Ballard67

Hi so excited, our cruise coming up at the end of Aug, so close now. I have read a million and a half times(OK maybe not that many LOL) post on formal nights, i amit i am in the group of formal means slacks and a polo shirt, LOL. I know that's so not formal night wear. I will bring my slacks, and dress shirt(POLO to) is this going to pass for the MDR?. Now i know the up scale restraunts are going to enforce the dress code, that's ok it seems there food is going to be a little up scale for my tastes. So,long question, are we going to be under dressed for the MDR.

If no one wants to expand on the topic i still love talking about our cruise and up coming things to do. This subject i just love, well I am a foodie, and the depate about dressing up just is so fun.

Please please please look at other options other then Taxis, town cars. My opinion it is the most dangerous way to get around our city, and to the airport. Most not all, drivers are so money driven that they are a hazard to the road ways. Now you if you have to you have to, no getting away from that, but if you have options please look into them. There Is Shuttle express, mention before. We are using them to get to the cruise terminal, pier 91, on our up coming cruise. Our taxi service in Seattle is so bad, i really hate to say this, but for some reason the drivers are so money driven. If you do, and can afford tell them to take there time money not being a issue.

well one of the good things is that our room is located in the middle, but that wont stop us. So ya the wheel chair is going to be another item i pack. It will have to be my shadow LOL.

yep No lawyer here!, more i read up the more i got brain drain LOL. Just a simple yes you can or no you can not would of made my search a lot easier. All the same i got there thanks everyone:D

I wonder if the Solstice ever makes it in. I know Its a bigger Boat,but our cruise is at the end of Aug, it would be so neat to see that.

I have done the White Pass train excursion in the past with my EDL and no problem - travel into and out of B.C. is fine using ground/train/boat with an EDL - only exception is flying, I can't use it to fly into/out of Vancouver airport etc. Whether you have a passport or EDL, you may encounter problems crossing if you have a criminal record, DUI, etc. , but in general, have found customs and questions are easier when customs is told your reason why you are visiting Canada [i.e. a cruise].

Thanks that's what I was looking for, there is such a grey area with the EDL card.

yep the wheel chair is becoming a better idea everyday. Plus if i can use it as a walker if need be. Multi unerversl

Just consider your wheelchair your throne!..I look perfectly fine but I am an above the knee amputee and large stores are just too big for me to walk around in with my prosthesis..not to mention standing in a long line...just smile..no one knows anything about you and you probably wont see them again in your liftime...

you can definitely take a folding w/c along and infact someone from princess will push you to your cabin...Princess really tried to make it easy and fun for those with mobility problems.. Not sure of your cruise line but all lines do the same.

We are going on the WPR in Skagway in the accessible car and taking the Orca Enterprise's whale watching tour (which is also accessible )in Juneau.

 

Hope you have a great cruise and good luck with your surgery after the cruise.

We leave in a week and we cant wait.

Arlene

Thank you, i am not going to need the wheel chair(as of today) full time, but for longer days and places i know we will be on our feet for longer length of time i will need it. I can rent it for cheaper through our insurance company.

The documentation requirements are listed on the US Dept of Homeland Security web site.

Be sure to check with your cruiseline requirements as well.

 

Also keep in mind that if anyone in your group has a DUI or other conviction they might be turned away at the Canada border crossing. Check the Canada Border Services Agency for more info if that's a concern.

Well that's why I am asking here, for experience cruise goers , i already went there, the site does not give enough exzact info i was after. These our government sites, what they say and do our two different things. Why the DUI question? very odd recommendation, specially when i said nothing about it and none of us drink?. I know you would not know this, but again you would not know this nether before posting your comment.

I'm sorry that I can't answer your question, but noticed your name (Ballard67) and since you are from WA, I'm guessing you live in Ballard. We lived there for many years and saw the ships pass by on Shilshole. Now we watch them pass by from Magnolia.

 

Enjoy your cruise and I hope you find a satisfying answer to your question.

Yep i was born and raised In Ballard,love Magnoila, my parents live at Ft Lawton(now Discovery Park) when it was a active base. I work down at the pier 91 where the cruise boats go out.

So we are on the Solstice Aug 29th, we are doing the white pass rail In Skagway and are final port of call Is In Victoria. Its going to be me my wife and her parents. Beside my wife, all of us have Enhance id, she has a actual pass port. All of us are Washington state residents. We are using our Enhanced Id as our ID getting on the boat and on our excrusions.

All the reading i have done says we will be ok, so i wanted to get a feel from other WA residents or US border states with Canada (that can use the Enhanced Id) what there experiences with the ID Is. We will bring our Birth certificate with us so we will have that along with our ID's. I scan the web and get a lot of might Be's,could Be's so i wanted to get a hands on info with the ID's.

My DH had severe neuropathy in both his feet, ankles and hips at a young age. If you would look at him he looked like a strapping, healthy football player. However, he couldn't lift his legs up more than a few inches but he could walk. Later in his life walking became almost impossible and he had to use a wheelchair.

