GeezerCouple

I strongly agree with those above who suggest NOT pushing it, NOT trying to "make them be friends". That's not how friendships form, or work. I'd also guess that the more "shy" they each are, the worse "pushing things" would be. I tend to be an introvert around strangers (DH, not at all, which is great). IF I felt any pressure to "participate", to "talk to someone I didn't know yet", etc., I'd probably start to withdraw from any such encounters, and just not join the folks who are pushing things on me. I don't need to spend any of my time being "pushed" in any direction at all. Full Stop. I can't imagine if you are on some excursion to a beautiful or interesting area that they would each remain silent, rather than react with a few comments about the area, some other similar area, something it reminded them of, etc. And at some point, the other will add something, and *then* their comments will be towards each other and not only to those they already know. Think about a blind date, where you know you are "supposed to relax and have a good time". Does that make it work? Uh, sometimes it can just be awkward, trying to find something to discuss other than "Uh, nice weather this evening, huh?" But if two people are in a group, and one makes a comment, the other may respond, fully relaxed, no pressure. And then it can continue, slowly or more quickly, however THEY feel comfortable. I really don't get it about trying to push things. GC

And meet Bug Naked, her cat, who travels with her, of course! GC

Yes, as I noted in my other comment (quoted just above), we also think they stopped the Bridge tours, and before the pandemic. We were quite sure that was for security reasons, and it makes good sense, these days... I assume it was for security purposes that the Bridge viewing rooms were also eliminated, or at least, my understand is that's "gone" now, too. Seeing a variety of different areas Behind The Scenes was very interesting, including food storage (cold, frozen, other - there was a LOT of space for that food!) and also the kitchen and actual food prep areas. One of our photos is standing in the main food prep area, with a humongous whisk, seemingly almost as tall as we were. I did not see if that was actually *used* or it was a cute, and BIG, prop. Serving thousands for each meal does mean *huge* quantities, of course, so perhaps they did use some that size...? 😉 And the trash handling was incredibly elaborate, with separating different types, etc. I don't remember everything now, no surprise. I think the non-Bridge area tours were stopped due to the pandemic, but I'm not sure. Perhaps someday they'll re-start the non-Bridge area tours, but my guess is that with all the craziness these days... probably not. GC

I was quite dismissive of "giving the cruise line an interest free loan" too, above. However, IF one can take advantage of a favorable exchange rate, then that does make sense. (Or if someone got some sort of discount; it seemed to be suggested that someone might be able to avoid an on-ship surcharge. If so, that makes sense, too, of course.) As for the argument that the exchange rate may be favorable now, but perhaps not later, I'm not sure how that actually works out once one has already made the transaction; I can't find my abacus. Or slide rule. 😉 However, keep in mind that by the same logic, NOT purchasing OBC in advance is also a "gamble", but in the opposite direction. Depending upon "which way" the exchange rate changes between "now and then", IF it changes, one either did well or.... not so well... Each person is likely to have a different opinion of whether/how exchange rates will change between now and <whenever the need for the foreign currency is>, and can make their decisions accordingly. But at least there is a *reason* that "could" make a real difference in that case. IF it's "only" to avoid having a credit card charged while on board, that makes less sense. And it certainly doesn't make sense for many of us to start pre-paying far in advance. IF one wants/needs to budget those expenses before the trip, then do it in *your* account, and not theirs (and even more so now, with interest rates rising). For one thing, just in case the cruise gets cancelled, regardless of reason, you aren't sitting and waiting - and waiting - for them to refund your money! Then either buy the OBC shortly before the trip, use the accumulated funds to pay the credit card bill after the cruise, or I think one can sometimes (?) put a cash deposit down instead of a charge card number (NOT sure about this, but I think I've read about doing this), and if your on board charges exceed that, they'll just stop your ability to make any purchases. However, we all have our little habits and quirks, and, ahem, I'm just declining to disclose mine right now! 😱 Do what works best for you (the recent "you do you" mantra), but at least try to understand the pros and cons. And most importantly, arrange things so *you* enjoy it all the most possible! (Humans don't always make "the most logical decision", and different preferences can change the logic!) GC

