DCThunder

An interesting little article on the history of US passports: The History of the US Passport - The Most Coveted Travel Document in the World - (passportinfoguide.com) I remember my first passport, which I got in 1970, was only valid for 5 years.

It is interesting that the ship lost power less than 30 minutes after leaving port. I realize sh** happens, but you'd think that they wouldn't leave the dock if there were questions about the electrical power.

I've got a REAL ID too, but always carry my passport for domestic flights within the USA.

The City Dock in Annapolis can handle sailboats and go-fast boats, but a cruise ship, that's a hard no. I also doubt the channel up the Severn River is sufficiently dredged to allow for a 40 ft draft cruise ship to make it up there. Otherwise, there are no viable ports on the Chesapeake Bay until you get down to the Norfolk/Newport News/Hampton Roads area.

Is there a maritime expression for "ambulance chaser"? Or do seamen use the landlubber term?

Isn't this very close to the path that Celebrity is taking with charging solos more than a 100% solo supplement because a solo has lower on board spending potential than a couple would?

For the record, expedited passport renewal times have gotten better. It seems they've caught up with the backlog from last summer. I submitted an expedited renewal on 12/26/23 and had my new passport by 1/4/24. Perhaps I was lucky, but the horror stories of 13 weeks for a renewal appear to be a thing of the past.

I put on the Port Everglades webcam this morning around 0830 to see which ships were in port today as I like to watch the sailaways in the afternoon. I was very surprised to see NA sailing into port at that time. It wasn't until a little while ago that I learned about the incident and loss of life aboard, but it certainly explains the late arrival. I'm very sorry to hear of the deaths of two dedicated crew. Thoughts and prayers to their loved ones back home.

For the record, the luggage tracker that's part of the American Airlines and United Airlines apps works really well in telling you the whereabouts of your bags once you check them in at the airport. I can't speak for other airlines, because my recent flights have all been on AA or UA. If you fly Spirit, they probably charge you $99 to track a bag. 😁

I just returned from the Holland America cruise that goes up the Amazon River to Manaus with stops at several ports on the river. The trip was amazing and I'm very glad I went. I also have no burning desire to ever go back, but the trip scratched a long-time itch to see the Amazon rainforest up close. If anyone here is doing this cruise, be sure to book shore excursions in Manaus through Do Brazil Right tours. They meet the ship right on the pontoon where passengers disembark, have small 10-20 person mini-buses for city tours, and two level riverboats for the river cruises, the guides speak excellent English and are very knowledgeable, and it's an overall first rate operation. Manaus can be a somewhat dangerous city (I heard one passenger on the ship was robbed at gunpoint and roughed up a bit in the process while exploring with her daughter!), and DoBrazilRight was very diligent about keeping our tour group together as we wandered through the huge produce, fish, and meat market. We also had plenty of time at the Manus Opera House and were able to hear a local orchestra as they rehearsed for a performance. The boat day cruise to the Meeting of the Waters, a visit to a fish hatchery, including lunch, and a native village for a dance celebration also included swimming with the pink dolphins. For Santarem/Alter do Chao (two separate towns, but Alter do Chao is more of a resort), book with Selvagem Tours. Karlos is the manager and he also runs a great operation. In Santarem we went up a smaller river and saw a sloth hanging in a tree, fished for piranhas, and saw a lot of trees. Alter do Chao allowed for two stops at beautiful sand beaches where we were able to swim in the Amazon. The boats met us right at the pier and we were off the ship and on the riverboats in 10 minutes. Both of these operations get a 10/10 from me. Check them out if you get to the Amazon.

After taking a bus transfer FROM the Brooklyn cruise port to JFK after disembarking, I would NEVER try to take a bus TO the cruise port on the day of sailing, especially from EWR.

Most hotels will "hold" luggage for you even after check-out. So check out, leave the bags with the front desk, go have lunch or do last minute shopping, come back and get bags, travel to port, and board ship.

So long as you put the Princess luggage tags on your bags properly, there's very little chance they will not be put on board the ship and delivered to your cabin. One time one of my smaller bags lost it's tag and it was at Guest Services with several other bags that also were without tags.

I haven't Crossed the Line on a Princess ship (or on a USN vessel) but did become a 2X Shellback on HAL, including last month crossing the Equator on the Amazon River. On HAL, only the crew members had to undergo the initiation ceremony, although I did "kiss the fish" after the ceremony was over and King Neptune and his Mermaid Consort had returned to his watery realms.

My brother and sister-in-law are doing a Nat Geo/Lindblad "cruise" from Sitka in May. That's complete with the wet landings from RIBs and the long hikes in the rain forest. The trip ends in Juneau and he's then flying to Fairbanks for a weeklong land tour, including some hiking on Denali. He's a big birder so will be lugging his big spotting scope along. I'm going to be very interested in hearing how this trip goes when he gets back.

Thanks. I stand corrected.

Aren't they named Jackie and Shadow? I've watched those videos on YouTube. It's especially interesting to watch them in their nest completely covered in snow when the winter storms hit Big Bear. I didn't know that the eggs are infertile this year. That's a shame. I did see that ravens had killed their hatchlings last year. Nature is not kind. 😒

So can I assume, based on the photos in post #118, that a white dinner jacket would not be out of place on an Alaska cruise in late June? It's after Decoration Day, after all.

Since today is both Valentines Day and Ash Wednesday, this is appropriate:

Couple of tips: Find the Roll Call for the cruise you'll be going on and try to "meet" some of the other passengers on the cruise. You may find some suggestions for excursions as well (see next point) Check out such websites as Viator, Shore Excursions Group, and Tours by Locals and see what type of "non-ship" excursions they are offering that you might like to book. Often these are less expensive and in smaller groups than the typical Princess excursions. And they'll get you back to the ship on time, don't believe the hype that you'll be left behind. Remember that any on-board credit you may have can be used to offset charges for your coffee, cocktails, or wine, so it's not all coming out of you pocket. Have a positive attitude!

I was on Island Princess when this was being rolled out last November. The future cruise guys were selling this package hard on the ship and I overheard a lot of the sales pitch. In fact I was chatting with the head guy after he went off duty and he was saying that they'd been assigned a quota of packages to sell, which they were well on the way to meeting. 🤷‍♂️ They were pushing the benefits of the 7 day hotel stay to allow for a 7 night stay in European hotels before or after a Med cruise, for instance. They had a list of the hotels and claimed that they were all 4 star minimum hotels. (I never saw the list, however). There's also an option to pay the balance over time or in installments. If hotel nights aren't a priority for someone, I'd think this wasn't a good deal, just for a cruise. But it's legit, albeit not for everyone.

Well, it's not like Jamaica has suddenly become a crime hot spot in the past 10 years.

I certainly take your point.

Actually, that's not entirely true, at least according to the US IRS. However, since most crew aren't US citizens, they may not be paying US taxes. Tip income is taxable and must be reported | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov)

I was just reading a news story about an American woman who was killed in a drug deal gone bad in Tulum, Mexico. She wasn't on a cruise, and I'm sure no one on a HAL cruise would be looking for illicit drugs in Mexico or Jamaica, but all it takes is being in the wrong place at the wrong time for bad s**t to happen.