 

Because he couldn't lift his legs to enter the bathroom we had to have a HC Cabin. In the beginning of his illness people would see us leaving the Cabin and make comments or give us a funny look!

 

Sometimes you can't always see the handicap and not all handicapped people are in wheelchairs.

 

His illness taught me a good lesson in life, "it's best not to judge other folks unless you walk in their shoes!"

I am facing that now, i have a few herniated disk, and had to use a scooter in the store for the first time, and looking to use a wheel chair on our up coming cruise. The looks you get, i felt everyone's eyes on me, accusing looks, its so hard.

So went to the Dr yesterday and as fear i have three budging disk and and bone on bone issues, and looking at major surgery. Good news i guess it looks like it will be after the cruise. Bad news i am not sure what kind of condition i will be in come cruise time. I am looking at renting a wheel chair, if my Dr prescibes one for rental can i bring it on board?.

Hope for the best!!!!! Another choice would be to do a portable walker. It allows you the access to a walker / cane, but it has a seat & wheels. Easy to push, but if you need to sit & rest it works well for that also. You can push it, so no need for others to push you around. They are not that much. I know you can rent from one from a local medical shop in my area as well.

 

On the rental price for a scooter, as stated I thought it was ABOUT. Well after I looked it up last night and that price was HIGH. It was more like about $250 or something to rent for like 14 days.

Thank you;), yep the walker with wheels and seat i might go with, if my back does not and or get better. I am really hopeing for the cane use.

If you want to rent a scooter that is delivered to and picked from the cabin , you have to use the cruise lines approved vendor.

 

For Carnival, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity and Regent the approved vendors are www.CareVacations.com and www.Specialneedsatsea.com

 

For NCL - only www.Specialneedsatseas.com can be used

 

Cost is determined by several factors such as :

• Length of cruise
  
• Embarkation Port (Note if Embarkation and Disembarkation are different the cost increases)
  
• Disembarkation Port
  
• Weight Capacity of scooter needed based on weight of the user.
  
• If rental insurance if purchased
  

 

Cabins :

• If a Full size scooter is required you're going to need to have booked an accessible cabin as it generally will not fit through a standard cabin doorway.
  
• If you qualify based on weight capacity for Carevation's Light weight or Midsize scooter and Specialneedsatsea's Standard scooter will fit through the door of most standard cabins. However depending on the cabin category and room layout there may be limited room to walk around once the scooter is in the room.
  
• Per Maritime Law specifically SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Regulations, and Coast Guard Regulations mobility scooter cannot be left in or stored out in the hallways. The mobility scooters MUST be stored in the cabin when not in use.
  

 

Regarding Ports:

• Tender Ports : Most cruise lines will not permit mobility scooters on the Tenders unless the tender has roll-on capability. Even with roll-on capabilities the Captain has full discretion to prohibit any one with a mobility scooter onto the tender if weather and or sea conditions present a safety issue.
  
• Non Tender Ports - Generally pose no problem with taking the scooter off/onto the ship. But be that not all stores, restaurants and places of interest will be accessible with a mobility scooter. Also Curb Cut-outs may be difficult to find. Once you have selected your cruise suggest that you come back and post the ports so that further accessible information can be provided.
  

 

Excursions:

• ADA Law does not apply outside the USA therefore tour excursion buses generally do not have lifts to accommodate a mobility scooter. Even within the USA not all tours buses have accessible lifts.
  
• You have to check with the cruise line excursion dept. or special needs dept. to find out if any accessible tours with lift vehicles are offered.
  
• You may have to search on-line for a private tour that can accommodate a mobility scooter.
  
• Carevacations Light Weight and Mid-Size scooter along with Specialneedsatseas Standard Scooter is are Pride GoGo Models that can be disessemble to fit into the trunk of taxi. The attached link so how to disassemble the scooter at the 0.54 sec. mark :
  
  

Thanks for the Info I really appreciate it

"If a Full size scooter is required you're going to need to have booked an accessible cabin as it generally will not fit through a standard cabin doorway". We did not book this size cabin, so the scooter will probally be a option. This was good to know.

Well I am going to get my MRI results and see where the surgeon go's. Thanks everyone with the feed back. I am hopeing for a 75% recovery, maybe just use a cane.

If not, 500.00 is a bit much. I will look around, maybe , worse case, do a wheel chair. If the recovery really go's bad or no surgery, OK then i will cough up the dollars for the scooter.

LOL well right now i am hopeing not!, but the idea of a very scooter Is a very good idea. I might look into it, i wonder now much to rent??, and how accessible on and off the ship??

So it looks like i am going to have back surgery and or continued back problems by our Aug 29th departure on the Solstices. We are schedule to stop in Ketchican, Skagway, Juneau and Victoria. So its me and my lovely wife and her 60+yo parents. My self have two maybe three herniated disk in the lower back. I might have surgery before our trip, but regardless i am not going to be that nimble, but some what walking. So being able to walk maybe with a cane worse case a walker but not at a great speed,what i am i looking at making my way around the ship?, up and down the decks. Getting a shore. We have excursions plan but it looks pretty wakable even with a limp. Any info or past experince would be helpful.

