of the week? RM

We had this same routing, connecting in Oslo when leaving Bergen, heading for LHR. All we remember was a relatively quiet airport. It was rather spartan, which is our main recollection. Otherwise, a relatively unmemorable memory...! It was early in the day; we had taken something like a 6am flight from Bergen (whatever the earliest flight to Oslo was). That may have made a difference, given the short flight time. On the outbound, we took that amazing train from Oslo to Bergen. 😁 GC

Or *rear* facing?? GC

Others have been mentioned in earlier posts right here. Markanddonna made a couple of suggestions, for example. Have you tried those? GC

We also like to have just a small amount of local currency with us when we arrive. Even if there is a surcharge for buying the currency locally, for a small amount, the surcharge is quite small indeed. And usually there has not been any fee. Then we don't need to worry about finding an ATM at the airport. As time goes on, we need local currency less and less, but there are usually at least a few times when it comes in handy, and especially where tipping isn't considered inappropriate. And if we do need a bit more local currency, we can get it after we have checked in and rested, etc. Over the years and after trips to a variety of countries/currencies, we ended up with a "selection" of currencies, with most of them being a relatively small amount. It doesn't make sense to convert them back to USD, and later maybe need to buy more local currency of the same type. So what we do every so often, IN a foreign country where we want a bit more local currency, we go to a regular currency exchange (for better rates and also handling more outside currencies) and convert our odds and ends into the local currency of choice/need. As for the initial starting amount of local currency, we also have a small account with Bank of Americe (in part because there is a branch very close to us). We just order it, and they send it to us. The first time, I was very worried about whether the "envelope of foreign cash" would really show up. It did; no problem at all. For a few key currencies, we could drive to another branch where they keep some on hand, but this was so easy...! 🙂 GC

IF the "FREE basic insurance" is a factor in selecting such an agency, one should *really* double check just what that insurance does - and does *not* - include. Determine what one's own travel insurance needs are, and then make sure that the "free insurance" actually covers that/those features. For example, coverage for "pre-existing medical conditions" is often excluded. However, also understand that travel insurance typically defines "pre-existing medical conditions" quite differently than how most of us tend to think of it. This could be a positive thing or a negative thing, depending upon one's specific circumstances. Also double check $$ limitations of coverage, be it for overseas medical care or to cover unused vacation costs or what is needed to get home early, or such. Not only would a "less than desirable policy" possibly be of little use once one looks into it, but some of the better travel insurance policies/coverages must be started within about 10-21 days of the very first payment (depends upon state of residency). So if one decides later that the freebie isn't so good, it might be too late to get the kind of policy one prefers or needs. So many of the complaints about travel insurance claims being denied are because the basis of the claim was never covered in the first place... and that is really unfortunate. Speaking with a travel insurance broker or agent who will explain these issues can be a very good call to make! We happen to use www.TripInsuranceStore.com [but CALL them; don't rely upon short online summaries of policies; those simply cannot cover all of the features or exclusions]. GC

First, almost all cruise lines are able to handle special dietary needs, but if you have something really unusual, or something requiring very specialized preparation, that might be more difficult to find. The important thing is to check with the cruiseline's SPECIAL NEEDS department prior to booking anything non-refundable (or with penalty)... and *not* the regular reservation agents. Some of them can be counted on to get things wrong 😱 , and some things are more critical than others. Sometimes the cruiseline combos of cruise/air/hotel are less expensive than doing it yourself, and sometimes NOT. (For one thing, they often charge per person, so for those who might share hotel rooms, that might not be a savings.) However, with air tickets, usually (but not always) one would lose control of the flight scheduling, etc., and some people complain bitterly of inconvenient schedules. We would *never* allow others to select our flights, especially when we know they'll look for the cheapest available, regardless of any inconvenience, etc. Are there any physical travel agencies near you? I don't notice many of them recently. But if you can meet in person with someone, that might help. (But no guarantee.) And you can ask here (almost anything other than the names of travel agents!). You could also try to find plans on your own, and then post them here for some other opinions. As far as travel agent "help", what price point are you considering? If the independent agents work on commission, it makes sense that they'll spend more time, and do more handholding, or help with special arrangements, for a $$$$ trip than with a shorter and very inexpensive trip. Also keep in mind that some people may pick the brains of travel agents, and then go make their own reservations without involving the agent... and they are aware that could happen when they answer a phone call from someone they've never heard from before (vs. a client they've helped in the past). For the same reason, some agencies may charge an extra fee for their services, beyond any commission they get. (Some of those deal more with higher end travel, but it all varies.) What is your "cruising/travel" background? Are you contemplating your first cruise? Or wanting help with something out of the ordinary because you've done the shorter/regular cruises, or such? The CC members can be a wonderful source of information if we have an idea of what type of information one is looking for. GC

