Itchy&Scratchy

if you are from a country that has a visa-free entrance agreement with Russia, you won't need a Russian visa at all.

For example, our friends are not yet US citizens, but they are citizens of an Eastern European country, whose citizens have a visa free access to Russia. They went on a Baltic cruise last year and didn't have to worry about Russian visas.

On 1/14/2019 at 9:54 AM, cruisintoddler said:

 (you can see from my signature below that we have tried other lines - plus the kids have talked to other kids on board and have received first hand info on other ships and how the activities actually work - for example the lineups for the activities can be very long on the RCI mega ships making it less enjoyable).

for some kids it's better to have activities and line up for them (RCI) than not have any activities at all (looking at you, Princess).

9 hours ago, DeAnna from Oregon said:

after purchasing our tickets paying for the all inclusive drink packages, paying for excursions, booking specialty restaurants, and all the other extras we are already paying nearly $10,000, is this pretty common for cruises, or is this typical cost of a cruise?

not typical, because WE, for example, never get a drink package or specialty restaurants or any other extras. That's just crazy. But if it's what you want - then you pay for it.

Our typical 7 day cruises cost us no more than $3,500 for the 3 of us, and that's including flying to FLL, gratuities, and beach trips. We book either inside or balcony, whatever is the cheapest. Now, Alaska cruises are usually 1.5-2 times more expensive than Caribbean cruises, and mini-suites will definitely empty someone's pockets.

I think somebody used your lack of knowledge and it being your very first cruise to his/her advantage...

Quote

$5000 for our tickets

are you flying from the Moon and back?

since you are still ahead of the final payment day, I think you need to rethink/redo your choices, and return most of that crap, like specialty dining, the drink package, look into the excursions yourself, and what are all the other extras you don't really need?

On 1/6/2019 at 8:21 PM, CrazyTownVA said:

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond.

 

We leave Tampa on Monday, April 15>>>Key West>>.Cozumel>>.Return to Tampa on Saturday, April 20.

 

My kids passports were issues Sept 3, 2014, and are valid for 5 years so they each expire on Sept 3, 2019- about 4.5 months from the last day of our cruise.

 

you will be just fine. My kid's passport expired on Dec 22, whereas our cruise ended on Dec 23. The cruise was to Honduras, Mexico (Cozumel and Costa Maya) and Belize. DS's passport was NOT required to enter any of these countries or to reenter the ship. If we had to cut our trip short and fly back home, he could have done it up until Dec 22. Otherwise, we simply used his birth certificate (to do the cruise check in).

We reentered the States using his passport, and the officer only looked at the kid's photo to make sure it matched DS's face. :) We have applied for a renewal the first week of January and expect to receive it before our next cruise on March 31.

1 hour ago, MandyMooToo said:

I once tried to use two Visa gift cards for one transaction (booking an excursion) and was told by the agent that they could not split the payment but I could purchase on board credit and use that to buy the excursion.  I did this and then tried to buy the excursion but the on board credit was only available on the ship.  I was under the impression that it would apply to my account immediately (my bad, lol).  When I called back and asked why it was not on my account the agent asked what I had been trying to do with the credit.  I explained and he told me "that was not very clever."  Well that was insulting!  I did just purchase the excursion outright and I realize that the whole thing was just a misunderstanding between me and the first agent but the second was incredibly rude.  I never got angry or difficult, sometimes people just have bad days I guess.

well, that's interesting, because I have a $50 OBC (from RCI), and it was most definitely applied to an excursion I just booked for my March sailing.

now, as to the destinations - it will be the parents' choice whether to use the car seat or not. At most Caribbean destinations you will be hard pressed to find a taxi with working seat belts or latch. Even if the vehicle has seat belts, there is no guarantee that they lock like they do in US cars. In those cases, the seat will have to be installed with a locking clip. A locking clip is attached to the seat belt at the buckle and locks the seat belt.

Most European countries (especially, Western Europe) will have isofix (same as latch), but their seat belts will not lock like in American cars.

Locking clips look like this:

and here is the installation video:

11 hours ago, boblerm said:

-They can pack and take their own state-of-the-safety-art car seat with them. 

All the seats in the US go through the same tests, and companies DO NOT publish the results. If the seats pass the tests, they can be sold. If they don't, the seats are not allowed on the market. So, there is no way to say that one seat is safer than the others. :)

However, some companies advertise their seats as the safest ever, and their advertising usually works like a charm. Usually, people think the more expensive the seat is, the safer it is. :) It's not true.

All of the seats can be installed with either the regular car seat belt or the latch (lower anchors - if the kid is under 40#). I would also assume that your adult children would know something about the car seats, since they have a 2 yo in one.

