okpaddy

I am trying to discover the best ( most convenient ) transportation from the airport (1800 arrival) to the hotel. I should be travelling with a large mobility scooter and two or three suitcases. I've seen there is the Limo Bus, but I don't believe DW will be able to climb the stair/steps even if they could store the scooter underneath with the luggage. I am unsure if I should try trains with transfers, or simply hire a private van for direct transfer. Thank you in advance for any helpful suggestions you maybe able to offer. 

Just a suggestion, but DW rented once, or twice to see if it would work well for her. We then decided to purchase a scooter and now she is much more willing to travel and enjoys traveling again. Research your choices before you purchase to make certain the scooter you choose is airline approved and that the dimensions will fit through doorways on your cruise cabin. 

Good luck and best wishes. Having a scooter can open up many new adventures 

This is difficult, but currently I'm going with:

Venice

Jewel

Anything handicap accessible  

Inside, outside, balcony doesn't matter much to us, so long as DW can get her scooter in 🙂 

I used the Port Valet service this summer while sailing on the Sun. I signed up prior to boarding through the Port Valet website. I was very pleased and impressed with this service. It is definitely a service that I wish more cruise ports offered. 

On 7/2/2023 at 9:43 AM, 5lvcruise said:

I'm researching on this topic and found the following if anyone is still interested.

 

1. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/SouthKorea.html

TOURIST VISA REQUIRED:

No – From April 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024, the Korean Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) is not required for US citizens traveling for short-term business or tourism purposes.

https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/ie-en/brd/m_23773/view.do?seq=761699

 

2. https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/ie-en/brd/m_23773/view.do?seq=761699

 K-ETA will temporarily be exempted for 22 countries from 2023.4.1 to 2023.12.31. Please check the attached "Notice on Temporary Exemption of K-ETA." 

(the notice is under the FILE section toward the top of the Page)

This was the most helpful response I read in this thread. Thank you

My DW is celiac and has to be very careful. We always pre inform whichever cruise line we will be sailing with. NCL has a profile on their webpage that allows you to list such things. However, just to be certain we have it included on our reservation. We also contact the maître d' in the MDR at the start of each cruise. DW has had the best choices by preordering meals for the following days. This can be done in any of the restaurants, except maybe for the buffet. 

This being said, we had two unfortunate instances in the MDR on our most recent Alaska sailing in June on the SUN. On two different days during dinner, DW was served what appeared to be gluten food items. Each time the waiter insisted that the meal was prepared gluten free just as it had been preordered. I insisted on speaking with the maitre d' and the chef to confirm if the waiter was correct. In both cases the chef came to the dining room and agreed that her meal did indeed contain gluten. The chef stated that the waiter had either taken the wrong prepared meal, or the plates were switched after being moved to the waiters serving station in the MDR. This could have resulted in a serious illness and a ruined vacation.  When we reviewed our cruise with NCL, we strongly recommended better training for their wait staff. 

To the OP, I wish you success, but warn you to also be vigilant. Many ships seem to be dealing with lower staffing levels and less experienced staff. 

In response to the OP, I am the non crafty husband. My DW is a quilter and she has gone on several quilting cruises. She loves the classes and activities for the quilters. I have never had trouble finding plenty of other activities to occupy my time while she is busy with her sewing. The percentage of crafters in comparison to the remaining passengers is usually relatively small. 

There will be plenty of non craft related events listed in the daily bulletin, the usual trivia, lectures, bingo, art auctions, casino, shows, etc...

The restaurants and bars will be operating and eating and drinking can occupy large portions of your day 🤣

Best wishes and good luck.

Congratulations StickeyMouse on expanding your family. 

Japan is also on my bucket list and hopefully we will make it next year. I think we found a cruise that will work with our schedule. 29 days of B2B2B starting in Tokyo. Ten days around Japan, then Alaska and ending in Vancouver.  

4 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The reservation system does not ask how going to pay for the meals; that is done at time of dining. You tell the hostess at the restaurant whether you are paying cash (room charge), dining package (doesn't matter if it is FAS, FAS+, purchased package), latitudes voucher (with or without wine), other voucher. 

