MamaFej

This experience sound like the love child of Le Petite Chef and Disneyland's Circle-Vision 360*. I've just signed up as part of a group on the Total Solar Eclipse cruise next year. Thanks for this thread! I've also had trouble loosening the pursestrings. I have a thread over in the 55+ cruisers forum essentially about that, and someone in it recommended a book called Die With Zero by Bill Perkins. No one here will actually 'die with zero," and the author does exhibit more than a wee bit of privilege, but he also makes some excellent* points. The book is largely geared toward folks younger than I am (56) but Hubby and I have found it helpful, and I've gifted it to my brother (54). I'm considering sending excepts to my dad (82). *Full disclosure: I may think his points are excellent because they largely align with our philosophy that we've worked hard to have what we do in savings and investments, and it's time to enjoy it.

@The Fun Researcher, it's not that I want to make things more complicated, it's just that I might do it anyway. Sorry???? I have no helpful knowledge to advise you on the legal travel requirements, but the mention of medical care got me thinking. It might be a good idea for the BF to have a temporary Medical Power of Attorney for the trip, and maybe longer, while he is residing in the US. If he becomes sick or injured and cannot communicate his desires, it might be very helpful if your daughter, you, and/or your spouse can direct his care the way he would want it directed. Much like insurance, one hopes it isn't needed, but it sure is good to have when one does need it.

You can always rent if you want to RV once in a while. I hope yours was purchased by someone who will create wonderful memories in it!

Log in. Click on your name in the upper right corner. Click on "My Tier and Points" Scroll down to "My Cruises and Points." Click on "Points History."

I feel like I need to figure out a way to watch. I started the webinar, then my dad and hubby arrived (Dad was dropping Hubby off after a golf-buddy's funeral). I stepped outside to say "I love you," but Dad was unusually chatty. With us traveling more than we are home, I don't miss opportunities to chat with my 82 year-old dad. The webinar was over by the time I got back to the computer. I didn't worry about it, as they usually are nothing to write home about, but I'm intrigued by what the folks who watched have to say about it.

I'm very intrigued by the idea of extending CC benefits to SilverSea. We did a last-minute discounted Antarctica expedition with our dear friends (one of which is also our TA) on SilverSea last year which we really loved. Most of our crusing has been on Celebrity, and we've never tried RC. Unless we have grandkids someday, we probably won't. We've definitely discovered since the restart that we enjoy the smaller ships and their ability to get into closer to the action smaller ports. We are very seriously considering an Arctic expedition on SS to celebrate PapaFej's 60th birthday next year. A little sweetening of the pot might just be enough to push us into booking. I've also read that SS is relaxing the formality on their newest non-expedition ship (Nova). If that spreads fleet-wide, we'd likely consider SS for "regular" cruises, as well.

That would probably be helpful. I have two rather conservative friends in their 50s who had a great time on VV earlier this year, but I don't remember which ship. On another note, both electrophysiologists who implanted my ICD in July, one of the anesthetists, and a couple of the other myriad medical professionals had visible tats. I'm still alive.

They will show up in your Celebrity account right around the 14th of next month (the 15th for you).

That's how it was when we started sailing: simple, logical, flexible, customer friendly. No wonder they got rid of it. 😜

Just like it was the last time, and the time before that, and the time before that, and...

Extraordinarily helpful. thank you!!! Edited to add that this is a @Jim_Iain thread, and they welcome tangents. Jim and Iain are super nice folks, too.

Does anyone know if the Fre non-alcoholic wine is available by the glass? We are past final payment, have a beverage package, and I'd rather not have to pay by the bottle.

Huge thanks to everyone who has added information about alcohol free wines. I had never heard of alcohol free spirits. I very rarely drink at home, and haven't yet gotten the final word on whether or not I can have an occassional glass of wine with my newly diagnosed condition (the pros have differing opinions based on much more common semi-similar conditions). Anyway, we will be leaving for a 57 day trip with 45 days of cruising, and I generally enjoy a glass or two of wine on most cruising days. Knowing about alcohol free wines is helpful. Now to see if Princess has any (28 days are on Princess) and/or to see if I can find any in the Rocks area of Sydney before boarding that second cruise. Y'all are awesome!!

You can also type your credit card number into a blank email (no recipient, so you don't accidentally send it) or blank document, then copy it so you can paste it into you orders. Then you only need to remember your expiration date and security code.

I hadn't thought about this video in years, yet here we are again.

Precisely. I actually edited out reiterating that because it felt redundant and as if I were belaboring the point. I didn't want to beat people over the head. I'm among those who are disappointed to have paid for Celebrity quality and to be getting less.

I'm not sure its really about whether or not folks have or have not experienced quality cuisine. It's more about what they are willing to accept. Both of my younger adult kids were hoome Sunday. We ususally get Denny's pumpkin pecan pancakes together at least once each fall, and that's what we did. They were fantastic - for Denny's pumpkin pecan pancakes. They absolutely met our expectations and had that nostalgia factor. They were not Misty's Sunday Brunch quality they were Denny's quality, and that was perfectly fine. Misty's is a fantastic and pricy Sunday Brunch at a nice SoCal hotel. We pay for, expect, and get Misty's quality when we go there. We pay for, expect, and get Danny's quality when we go there. The prices of both have risen. the quality of each has stayed consistent. As I see it, the problem for some is paying for and expecting one level of quality and getting an entirely different one. Other people are clearly okay with paying for one level and getting another. That does not mean they have never experienced good quality, just that they are okay with paying for better than they get. I don't think we need to accuse them of never experiencing good quality.

Regarding coffee, I asked PapaFej, and he does not remember. Hopefully, someone else does.

Is it just me, or does this look like the love child of Frida Khalo and Charlie Chaplin?

This made me smile! I was a marching band geek in the 1980s (no trips) and chaperoned 9 marching and jazz band trips in the 2010s. We definitely made sure the hotel locked out porn access to the rooms. Of course, nearly all of the kids had smartphones, so...

It was available as of 2012.

And hot chocolate in cold weather! Such a lovely treat!

One thing I particularly appreciated on Viking (besides the best French Onion Soup I've ever had) was the "Gangway" button in the lift/elevator. They clearly program that button to get you to whichever deck on which the gangway is located at the moment. That seems like a very low cost, but rather helpful feature.

There was Dilmah tea in August of 2022. It had a plastic taste to me. We actually purchased some cheap tea at a grocery store in Poland for the rest of the cruise. I have had better tasting Dilmah tea in hotels, so maybe the tea onboard had just sat too long during the shutdown?

Nice! We were supposed to do it on the Royal Princess in 2016, but they took us to Nynashamn instead, requiring us to take a bus into the city and a train back. The claim was that it was too windy. The wind never appeared. I imagine that the larger ships take a different path than the smaller ones, as we were very close to land on both sides at times. I can't fathom larger ships getting between some of the islands. No matter the vessel, the archipelago is stunning!