GeezerCouple

This ^^ definitely. With a private excursion/tour, you can usually customize almost anything (legal!). If not, then find a different vendor. Explain exactly what you need, what you can/cannot do, and also what you want to see. We always also ask the guide-to-be if they have any other suggestions about what to see/do, given our interests. (We would have already mentioned the types of things we tend to enjoy, or what we hope to see, etc.) If you need to minimize walking, make sure to mention that, and perhaps ask if they can arrange to drive you closer. (Maybe this would add a special parking fee or such, in which case you could decide whether it's worth it to see/do A or B.) And if there is walking, ask about places to rest along the way. If there just isn't anyplace (and you don't want to sit on the ground or can't easily get up, etc.), then perhaps choose a different activity. We've had a lot of good experiences. One guide in Rome (for 2 days) was all set with extra plans for either taxis or routes that were closer to the actual activity or sights. And he would occasionally point out a nice place to sit for as long as necessary in case that was desired at about that time. Enjoy! GC

How does Noordam compare to Zaandam? Thus far, the Noordam is the only HAL ship we've been on, and we loved it. (Of course, part of the love was felt towards the Lincoln Center music...) The size of the ship was great for us (without any grands). GC

Heh. I was so focused on comparing the front ship with the smaller one behind it... ... "Okay, it's got a lot more decks, but I can't tell from this view how long the ship is"... That I didn't even notice "what was on the shore". 😲 I'm 100% certain I wouldn't be on something as large as that Icon of Monstrosity, unless there was some sort of emergency. Certainly *not* for a vacation! But some of that also reflects the number of children that would probably be on board. And that's fine. If we are not traveling with the grands, then we'd prefer not to have hoards of children running into us. (Yes, that happened the one time we went on "the wrong ship" at "the wrong time of year", and that's what we call "one trial learning"! 😱) GC

Ooops! I mixed up two of the previous posters. Very sorry! But the comments about GF diets hold. I'm not sure where you've been having problems. [Due to your spelling, I'm guessing you may be from the UK? So what I write below may not be as appropriate there, but we've not had problems traveling outside the USA.] These days, Gluten Free is remarkably well known and available. It's still VERY important to check and double check (in advance and again when being served) if necessary, because obviously this is more important to you than to others! Some time ago, it was probably very difficult. But now... there IS "gluten free soy sauce". Several brands are usually available at our regular grocery store, for example. And if you yourself cook gluten free, then no doubt you know of all of the thickening agents for sauces, or for use to cover/coat some items. Hoever, it is very important that you notify Special Needs well in advance to be sure that the ship knows of your needs and has made any arrangements, including any special ingredients. I don't think there is much "specially needed" for a GF request, because there are most likely a lot of other passengers desiring or requiring a GF diet. In addition to those who *must* have a GF diet for medical reasons, there are quite a few who prefer or require it for reasons other than critical medical reasons. I'm sure it helps for the ship to have some idea of how many, in case there's suddenly a coincidence and there are far more requests for GF than usual. DH was diagnosed late in life with celiac disease. Not long after that, we had a trip to Italy. He was so disappointed, as "pasta" is certainly something to get in Italy, right? Well!! 🙂 Every restaurant had GF pasta, and usually several choices. They simply requested just a bit of extra time to prepare it. And at home, I enjoy the GF pasta that we use. (Okay... I enjoy *most* of the GF pastas. There are a few that... aren't quite as good as the others!) And at a few restaurants these days, I actually prefer DH's GF "rolls", and then ask for them for me, too. The various chefs and food services have come a long way, thank goodness. We always announce in advance, including as soon as we make cruise reservations (or a restaurant reservation). And then he announces it again when ordering, and yet again, when served: "This is the GLUTEN FREE <whatever>, correct?" as a final check. Also, our most recent cruise was on HAL, and we had no problems there, either. That was a place where I preferred one of the GF rolls! So take the few extra steps, and then enjoy! And FINALLY: We *always* travel with some GF snacks, protein bars, etc., for times when we might be delayed, etc., or "just in case" there isn't anything appropriate that is appealing. That latter situation has never, yet, occurred. 🙂 GC

