Cruiserbillyboo

Then again, what are the odds to split 2s against 6, to get a 10 and a 2, a 10 and a 2, a 10 and a 2 and a 10 and a 10. Koningsdam, picture made with permission.

 

 

And the dealer busted! Awesome!

A truly experienced card player would not be superstitious and realize that the cards that either the dealer or player gets when the take a hit are always random draws and independent of whether or not other players correctly or "wrongly" take their own hits or splits. Those that get upset by poor up-table play have zero understanding of the underlying mathematical probabilities of the game.

Exactly totally 100% TRUE, and one of the single most frustratingly difficult concepts to get across to inexperienced, or superstitious (or both) BJ players.

Regardless of the house rules an experienced BJ player needs to be prepared for novice players who have no clue what they are doing. If you are the type of person who loses his mind if a player uptable splits a pair of face cards or hits an 18 then shipboard playing might not be for you.

Pretty rare (although not unheard of) for someone to hit a hard 18.

Soft 18 is a whole different ballgame. Probably the most misunderstood and misplayed hand in all of blackjack.

Per standard basic strategy, you HIT soft 18 against dealer 9, 10, or A, and DOUBLE against 3 thru 6. Only time you stay on soft 18 is against dealer 2, 7, or 8.

Just to be clear - I am not talking about the specifics of the individual lines, perks, ships, onboard experience, etc, i.e., HAL vs. Princess vs. X vs any other.......

I am talking simply about the route. On almost all lines, Vancouver departures go inside Vancouver Island and Seattle departures go outside. Look at maps for the different departure or termination sites, you'll see what I mean. I've done it both ways. The Inside cruise is very scenic, protected, and usually very calm. The outside cruise is open ocean, and all that goes along with that. IMO, this is a much under-appreciated difference when choosing Alaska itineraries.

A general comment - itineraries that depart or terminate in Vancouver are generally preferable over those from Seattle. The reason is the Vancouver itineraries cruise INSIDE Vancouver Island, which is very scenic and generally very calm waters. Those from or to Seattle cruise OUTSIDE Vancouver Island, which is open ocean, less scenic, and potentially rougher waters. Sea conditions can always vary and are not predictable, but this seems to be a general consensus that it may be rougher outside Vancouver Island. Look at a map of the different Seattle vs. Vancouver itineraries, and you'll see what I mean about the route.

Also, for various reasons, Vancouver departures seem to have better (i.e., longer) port times. There are always exceptions, but this seems to be a general observation.

When talking to your sister-in-law, you can also mention the size of the vehicles as another reason that the independent operators with the smaller groups can get back without a problem: their vans or minibuses can move through traffic (and find parking) much more efficiently than the large buses.

 

I've been on independently-operated tours elsewhere where I did get a little nervous that we weren't running on time -- stops or transit time were taking too long, the guide was having to track down people who'd wandered off, etc. This was *not* the case in St. Petersburg. Everything ran *ahead* of time, the guide kept in contact with everyone in the small group. . . . It was literally the most streamlined, professionally-run tour I've ever been on.

Chiming in again here, I totally concur with trosebery. While independent tour operators around the world are generally pretty reliable (they HAVE to be, their business depends on it.....), the major operators in St. Petersburg take this to another level. As already stated, there is ZERO CHANCE you will miss the ship when using one of the major St. Pete tour operators.

TALK AGAIN TO YOUR SISTER IN LAW!

As stated emphatically here in this thread, and in literally hundreds of other threads on this site, a St Petersburg independent tour WILL NOT be late getting back to the ship on day of departure. End. Of. Story. Not only (as has already been stated here and elsewhere) would this be a death knell to their business, but also remember this is RUSSIA. Stranding a group of Americans or Australians or any non-Russians in SPB would be a nightmare. The logistic, political, diplomatic, linguistic (English is not widely spoken in Russia outside of pre-arranged tours), and other obstacles make such an event a literal nightmare of the highest order. It JUST WILL NOT HAPPEN. Having done such a tour myself, and spoken to many others who have done so, and read many threads here, these tour operators have this down to a science. Yes, St. Petersburg is a large place, and some of the sights are quite far from the ship, but these are done on the 1st (or 2nd if it’s a 3-day tour) day of the itinerary. Even then they always get you back on time on those days. The sights that are nearer to the ship are always done on the last day or the last afternoon of the itinerary. They will be back to the ship on time ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEED.