 

The system does not know anything about Latitude vouchers. The system does know that you have one FAS dinner, so if it sees a reservation for Moderno first, it will not charge you for it. If you book it second, the system assumes that you want to pay cash and you will be charged the full price of the dinner plus gratuity. It is a quirk of the system. Don't ask. Just book Moderno or Teppanyaki first. 

5 hours ago, mininewman said:

The reason is that NCL's system wants to charge you for the fixed price restaurants the moment you book them.  If you book them first, it will assume you want to use your FAS credit toward it.  Then since you do not prepay for the ala carte restaurants, you can book them and use vouchers like normal.

 

If you try to book the ala carte restaurant first, the system will assume you use your FAS credit for that, then require you to pay for the fixed price upfront.  This is because NCL does not allow for redemption of platinum+ vouchers online (it doesn't seem there is any form of programming for this), so when you are booking, the NCL site just has no idea you won't have to pay.

Thank you both very much. I'm still not certain that I understand the system, but booking Moderno first is easy enough for me to follow. 😃

On 1/12/2023 at 9:32 AM, BirdTravels said:

The Free At Sea (and purchased dining packages) are loaded on your your Freestyle Card. For Platinum dinners, you will receive vouchers in your stateroom on embarkation day. One is for a dinner for 2 at any specialty restaurant (regardless of what is printed) and the second is for a dinner for 2 at a specialty restaurant with wine. 

 

Exactly 125 days prior to departure, you should book your dinner reservations. Book any fixed price restaurant (Moderno, Teppanyaki, Hasuki) first, then a la carte restaurants. The reservations system doesn't care if it is a FAS or latitudes dinner. At time of dining, you tell the hostess how you intend to pay (Specialty Dining Package, Latitudes Voucher, Other Voucher, Room Charge). You need to present your latitudes voucher if you are paying that way. 

 

You will  also get a latitudes voucher for a free bag of laundry. 

 

As platinum members, go to the Cruise Next desk on embarkation day to sign up for the Wines Around the World wine tasting. 

Dear Bird Travels,

Please explain why you should book the fixed price restaurants first before the ala carte restaurants. I will need to make three dining reservations for my upcoming Alaska cruise in a few months. This is always confusing to me, whether I'm supposed to use the vouchers (2) first, or the FAS (1). I want to maximize the benefit and not short change myself. My usual selections are Cagney's, Le'Bistro, and Moderno, two ala carte restaurants and one fixed price.  

Thank you in advance for any assistance you might be able to offer. I have learned quite a few helpful suggestions from your posts previously and appreciate the information shared on here by all of the wonderfully knowledgeable cruisers. 

Jim

I usually bring a bar of soap with me when I cruise. I just prefer it to the body wash. I will use the shampoo from the dispenser, but it wouldn't surprise me if I get it wrong occasionally and accidently use the body wash on my head. I don't have enough hair to worry about it, because I keep it very short and therefore maintenance free 🤣 

Thank you BruceMuzz for the information and local perspective. I am hopeful of visiting Japan in April 2024 and cruising back to the USA. Please keep posting on conditions and attitudes from Japan. It is very helpful to understand the situation and have a source for updates. I would also appreciate recommendations on where to stay and transportation around Haneda Airport and Yokohama cruise port .

Wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year 

I'm going to miss my daisy girl...

I would recommend "The Killer Angels"  by Michael Shaara a detailed examination of the Gettysburg battle.

I also really enjoy most of Jeff Shaara's  books especially "Rise to Rebellion" and "The Glorious Cause" two books about the American revolution. 

My favorite read list includes "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" 

Apparently I have a penchant for battle stories... 

17 hours ago, complawyer said:

fyi, just to clarify, i usually drink 4 or more pepsi's per day, and may have  a scotch  prior to lunch ,one  prior to dinner, especially if i'm eating in one of the specialty restaurants, and a couple if i'm in the casino. i was merely implying that taking away my daily fix of pepsi, it would probably up my scotch intake.

 

sometimes i'll pass on the scotch, but never on the pepsi. as some people are addicted to coffee, and cant get their motor running without a cup or 2 in the morning, same with me only pepsi instead.