Is THAT where all the Charmin went back in 2020?? GC

This is one of the reasons we asked for cabin numbers, but there was no reason at all to put any of the information on a publicly accessible website. GC

What if your arrival is a bit late, which could happen for a variety of reasons? GC

You should double check this with your travel insurance agent or broker. The type of travel insurance we get requires that all non-refundable costs be insured. However, in addition to that, the first insurance payment *must* be made within 10-20 days (depending upon state of residence) of the very first payment. That usually means the deposit, which is often refundable. Therefore, that deposit must be insured, and promptly... at least for the type of coverage we purchase. Other policies may have different terms including payment and what's covered. You might want to check with www.TripInsuranceStore.com - they are a broker, but there is no extra cost to the traveler. CALL them so they can discuss your specific travel plans and possible insurance needs or wishes. They are "no pressure" and very patient with questions. Through them, we get policies from Travel Insured. We've had several claims (including a couple of large ones, unfortunately), and all of them have been paid promptly without the nonsense we read about. GC

Yes, that remote device in the cabin.... with the buttons and crevices, etc., there is NO thorough way to clean it. We use not the thick ziplocks (which is what we use for most things) but the thinner "baggies", given that "touch" is important on the remotes. And yes, we disinfect everything possible. We travel with a regular supply of our meds (regular and "just in case"), and now... we make that assortment much larger, with masks and gloves, and anti-viral wipes. We should consider the clear "food handler" gloves. Those are probably less, er, "noticeable", than our sometimes colorful Nitrile gloves. We also carry our own little bottles of hand disinfectant. Many of the "general use" dispensers have additives that DH may be allergic to. It's all so much more complicated now... GC

I need to double check this, but I've always assumed that if there were some awful blizzard or such, something clearly NOT the passenger's fault, then IF the cruise departure was missed, the insurance would want to try - or have *you* try - to get to a subsequent port. Chances are good that would be less expensive for the insurer, especially for a long cruise, than refunding all of the cruise fare. This assumes there are no legal restrictions on joining a cruise mid-voyage, of course. In our case, we always fly at least a night in advance, and often 2 or more if it's a location we'd like to spend some time in. GC

Sure. We've asked for contact information to make sure we could reach everyone the evening before or morning of a private excursion, "just in case". But we did NOT post any of that online. I used my personal e-address that I set up for CC (see signature). And everything "personal" was done that way. NOTHING was posted on line, other than information about the private excursion, and how to reach me (using email) so we could make plans. I was able to send out emails to "everyone" joining or just one person, as needed. There weren't any of the elaborate spreadsheets. GC

We have no interest in waiting in long lines, and I also have some mobility difficulties, but long lines... no thank you anyway. So we almost always try to arrive relatively late. Then we can usually breeze right through. This allows us to get a relaxed start to the cruise. So we might miss lunch on board on that day, which is no big deal. These lines always remind me of a grad school cafeteria decades ago. There was a true "LOL" (Little Old Lady, before LOL came to mean something else!), clearly *very* old but in great shape. She would always, day after day, week after week, go through the line, get what she wanted, and then cut in line, marching right up to the cashier... as she declared: "I'm 93 and I don't have time to wait!!" LOL for that LOL! 😁 GC

We have used TripInsuranceStore.com also, after learning about it here on CC almost 10 years ago. And good thing, too. Our first trip with insurance, a very expensive trip for us at the time (er, times have changed! 😉 ) needed to be cancelled less than 2 weeks prior to our planned departure due to a medical emergency. Fortunately, our discussions with them (and lots of Q&A while we learned - pretty fast - about travel insurance) helped us to get the right policy, and all of our expenses were refunded in cash, about 2 weeks after we submitted all of the documentation. (In this case, we were more concerned about the medical issues, so we didn't deal with the documents for a while, until some of the emergency level issues were under better control). Our policy through TIS was with Travel Insured. We've since had several other claims, including another large one. All of them were paid promptly. We have zero complaints, and we'll continue to get this policy, from TI, through TIS. Our only complaint is that we needed to file travel insurance claims several times... GC

One reason I've seen given, although this was NOT on that cruise that I mentioned, is if the ship (concierge or ?) is going to deliver physical invites to each member for the Meet & Greet. Given that we've always had it arranged before the ship sails, I'm not sure why that extra work is necessary, but when I've managed a Meet & Greet, we didn't do that. And I didn't ask for cabin number. Or locations. GC