As stated many times here, the independent SPB tours are a bit less expensive than the ship’s tours. But that, IMO, is not the main draw. The most important thing (IMO) is that these independent tours are simply BETTER. Smaller group sizes, smaller, and nicer, vehicles, more engaged, friendly, personable guides. In every way imaginable, a better experience.

TALK AGAIN TO YOUR SISTER IN LAW!

This is the tour we did in St. Pete:

https://www.spb-tours.com/index.php?plugin=tour_details&action=inrussia&tId=5

PLENTY to do and see for 3 days!

Tallinn is also lovely, and a perfect DIY port. Old town is 15 min easy walk from the dock. There is a free walking tour (look it up yourself for details) which we did and found to be terrific. Just give a nice tip at the end, as you wish.

I would absolutely do the Serenade, and the single reason is the 3-day stop in St. Pete. We did this last year, also on Serenade (although it was the 13-day cruise).

St. Pete is the absolute gem of this itinerary, and 3 days in St. Pete is the "deal-sealer", for me at least, trumping all other aspects of the various Baltic itineraries.

We did the 3-day tour with SPB, and it was awesome. Total highlight of the entire trip. Although the other major companies, such as TJ and Alla, all get rave reviews.

Up to you if you want to do the Moscow option, but we didn't. It is an extraordinarily long day, and even 3 days just in St. Pete isn't enough to see everything.

We also used SPB for a Berlin tour from Warnemunde. (Long day but not nearly as long as the Moscow option!) It was excellent, and I highly recommend doing this. If you book more than one excursion with SPB, you get a bit of a discount. :cool::cool::cool::cool::):)

Regarding the ship, food, amenities, service, entertainment, and everything, it was fine. No complaints.

Enjoy!

I'm quite astounded at many of these comments that having travel insurance is a waste of time and that in the event of an eventuality will pay the costs. Well, if somebody finds paying out 100,000 USD, GBP, Euros or whatever currency an easy feat, well, good luck to them.

 

That's easily the kind of costs medical/repatriation fees can cost.

Indeed.

But I believe the thrust of this thread is about trip cancellation/interruption insurance, not medical coverage. Two VERY DIFFERENT things.

Why do you think trip cancellation/interruption insurance is so heavily pushed by the cruise lines and travel agencies?

Do you think it is because they have our best interests at heart? NO WAY.

Is it because this insurance is a huge money-maker for them? ABSOLUTELY YES.

Why is it such a money maker? Simple math.

These types of insurances generally cost roughly, give or take a small amount, but roughly, 10% of the price of a cruise.

To be “worth it”, then, roughly, 10% or your trips would need to be cancelled or interrupted. Sure, such cancellations or interruptions do happen, but 10% of the time within the general travelling community? NOT EVEN CLOSE.

As implied by numerous others in this thread, once you’ve cruised roughly 10 times without an interruption, which is the experience of the vast majority of us, you are ahead of the game.

Sure, many will say “but I had a trip cancelled or interrupted so it was worth it to me”. Fine. But over the entirety of the travelling community at large, it doesn’t happen nearly often enough to make it mathematically (as opposed to emotionally) “worth it”.

THAT is why it’s a huge money-maker for the cruise lines/insurance agencies, and why they push it so hard.

Simple math.

Emotions are totally different story.

As a lifetime asthmatic, it is crucial that I have my asthma meds with me on all cruises. Well, on a ten-night Panama Canal Cruise, I realized the first night at bedtime that I had only a few inhalations left on my inhaler. I soon ran out during the cruise and had to inhale well beyond the zero for the rest of the cruise, knowing the inhaler was empty but praying a few medicinal fumes were left.

 

Long story short: If you have really important prescription medications, make absolutely certain you have all you need before you step foot on the ship. On a cruise ship you may not be able to get any medications you left behind at home.

Good advice, and I'll take it one step further. Make sure you have enough for the cruise, AND MORE. Think of all the Caribbean cruises this past hurricane season that had extended itineraries at sea or in alternate ports due to the weather. Take enough meds with you for the cruise and at least a week's extra, and always consider the possibility of delayed arrival due to unforeseen circumstances. Good advice for any travel ,not just cruises.

This pattern has happened to me with a (very large and reputable whose name is the same as a unit of American money totaling one hundred pennies) rental car company.

