Homosassa

What you are missing is the fact that proof of identity from birth to current day is now required for renewal of many forms of government issued ID. This included the "Real ID" of driver's licenses and passport renewal. This has caused problems for those who have changed their names several times where the supporting legal documents must be provided. For example for a married , divorced, remarried woman the document trail of birth certificate, marriage license, divorce document (including the restoration of her birth name if applicable, new marriage license is required. Luckily I have retained the name I was born with and have missed out of the proof of identity game that so many need to do. I just renewed my passport and had no problems.

What you say is somewhat true. It is a very outdated practice for many of us.. As a woman, I was reacting to the assumption that a marriage license means a woman's name is automatically changed when she was married (I made sure people knew at my wedding reception in 1976 that my name was not changed and I have never responded to anyone who calls me Mrs X or Mrs First name-surname of my husband). However, I was referring to the OP's statement that the marriage license should state the woman's (or any other gender's name) is now legally changed to a new surname. The name is optional for anyone. The marriage license just provides a document to show a legally acceptable reason for changing a surname.

Does your use of the word "conjoined" mean that your cabins have different reservation numbers? Is the location of their cabin next door or across the hall or is located farther away than NCL location rules concerning minors in their own cabin? If so, that is probably the reason why NCL is requesting the written parental consent for your youngest daughter. Your oldest daughter has become the guardian of the minor in her cabin in the eyes of NCL. She may also find that she is also now responsible for the youngest's shore privileges and will not be allowed to leave the ship without her. You really do need to speak to NCL about this.

Jaime, are you booked Fantastica for this cruise with the traditional fixed dining times and table assignment? If so, it is understandable why a waiter is having a problem with guests attempting to circumvent their assigned dining time and table.

My reply is not specific to Coco Cay. In general, I see private islands as a wasted day of the cruise. My husband and I both grew up surrounded by water (ocean, sound, bay, lake) and we went to the beach to take a dip or fish, not to sun bathe. Our usual private island day is to have a leisurely breakfast while the stampeding horde trample each other to the gangway or tender. We then make our way ashore for a walk and may dip our toes in the water. Back on board for a nice lunch in air conditioned comfort while gazing out at the water. We enjoy the somewhat empty ship for the rest of the beach stay.

You better read the Terms and Conditions and Conditions of Carriage on the MSC website before trying this "cheat" on MSC. MSC has caught on to the game and specifically mentions "no Show" or cancellation of a passenger in a cabin which would leave a passenger solo in a double cabin.

There is no reason for a marriage license to state a very outdated idea that all women change their name upon marriage. Many don't and would be upset to be assigned a new name. It is a marriage license, not a title certificate to show ownership. Be careful of blanket statements that only a birth certificate and government issued photo ID is all that is necessary to sail on a closed loop cruise from a US port. While that may meet the US laws to enter the US after the cruise, you need to be sure that any ports of call do not require a passport or that the cruise line itself doesn't require all passengers or those sailing in certain circumstances to have a passport (some lines require any one sailing with minor children require all in the party to have a passport).

I don't. My recipe says cayenne OR Worcestershire sauce. As far as the German immigrant story goes, he may have invented a spice mixture. However, an old eastern shore food inspector I know inspected the Wye Island facility and knows the history of the Wye River Seasoning as it was known and is still sold today . There was an agreement to allow the seasoning to still be sold under the name Wye River when McComick bought the rights to the seasoning formula and managed to buy the basically identical Old Bay formula in the ninties.

Herbie's (Marathon) used to have a conch dish with a slice of conch pounded thin, lightly grilled with a cheese on top. So good - my go to if I wasn't having a hamburger. Looks like that specialty of the house conch dish is no longer on the menu.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER Old Bay. The Worcestershire in my recipe is there for those who don't like cayenne. Using Old Bay is like using "Italian" seasoning or other seasoning mixes. A good short cut for bad (lazy) cooks. The back story for Old Bay is that a waterman on the Eastern Shore used to sell his crabs either by the bushel or would boiled in the local bay water with his own spice blend. His boiled crabs became popular. He started to package up his spice blend and sell it to customers for use at home (still needed to use salt water from the bay or add salt to fresh water). When he sold the rights to his blend, salt was added to the commercial product (originally by a firm on Wye Island). Salt is the primary ingredient of Old Bay. Some of the other spices are mustard, cayenne and celery seed (plus others). When I get crabs that have been steamed and have a coating of Old Bay, I request a side bowl of water and do a racoon imitation and scrub the Old Bay off the crabs. I want to enjoy the crab, noy salt with a dash of other spices.

Conch has a flavor to other fresh seafood like crabs, lobster clams, snails, squid (calamari), and octopus, i.e.; bland, sweet and salty.

It is for those who wish to gift a passenger with on board credit . If the cabin passengers are covered by the same on board account, the money will be credited to that account. For a shared cabin where each passenger is covering their expenses with a separate accounts, the credit would go to their account. A credit minor would be credited to the responsible adult.

