GORDONCHICK

13 hours ago, Cruiseguy14 said:

I’ve been sailing with my daughter . She is 2 and we have 74 points. It never occurred to me that she gets the points too. Is this true ? 

Yes, happened to our son.  On his first sailing after turning 18 he was platinum.  He thought that was pretty funny.

Yeah, that's not right.  

We will be on a 3 week trip that includes a 9 night cruise from Manhattan to Quebec City.  We will spend a few extra days in Quebec City then fly to Boston, pick up a rental car and drive to Maine for a week.  I'm looking for some comfy knit pants (maybe ponte) with real pockets (front and back) in a straight style (not complete against skinny legs) and I would like more than just black.  Anyone have some comfy but affordable options they love?  I've looked on Amazon and they don't give inseam measurements in their size charts.  I don't really want leggings either.

In my part of the world, hoodies are ALWAYS pull-overs with a hood and a big pouch-like pocket that is not flattering on anyone.  If it zips and has a hood, it's just a jacket.  I don't own a hoodie but I have lots of jackets.

1 hour ago, mugtech said:

Laundry service on a 7 day cruise?

Many of us have pre or post cruise plans, so yeah.  And it helps keep the packing lighter!

I know I've been on cruises that had Continuing Education (CE) classes on them but they usually only took up conference rooms/flex spaces.  I have heard of groups having reserved spaces on ships but IMO, it certainly shouldn't be the most popular space on the ship and all the time!

I used to be able to google cruise line/ship/dates to see if groups came up because there are groups that do this and they don't have enough people/interest to charter a ship.  But the google searches pull up too much junk now and I get tired of trying to sort through them.

I think they will.  Our son as a minor and 3rd person in our non-haven cabins always got the same points we did.  Some of our cruises gave us double or triple points.  He didn't show up as platinum until he cruised at age 18.  All of our cruises/points are listed for him.  They just didn't count-count until he was 18.  So I see no reason they wouldn't get double points for the Haven sailing even as 3rd and 4th passengers.

packing tape works well on those flimsy paper bags.  I used to "laminate" the bag tags to make them stronger and had a small roll in a suitcase.

This is why we do independent excursions.  Well, one of many reasons.

The Pearl is a beautiful ship but larger than the Zaandam.  HAL would definitely be more suited to your mom and I think that itinerary is far superior.  But either do a later flight or fly out the next day.  Chances are incredibly high that you'd miss an 8:15am flight.

I have a different view  - I don't care which cruise line for itineraries like Alaska or Europe.  The experience is more off the ship than on.  It is merely a place to sleep, east a few meals and travel from port to port.  Not only do I look at ports, I look at time in ports.  I also look at glacier days.  IMO, and one way cruise is superior because you should get at least 2 glacier days.  Also, a chance to do an inland trip in AK is alway a huge plus.  AK is easy to navigate on your own  We rented a car and spent 11 nights on our own seeing exactly what we wanted to see - which was a lot!

I would agree that the Spirit is a much better ship/better layout than the Sun.  The Sun has been our least favorite NCL ship.

1 hour ago, newoncruise said:

 

I think I will pack a Hamam towel or a long Pareo which I can also tie around the waist.

 

My question refers to the transport of the towel which Costa offers and personal things from the cabin to the pool and back. 

You had specifically said bath towel and it was your first cruise, and I have known people going on their first cruise who though they needed to pack beach towels.  That's why I said that.

One of my personal mottos is:  Life is too short to wear uncomfortable shoes!

Been saying that for over 30 years.  I'm 5'3" and fine with being short, but I wore heels for years (still have way too many in my closet!).  Now, if I want a bit of a lift, I will go with a wedge or a wedge platform.

I had plantar fasciitis in 2019.  Walking even a few steps was excruciating.  I found some sandals called Viakix and I wore the one pair I bought with EVERYTHING for about 5 months.  My feet didn't hurt while wearing them - but the big thing was that they didn't hurt when I wasn't wearing them!  I had other shoes that were okay while I was wearing them, but my feet went back to hurting as soon as I took them off.  The style I wear is Sienna.  The first pair I found on Amazon but I order direct and sometimes get coupon emails from them.  

