Sophie&Rufus

Wow, I've been away from the boards for a few weeks, so surprised to see the responses.  Thank you all who contributed, especially Lois for the comic relief.  

Hoyaheel, you have been from one extreme to the other! Hope your family and home are safe!!

Thanks for the input. This was an Alaskan cruise, so the day spent cruising Glacier Bay probably did not help, but I noticed more irritation while on board the ship than on shore. I'll be better prepared for my next cruise, whenever that may be.

Just got off the ship 3 days ago (seems like 3 weeks) and now I want to ask you experienced cruisers: do you find your skin and/or hair behave differently on the ship? I brought my usual skin and hair care products, but my skin and hair were extremely unhappy the whole time. I just could not moisturize enough, and my lips were chapped almost the entire week. But my hair looked oily and flat, no matter what I did to it. Needless to say I did not purchase any of the photos...

Anyone care to share your experiences? How did/do you cope?

Pajamas??? We don't need no stinkin' Pajamas!

Cruise commando........:cool::cool::cool::cool:

I just about died when I read this.

Just last week on the Ruby Princess my husband tried to convince me that PJs are cause for getting kicked off the ship.

Bill,

I wouldn't hope for much. In June the internet was terrible at best. It took me 20 minutes or so to get online then I lost my connection and it took me another 30 minutes of messing around before I got on again only to get bumped off again. I got so frustrated I gave up. I tried to talk to the internet manager, he was a total jerk. See you on the Ruby on Sept. 22nd.

This pretty much describes the experience my BIL had last week on Ruby. Terribly disappointing, considering what he (his employer) paid for the service. On the upside he had no choice but to enjoy his time off and savor the fantastic weather that graced Alaska last week! :cool:

This makes the point about tweaking the odds.

 

I planned the crap out of this shot. Bought a solar white light filter, made all the arrangements to be in the right place at the right time and practiced the sun shots to get the right exposure.

 

And.......

 

It was the clearest day the area had in weeks. Not a cloud in the sky. I did all I could to beat the odds but that last little factor was pure luck and for once, it was on my side!

 

 

Dave

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I really don't. Every week I apply for the "Lottery Winner" position but they keep rejecting my application.

 

 

Sigh...

 

 

Dave

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Just an idea....when your cruise is over, drop them a note, how your cruise was, that you just returned and give them the good points of their service and WHY you will not be doing business with them again...and wish them a good day!

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Thank you all for the advice. I have waited on making the final payment until I get my issue resolved. At this point I just really want to be finished with these people. Live and learn, I suppose.

I know there are lots of threads about travel agents -- how to find one, how to find a good one, whether to use one or not...

But I haven't found anything to indicate what to do if you booked the cruise with a TA and later regret it. I don't have much cruise experience, so when I booked it seemed like a good idea to use a TA who could answer all my questions. But for a few months now I've been very unhappy. I won't go into the details, but there was an issue with my booking, which could have been corrected with a phone call from the TA to Princess. That was last August, and it has yet to be resolved. The only way to get her attention is to send multiple email messages, and leave multiple phone messages, ultimately topped off with a nasty-gram stating how dissatisfied I am with their service. Then I finally get a call filled with excuses, and an apology thrown in.

I tried to call Princess to take care of it myself, but it seems they will only speak to my TA. I tried to explain why I'm not happy with the TA, but the Princess agent simply noted this agency is a big organization and I should be able to talk to someone else there. (It occurs to me now the same could be said for Princess.)

Do I have any remedy, or am I stuck with this TA until embarkation? Or am I done with the TA once I make my final payment?

If nothing else, thanks for letting me vent.

Just got an email from Princess saying they upgraded our Mini Suite to Club class on the Grand to Hawaii next April at no extra charge. Nice! [emoji1360] It was one cabin over from the existing Club class staterooms. We had an upsell to Club class last year, but this time we don’t have to put out anymore money. I would never book Club class at regular rates. We did enjoy the perks last time, but not worth what they charge. But, we’ll enjoy our complimentary upgrade next year!

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The dressing fancy and lit candles, were probably fairly accurate at that time. Normal Rooms were not that big in 1977 when I first cruised. What I think is funny, is the bartender seemed to work in every bar on the ship. I suppose unless he had a day off, he was the only bartender! 🤪

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Obviously none of us can presume to know all the particulars of your wife's situation, but I must also agree with those who have suggested a visit to the doctor. There are also very good solutions which would not be permanent. Mirena changed my life. Something to think about.

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I'll add to the many who have thanked you for a thorough review. I will be on the Ruby Princess this time next year! You've provided so much great information.

I started with a travel guide book that gave good summaries of the different cruise lines, and also about many of the ports of call. Glacier Bay has a limited number of permits available, which is why you find only a few cruise lines going there. In my case it was a great way to whittle down the list, from the many different cruise lines to choose from. Then I found Cruise Critic and the vast wealth of information and reviews available, which helped me make my final choice -- Ruby Princess in 2018!

Good luck with your search. I am finding that planning the cruise is its own kind of joy!