jsn55

Book a hotel at JFK, you'll then have the freedom to do whatever you want for the day. I'm sure it depends on how the baby is feeling about life, so having choices is good.

I can see why you're leery (you're not paranoid!) about cruising in case you need the Medical Center. It's a question that each of us may face at one time or the other. A very personal choice. If I knew that I had certain issues or challenges, I'd bring whatever I might need to treat myself on the ship if possible. I'm afraid that going to see the ship's doctor would be my absolute last choice.

Oh Bravo ... a channel I'm only familiar with for their horrendous broadcasts. "Below Deck" is the dumbest show I've ever seen, and I love everything about cruising. And the "Housewives"??? I've never watched one, even the promos are enough to make you throw up. So even with Paris in the background, it probably wouldn't be worth it! Thanks for the details.

So what's your advice if the child falls down and breaks his leg in 6 places and needs to be evacuated to a specialty hospital in the US? How do they board a plane in another country?

Can't remember 'my sources' but NCL, Princess, or this forum somewhere. I'll go looking for the information. Unless I'm getting hallucinatory in my old age.

The only reason we travel with our passports out of the US is a concern about an 'emergency' .... an event that would cause us to want to fly home (or somewhere) from a foreign country. And soon our California DLs will be useless to board an airplane going anywhere ... the DMV is still reeling from the virus disaster, so we plan on just travelling with our passports until we can get a 'real ID'.

I would love to do this for our Christmas cruise, but I keep reading that cruiselines forbid door decor and your steward is supposed to remove it. Some baloney about 'fire safety' . Maybe I should bring my 'door goodies' anyway??

I saw listings for this show, but never could find it. Just got a new DISH receiver, so I'll go look for it again. You're right, it's probably dismal, but it's PARIS!

Now THIS is what I call a retirement celebration!!

We sail on Royal Princess in a few weeks. I am so glad to read that the Medallion system worked for you. I think it will be great fun but am curbing my enthusiasm after reading so many stories of glitchy glitchy. Thanks for your great post; I am hopeful!

Without knowing what the recommended fabrics are, I'd say that fleece might not adapt well to the details, like the shawl collar. OTOH, it might be a great success.

I think 'panoramic' is just another word for 'bus tour'. The individual tour descriptions usually make that clear.

$27K on "Grand France" with Avalon. The largest cabin and biz class air. Scheduled for 2020; hopefully we'll sail next spring from Provence to Normandy. Without my requesting it, Avalon refunded all our money back then. Next spring's Grand France is $26K just for the cruise, I've used credits for the air, and points for half to two-thirds on several hotel stays pre and post. While 'everything travel' is far more expensive today than 2019, I have scads of loyalty points and miles. And frankly, we're so eager to take a nice trip that I don't care!

Hence my advice to read the fine print before doing anything.

If you book a balcony cabin, almost any ship will do. You're completely in charge of your activity schedule ... there's nothing I like better than sitting out on the balcony with coffee or juice or champagne and a book ... watching the world go by. So read reviews to create a list of ships that have good educational opportunities. I'm always amazed at the 'foundation knowledge' I gather from reading reviews about ships, restaurants and hotels.

Yes, cancel and rebook. Be sure and read all the fine print before you do.

Well, there you have it. THANK YOU! I can't find it if it's not there yet. God forbid they state that under OceanReady; just sitting there blinking at you fits right in with the image that Princess projects when it comes to tech. We're 43 days out, but now I have confidence that it will show up sooner or later. I mean, what else do I have to do with my time than beam up Princess every morning?

Sorry you don't understand my point. Insulting me is not a valid response to my opinion. If you flew half as often as I do, it might be more clear. With airlines, a traveller needs to be super proactive and figure out the best approach themselves. You can't count on the airline to take care of you.

I finally slogged through everything for checkin on our December 22 cruise to Hawaii - it's only taken a couple of months and two dozen tries. I've downloaded Medallion on my phone. I'm in the 'Green Line'. I need to pick a boarding time and cannot find the place on the website or my phone to do that. Supposed to use Ocean-Ready, but no boarding time choice comes up for me to chose. Princess is not impressing me with their tech foolishness!

I agree, for an experienced rider it could be very boring ... you do the ride to see the scenery which is spectacular. On the back of a horse, you get a look at the island much differently than anyone else. But just walking along in a Western saddle for an hour or two could get a little dull. You might want to check out competitions that might be running during your visit ... hunter/jumpers, dressage, 3-day eventing, reining. They all have national federations that publish extensive calendars. It might be fun to spend a couple of hours at a competition.

BUT ... you might enjoy the experience of using your phone for all kinds of silly things while on board. I've been learning how to make my Android work over the past few months, so I've downloaded the Princess app and have been playing with it. It's GREAT fun, I must admit. Whether the durn app will WORK or not on our upcoming cruise remains to be seen. Learning new stuff makes this ol' lady happy.

They are all first-time cruisers, so I think the gift bags are a mahvelous idea.

In my experience, you can ask your room steward for just about anything. Only thing I've ever been denied was one of the navy blue velvet pillows with Queen Victoria's logo ... Cunard could make a fortune selling them. It's always been my policy to bring with me anything I can't live without, makes life on board much more simple. I always check the independent ShoreX to see if there are things that might be more interesting than the ship's offerings. Use CC's 'ports' section for reviews and recommendations. Enjoy!

" ... Chinese-speaking gambling cruise with wall to wall smokers and all announcements in Mandarin." But oh what excellent people-watching opportunities!

Sorry, I was unclear that I was referring to a policy often mentioned in this thread that pax with the higher-cost accommodations had priority when choosing shore excursions. I totally agree with you about how hard the ShoreX people work (at least on nearly every cruise I've taken) and how enjoyable the experience usually is. I really admire ShoreX people; they work under tremendous pressure and they often have to deal with pax who love to complain about nothing.