Mum2Mercury

Somehow I wasn't thinking of non-clothing items before: - I would never travel without my Kindle! I read for hours at a time, especially on sea days, and the Kindle is such a space saver. I also discovered recently -- by accident! -- that my Kindle charger will charge my phone. But my phone charger won't charge my Kindle. - I have to have my own shampoo and conditioner. I tried Royal's all-in-one product, and it left my hair in a stiff, un-brushable clump -- and I have really easy hair! - I keep my suitcase open in the bottom of the closet, and that's our laundry hamper. At the end of the trip, we just zip it up, and we're packed. - I have a fat little pencil case that I've used for a travel first aid kit for years. I have small containers of all the medicines we're even remotely likely to need; if we can take care of any small issues that come up, we don't want to bring ourselves to the attention of the medical staff. - Paper items: We bring 4 magnetic hooks for exactly 4 things that we like to keep hung on the wall. And we bring a pack of sticky notes and a pen -- for leaving notes to one another. - We have paper goldfish (custom made by my artist daughter) that I laminated /magnetized. We like using them to identify our door. We get lots of positive comments on them! - I never wake on my own, so I have to have an alarm clock (or risk missing port day plans!), especially now that we're dedicated to "Inside Luxury Suites". Though we do have another habit that helps without the sun: At bedtime we turn the TV to the deck channel, and it gives us just a little bit of light in the night, and it lets us know when the sun comes up. Finally, yes to a positive attitude about "making do". It's not hard to be happy with little on a cruise.

This isn't hard at all! We just returned from a cruise, and I brought just enough -- here's what I brought (inclusive of what I wore on the ship). Often I wore this-or-that for half a day, and I hung it up afterward -- nothing needed washing during the 8 days. I was 100% happy with what I brought, so I made a note of it for next time. (though I probably will bring an extra swimsuit because we'll have a more port-heavy schedule next time). - 3 casual dresses - 1 pair white jeans & 3 pairs shorts - 2 dinner blouses & 4 daytime tops - 1 chambray shirt that also worked as a light jacket - 2 swimsuits w/ cover-ups - 1 workout outfit - 1 nightgown - Walking sandals, tennis shoes, wedges, water shoes Shoes really are the biggest problem -- they take up almost as much space as ALL my clothes! I brought one simple diamond pendant necklace and wore simple silver/gold hoop earrings all week. No need to pare down to one plain color. Things can match without being all the same; for example, I brought one pair of orange-print shorts that matched a white blouse, a dark blue tank top, and a denim blouse.

Yes, having a backup credit card is a wise choice. What a horrible story! Yes, we solidly believe in self-disembarkation. We also believe in making our luggage look "a little different". I remember seeing a family on our very first cruise (before we understood why self-disembarkation is such a good thing) who really had their act together: they were an extended family, so they had loads of luggage, and every single piece of it had a laminated sunshine attached. Just a simple yellow-and-orange sunshine, but it was easy to identify at a glance. One of the dads was pulling the family's stuff off the conveyor belt and tossing it to the waiting teens, who ran it back over to the family. I watched and learned. But, no, the woman I saw was still on the ship -- so she couldn't have been you -- we were all exiting from Deck 4, and she was pulled out of line and was standing with an officer.

This may vary from port to port, but they were most definitely serious about it in Miami earlier this month (September 2022). We had the earliest appointment (10:30). A whole lot of people were saying things like, "We have a 1:30 appointment, but we're hoping to get on board sooner." About 9:45 employees came out and put up signs /created three lines -- one for 10:30 appointments, one for 11:00 appointments, and one for everything else. The "I'm gonna get on early crew" were not best pleased, but what could they do? At 10:00 they let in Suite and Key people -- they entered through another door /were not part of the three lines. As soon as they were in, they allowed in us 10:30 people -- yes, they checked appointment cards. After that, it was kinda crazy, but we stepped onboard the ship at 10:28.

Beer runs about $10.50, including mandatory 18% tip. Cocktails run about $13-14, again, including mandatory 18% tip. The drink of the day will be more like $10. You can buy a bucket of beers from the Pool Bar (I think it's the only one that runs this special). The price varies, depending upon the type of beer, but Heineken is about $42 (including tip) for five beers. So, yeah, as someone else said, it's kinda like Buy-4-Get-1-Free.