I'll need to work on my response in advance. I *HATE* e-books. I may be oldfashioned... correction... I *am* oldfashioned in several ways (and PROUD OF IT! 😉 ). I *LOVE* the feel of a nice, comfortable book. One with pages I can flip through to look back at something earlier. (I'm visual with books, but not photographic memory. I remember that "oh, *that* section was about an inch below the top of a left-hand page", so I can find it, etc.) A book is a friend. I disappear into the friend and could be gone for hours! And I may well have a hard-cover book with me. 😁 <insert nose twitch!> GC

Absolutely correct. And there are many different types of policies. (Also, insurance is regulated in the USA by each state, so a policy/terms available in one state may not be available or may be different in another state.) The critical thing is to make sure that one *understands* the terms and conditions (T&Cs) of the policy you end up getting AND that they match your insurance needs. When we see complaints here, there is usually (not always!) one of two issues at play: 1) The policy never covered the "event" that the claim was based on in the first place. or 2) The claim was not completed properly or fully. #1 above includes things lie not understanding any pre-existing condition exclusions that might have existed, or not realizing that the insurance only covers the cruise itself, or that a non-traveling family member's illness wasn't covered, etc. #2 above includes, among other things, complaints that the person making the claim refuses to share their medical records. For one thing, the insurer has the right to protect against fraud. But the important other thing is that the T&Cs of the policy will include statements about providing this type of documentation if needed. And HIPAA does *not* apply. HIPAA applies to medical providers/etc., *and* does not apply if the patient gives consent, which would be included in any release form for the insurance company. I absolutely do NOT mean to imply there are never "claims that are denied inappropriately" or that some insurers never play games and delay, delay, delay! But those are not the majority of complaints, from reading here and elsewhere. A good travel insurance agent or broker will work with the traveler to help them get the type of policy that best suits their needs. That can be invaluable. (And it can be incredibly difficult to know if the "details" match, if one only uses online policy summaries.) GC

We haven't sailed Princess, so cannot speak specifically about *their* insurance policy. However, we NEVER get the cruiseline insurance; we *always* get third-party coverage. For one thing, that type of coverage starts the moment we step out our door until the moment we get back home. It covers the trip to the airport. Any hotels before or after the cruise. Any other trips, large or small, before or after the cruise. Inportantly, it would provide 100% of the loss as *cash*, not any "credit" with a possible time limit. We can use that credit for another cruise or a completely different trip. Or no trip at all. (Some lines may have some of the refund in cash, and Princess might be one of them, but I'm not sure.) We've had several claims, including some large ones, and they've been paid without nonsense each time, and usually very quickly; only once wasn't, because there were several hurricanes, and the travel insurers were swamped. Our claim wasn't weather related, but we got caught in the crowd. Our travel insurance broker made a call on our behalf, and approximately a week later, a check arrived. GC

Right. It's not that difficult, if enough of the right information bits are available. And probably only a bit more difficult with fewer. I was aware how easy it can be to use Google - for *starters* - to find people. I haven't had any need to do that here on CC, but I've done quite a bit of "investigating" trying to re-connect with old college friends, etc. It seems to be much easier to find their home address than a phone number! 😱 GC

[emphasis added] First, please do what klfrodo suggested: Ask for specifics from whomever you purchase your travel insurance from. Whenever we have a very specific question ("Will <this unusual situation, or so we think> be covered?') we always ask the representative to send us the written materials that cover this, or to tell us which page/line if it's in our policy. (We usually would have 10 days to review a policy or cancel for money back.) Next, two issues from what they wrote above. again, check about any specific policy you are considering, as suggested just above. But in terms of "missing the ship", it would depend upon quite a few things, including how the policy is written, of course. But there's more than one way to "cover" such a situation. One way might be for you to fly to a "subsequent port" and catch the ship there. That might vary depending upon the passenger carriage rules of the various countries involved. And that would probably come under "trip interruption" coverage rather than "cancellation". However, it ALL depends upon the terms and conditions (T&Cs) of the specific policy. As for "named storms" (e.g., hurricanes), my information could be outdated (or maybe just *wrong*!?), but I'm not aware that a named storm would not be covered if it was the reason for trip cancellation (or interruption). What *might* be an issue is that one cannot get new coverage that would include a "named storm" once the storm is "named". That is, one can't wait to see "IF" a hurricane is likely to interfere and only *then* get the insurance. That would be sort of like waiting for a house to catch on fire and *then* getting homeowner's insurance for that loss. The bottom line is that it can be very complicated, and all the more so if one considers insurance from different countries. One nice thing about our always getting the same policy is that we've come to pretty much understand most of it. And we have a terrific travel insurance broker who can answer questions or help with a claim if needed/desired. (That's Steve, from www.TripInsuranceStore.com ) And they helped us get a policy that matched *our* needs, as proved by our having several claims, all of which were paid without any bickering.) GC