Heh... at first I thought maybe you were on *our* cruise, and on *our* Bridge tour! But looking at your cruise history, it seems we were more than a year after you. I think it was September, 2014. I don't remember the name of the Captain, but your description could certainly fit the Captain we met. The more interested we got, the more eager he seemed to try to explain more, and that was just perfect for both of us! We understand why they did away with public access (in a guided tour, not just an "open house", of course!) to the Bridge, and that was before COVID. So we are especially glad that we were able to have that experience. I understand they've done away with the "Bridge viewing rooms", too? That would be too bad, but I guess I can understand that, too... GC

This very nicely summarizes why we do private excursions almost exclusively. As for "what to visit/see/do", not only can we customize this from the start, in advance, but we can make adjustments in the middle of the outing. We realize we LOVE seeing/doing X? Okay, let's stay here longer, and skip Y (or spend half the time there, etc.). We've also had some good suggestions when we ask the guide "from what we've been discussing with you, are there any other things you'd recommend for us?" Sometimes, we invite others (from our Roll Call), such as the times we've chartered a large catamaran. We explain exactly what our plans are. One time, it was a "regular excursion" but we hired them privately "just for us". Another time, we just chartered the crewed catamaran, and they helped us decide where to sail. GC

[emphases added] Hmmm... it sounds like there's a chance you might actually "enjoy" the Starbucks on the ship MORE, given how you are describing things! It's hard to beat a combination like that. 🙂 Have a great time! GC

Yeah, that was a "problem" 😉 That filet was the best on the ship in my opinion. But we were eating a lot in our suite because it was an Alaska cruise and we had a spectacular forward view, so... we didn't want to leave. We decided to try the coq au vin for variety and also because "maybe it would travel better" or such. What a wonderful surprise! We hadn't even noticed it on previous cruises. I'm sure the seasonings and prep can vary a lot with something like this, but we just loved the flavors. And we don't usually get chicken when we eat "out", including on cruises. For each of us, this was a special surprise. GC

Welcome to CruiseCritic. Don't worry... you can't really "over-research", but try to enjoy it rather than getting stressed. We consider each cruise is really sort of three different trips. First, the planning and anticipation, and believe us, we can stretch this out for quite some time! 😁 Second, the actual traveling, of course! And third, going over photos/videos, our memories, and occasionally talking about it, such as, "Oh, remember when....!?" - and some of this can be quite a few years later, ahem... 😉 Meanwhile, here are a few links elsewhere on CC: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/58-first-time-cruisers/ https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/69-ask-a-cruise-question/ But asking on the subforum of the cruiseline (e.g., NCL here) will get more specific answers for things that differ among the cruiselines. You'll probably want to sign up (or at the very least, read) the "Roll Call" for your specific cruise (ship and date you are on). https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/66-norwegian-cruise-line-roll-calls/ There will be discussions about excursions/tours at different ports plus perhaps a meeting or two of the group on the ship. And do consider travel insurance, at the very least if your own health insurance doesn't cover you when traveling: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/ (We learned about it here, thank goodness, and... we had a big claim instead of what was to be DH's first cruise...) Enjoy! GC

There were CC system problems today. Some may still need fixing. See if your account is "normal" later, or maybe tomorrow before spending too much time on this... and especially while on a cruise! ENJOY! And thanks so much for posting. GC

There were major system issues, per CC admins. Apparently it affected some CC members differently/more than others. I didn't "do anything" special, and I was finally able to log in. GC

We traveled with an 18 month old grand several years ago. We were on a suite, and they were in a smaller cabin. We requested a Pack N Play for each place, and they were all set up and waiting when we arrived. However, we brought our own little sheets/etc., so we'd know that the detergent and such wasn't going to be a problem. GC

The coq au vin at Le Bistro was a real sleeper! Once we discovered it, we ordered it several times. Both of us! 🙂 GC

