jsn55

Layers are your friend, as always. Along with the temp, you need to deal with wind. I'm always too warm, so I start with a tank top, put a S/S shirt over it like a jacket, bring a windbreaker in my bag. Long lightweight pants always. Outside of the tropics, I pack a cotton cardigan and a raincoat, maybe a warmish scarf. There are times when I've worn them all on one excursion. The tour bus may be too warm or cold but your layers will deal with that.

No, I'm not saying to comment only if you agree. Just show a little class and comment in a way that doesn't insult the OP. No need to imply the OP is stupid with their expectations. Getting your point across without insult is not too difficult for most of us. You just have to think a little.

Do I really want the stress of worrying about making my flight home? I'd never book a flight before 2pm. If it's a place we like, we stay overnight and fly home the next day. As for flying in a day early, I like to look at the big picture. I spend thousands on a cruise, and I don't want to jeopardize that by trying to avoid the expense of a hotel or a taxi. My home airport is SFO, so I rarely have to book a connection. In winter, I refuse to make a connection ever. Been there, done that. As others have said, "just take a later flight" these days is not a sound plan; flights are full, especially the cheap airlines. As for arriving 2 days early, that's good if it's a place you want to visit. Otherwise, coming in the day before works for me. Dinner, good sleep and leisurely morning to get ready to board the ship is a nice way to start a cruise. There's no question that hotels these days are charging so much your eyes water. I wonder how long this will go on. This is the time when I'm glad I'm a Points & Miles junkie. I'd rather spend some points and cash than fork over $350 for a mediocre hotel.

I hope you are not sorry that you asked a simple question. On an 'open forum' such as this, not everyone is as 'nice' as they should be. Criticizing OPs for what they post is just gross. Nobody wants to read someone's critical opinion of whatever the OP has posted ... people should keep those thoughts to themselves. People come here for help, not to be ridiculed. Consider the source.

This must have been really annoying. But the time to deal with it was while you were on the ship. I'm sure your goal is not to generate compensation but to alert the ship that they need to be more pro-active with the people who actually work on the pax, contracted or not. I can't see a cruiseline doing much more than the token FOBC. Did you submit a copy of the medical report from the injury?

I am incredibly fortunate to have a good friend who is a cruise-expert TA, we met working together on a Travel Consumer Advocacy Forum. I do enough research to know what we want, then she books it. She comes up with so many goodies and positives that I can't imagine ever booking for myself again. I have booked hundreds of trips, organized special events around the world ... so it takes a really amazing TA to do things just the way I want them. She is completely meticulous and perhaps more detail-oriented than I am!

I tip well for 'service'. I did a lot of business entertaining and travel, and the whole topic used to drive me nuts ... so I just came up with my own formula. I don't tip housekeepers (I rarely let them into the room anyway) unless they if they bring me something. I don't tip anyone unless they help me with something. No doorman, no self-service dining, no tipping for people just doing their jobs. But I do tip drivers and servers because that's ingrained in American culture. Unless they're rude or surly. I tip people who unload and deliver my luggage, If I have to lug my bag into the hotel myself and somebody finally comes over, I just tell them no thanks. I always get a chuckle out of entering an upscale hotel, where your luggage is whisked away so fast you don't have a chance to 'do it yourself'. That kind of enthusiasm gets a nice tip, just because.

I've been wondering how you can travel with linen or silk ... aren't wrinkles a problem?

I'd check with Viking ... there are probably others doing this extension, so they will surely offer a transfer.

We did Cunard's Queen Victoria out of Kiel, Germany and had a great time. QV is an average size ship but felt spacious and uncrowded. Cunard has some odd ways of doing certain things, but we really liked QV.

The 'big-deal' Hiltons are great, but the Conrads and Waldorfs of the world are really special. I once walked out on the terrace of Conrad's Exec Lounge in Istanbul and an attendant had a cashmere shawl around my shoulders before my bottom hit the chair. Hilton Honors' redemptions have skyrocketed, but those 'big deal' hotels are so worth the points. Especially now when we can book with a combo of HH points and cash. The Paris Hilton and the Versailles Waldorf last month couldn't do enough for me. I'd definitely trust them with my luggage ... both of the Hiltons' Concierge Desks contacted me directly the week before my arrival to remind me they were there to help.

BEATLES!!!!!! Oh noooooooo. I hope Epic comes up with something entertaining by our October Med cruise.

I can easily see how $300 to not have to drag your luggage around would be 'worth it'. But I'd not have even the slightest hope that my bag would be waiting for me at a port. The only way I'd do that would be to book an expensive room at a Hilton where I have status and ask the concierge to accept the bag, tipping well. Then come back to that Hilton the night before the cruise. And hope that the bag is there. Shipping luggage has just has never struck me as being even remotely reliable.

When cruiselines started 'requiring' tips, I just decided to add that amount to the total cost of my little holiday. I continue to tip as usual. Crew works very hard to give me a wonderful cruise, and I want them to receive my appreciation directly, in cash they can use.

A FIRE HYDRANT!!!?? That's hilarious. My TA's about 4'11", she'll like this. I guess there's little red in your wardrobe???

You would be very happy on a Cunard ship ... the formal nights' ensembles are incredible. We've done plenty of formal nights in the past, so now we get a glass of champagne and sit watching everyone parade by for late seating. Think red sequined sheaths with 5" red heels. It's really fun.

And amazingly enough, 42 pounds of checked bag gets heavier each year. I'm a serious clothes horse, and try really hard to take less each trip.

I remember huge lines at Royal Princess' buffet for some kind of noodle dish one evening. I never did go find out how to know what the nightly buffet specials were. I usually have 3 or 4 appetizers for dinner, hence my familiarity with ship's buffets.

My legs are too long to buy an evening gown, so I've always sewn them myself. My tastes are really simple, so I've made some stunning gowns over the years. It's always fun looking for special 'statement' earrings, especially on Amazon. You might want to look around your town for someone who sews and/or tailors and have a special gown made. And please continue to look elegant and classy on formal nights! The world needs the balance against all the people who dress like slobs.

January's high season for cruising out of Florida. Use a hotel search engine and choose the MAP mode. You'll see locations and indication of room rates. Then you can do a search of the hotels that interest you, and book direct.

Oh yes! I like to use my account number for our brokerage accounts ... so convenient, no?

This thread is getting waaaaaaaaay out there! Grilling an OP about how he did what he did, implying that a password for a safe could be the same one the last guy chose ... nobody uses just one word for a password ... or at least I hope they don't. Calm down, guys, we're here to assist each other, no?

I remember reading about this and thinking, "Really? People are going to believe this fantasy?". I forgot about it immediately, so I'm glad to read that it's not a problem.

I remember reading a post somewhere several years ago from a lady who was so proud that she brought all kinds of 'special things' from her home state for the crew instead of cash tips. I was absolutely horrified that anyone could be that ignorant.

This is especially important when dining with friends or family ... you don't want to take them to a place they can't afford, or one that might not be up to their standards.