CruisingAlong4Now

On 4/29/2024 at 4:56 PM, chengkp75 said:

While I personally have nothing but contempt for Schettino (and refuse to acknowledge his rank), there was nothing in his professional history that predicted that he would act in this fashion in an emergency.  Until you are face to face with the beast, you never know whether you will run into the fire or away from it, regardless of how much training you have.  Some of the best personnel during training and drills will pack up in the real thing, and some who shy away during training will become heroic in an emergency.

We never know how we or anyone will react until we are actually tested.

Tauck also has no-supplement solo rates.

European River Cruise for Solo Passengers | Tauck

"Solo Travelers enjoy Special Savings in Category 1 Cabins – No Single Supplement on all European River Cruises! The single price in Category 1 is the same as the double price, which means savings of up to 50% for solo travelers on every departure of every European river cruise!

In addition, Solo Travelers also enjoy Savings of $1,000 per cabin in Category 4 and 5 on select river cruises; you'll find all of the savings details under the pricing information for each river cruise here on our site (certain restrictions apply; ask at time of booking)."

Latest from the always factual internet:

😉

All passengers will not only receive a full refund but will receive a full future cruise credit to sail on Royal Caribbean. The cruise line also made its Wi-Fi free of charge to help passengers better navigate the disembarkation. Other complementary features include an open bar until the ship officially disembarked as well as reimbursement for airline change fees.

Royal Caribbean Forced to Cancel Alaska Sailing With Guests Already Onboard (msn.com)

For the colder trips, I like hoodies that fit under my water-resistant windbreaker (also with hood).  I think they are also useful even for the warmer trips since it can be chilly in the mornings.

I also like walking shoes that are good for a damp or wet deck.

I've used these services shipping bags to and from a cruise.

I like not having to deal with luggage, especially if we are traveling prior to the cruise.

I do caution you to pay strict attention to the instructions regarding items that can and cannot be shipped in your cases.  We once had an "iffy" item packed, and the suitcase was held in foreign customs until one day before our cruise.  They finally released the bag and it was in our suite when we boarded.

We took pictures of the packed, open suitcases so we knew what each contained.

We just considered the shipping charges as part of our cruise fare.

What's Facebook?  😉

On 4/3/2024 at 3:32 PM, bdever said:

Just a heads up, Allianz Travel Insurance DOES NOT cover missed ports of call. I am livid. I have them for an upcoming sailing and I am outside of the cancellation window for the policy. Had I known this coverage was not included I would have never purchased the coverage. Can anyone recommend an insurance company that offers this coverage for my other upcoming sailings?

I'm still not sure what are you insuring?  Have you incurred a financial loss due to a missed port?  

Are you just angry?

It's not uncommon for ports to be changed.  Your contract with the cruise line gives them this right. Most local tour companies don't charge you if your ship misses the port.

I only insure expenses that not capped, generally evac and medical.

The cost of the trip is capped, and I've already spent the money, so I don't have any financial risk or exposure. The worst that can happen if I have to cancel my trip, is that I don't go on vacation. There are no financial risks.  A result that is sad, but not bad.

Medical expenses or medical evacuation however are essentially unlimited and pose significant financial risk, albeit with a very low probability.  These I insure with third-party medical insurance being the primary insurer and my regular medical insurance being a secondary payer.

I buy medical evacuation insurance for which I make the decision in which hospital I want to be treated. Most people return to their home hospital.

All other vacation expenses are not material to my long-term financial health.

The minimum connecting time in Vancouver for Domestic to US is 1 hour and 10 minutes.  I would not be comfortable with 1 hour and 16 minutes.

Air Canada - Minimum Connection Time

"Example: If you're travelling from Victoria to San Francisco with a connecting flight in Vancouver, you'll need to provide for a minimum connection time of 1 hour 10 min between your arrival in Vancouver and your departure for San Francisco."

The ship has been allowed to sail, albeit without these passengers.  They were "off-loaded" to an in-transit area, still not allowed to enter Spain.

On 3/23/2024 at 8:44 PM, Hlitner said:

I am a little confused by the OP's post, so will simply answer with our own experience.  We are out of the USA as much as 7 months a year (on various trips all over the world) and have not "exchanged" currency for more then 20 years!  We completely rely on ATM machines, whether we are trekking around Europe, traveling in Japan, in South America, etc.  As a rule, we find we get the best exchange rates via ATMs, do not have to deal with money exchange places that have limited hours, or various exchange rules (such as found in Mexico).  I should add that many banks. around the world, will no longer exchange cash for non-customers.  