 

yes, i drink coke, but much prefer pepsi-cola

This makes much more sense. Thank you for clarifying.

I believe that a single malt, or small batch discovery can be life changing. It doesn't have to be overly expensive, but certainly not your typical well variety. In the past few years I have even ventured into Japanese distilleries that were shockingly pleasing. 

Best wishes to all who discover what works best for them...

3 hours ago, complawyer said:

oh! the horror, the horror! coke instead of pepsi. this just increased my scotch consumption by 500%

I couldn't imagine why having Coke available would affect a scotch drinker ? If you don't enjoy scotch without a cola, perhaps you should try a better scotch...

Just saying.  A really nice scotch is its own reward.

However, I hope you enjoy whatever makes your cruise more enjoyable.

Thank you for your thorough review and honest evaluations. I will be doing a B2B on the Dawn this fall and I'm looking forward to the trips even more after reading your post. 

1 hour ago, floridapoppy said:

Also remember you need boosters because you only have immunity for about 6 months.  I would imagine the cruise industry will require you to be within that 6 month period to be considered "safe".  🤔

I would like to comment that I had my first and second Moderna vaccine in Aug/Sept 2020 as part of the phase three trial. I continue my ongoing check ups with blood draws and so far, so good. I did learn that Moderna may be offering a booster vaccine ( 3rd shot ) one year after the initial testing. I'm scheduled for Sept 2021 and hope they follow through with the booster shot. Best wishes to my fellow cruisers and good health to all.

10 hours ago, Chesneygirl said:

Haha I have to ask, you used the words "wicked awesome"..any chance you are from the New England area? 

I'm glad my video was able to brighten you day! Thanks for watching!

 

No, but I spent a little time at Harvard Law school many years ago, and have a number of friends from the area. As a matter of fact, I think they were trying to kill me with Irish whiskey on more than one occasion in the "Southie" Irish pubs...

I fondly remember going to Fenway Park and "Who's on First" and trying to translate the natives for the other visitors.

Best wishes, and please keep sharing the uplifting videos.

3 hours ago, eileeshb said:

 Sure it’s  Lahinch surf shop Ireland’s oldest surf shop.

we even have a live webcam and a daily surf report.

Thank you, Lovely photos on the website. You are right on the water. Best wishes to you and your family, stay safe.

Dear ChesneyGirl,

Wicked awesome. Wonderful videos. Thank you for sharing. The videos were a definite pick me up today.

I appreciate the cheerful, lovely images and the memories they brought back of previous sailings.

Best wishes

4 hours ago, eileeshb said:

Mayo is under an orange-level rainfall warning from tonight to tomorrow evening as storm Frances is on the way. My county is the only one on the west coast which has a yellow level warning, though I’ve no clue how/why they think we’ll escape the deluge.

Thank you for the updates. Does your business have a website ? 

Dear Eileeshb,

Thank you for the update from Ireland. My mother and her family were all from County Mayo, and I still have family in the area.  I am always pleased to hear news from the west coast and remember fondly our visits there. Please stay safe and continue to post about your conditions at home.

Best wishes

3 hours ago, NikiPinkston said:

Our Hawaiian cruise was canceled - twice - so I just read James Michener's "Hawaii."  It's historical fiction and covers the history of the islands from the very beginning to shortly before Hawaii became a state.  It's 1,200+ kindle pages, so it'll keep you entertained for quite awhile, but I could barely put it down!

Thank you, I appreciated the recommendation. 

On 8/10/2020 at 10:43 PM, Travelling2Some said:

Thank you!  I like your philosophy.  My dad used to say that we should all try to leave the world a little bit better than we found it.  Books:  Right now I'm reading Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.  It's a multi-generational saga of a Korean family making their way in Japan.  Also reading Paul by Walter Wangerin which is a fictionalized account of the Christian church in the first century.  Past favorites would be The Stand by Stephen King and Trinity or Exodus by Leon Uris.  (Sorry to others for the slight highjacking.)

Thank you for the recommendations. I agree, Leon Uris is must read, and I will look for Pachinko and Paul. I'm not a fan of scary reads, or movies. Isn't Pachinko a Japanese pin ball game ?