There is a disconnect in your reasoning. According to the NCL ticket contract, the parent or guardian of a minor is responsible for all actions of the minor on board ship. This includes purchases on board (alcohol is specifically mentioned). To that end, part of your decision for control of your son's behavior was to remove his charging privileges from his sea pass. When you bought the fifty dollar on board credits, the credits would go to the room credit (OBC is never split among the occupants of the room on any cruise line. It is up to the occupants of the room to decide how OBC will be split). If you wanted your son to have fifty dollars to use on board, Guest services would have to restore his charging privileges to the cabin's account. Some cruise lines will apply a limit to a minor's charging privileges (in this case, $50). I don't know if NCL will do that. If that procedure is not available on NCL, then it is up to the parents (guardian) to set the limit and enforce it. IMO, I am glad that my daughter's grandmother would not have any way to circumvent any limits I had set for her on board ship. Grandma was a huge problem on shore, never mind on ship.

Yes, you are correct. I gave the lower temperature under which Vibrio will not grow. The best growth occurs above 70 F which is a problem with waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and Atlantic during the warmer months. Like any other shellfish, it is best to know the waters from which it is harvested and the conditions under which it is held, processed and prepared. Would I eat conch salad from push cart vendor? Not at any time of the year. Would I eat conch salad in the Bahamas during colder Atlantic water months at a food establishment with refrigeration, running water and trained kitchen staff? Yes.

I have taken to using claw meat along with the lump because of the cost. I will use the claw meat over the back fin lump and never will make bread (cracker) cakes.

Sure, OK.... We have friends that live in Crab Alley on Kent Island. Their local suppliers mix the Gulf crabs in with the local crabs in the bushel baskets. There have been shortages of legal size Jimmys for decades. Of course, Sallys and sooks have been off limit for years. Maryland state implemented regulations regarding the amount allowed to be harvested each day (15 bushels ) a year ago. The restriction is decades late for to conserve the crab numbers.

LOL about Maryland blue crabs. For years my husband mu husband inspected every oyster shucking/ crab picking and packing establishment in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia (the region also covered establishments in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, but there wasn't much need for him in those states). Little known fact - the blue crab population in the Chesapeake has been overfished to the extent that local demand can not be met by local supply. Many of those crabs sold by the bushel or used in Maryland crab cakes actually are caught and shipped to Maryland from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico For wonderful crab cakes by BWI, try Timbuktu on Dorsey Road (Rte 176). Current price for a genuine Maryland crab cake is $35 for a single cake.

I think you are confused about how single supplements work. While a single rate is available on all ships, it may not be available for all sailings on a ship. On MSC (and other cruise lines), the single rate is normally the cost of the fare for two in the cabin and sometimes an additional amount added to compensate for the loss of on board purchases that might be made by the second passenger. I just looked at Meraviglia single rates for May and it is offered and available. The rates offered are less than the price of the usually double cabin rate.

Like any other shellfish, the quality of the water from which the shellfish is harvested, the temperature of the water from which it is harvested, and sanitary conditions under which the food is prepared is important. To avoid the problem with illness from Vibrio parahaemolyticus and vulnifcus, waters from which shellfish are harvested should be below 60 F.

Just read the live thread on another site specific to this cruise. Everyone posting appears to be having a great time with no issues. Much ado about nothing pre cruise.

Years ago, many people played a fare game where when itineraries were announced, they would book and pay a deposit on multiple cruises across different cruiselines for a time period they were interested in. During the time period before final payment, the deposited cruises would be checked and the fare churning for price drops or other perks would be done. As final payment approached (thirty days in "olden" days), a decision would be made on which cruise and cabin would be the one for the trip. All the others would be canceled. As a result, the cruise lines would be left with unsold cabins that they needed to discount to fill the ship. Cruise lines adapted to the gaming and changed the deposit and final payment rule. Deposits became non refundable for some cabin classes and final payment was pushed back to the time period that are now used. Some travel agents also changed their booking procedure. I have been using one agent a t a large agency for a number of years. During one of our more chatty sessions we got onto the topic of fare churning and booking multiple cruises for the same time period. He told me that his agency now will show all booking made by a client when they call to make a reservation. If it shows that the new reservation overlaps a cruise that is reserved, they will not accept the booking.

Read the Terms and Conditions on the MSC USA website. The cancellation section of the T&C specifically mentions "no show." A "no show" is assess a 100% cancellation fee of the fare. The section later goes on to say that a passenger left in a cabin due to cancellation by another passenger (passengers) will be assessed a 100% single supplement of the cabin cost. MSC is very good at closing the loopholes that passengers used to game the system and, in the long run. costs all passengers money. There were cruisers that boasted on this forum that to avoid the single supplement, a fictitious second passenger would be booked and be a "no show." MSC has closed the passenger cheating and now has a published policy that in the long road, may cost the solo passenger more when the "no show" game is played.

We used to own a second home in Marathon and were frequently there in the summer. Summer is a great time in the Keys, Not a lot of tourists cluttering the roads and beaches. With a little bit of luck, Key West will not have any cruise ships in while visiting.

Direct from MSC website: https://www.msccruisesusa.com/manage-booking/before-you-go/what-to-wear

You will definitely not be out of place on MSC. It is those in tee shirts and shorts in the evening that stand out (usual assumption: American Carnival cruiser who doesn't know any better).