So I get the debate between the folks who oppose and for the formal nights. Personally i am for free will, dress up if you like, make your self feel good,if i could afford a tux, and had one, i would wear it everywhere i could. I wear nice comfortable clouting,clean and the only person i am worried about what i am wearing is my wife. Dress code means they want just certain people, so i feel its part discrimination. That's me, just my opinion,its Celebrity's ship,so there policy. We will go to the MDR,dress as best as we are,if they let us sit fine, if not we love Buffets and we will head there on formal night. No harm. I am just having such a hard time reading how people here, get so personal about what other people, strangers do?, weather they like it or not why??. If i am eating?, unless you are wearing something so offensive, being abusive or wearing nothing!, i am not worried what you look like, and i am astonished that grown adults are bickering over peoples looks, i thought we passed that point as humans. I am not a seasoned cruise tourist or even a long term cruise critic veteran(lol not very long at all) but here at least in a small community(Cruise critic forum) we can see past what we look like as people gather for a meal? can we

We never touch a chocolate fountain,

First the chocolate is probably not real chocolate, as real chocolate will not flow like that , they have add a lot of oil to make it flow

Then just the sanitary reasons, people sticking their fingers in it :eek:

Ok, then don't eat it, but the op did not ask for your sanitary concerns,ask if they still provided the fountain??

I see you're from Seattle home of the new $15/hour minimum wage....

 

bar staff make "servers wages" typically way less than the standard minimum making it up instead in tips/gratuities. In Ohio, Minimum is $7.45, restaurant staff, $3.98 plus tips.

 

The prepaid gratuities you mention cover only main dining room staff and cabin staff, not bar staff.

 

Not sure what waitstaff make on ships, assume USA minimum wage standards don't apply, assume they make even less as a starting wage. They also pool tips to share with barbacks, dishwashers and other related bar staff.

 

 

 

This wesbsite http://www.cruiseshipjob.com/bar-waiter-steward-server-jobs.html suggests they make an average of $1200-$2800 per month depending on their gratuities earned.

 

Your $12.50 per day gratuity is divided up as follows:

Restaurant Service* Per Person Per Day

Waiter $3.65

Assistant Waiter $2.10

Dining Room Management $1.00

 

Stateroom Service* Per Person Per Day

Butler (Suites Only) $3.50

Stateroom Service $3.50 ($4.00 for Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms)

 

Alternative Service*

Other Service Personnel $1.25

No the Min wage is not 15.00hr here in Seattle, please read more about it. Its only in one district by the airport. For Seattle its still in the planning stages and it will be years before we see that wage. Gratuities is what i always understood as a tip for services done, not to be done. Also suppose to be per the service quality you received, it sounds like its just a part of the ships company way out of paying more.

Sounds horrible. Sounds like a scene out of National Lampoon's.

 

If you're taking a metered taxi cab maybe it's $20 with the long lines to get into the drop-off area at the notoriously tiny and busy Pier 91. But without traffic it should only be a $10-15 fare. Don't think it's worth it at all to try & save $5-7 by starting your vacation off like that.

 

Might as well bring a crock pot and your own drinks, mini dvd player, and ask the Cruise to cut you a discount check for missing out on everything else. Must be the same type who sneak popcorn and candy into the movies, and record the film on their iPhones to watch over & over again to avoid paying for the DVD later on.

 

:rolleyes:

10 to 20 for a taxi from pier 91?, oh no way. If your getting off the boat around what 830 to 10 your going to hit rush hour traffic and even if it was all clear there going to charge you a min 35.00( Downtown to airport flat rate). I agree with being cheap, i would take shuttle express(a little cheaper) before i ever put my life in the hands of any taxi in Seattle. They are the WORSE drivers, and i live here

The non-alcoholic beverage packages are very reasonable. I think the premium one, which covers the frozen drinks as well, was about $20 per day including gratuities. It has been a while since I purchased, though.

 

The less expensive one doesn't include frozen drinks, and I think it was about $16 per day.

 

After a cup or two from the coffee shop, a can of Coke and 2-3 bottles of water a day, it more than paid for itself. Mom didn't originally want one, but was glad she had it. Sis bought one as soon as she tasted the coffee in the buffet.

"I think the premium one, which covers the frozen drinks as well, was about $20 per day including gratuities"

Ok I am new to Cruising, but what Is with the gratuities?. Your already dishing out pre paid money/gratuities for the trip, now for the drink package? does the staff make a hourly wage??

What are you comparing it to: Other Celebrity cruises, all cruise lines, a 5 star dining experience, your run of the Mill Golden Corral.

 

Compared to other cruise lines I would rank it Average. Compared to Golden Corral I would rank it Excellent, compared to a five star dining experience I would mark it poor.

Thank God!!, i would take a Golden Corral over a 5 star restaurant any day of the week. Personally i would take a meal that I can relate to i grew up with then one i might not even be able to guess. This Is just me LOL, i am not a 5 star eater