If the child is forward facing, I would advise purchasing an Evenflo Maestro for $60-70 and using it as a travel seat for years to come. Use it on the plane and in the taxi/rentals, and your grandson will be as safe as he is in a $300-400 premium seat. If the child is still rear facing (as he should), Graco Contender is a great option - rear face first, and then forward face. Both Maestro and Contender are easy to install. Maestro is very light as well.

One doesn't need to lug the car seat through the airport either - simply get a magna cart for $25 (it's also a great investment for purposes other than wheeling a car seat around the airport), bungee cord the car seat to it and use it as a stroller. Seats can also be attached to a stroller, if the stroller is wide enough to accommodate them. It is highly  advisable to use the car seat on the plane instead of gate checking it. It's the only way to ensure the car seat's safe handling. Since they will be taking the car seat all the way to the gate to begin with, what's 30 feet farther to put it on the plane seat? Plus, it's safer for the child to be safely strapped into the car seat on the plane. A 25# 2 year old will not fit safely in just the lap belt.

If you have any other questions about traveling with children, I highly recommend visiting a Traveling with Children board https://community.babycenter.com/groups/a10635/traveling-with-children                                                                 

Here are some examples of car seats on strollers or carts:

12 hours ago, tutuwahineLV said:

I don't understand why people are concerned if a certain menu item is still available in the MDR......it goes on. 

IF Regal Princess no longer offers double baked goat cheese souffle, it will totally ruin my cruise. Maybe, I won't even cruise with Princess anymore! 

57 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

 

Mitsugirly has a photo of the ladies restrooms, which looked fairly typical - were the mens' much worse? I am thinking of going with my grandson so it may be important?

yeah, we were there with our 7 yo, and DH said to him - nope, you are not going to the bathroom here.  He has just described it to me as "awful".

But we are definitely going back there in April, because DH insists.

not really. I didn't do a search, so I was basically reading what's on the first 3-4 pages of the Cozumel subforum. Which should have been more or less up-to-date, or so I thought.

well, darn it, we were totally going to Nachi for PAYG.... It's a good thing we still have time to plan something else.

4 minutes ago, JohninDC said:

Mr. Sanchos offers both AI and PayGo options - is that what you are thinking about?

no, I was thinking of Nachi.

1 hour ago, JohninDC said:

AI is all they offer - and it is worth it!

 

If you want a Paygo beach club look at Paradise Beach, Money Bar, etc.

We were at Money bar last month. It's not a BEACH bar. Not much of a beach, not much of any sand for the kid to play in. :)

57 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

 

They used to offer PAYG but it has been AI only for cruisers for many years. 

 

I think the prices on menus are (or were) for their affiliated hotel guests.

I looked through the Cozumel board and it appears they still do PAYG, but the reservations are only for AI.

we were recently docked next to some HAL ship, and both my DH and I commented on how much the ship looked like a solemn funeral home, rather than a fun, but classy/sophisticated ship.

12 hours ago, tiger belle said:

I have only sailed RCI, Norwegian and Carnival previously, but am considering either HAL or Princess for our upcoming summer cruise to Alaska.  Can anyone weigh in on those two lines specifically as they compare for an Alaskan cruise?  I'm just overwhelmed right now with the choices.  Thanks.

go with Princess!

not AI, but Money Bar's free wifi was FANTASTIC. Great enough for a skype call. :)

17 hours ago, JohninDC said:

Why not go ahead and make a reservation?  Or at least check the website to see if they are booked up.

what if I don't want to do AI at Nachi Cocom? Their reservation seems to be for AI option only.

14 hours ago, Pa_cruisers said:

Thanks for your reply... the money bar looks beautiful... do we have to make reservations or is it on a first come first serve basis?  

first come, first serve.

It doesn't have a beach at all, but it does have a lot of chaises - mostly in the sun; and a lot of table seating with umbrellas. We were there in mid-December, the weather was too cold to swim and the water was too stormy. But we sat on the chaises and just chilled for a couple of hours. I didn't notice any buzz whatsoever after my frozen margarita... (I got a drink at Blue Kay in Costa Maya and it literally incapacitated me).

Our bill for a frozen margarita, mojito and a coke bottle was $15.

Bathrooms were great - clean and huge.

Taxi was $12 each way for the 4 of us.

11 hours ago, casofilia said:

I presume everyone who avoids the hot tubs also refuses to use the pools.

the pools are too cold for us to use. :)

3 hours ago, floridalover5623 said:

People make comments to increase their 'post count' ?

does that bring about any benefits?

it's a nice beach day. Get there early, and you can definitely have a nice spot in the shade. Just drag your chaise whereever you want to.

MUST WEAR WATER SHOES! unless you want cuts and pricks on your feet.