I'm not sure what you mean about the tip "losing some of its rubber". It doesn't sound like you mean the tip falling off. However, you might want to bring an extra tip (or two?) with you just in case. I don't know how likely it is that the tip would fall off, but you'll probably feel better having extra with you. I also just Googled "rough surface tape" (for lack of anything more creative!), and found an assortment. https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=rough+surface+tape&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 Some seemed more suitable than others. "rough surface painter's tape" didn't sound like quite the right thing. But there are several that seemed more suitable, such as "grip tape". Some of these may be more for helping with stable footing, such as the "rough surface" one sometimes finds at the front top edge of each step on a staircase, etc. But having something like this might be nice as a backup. You could ask at something like Home Depot what is most suitable, or perhaps ask at a store that sells canes what they recommend. And then there's the search for "extra grip cane tips". https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=extra+grip+cane+tips&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 Again, asking someone who deals with these products might help you find the most suitable for your purposes. These things don't seem to cost much, and would probably help eliminate some of your concern. I may be needing a cane/walker/etc., in the future, which is why I was interested in your question. For now, I'm doing some serious physical therapy that focuses on both strength and balance... so I don't keep clutching onto DH, giving him back problems. Or causing us *both* of us to fall... That "lack of confidence" can really interfere. GC

Op also posted about a "high end" cruise further in the future, so perhaps budget isn't a major concern. This was the thread about 3 adults cruising together: However, OP posted as Post #1, and then again as #3, and it doesn't seem they ever posted again despite approximately 20 responses. (perhaps I overlooked an additional post by Op?) GC

You've posted this on a sub-forum about travel insurance. You should probably post this on the NCL sub-forum. You'll get the eyes of those who tend to have experience with NCL. GC

Isn't the "total price", once all expenses such as basic fare, gratuities/excursions/etc., and transportation are all included... isn't that what matters, not what categories are "broken down"? GC

The "all terrain cane" IS still available directly from the company, for $39 (probably plus tax, S&H?). I didn't order one, but the online process let me get to just before I would have needed to enter payment info. Just because something isn't available through Amazon or some other "market place" vendor, doesn't mean the company/manufacturer doesn't have them available. Needless to say, they *could* sell out as well... but they'd probably have them available again before Amazon would. If (when? 😞 ) I need to use a cane, I'll probably give this one a try. It seems better suited to a variety of "surfaces", with some sort of self-adjusting "grip". I had never heard about this until reading about it here. GC

We don't purchase travel insurance with Allianz. Call TIS; they handle several vetted travel insurers. I don't know if Allianz is one of them. GC

Call a broker like www.TripInsuranceStore.com (no extra cost). But CALL, don't just rely upon the fine print summaries online, and especially given your situation. We had a smaller version, with different family members traveling from different addresses, but we wanted to be linked for insurance purposes. We were able to get what we needed. GC

What a shame. This would have made it so easy for anyone from the USA wanting to move to Canada! 😉 GC

Thanks Guindalf! I just couldn't find it at all online. But your link allowed me to find the manufacturer, and it seems to be available (or, at least, is not stated as "unavailable"): https://stepwisecane.com/stepwise-cane-product-specifications/ It looks very interesting (plus "odd"; should get lots of comments and looks?). From the website, interesting back story, but keep in mind I have never seen the product! "Hi, I’m John, and I am a physical therapist with over 20 years of experience in promoting mobility and independence for individuals recovering from injuries. ... ... Several years ago, I took a break from my work as a physical therapist to donate a kidney to a family member. During my recovery period in the hospital, I had the chance to watch my favorite team compete in the World Series. Interestingly, I was bombarded with commercials for a particular walking cane during the breaks, which, while inspiring, was also frustrating since I knew it was an ineffective option that I had seen in the hands of many of my patients. While recovering from surgery and contemplating the design of a better walking cane, I drew on my knowledge of balance, stability, and mobility, all of which were essential to the recovery of my patients..." Interesting. And I suspect I know which cane he saw in all of those ads, but maybe not? GC

When did you make your reservation and, importantly, make your *first* payment? GC

VERY interesting... clever! But... is the bowl facing up or down? DH and I are disagreeing on which direction seems to make more sense! 😄 [This *must* be one of the more interesting/comical discussions we've had in a long time!] Thanks! GC