 

Because we rely on ATMs (sometimes for many months of travel) we travel with 3 different ATM cards, each drawn on a different account in a different bank.  Not only does this allow us to easily get a lot of cash in a single day, but it is security in case an ATM card gets "eaten" by an ATM machine or gets lost/stolen.  

 

Hank

Yes- multiple cards for different accounts at different banks.

Also, my DH and I carried different cards in our wallets, so if one of us "lost" our wallet, the other person still had good credit cards that were not compromised.  [We also cross pack our suitcases so that all suitcases have a combination of his and her clothes.  Ensures that each of us will have clothes if a suitcase is lost en route.]

You can see the aborted stop at Banjul, Gambia.

The Dawn is currently (6:00 pm, EDT)  enroute to Dakar Senegal.

NORWEGIAN DAWN Current Location (cruisemapper.com)

Make sure his mobility and mental state are noted for the muster drill.  

Some cruise lines prefer that all passengers that need assistance be assigned to a specific muster station so that the crew member responsible for that station ensures the passengers in need are attended.

I do let the US Dept. of State know when I leave the country.  With all the global turmoil, I'd like the local US Embassy or consulate to know I'm nearby.

You can also register to receive State Dept travel advisories prior to, or during, your trip.

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (state.gov)

On 2/3/2024 at 4:18 PM, ststop said:

What is the best economical carry on spinner piece of luggage?

 

Are you looking for the cheapest spinner or the best value spinner?

Too many people booking multiple cruises and then cancelling without any penalties are responsible for this. Why not book everything and make a final decision right before payment?

Insurance will solve your problem, especially CFAR.

Cancelling before or after final payment makes a difference.

If you cancel after final payment, the cruise line receives all the money it expected from that cabin.  No one has to show up- they don't care (although they are losing discretionary spending)

If you cancel before final payment, cruise line has not received all their money and will adjust price.

Which cruise terminal does NCL use in Southampton?

10 hours ago, SamJL said:

I'm going on my first cruise in March.  I'm on Seabourn Encore for 14 nights, visiting Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand and I'd be grateful for some advice on how much cash I should take for when I leave the ship.  From what I'm learnt, I'll need US$ for tips on the ship and for Cambodia.  In Vietnam the Dong is used, but I'm not sure how many ATMs I will encounter, same for the Thai Baht.  If you've taken this trip, I'd be grateful for your advice.  Many thanks in advance.

On Seabourn, it is usually best to put a contribution to the Crew Fund on your account.  No need for cash.

I appreciate the new thread.  Once threads get to 15+ pages, I do not find them useful.

My question:  Dock at Southhampton, scheduled 6AM.  Is a 2pm flight from LHR to USA reasonably certain? Will be checking luggage at airport (probably Virgin Atlantic), economy class.

It appears as if this cruise starts in Trieste for embarkation and then sails to Venice overnight for a tender port stop in Venice the day after embarkation.  Probably for marketing purposes, they show embarkation as "Venice (Trieste) Italy." 

10-day Cruise to Greek Isles: Santorini, Athens & Croatia from Venice (Trieste), Italy on Norwegian Pearl (ncl.com)

2 hours ago, Tallante said:

And we had 250as a corporate party on the Encore in May..  Never ever a 7 day back to back in the Med again.

Amen to that.  Longer cruises (that are not a combination of seven-day cruises) are very different from seven-day cruises.  Early on, I went on a fourteen-day cruise.  Loved it so much, two years later, I went on 2 B2B seven-day cruises.  I vowed never to do that again.  For my next cruise, I went on 2 B2B fourteen-day cruises.  Twenty-seven days of Pure Heaven!  The twenty-eighth day was terrible because we had to disembark. 

1 hour ago, D_And_K_gocruising said:

Wonder what their reasoning is for not allowing it?  You're going to give it to someone else?  You're going to decide you dont want it and just leave it somewhere?  It's part of your meal that you paid for (it's part of the specialty dining credit and should be included).   Just seems weird.  

Bugs, mess, and decaying food.

If you have room service, staff is aware there is food in your room.  It is usually self-contained on the table/tray.  It is either picked up by staff or placed outside the room where it is visible. 

A single plate of food may be put in a cabinet (for "later") and forgotten.  Crumbs fall on shelves and around the cabin. 

Seems very reasonable to me. 

2 hours ago, uneamie said:

While I can agree with some of what you say because we all see things differently (thus our very divided country USA), that said, "the soup is too hot"??? this is one for the books in my opinion. 

People sue (and are very rewarded) for their coffee being too hot.  So why not soup?

Late to the party, but Crystal has a small single supplement for double rooms booked as a single.   It's not available on all cruises, but, for a luxury line, it's worth it.

Might be useful for other travelers or for your next cruise!