It wasn't "just guide and security and guests" when we took a BTS tour. There were members of each area who would explain what they did/how it worked. The final "stop" of the tour was in the Bridge, and we spent a lot of time there. Several others wandered off, but some of us were really intrigued by some of the equipment. We didn't necessarily completely understand all of what they were saying about how some of it works, but we caught enough of it to be fascinated. And it wasn't the guide trying to explain these things to us; it was the Captain and a few other Officers. I don't remember exactly, but there were something like 15 passengers, including us. If the entire group is in the Bridge, and they were at least at the start of that final portion of the tour... that's a lot of potential COVID exposure, I would think. GC

You are very fortunate that you have not needed to file a claim on travel insurance for 40 years. We must be the opposite of you in some A/B universe. We learned about travel insurance here on CC, and thank goodness! Our first major cruise/land trip/business class air was... cancelled due to a medical emergency less than 2 weeks before our planned departure. We have since had several other claims, including a few other large ones. ALL have been paid with no nonsense. We get the policies (from Travel Insured) through Steve et al., at TripInsuranceStore.com . He has helped us a few times, most notably with that first claim in terms of how to word an apparently confusing time line, and also when I landed in hospital overseas and we needed to really change the next portion of our trip. After I was out, I was still too ill to travel but we were trying to avoid needing to cancel *all* of the remaining trip. Things are unfair for honest folks? That certainly isn't restricted to travel insurance. And it's not the fault of the insurers! It's the fault of the DIS-honest people who make it necessary for the documentation/proof of various sorts to be provided. I can't believe that you are not able to imagine "what could go wrong" if insurers just paid all claims without requiring actual proof (of the value and of the loss, etc.). 😱 And then there is the difference between depreciated value (which can be surprisingly low; what would *you* pay for someone's well-used suitcase?) or "full replacement value". (We have the latter on our homeowner's insurance, which has a modest amount for this type of loss from travel, but it's mostly for fire damage or theft/etc. Yes, we do have some valuable items re-appraised occasionally to document what that *current* full replacement value is.) As for the homeowner's insurance part, there are a couple of reasons. As already stated, some policies specify they are "secondary"; they'll only pay what is left after a primary claim is filed/paid if one exists. A primary policy doesn't have this requirement, and thus sometimes costs more (but sometimes the "same policy coverage" isn't available in a choice of primary or secondary; sometimes it is, with an extra payment to change secondary to primary). However, there is also that "honesty" issue lurking, although the primary/secondary doesn't completely eliminate this. If one files the same claim with two insurers and "double dips", that's insurance fraud. (Insurers are clearly on the alert for this in many ways, but that's a separate issue than what you are raising. However, that risk is still there for the insurers...) Two of the most common reasons I've seen for complaints about travel insurance are: 1) not understanding exactly what is covered, and getting a denial for something that wasn't ever covered in the first place; or 2) not having proper documentation. The latter includes people who have medically-based claims, but refuse to provide any medical records because they feel that's an invasion of privacy. The insurers have the right to double check that the claims are indeed valid. Sometimes a denial is due to some misunderstanding... what the insured wrote/meant isn't what the insurer understood. Someone like Steve can be really helpful with this, as he was with our first draft of our first claim. Now, we usually send in the claim form without bothering anyone at TIS at all. If you happened to charge something, such as the suitcase, perhaps the charge card vendor still has records if you remember approximately when it was/where you bought it; ditto for other items. But don't be surprised (or try not to be) if the depreciated value is surprisingly ("stunningly"?) low. 😠 GC

Hmmm... what is the site for hotels!? Thanks. GC

DO contact the Special Needs desk sooner rather than later. I had forgotten this, and we've not needed it personally, but I've suggested telling Special Needs and also asking if there might be a steward (or butler/etc.) who is especially good with <whatever>. They may reply automatically that "all" of their employees are equally good, on principle. But perhaps they'll notify the ship, and if a particular steward could be moved across the hall or something... It's worth asking. I got this idea when someone mentioned telling Special Needs (I think it was a different cruise line) about an elderly person in their family who only spoke Language A. And they ended up with at butler who spoke Language A. 🙂 Would that same butler have had those assigned suites anyway? We'll never know, but it certainly didn't hurt! Point is, as always, others can't help make things work better if they don't know what might be helpful. GC