The basics -- absolutely essential: - Passport OR - Birth certificate + driver's license or state ID card + marriage license as a "bridge document", if your name differs from your birth name. This is "enough". In addition: - Printed copy of your Set Sail Pass -- okay, not 100% necessary, as you can show it on your phone -- but I like having it printed /in hand. - Driver's license -- because, well, shouldn't you always have it? We drive to the port, so we obviously need ours. - Insurance card(s), including your cruise travel insurance information + contact phone number. Likely you won't need your insurance during your cruise, but insurance is, by nature, a better-safe-than-sorry item. - Credit card(s) -- yes, you'll give your number as a part of your online check-in, but you also want to have the physical card. And if you do any shopping on the islands, you may want it. - Covid vaccination card -- may or may not be necessary, depending upon your cruise details. Don't be stupid rules: - Bundle your documents up in some way to keep them safe /together. This could be a simple ziplock bag or a fancy zippered travel wallet. - Use your phone to take a photograph of all your documents, including the back side of your credit card (so you'll have the phone number to call in case of loss). Likely you won't need these photographs, but IF you should be pickpocketed, you'll be awfully glad to have these photographs. You don't want anyone else to have access to these documents, so put a lock on your phone. - As soon as you arrive in your stateroom, put all your documents in your safe and keep them locked up. You won't need them on the ship. If you feel it necessary to carry them ashore, have a plan to keep them secure and use the most extreme caution. A note on losing documents: As we were waiting in line to disembark on our recent cruise, we saw a woman standing off to the side with her luggage, and she was crying. We thought to ourselves, "She's lost her passport (or whatever), and her husband is back to the room looking for it."

Thanks! If someone were to look over what I pack, they'd certainly say I over-pack glasses ... but I am from a near-blind family, and I really use them all: - My bifocals, which are my all-day /every-day go-to. - My prescription sunglasses, which are distance only because bifocals are quite expensive. - My readers, which I love because I read for hours at a time and with the readers I don't need to hold the book in "just the right spot". And because sometimes I fall asleep with my readers on, and I don't want to roll over and risk bending my expensive bifocals. - My sunglass readers for reading by the pool. Of course, I don't carry these around the ship.

I have never requested a specific table in the past, but I'm going to do it for our next cruise: My husband was born stone-deaf in one ear, and what happens (when we're at a table in the middle of the room) is that the wait staff tends to come to the table from either side. This irritates my husband, so I've learned to listen /repeat what they say to him. If we had a table against the wall (or a window or the railing), we'd seat ourselves so that his "good ear" is towards the aisle, and the wait staff would automatically stand where he can hear them. 1. Hypothetical issue. 2. We're talking about dinner only. At breakfast and lunch on any given cruise, we find ourselves at excellent tables and we find ourselves at mediocre tables. The reality is that everyone gets a turn at the good stuff sometimes. Is this maybe a problem on the larger ships? We were on Explorer (not a small ship, but not the biggest either) earlier this month, and we were always seated within 5 minutes of presenting ourselves at the podium. Or is this a problem with later-in-the-evening dining appointments? Maybe they start off well but fall behind as the evening goes on? Kinda like if you get the first doctor appointment in the morning you KNOW you're going to be seen on time, but -- as the day goes on -- they can fall behind, and you end up waiting. As we say here in the South: Askin', not tellin'. Yes, I remember when pre-paying gratuities for MTD was mandatory. We still pre-pay, as we just think it's easier. On our recent cruise I wondered WHY they checked us in/out of the computer each evening ... I mean, the meal was included in the cruise price, so WHY would they really care about whether we ate in the MDR or the Windjammer? I decided it had to do with allotting X amount of gratuity to our wait staff. My experience on past cruises with MTD: You'd arrive for your dinner reservation, and they'd seat you at whatever table was available. My experience on my recent cruise with MTD: On the first night our wait staff said they'd like to reserve us for this table for the remainder of the cruise. We agreed, and we sat at the same (medicore) table /had the same (excellent) wait staff. We didn't pursue this ... the wait staff wanted to set it up for us this way; I assume it was tip-advantageous for them. Wait, wait ... I think I get it: They like to "claim" guests who've pre-paid their tips because they KNOW they won't be stiffed. Yes, now I'm quite convinced that's the right answer. But, yeah, the staff DID promise just that to us on our last cruise. The same people sat around us each evening -- one group was ... um, memorable. As I said above, we didn't pursue the idea of the same table every evening -- the staff wanted it that way.

Multiple thoughts: - If you don't yet understand the need for reading glasses, hang on -- you'll get here! My mid-50s husband doesn't wear glasses for everyday walking around or driving, but he literally can't read the dinner menu without dollar-store readers. So I carry a pair for him in my purse. At home he keeps readers in the car (to take into restaurants), by the tub, by the sofa, by the computer ... unless they wear bifocals, readers are a real need for people "of a certain age". - I'm another who wants Chapstick pretty often. - I do apply sunscreen in my cabin (before putting on my swimsuit), but sometimes I "touch up" at the pool. - I never carry tissues. I don't find that I need them often, and -- when I do -- a restroom is always nearby. - I agree that a phone is a semi-necessity now because of the app (though we still request a paper Compass), but we like to decide what we're going to do the night before -- we don't really "go to" the app constantly throughout the day. If we were with a group, yeah, maybe we'd text -- but since it's just the two of us, it's not a real need. - We take plenty of pictures (with a real camera) on the first day before the ship is busy, and we don't really take a lot day-to-day. - I do carry towels when I'm going to the pool, but I carry them in my hand, as my pool bag is too small for a towel. I don't like to check towels in/out of the $25 system on a daily basis, as I fear it'd be too easy for the staff to hit a wrong button /fail to check a towel back in. So I get my towels on Day 1 and "exchange" rather than return them on a daily basis. I return them on Day Last, minimizing the number of times my room number goes into the system. This means I have towels early in the morning /late at night, even if the Towel Station isn't open, but it does mean I have to remember to bring them with me when I head up to the pool deck. - Another thing I carry in my purse is medicine. I take one medication and several vitamins -- I count pills out into those tiny plastic baggies, and I take one baggie to breakfast.