On 7/9/2023 at 8:14 AM, awhfy said:

Buy a hoodie in Maine 

I don't do hoodies.  Never have.  Neither do my husband or son, though son won't be on this trip.

45 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

That's what we thought, as well. That was until we were driving through San Antonio a year ago February when the ice storm hit and shut down the town. We sat in the hotel for an extra couple of days.

We got stuck in SA for an ice storm years ago.  It poured our entire drive from Galveston to SA but the temps were dropping like a rock.  We were kept up at night because of the sounds of the icy smash up derby going on the highway not far from our hotel!  The roads were deserted the next day but since we drive on ice a lot, off we went.

8 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

So your DH and DS knew this and abandoned your bags?  Maybe you should be talking to them and not me.

It was stated in the post you quoted, "this was not the case before."

Galveston is a great port to sail out of - as long as it's the off season or not spring break!  It's cool sailing out amongst the oil derricks.  The only better port (IMO) to sail out of in the Gulf or FL would be NOLA, down the Mississippi and then through the Gulf.

12 minutes ago, RB9643 said:

 

Oh my. You're one of those people that hauls all your luggage around until you get into your room?

 

Nevermind.

 

 

For having been here less than a hot minute, you sure like to stir up a lot of crap.

8 minutes ago, bkrickles1 said:

I sincerely mean no disrespect with regards to your needs and valuables, but a couple of things come to mind. 

Can't you just use a tote bag or something similar to hold your meds/valuables and leave your suitcase with a porter?

And if you must carry on your suitcase, for whatever reason, can't you roll your case with you into the bathroom? I believe every bathroom on board has a handicap stall which would easily accommodate you and the largest suitcase in the world.

My meds, medical devices, valuables and electronics are too heavy for a tote bag so they go in a small suitcase.  And this all started with my comment about rolling the suitcase into the public bathroom but I would rather my cabin be ready for me to use that bathroom.

I mean no disrespect, but I didn't ask for you to manage me or my luggage or whatever I choose to carry on board.  This thread is supposed to be about not getting into our cabins until much later in the afternoon than used to be the NCL practice of even just a few years ago and the inconveniences that come with it.

2 minutes ago, RB9643 said:

 

Of course, but why can't you hang your bag on the hook?

 

 

Hang a suitcase on a hook?  Really?  Think about that.  It's not a tote bag.

1 minute ago, RB9643 said:

 

 

Do females not have hooks in their bathroom stalls?  I don't understand the problem here.  It's not like you spread your pill bottles all over the floor when you go to the bathroom, right?

 

 

It's not like I'm ingesting them there - I need to have them with me to know where they are.  If you had something that was the main thing keeping you alive, my bet is that you'd want to know where it is, too.  

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

That's funny.  At least the bags were still there.  I'm guessing that one would need to spend a LONG time in the restroom before anybody would jack their bags.  Did you give them a good talkin' to?

I know you think you're being really clever.  However, I now have to carry medications for metastatic breast cancer - and prefer to have those with me until we get into our cabin.  It's my goal for this to not be my last cruise.  While this was not the case before, there were still vital medications in my carry on that I needed then and still need some of those now as well.  Granted, it's a much bigger deal now.

8 minutes ago, insidecabin said:

They could use the embarkation times to prioritize the order the do the cabins.

They just go down the line of cabins and clean them as they come.  Your process would actually slow things down for multiple reasons.

2 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

So your husband and these other distractable men bolt from wherever you're at just as soon as you excuse yourself to use the ladies room?  I'm not sure the problem lies with NCL here.

 

disclaimer: I'm just kidding.  Nobody who is traveling with partners needs to "lug a carryon into the public bathroom."  Take it with you to the buffet/bar?  Sure.  Nobody cares.  Even if you forget it in the bar after a successful start to the cruise, it will still be there or at lost and found.  I just put my backpack in a spot that I'll trip over it when I descend the bar stool.  Works every time! 😎

 

Second disclaimer: that's never really happened. 🤣

It's more of a case of seeing something shiny and taking off to explore without waiting for me.  And there all our carry ons sat when I came out of the restroom.  It's happened more than once.  And it's just DH and DS (who is now an adult, but wasn't always in those times).