Athlen

Computer cables either have 2 pins (figure 8) or 3 pins in a triangle. That's a good solution, I think.

A friend of mine used to use CPAP but he went on an aggressive weight loss program and the doctor took him off CPAP. It wasn't easy for him and the doctor said it's very rare for anyone to stop CPAP, but I'm proud of him for what he managed to do.

I think it might be doable if not comfortable, if the line allows it. That's because there are 2 teenagers and 2 small children. Either the teens or the kids will have to share a bed, or the kids might sleep with mom and dad. Normally what you would get is a bed, a couch and a berth that comes out of the ceiling, in a room for 3-4. A family cabin would be a better way to go but those do cost a lot more money.

Again, it should be possible if they're all good sleepers and willing to share beds. Or perhaps someone could sleep on the floor, or you could use chairs to support someone's feet as they sleep across the narrow side of the bed. No guarantees that it will be comfortable, but it's not impossible unless the line has a maximum number of guests per cabin.

I'd also recommend getting a passport with your current name. It's a useful document to have and the cost is tiny when spread out over several years. Someone has mentioned that US passports do not require a marriage license. Here in Canada they ARE required. This created a substantial problem for my mom, who was incorrectly told it wouldn't be necessary. We had to order her marriage license from the provincial government at the "rush" rate and then have the passports "rushed" as well.

You might try the Wayback Machine at archive.org. I tried it a little and I was able to find some information about Carnival cruises in 1997-1998, though none went to Belize.

You could always find a real cruise with a real ship, but alter one of the destinations so it stops in Belize instead of, say, Cozumel.

Whatever you find, the ship in the story will have to be a good fit for the characters. That is, if your characters were traveling today, what line and what ship would they likely choose? Say your characters are a wealthy couple in their 60s traveling without children -- they would probably not go on Carnival, while that line might be perfect for a middle-American family of five.

I write for fun and other reasons -- it's enjoyable and rewarding. So, let me know if you have questions or want to discuss the story.

Another option is a "left luggage office". The major London train stations and Heathrow have them. The cost is fairly high though I imagine it's less than shipping the luggage home. It's worth every penny, compared to taking the Tube with bags you don't absolutely need to have.

There's some information here: http://www.toptiplondon.com/practical-tips/left-luggage

I like taking photos of food, especially when I've never had that dish before. I also take pictures of drinks. And menus. And kitchens -- I even have photos of food photos from the galley tour! (There are photos on the walls showing what each dish is supposed to look like.) A separate idea, which I certainly hope no one would judge you about: cabin photos are best done "before" (pristine and organized) and "after" (before you pack) as well as "during."

Many people take food photos, and if anyone makes a comment, they're probably either dieting or grouchily hungry. Evernote, my favorite notetaking app, even makes a special app just for food, Evernote Food. I found it easier to make entries in a travel journal if I made them at mealtimes. Then I'd add in what else I'd done. it might be ironic, but most of my entries have a photo of dessert and a description of my gym and track activities...

Although I had a supposedly waterproof camera I decided not to risk it, and used some Fujifilm underwater film cameras. This turned out to be a bad idea.

I brought them from home but the disposable underwater film cameras are widely available at ports. They seem to be the same price, US$20, everywhere in the Caribbean. To this 'deal' add the hassle of finding a place that will process 35 mm film nowadays, the $10+ it will cost to get your 27 pictures, and the 1-2 week wait to get your photos back from the lab.

All told I think I have one or two decent pictures out of two cameras. Most of the pictures are blurry, underexposed or overexposed.

So, by all means invest in a modern underwater camera. And don't forget to take lots of pictures with yourself and your traveling group. They are by far the most interesting after the trip.

A backup battery for your electronics would also be useful. These will have a charging port for the battery and one or more ports for your electronics. Small ones have appeared at dollar stores (so a Poundland type store in the UK) and there are larger ones.

Besides offering a backup if you run out of power during the day, these batteries also "filter" the power through the battery, offering some surge protection. In a pinch, you can likely use the battery to power your camera as well as your phone and tablet.

I like taking photos of meals when practical, particularly if it's a dish I've never had before. I also have a running ritual of taking a photo of everywhere I've slept.

Try to get lots of pictures with the group you're traveling with -- and be sure to include whoever usually takes the pictures. You'll want photos of your whole group. Take lots of photos, but try to think of those moments you'll want to remember or share with others. Think of that one photo you'll want on your shelf -- it might be a group photo during a sunset or it might be everybody dressed for dinner.

Get photos of your room before you've unpacked and after, and don't forget photos of all the people you'll meet that you'll remember later on. In other words, don't miss the opportunity to take photos you might wish you'd taken, later on.

Themed souvenirs are a nice idea. I like 'collecting' all the different variations of burgers available. It works for any food or drink; you just try to have one from each place that offers that food.

One last thing is a sort of shipboard scavenger hunt. If you're exploring on your own or with just part of your group, take note of some interesting objects and challenge the rest of your group to find them. For example, where is the builder's plaque that says where the ship was built? Where is there a painting of a bowl of grapes? Things like that...

We have a choice to make for our eastern Caribbean cruise on the Escape on May 14. (There are stops at St. Thomas, Tortolla and Nassau.) We can $200 per person OBC to be used either for shore excursions or for specialty restaurants.