We always go with My Time Dining, but on our past cruises our teenagers took care of the reservations, and we just got dressed when they told us. On our recent cruise, our waiters said to us (on the first night) that they'd set us up for the remaining nights of the cruise -- we agreed. We were placed at the same table /with the same wait staff every night. They seemed anxious "to reserve us". It made me think it would impact their tips at the end of the week -- plus we're just a couple /not a big group, and we're polite and undemanding.

Yes, the app will open at midnight -- in theory. In our case, it didn't open until 24 hours later. So if our date had been September 29, our app actually opened at midnight September 30. I assume that's an oddity. I used the computer -- I found it easier. You can find You Tubes of people doing their check-in. You should have ready: - Passport or other ID information - I don't think vaccine cards are required any longer - Credit card(s) - The time you'd prefer to check in /board the ship; most people want the earliest time slot -- that's why people check in at midnight. - You can take a picture of yourself, but they retook ours in the terminal anyway - Other information you know such as your address

I've been under the Windjammer, and I never once heard any noise.

Yeah, I appreciate so much information being available on the internet ... but so often it's old, and you have to comb through that, verify whether it's still current. I cruised THIS MONTH (September 2022), so you can feel secure in my information.

Yes, they sell them individually at Walmart in the fishing department (for keeping your license dry). They also sell them on Amazon; I bought some recently to keep our Covid vaxx cards pristine.

How is the cruise ticket price in any way connected to whether you're willing to buy an overpriced drink package?

Plus there's just nothing much of interest in Falmouth.

I'd say you're not in danger of violent crime in most places during the daytime. But pickpocketing can definitely happen during the day. Eh, you can fix stupid -- when stupid recognizes itself for what it is AND wants to change. But those stars don't align often. Yes, we practiced with our kids when they were small -- hands in pockets, eyes down, let Mom and Dad guide you. One woman yelled at me, "Why you shame me like this?" Never was real clear on what that meant. Thing is, I get why they behave that way. Those people have limited opportunities, and they'll do anything to support their families. If you'd been born into their circumstances, what wouldn't you do to take care of your kids?

That's a good use of what is otherwise tedious time.

Agree -- I drink a ton of ice water on the ship. I would only purchase water bottles to take off on port days.

My information on Eagle Beach chairs (and the public bus) is from the first week of September 2022.

Just a note about "new mustering procedures" -- love 'em, by the way. SO MUCH better than the olden days when we all had to put on our life jackets and walk to the muster station at X:00. Anyway, notes on how to win: - We arrived at our Muster Station -- we were in the MDR -- and three staff members were working. One was "checking people in", two others were walking small groups over to their specific areas /going over the muster information with them. - We noted that they were forcing people to stand there watching the video -- what is it? 10-15 minutes? We'd already watched the video -- we really do care about safety, but we didn't want to re-watch the video. - Very quickly it was our turn, and we jumped in /told the staff person we'd already watched the video /said something about the lifejackets being in our closet /said we understood that D22 was our space. The staff member let us go immediately, saying we were good to go. - The moral is, Be Proactive. Speak up and let your staff person know you've already watched the video.

I doubt you'll carry it around all the time. Not after the second day.

I use a couple different things: BACKPACK: I bring a small backpack as my carry-on bag, and it doubles as my island-stop bag. Off the ship, I like to keep my things securely ON my body and being hands-free is convenient. Obviously, my phone or camera easily fits in this backpack. NOTHING: During the day /around the ship, I usually carry just my Sea Pass -- all of my shorts and daytime dresses have pockets. Ditto for my workout shorts. On the off-chance that I want to carry my phone (or camera), it will fit in my pockets. The majority of the time, I am not carrying a bag. POOL BAG: I have a small pool bag, which I've had for years and absolutely love -- it's small and was originally full of Bath & Body Works products. It's enough to carry my sunscreen, Kindle, sunglasses -- and anything else I might want at the pool. Since I'm no longer a pack mule for a slew of small children, I can carry my towels in my other hand. PURSE: I bring a small wristlet purse for dinner. It holds my Sea Pass, my camera (if I choose to bring it) and the readers my husband requires to read the menu.

Well, yeah, capacity is connected to reservations. How? When the ship sails at full capacity, the competition for reservations is greater; thus, people want to scramble to claim their seats. Even though it's not a big deal to make reservations, I do wish we could make them ahead of time. I mean, we can make reservations for shore excursions and dinner -- how is this different? Wouldn't everyone -- cruisers, staff and corporate -- win if we could make reservations ahead of time?

Love it!