Drinking more coffee or alcohol than you need just to use up the value of your package makes no sense at all. Everybody has different consumption levels and should be able to judge whether the package is worthwhile for their individual requirements..

This!

Many people's consumption patterns will justify a package. That's fine. Go for it.

For many others (I'm speculating, no, I don't have actual statistics to back this up) they will order more than they would otherwise, just to "use up" the value of their package. For these people, it would be cheaper to pay-as-you-go. I suspect this applies to a sizable majority of those who purchase drink packages.

The cruise lines understand this behavior perfectly. They are masters at mass-marketing practices and large group behavior patterns.

That's why they push the packages. It's really just a subtle (or not-so-subtle) way of "upselling" beverages.

:cool:

Taking even money on BJ when dealer shows ace is, essentially, the exact same transaction as insuring the BJ. (do the math, you’ll see…..) But those calculations assume a 3:2 BJ payout. At 6:5 BJ, the calculations are different. I’ve never seen a 6:5 BJ table anywhere offer the even money option when player has BJ and dealer shows ace.

In 3:2 BJ, there is actually a small statistical advantage for the player to play the BJ hand against dealer’s ace – which is the exact reason why casinos encourage players to take the even money.

In 6:5 BJ, player is better off taking the even money – which is precisely why casinos don’t offer this in a 6:5 game.

Also, many of the local operators will give an additional discount if you mention Cruise Critic! I know SPB does this.

In addition to a smaller group, and overall more pleasant experience, as noted above, most of the major local tour operators do tours in other ports on the Baltic itinerary. If you book multiple tours through the same operator, they usually offer a discount. We did SPB (3-day St. Pete, LOVED IT) and also a few other ports through SPB. The discount was nice.

The elecrontic kiosks as described by cruiserbillyboo are in use in airports but not in cruise ports.

Yes, I stand corrected! I experienced this recently on a return flight from an international trip, but it was not a cruise. Sorry for any confusion.

It's not that the forms are eliminated, but rather they are electronic. You arrive at customs/immigration, scan your passport into a machine, then what used to be a paper form now appears on the screen, and you click off the responses. The completed form then prints out, and you give it to the agent to clear customs.

Let me share my experience. Yours may differ based on personal preferences.

On a recent Baltic cruise, we were also apprehensive about the 3-hr drive to Berlin, and had planned tours in Warnemunde area. About a week prior to cruise, after reading many of the reviews and posts, we decided to "go for it" and booked the Berlin day.

We absolutely LOVED it.

Yes, long day, but very doable, and very memorable, and we don't regret one minute of it. We are so glad we did this rather than staying in Warnemunde area. Although I am sure that has nice options too.......

We used SPB (they were EXCELLENT!), but most of the major Baltic companies offer the same trip.

So, in my opinion, is Berlin "worth it" from Warnemunde even with a 3-hr travel time?

I vote YES.

Just my opinion.

For example, 7-day Alaska RT out of Seattle on Oosterdam, 8/13/17 departure. Ocean view $899, Verandah $1359.

If you live in Seattle (i.e., no travel costs to get to the port), and are retired, (i.e. flexible with schedule), then a great way to save money is wait until close to the cruise dates to book. You may have to have a little flexibility, but if you can do your trip with just a few weeks notice and be flexible on dates, you can get some GREAT deals on cruise pricing. As an example, go to the HAL website and look at prices for Alaskan cruises departing from Seattle in the next couple of weeks. You might just be tempted to go now!

As soon as someone splits 20 I'm outta there....

I was at a land-based casino a number of years ago, and in addition to the standard rules, this casino had a sign posted saying "Splitting 10's not allowed". I asked the pit boss why would the casino care about this. (I was thinking from the perspective of the casino, if a player wants to do something dumb, let them.....).

The answer was "to prevent fights at the tables".

:cool:

We are in port from 8:00 until 4:00. We do want to get to the church on the island. What's the best way to get there?

If you are talking about Saint Spyridon Church, it's right in the center of Old Town.

IMO (others may differ), and assuming no mobility limitations, best way is walk from the ship.

In general, port times are better for Vancouver-based cruises than for Seattle based cruises. The routing is better too, as the Vancouver-based cruises go inside Vancouver Island (more scenic and more calm), compared to the Seattle based-cruises, which go outside Vancouver Island (less scenic and better chance of rough waters). If this isn't clear, look carefully at the route map for any Vancouver vs. Seattle based Alaska cruise.