Our first cruise was on X Reflection in February and we liked the MDR well enough that we chose the shore excursion OBC for Norwegian. But the cruise with X was in the western Caribbean with four ports of call, and on reading some shore excursion reviews we are having second thoughts. Maybe the restaurant OBC is better, since there are three sea days.

Any recommendations one way or the other? We can't do shore excursions that involve long walks; snorkeling is okay as long as it's off the beach, not off a boat.

No modern ship should be emitting soot or ash. They all use diesel engines and they meet emissions standards. You probably won't see anything at all coming from the stacks -- maybe wavy heat lines under some conditions (because the exhaust is hot), but there shouldn't be any visible plume of smoke or steam like there was many years ago.

I use Evernote for lists as well as journal entries and general notes. Your notes are searchable, they're automatically time and location stamped, and you can insert photos, sound and different kinds of lists. It's easy to create a checkbox list and then check off what's completed, plus you could attach photos of the contents of the luggage.

A nice feature: it knows you're on a cruise, and the default title for a note entry is "At sea, January 1, 2016".

There is a premium version that's more for business users, and even with the regular version you can use the notes on the app or on a Mac or PC.

I think you'll love it too. Grand Cayman was one of the best experiences of my whole life -- I love turtles and keep two as pets, so I went to the turtle farm and got to swim with green sea turtles. The port area feels very safe and well-organized. No one was pushy. At one gift shop, I asked for change in Cayman Island dollars and the lady looked through her own money to find bills in good condition. I can't say the same for Jamaica, but even there, you can stay aboard ship or go ashore on a ship-organized excursion.

The staterooms feel compact, but not too small. Everything is the same size it would be on shore, just closer together. Even storage spaces and the closet are similar in size to a hotel room, and having a whole ocean outside your window makes the room feel comfortable.

For me, it was mostly the concern of getting aboard ship that made me anxious. What would customs be like? What would the port transfer be like? That went by quickly, nothing was too bad, and if you're traveling from the US it should go very smoothly. Once you're aboard the ship the worries go away, especially once you get a frozen drink and wave to the people on shore...

My mom and dad are sailing on the Escape May 14. My mom is a 'super taster' who is very hard to please when it comes to restaurant dining. It's not that she doesn't want to enjoy the food. Spices and strong flavors are simply more powerful to her sense of taste than for the majority of people. (She especially dislikes cinnamon and sage.)

She's in her 60s and has some difficulty with chewy or hard foods, as well. When she does find a food she likes, though, she really does enjoy them. Some favorites are butter pecan ice cream, cheesecake, gelato, and tender meat dishes without too much spice, like chicken teriyaki and roasted chicken.

So I would really appreciate some advice from similar people. I just know there's somewhere aboard that will have food she'll love -- somewhere she'll wish she found on the first day. Do any folks out there have some recommendations to please a sensitive palate? Where is the best cheesecake and ice cream on Escape?

I'd like to find a list of frozen drinks myself. Mango Meltdown, I'll have to remember that. Any others that are popular on Escape, or that you really like? My mom is sailing on Escape in May with my dad. She likes (mostly non-alcoholic) frozen drinks. She's wanting to branch out from the basic pina colada type.

She likes teppanyaki a lot too! I'll be following your trip and others -- they're as excited as can be, but I know they'll want to hear more about what it'll be like!

I don't know about what was actually in stock but the latest iPads, Macbooks and Macbook Air were on display along with a selection of accessories.

Nothing that needs a SIM card is sold; no iPhones, no iPads with LTE/4G, etc. Also, iTunes/App Store cards are not available. Both of those limitations arise from being in international waters where there is no assigned carrier and no assigned iTunes Store. So, if you use prepaid cards for app purchases, load up your account beforehand or link to a credit card.

I was on the 2/27/16 sailing. The NY Deli corner offered made-to-order sandwiches (corned beef, pastrami, etc.) and sides including soft pretzels (the frozen type, but good). For me at least, it was actually the dessert offerings that appealed the most. They had cronuts. There were black-and-white cookies (as seen on Seinfeld), but they weren't as good as the cronuts. It was a good alternative to pizza in the evening.

The buffet sushi was limited to cucumber, tamago (egg) and (imitation) crab, and I think I saw some shrimp. None of those are raw. It was satisfactory, but reminded me of the sushi included at a Chinese or casino buffet just so they can say there's sushi.

Get a PackTowl or "camp towel". Aboard ship all your imaginable towel needs will be catered to. If you're going to go into the water from shore you'll be told to bring a towel with you. The ship will provide it, but you'll have to carry it. A camp towel is about $20 but it is about the size of a dinner napkin and very light. It's not a necessity but I liked having it.

Just replying because several people have addressed the pacemaker, which definitely requires you to notify security personnel who will always accomodate a medical need.

I didn't see anything about the other item, though. My dad has a PICC line, which is used for chemo and that might be what you meant by chemo port. He went through security at the airport, boarding the ship, and returning from ports, without any difficulty. I don't think he notified the security people, even, but on second thought he probably should have.

Your parents should be well accommodated; mine were. They shouldn't hesitate to mention their needs to airport or cruise personnel. Of course I don't know what is difficult for them but there may be long walks, waits in line, stairs and so on. If that is any trouble for them, someone will be able to help -- you can get priority instead of waiting in line, there are always elevators available, etc.