Mary loves to travel

On Australia based cruises?

But, you’re exactly getting your wish! Australians indeed have the “better base wages” included in the actual price of the cruise and there is no gratuity charged onboard. 😊

I sometimes run into various issues with the Princess website. Often, trying another browser solves it. Mary

We did our cruise in January, made it to the Falklands, and did the Bluff Cove excursion. it seems they are only working with cruise ships; there wasn’t a way to book independently. Bluff Cove was wonderful!! The ride out was smooth, as they used the pandemic shutdown time to fully pave the road. We saw plenty of Gentoos and Kings. Highly recommend, especially if you can’t do rough 4x4 rides, or prefer not to spend 7 hours. Mary

The spreadsheet approach is really useful. We do something similar. The key point the OP is making is that the intangible benefit — be it convenience, a break from thinking about spending, or a feeling of luxury — isn’t worth zero. “Doing the math” lets you see the price of the intangible. Especially on shorter cruises, the intangible benefits may be worth it even if the math says otherwise 😊

That is quite a change!

Sure. But, on average, it still works to the cruise line's benefit, or the casino offers would change.

If you took a screenshot shouldn’t it be in your photos?

Um, if you’ve read this thread, you’d know his wife has deathly allergies, so this is in fact “an issue that affects him”. Being diligent in determining what’s in the food is similar to defensive driving. I have a lot to lose, so will always make sure it’s safe to enter an intersection, or use a crosswalk, even if I have the right of way.

they *really* want people to sign up for a package!

the problem with issuing an apology is that legally it can amount to an admission of guilt, so businesses are instructed to *not* apologize. A side effect of our litigious society.

so that makes a big difference in the "break even" calculation!!

That’s our experience, too. I know “break even” is two glasses of wine a day, but we just don’t drink that much. Good to have options.

Yes, I’ve been able to add transfers as described above.

Only $300 more, total, for a mini suite? Take it!!!

Thank you for this advice - definitely something to consider. And thanks also for catching my spelling error; I’m usually pretty good about getting names right, but not this time 😊 So I’ve been pronouncing Fremantle the way I spelled it, FREE-mantle. What’s the proper way to say it? Best, Mary

We're looking at doing Rottnest Island while we are in Freemantle for the day. We'll be docked from 7am - 5pm. While we could possible catch the 7:30am ferry, the 9 am is more realistic, putting us on the island at 9:30 am. We'd need to be on the 2:30pm returning to Freemantle at 3 pm. (the next return is 4pm, arriving in Freemantle at 4:30 pm.... with an all-aboard at 4:30 that's cutting it a little to close for comfort!). So, my question: we'd have about 5 hours on the island, 9:30am - 2:30 pm. Is that enough to enjoy it, or would we be better off doing something in Freemantle or Perth? Thanks, Mary

I am sure this was very stressful for you, especially being so sick, worried, and running on next to no sleep. I think I'm missing something, though, when you refer to being "treated like criminals". Did you feel this way because you were escorted from your room? Glad to hear you are better now. Mary

Thank you so much for your detailed info & photo of your attire for your Antarctica cruise. We're just back from the Jan 20th Sapphire cruise; I followed your clothing example and happy to report we had just the right clothes & were nice and warm all the hours we were outside, either on the Promenade, or on the top decks (where views are excellent, but it can get *very* windy and cold. Best, Mary

Great photos, Ken! and you’re right - pretty amazing close up of the bumble bee 🐝

Exactly! Which is why plastic bottles are no longer allowed to be brought on board. The 12 containers of soft drinks (including water) must be cans Or cartons

I believe the issue is with people smuggling alcohol in plastic bottles and the time needed to inspect each one for tampering, not the plastic bottle itself.

I strongly second this!! We had a lovely midship port side balcony, and it was great, especially for dawn viewing of Glacier Alley. BUT we also dressed very warmly and spent several hours each day out and about - top decks, above the bridge, promenade deck. You miss too much confining yourself to your cabin.

I have to agree!

We were on the first part of this cruise, from Santiago to BA. I’m trying to remember how we knew when we were going through Glacier Alley. We tended to be outside often, so heard most of the commentary from the naturalists, and anytime we were in our stateroom we had the tv tuned to the Bridge Cam so we’d hear any announcements. But we knew Glacier Alley was coming up early, and were up before 5 am. Watching the sunrise, then the sail along Glacier Alley was an amazing experience! People in the next cabin also knew, as they were out on their balcony at 5 am, too. I think the issue might be that some announcements from the captain and the naturalists were made in the early evening, and of course couldn’t be heard by folks in the shows. Not sure how to solve this. Mary