It's a nice snorkeling spot, especially for beginners, and it's right off the beach. Lots of fish and crabs.

Food is very basic (bbq ribs, hot dogs, burgers, knockwurst type sausages), coleslaw, corn on the cob, fruit, basic desserts like cookies and brownies; but it's free and not bad. Iced tea and water are available for free as well, and I think, maybe, lemonade.

Princess Caye is much better than Harvest Caye in my opinion. And the food is provided!!!! Probably, because it's a tender port. The sand is softer than on Harvest C, and the water is nice and clear (at least all the times we've been on Princess Caye). The only two things I am unhappy about are the sharp rocks (hence, the water shoes are a must) and the last two times the wind was blowing the grill smoke on to the beach, think - a thick cloud of smoke on the beach and water, so I got a migraine.

14 hours ago, rgr33 said:

That said, there is no bad cruise destination

well, I don't know. Now I completely skip anything that has Falmouth, Jamaica. Double whammy if it's Falmouth and Cozumel.

18 minutes ago, TheLadyK said:

 

My 3 yo is 44# 46". We have a Frontier because she outgrew the carseat in my husband's car and I wanted to find something she could stay in harness mode for as long as possible. For travel, we're looking forward to the booster options, but mostly we just minimize car travel - take the train to a ship, or airplane to a bus to a ship.

that's exactly why we got the Frontier, but my kid is tiny compared to your kid. :)

Maturity matters a lot more than the size, however, when switching to a booster full time.

While we used a no back booster for cruise travel (that is, a short taxi ride once or twice a year) since DS was 4, at home he stayed harnessed till 6 years and 7 months (thank goodness for Frontier's generous limits!), because he was not mature enough to be in a booster. I still have to remind him to sit properly all the time. But on short taxi rides, even at 4, he listened well and obeyed the rules, and that's why we could use the nbb. Which, admittedly, made the travel so much easier.

When our Jade cruise was suddenly interrupted last November and we were sent home on day 4, I must admit, I was happy that we weren't lugging the Frontier with us on the bus to the charter plane, waiting on said bus for hours, then waiting on the plane for hours, then running through the MIA airport and still being late for the connecting flight, then taking the shuttle to the hotel and back to the airport the next morning, etc. But this was an abnormal situation... It doesn't usually go this bad. If it had been Evenflo Maestro instead of a Frontier, it would have been much easier to travel.

For your huge kiddo, if you want a harnessed seat for travel, I'd consider a Harmony Defender. However, even though the Frontier is so dang heavy, the easy-breezy installation make it a great seat to travel with. Especially, if you strap it to the hand truck with bungee cords instead of lugging it around.

If not investing into a separate harnessed seat, I'd use the Frontier for now, and when she is mature enough to use a no back booster for travel, I'd get a Harmony Youth nbb or bubblebum.

P.S. I knew nothing of car seats when I had DS... I became interested in car seat safety when DS turned 2, and I have been following the Car Seat board on babycenter.com ever since.

11 hours ago, ugagal07 said:

We are renting a car for the day.  We have a 5:00 flight out of FLL. 

 

I'll bring a notarized letter from my husband for customs, just in case, that's an easy emergency back up.  

oh, cool. Well, in that case, I'd still consider bringing a $13 Harmony Youth no back booster for the 5 yo if he is big and mature enough for one, because you'll know the history of at least one car seat. I'd also consider a Graco Turbobooster for the 4 yo. People usually bring the no back part with them on the plane and pack the high back part into luggage.

We usually take a 5 pm Spirit flight back as well, but we just hang out at the airport, though. :) We eat a leisurely breakfast onboard the ship, then we are about the last ones to leave the ship which is a breeze because there is no line, then we uber/taxi over to the airport (we got there at 12:30 pm in December), and by the time we get through luggage drop off and security, that leaves just about 3 hours to hang out and have lunch. :)  DS is usually on his tablet playing or watching something. 

But this time I am going to try to get the 12:30 pm flight and leave the ship early. In December, after a very relaxed and late debarkation, we actually got to the gate when the 12:30 flight was leaving. If we don't dilly dally, we should make it this time. :) If not - see you at the airport!

Oh, and the immigration officer won't know whether you are traveling with your husband or not. The notarized letter is usually needed when exiting the US, because the US doesn't want any of its little citizens to be kidnapped and taken out of the country against the US parent's will. Most of the time, though, it's not needed upon exiting anyway, because passports for minors can only be obtained with BOTH parents' permissions, and if one parent doesn't want the child to leave the US, he/she can revoke a minor's passport. Which, essentially, precludes the child from leaving the US.

Just an FYI.

P.S. I do apologize if I sound condescending. Not my intention, but I understand that I sometimes come off as such, especially in print. Happy cruising!