A concern about stalking, including *on* a ship during a cruise makes it more worrisome when Roll Call lists ask for specific cabin numbers. We have always declined to give that, or at least to put it on such a list. Once we met others on the ship, we might share that. Indeed, it turned out that for our first cruise after joining CC, someone we communicated with via our Roll Call turned out to be right next to us on the ship. And it wasn't a tiny ship. But at that point, it's not a problem. I doubt they or anyone 'updated' the online CC list. Usually, after sail-away, the Roll Calls get pretty... inactive. GC

Right. That person is taking us to the airport, and sometimes it's the International Terminal, so chances are especially good then it's not a quick overnight trip... We almost always have a live-in housesitter. When a car service picks us up to go to the airport, I *always* somehow find time in that car to mention to DH something like, "Oh, <name> will be arriving a bit later today, and she'll be staying over again. I'm sorry we had to leave before she arrived, and didn't have time to wait to see her again. <then some other regular stuff>" That's even if I just told him the same thing in the house before we left. 😉 And the housesitter always leaves her car in the driveway and not in the garage, unless there's heavy snow predicted. One could always say something like that regardless of the plans... GC

There have been "Roll Call" spreadsheets that ask for full name *and* hometown. Uh... NO. 😡 I've gotten the feeling we are considered anti-social because we don't join in with all of the information. I look at the lists, and think... "Are they nuts!?" And then I think back to childhood in the 1950, when no one even locked their doors. And children ran around the neighborhood all day (well, weekends or after school), and the next a parent might hear from them might be a phone call, "Mom, I'm at Suzy's house. Can I stay for dinner?" It wasn't until many years later that I realized the person who *really* should have been asked was SUZY's mother! Heh. The Times, They Are a-Changin'.... We used to have a housesitter live in. She could come and go during the day, just like we would do, but there was always someone living "here". We also knew someone would notice pretty quickly if some pipe started leaking, etc. GC

Right. It's just to be shared with very close friends, family, and everyone/anyone who frequents Zillow or Redfin... 🤣 But yes, not too many years ago, the price one paid for one's home was sort of Top Secret/Need To Know (and very few had any need to know!). Times have changed, and in so, so many ways. And not all good. Oops... that's NOT for dinner table conversation! Back to our Two-Top! GC

Is there a link? I'm really curious about how they do this/what they do... There wouldn't be time to skeddadle all the way around the Africa... So are they making *major* changes to the itineraries so that any cruise that was planning a Suez transit is now staying entirely on one side or the other? What about lengthy world cruises? Of course, *our* concerns are First World Problems if ever there were any! GC

We tell our TA (or the cruise line direct, depending) that we do NOT want an upgrade. We care very much about which cabin/suite we get, and the location is especially important. That could be due to proximity to something on the ship or to avoid noise. That could be, say, from a cabin under the drums in a band... learned that from our first cruise decades ago, when my parents made all the plans... never let them do THAT again!! 😡 It was especially bad, because not only did we have the horrible and LOUD band music, but we also had my father in the next cabin who complained non-stop about it! Sigh. 🙄 Also very importantly, we LOVE forward views. We'd give up space to have that view, and would *hate* to be, uh, "upgraded" to something in a so-called "higher" category/larger size/etc., if it meant being moved away from our cherished forward view! We also happen to like the motion of the ocean, so that's definitely our favorite. GC