Heh. Tiny "Moosie" travels everywhere with us. He got lost in the linens in Milan several years ago, and it was silly how upset we were. However, the hotel emailed a few weeks later that he had been found in the clean laundry, only slightly worse for wear. He was FedEx'd back to us in time for our Alaska cruise. 😁 We now also take a slightly larger moose, "Big Boy". The stewards often decorate them or leave them in funny positions/locations, such as with a towel animal or such. There was one CC member whose avitar was a porthole with a couple of little stuffed animals facing outward. That is, of course, how Moosie and Big Boy like travel... to have a good view! (Yes, yes, we also bring the kids and grands on some vacations, including cruises...!) GC

Huh? You'd still be paying for those charges of "nickels and dimes". You can either give NCL your money way ahead of time (!?) by charging that amount and them perhaps get some back, or you could wait until you have spent the amount and then have them charge that exact amount, and no more. Perhaps you mean you don't want to "know about" the nickel and diming? But wouldn't you know if you are buying something that isn't already covered? (I surely would keep track of such costs.) And your final tally would show everything anyway, either way. And if it's a way to "save up" for incidental spending, fine if that's necessary. But save it up in *your* account somewhere. Why give it to NCL in advance, especially if you may not even spend it all? Perhaps put your "spending money" into the account that will be used later to pay the charge card bill if you need to put money in different "buckets" by purpose...? If I give myself a $100 bill with my right hand and take it with my left hand ("gifting myself $100"), what have I gained? GC

We managed this by starting the gift reservation with a new temporary email address that came to us, not them. They had no idea about it until we chose to tell them. 🙂 Then we had them change the e-address, etc., by giving them the password to "their" reservation account. 😉 GC

That's similar to what we did, as mentioned above. Obviously, it depends upon what the exact temperature range required is. We needed the vials kept *very* cold, but not frozen (once thawed). So we kept LOTS of ice in the container. I'd pour out excess water and add more *cold* water from the spare ice bucket, and then add more ice. There was just enough water to make sure the vials were surrounded by water. Each was in a tiny ziploc-type plastic bag. I needed to add a coin or such to each, because otherwise they tended to float (there was some air/gas in each vial in addition to the small quantity of medicine), which would *not* have been okay. We got to the airport plenty early, and that was good. TSA wasn't sure initially what to do about our package, but a supervisor helped inspect it and let us seal it up again. It wasn't the vials; it was the assorted frozen gel packs and ice in the insulated container. We also had extra copies of assorted medical documentation. That was a lot more trouble than any of the considerable assortment of regular meds we bring along. At least we weren't crossing any borders that time. We thought we would need to continue this for longer trips, and I was having quite a time trying to figure it out. Fortunately, it was a temporary situation as we had hoped... GC

😁

Better safe than sorry: Make *sure* that you have the same name everywhere... reservation, air tickets, passport (and DL if that's used instead of passport). Have them all match. Why risk a problem, small or large? "Same" probably means same as passport, as that's not easily changed. GC

The real shame is that Coca Cola and Pepsi have managed to get away with their "exclusive" partnerships with some vendors such that they aren't "allowed" to offer both and thus let the customers vote with their taste buds and money. If they each think they've got a better product (or, at least not a worse product?), why not allow choices. Then they'd each have their product in far more selling opportunities. GC

This is our experience as well: Never heard of such a thing. Almost all of our cruising (and all of the recent cruising - and other major travel as well) has been since DH turned 70, and I followed not that much later. Indeed, it was the approaching The Big Seven-O that gave us the kick that *now* is the time to start those trips. The only place we've been asked about health or a physician note/medical records is when one of us wanted to renew MedJetAssist (medevac) after reaching 75. However, that was approved in less than a week, with nothing other than a short form from the physician and one from the traveler. Even for third-party travel insurance, there has been no medical letter needed. One does need to be "fit to travel" on the date the insurance is started, but that's not age-linked. And the rates do go up with age. (Cruise-line insurance may not have the different rates for age, but we never get that, so we can't say for sure.) GC