Nessi

Confiscate peoples cigarettes when they are allowed to smoke in certain areas of the ship? That's ridiculous and makes absolutely zero sense.

At risk of being slammed on these boards, I would like to respond to this insightful/thoughtful post:

Smokers, for the health and safety of all, should follow ALL the smoking policies. Confiscating cigarettes upon embarkation makes no sense, however. Search and seizure of a legal product! What if a smoker wanted to disembark at a port and smoke there? He or she should not be allowed to have cigarettes in their luggage? Since smoking cigarettes is not criminal (when done in a legal place), confiscating them from a passenger upon embarkation is not reasonable. Cruise ships, as large as they are now, are floating cities. As a passenger, you will get a mixed bag of ship board companions. Not everyone will be the same.

I was on crutches/didn't walk for two years after a bad accident. Did NOT stop me from cruising! I sailed NCL out of Seattle and Celebrity out of San Diego. On both cruises I was able to rent/arrange for a wheel chair to be delivered to the ship. At the end of the cruises, I left it in my cabin, and the crew took responsibility of getting it back to the rental company. Or you could rent one at home for the duration of the trip, so it is with you through the airport, embarkation/disembarkation, and the cruise. Having a wheel chair and crutches was great! I moved around the cabin on crutches, and moved around the ship in my wheel chair.

I made it work and had an excellent cruise both times. I did miss a few ports (like Cabo because the pier is sooooooooooooo long, and the streets are so uneven).

We'll be on Explorer in Alaska (7 nights). What nights are the formal nights and when is lobster night? I want to reserve a specialty restaurant but don't want to do that and miss formal nights and lobster night in MDR.

Thanks!

We're sailing on RCL (Inside Passage) 09/02/16-09/09/16. I've heard we may be able to see the Northern Lights during that time. Do main stream lines such as RCL typically make an announcement to alert passengers, or is it just luck if you get to see them?

Has anyone seen them in on an Inside Passage cruise in Sept? Is so, what time of night was it, and where we you in the Inside Passage?

Thanks!

I'm sorry... I should have said "pheasant" instead of "quail". I've eaten that on all of my 3 Princess cruises and I think maybe NCL as well. In fact, pheasant is on the Princess main dinning room menu posted online.

I haven't participated in these CC Boards for years because sometimes people make me feel bad for asking a question. This will be my 10th cruise on multiple cruise lines. I don't understand the laughing mouse/rat. That hurt my feelings for asking a legitimate question. These boards should be about helping each other, not being negative or laughing at your thread. If you don't like my post, please don't reply.

As I said, I thought this forum was to help each other gain more knowledge about cruising experiences. Not criticizing or making fun of people.

If RCL doesn't serve game bird, you could have posted "no".

Thanks, Jancy and kc320!

I appreciate the info. I'm sold!!! Sounds great! Perfect for a day at sea.

PER RCL WEBSITE: "Cooking Demonstrations

Watch seasoned chefs turn fresh ingredients into delectable appetizers, main dishes and desserts, as you get tips that will take your culinary pursuits to the next level.

Cooking demonstrations vary by itinerary.

Price: Not included in cost of cruise"[/color]

What are the cooking demonstrations like? Can you see the chef and his/her work/steps well? Is it worth the cost? If so, what do these demonstrations typically cost? My husband and I love to cook, so this sounds right up our alley. But I crave more info about this.

This is our first RCL cruise, and we will be sailing in Alaska. Thanks for any info or experiences you can share!

"Royal Caribbean® is teaming up with World Wildlife Fund® to conserve our oceans and protect marine life. Join us in making a difference by symbolically adopting a sea turtle or get involved with numerous other activities both onboard and ashore, like the Walk for Sea Turtles. Together we can turn the tide."

Does anyone know if there are WWF activities in Alaska?

Thanks!

I'm new to RCL. On most of the other 4 other cruise lines I've sailed, quail (or another game bird) has been served. Usually on lobster night. Does RCL offer this as an option one night in the dining room? I like the lobster, and my husband likes the bird. Yum!

I am also curious about theme nights. I've never been on RCL before. How do you know what it will be in advance of the cruise? What are they like? Do you dress up?

I read a similiar thread, and it was hilarous. Most of the funniest postings had to do with cruisers coming back from Carlos and Charlies in Cozumel. I'll tell the same story I told on that posting. It's not so much funny or embarrassing, but freaky. My DH and I had gone to bed and were asleep for awhile. I heard a knock at the door, opened it, and found my husband in the hallway in his underware (that's what he sleeps in). I said to my DH, "what are you doing in the hallway in your underware?". He looked me dead in the eye and said "I must have been sleep walking". When I questioned him the next morning, I put together that he had still been asleep when I found him in the hallway. Lord knows where he could have walked to (in his underware) and how did he find the right cabin. Now on cruises, he puts a chair in front of the door at night. He's petrified of sleep walking and falling off the ship! I'm glad he didn't knock on the wrong door and end up in the brig!

I have had fraudulent charges on my credit cards twice in Mexico. Once, my husband bought me a tee shirt at Margaritaville in Cancun. MBNA called me and asked if we had charged $300 to a strip club in Guadelajara. We still had the card, but someone stole the credit card number. The other time, MBNA called and said that there were like 20 or 30 transactions at a gas station in Tijuana. Who ever stole our number must have been filling up everyone gas tank in TJ that day and keeping the cash. In both incidents, MBNA noticed the suspicious activity and called me (before I even had a clue that something was wrong). They have great fraud protection, so I always travel with an MBNA card.

I wouldn't recommend driving in San Juan. We have rented cars and driven in Mexico a bunch of times. It was never a problem. However the drivers in San Juan are scary. Prior to our trip, a Puerto Rican friend of mine told me that drivers drive on the sidewalk. I thought she was joking, but she's not. Also, the traffic signs are in Spanish.