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I think you can even pre-order either Uber or Lyft now.

No ideas for wording. But someone else had the idea of everyone wearing mardigra beads to identify each other.

We are sailing the Eclipse from LA-Cabo-San Diego. I like the idea of having it there as soon as we enter the cabin. I could get him settled in a comfy spot and take care of it before he goes into the cabin. Or, can I request to have it at dinner. I arranged to have a reserved dinner first night. Do they let you do that?

I’m fairly new so please let me know if I should ask this elsewhere. This cruise is a surprise for my hubby for our 10th anniversary. We have the zero proof package but we are also concierge class. I think we get a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine. Is there any way to request to have that in our room on arrival? The first day of the cruise is our actual anniversary. I know I can buy an occasion package. But I don’t really want to spend $100 on strawberries. Any suggestions?

For sure. With my parents it really was just a case of them not thinking. My sister (a lawyer by the way) was trying to be sneaky. I was already outside when this all happened. No cared about the $10 trinket I bought. I was ushered on to the bus and not allowed to wait for them. I was totally panicked. I thought my dad had a heart attack or something.

I just thought of one more thing. If you buy anything ( like jewelry or booze) on board or in port where they give you a discount for being from your ship, it is reported to customs in the ship manifest. That means if you don’t declare it when returning home customs will know. Cautionary tale: Traveling with family for mom’s 75th birthday. My sister bought her boyfriend an expensive watch on board. He figured he could just wear it and customs wouldn’t know. They were pulled into “the little room” and customs officers went through their luggage. My sister had a receipt for jewelry she bought for my mom as a gift. Of course they asked, “where are the diamond earrings?” She said “I gave them to my mom. She’s over there”. So mom and dad get pulled into the little room and interrogated. Customs discovered the jewelry my dad had given mom, none of which was declared. They ended up having to pay not only the custom taxes, but some heavy fines, and almost got arrested. On top of that, they missed the transfer bus to the airport and almost missed their flight. Moral of the story- declare what you are supposed to. Or at least, don’t keep receipts or buy on board if you don’t plan on declaring.

Packing light is crucial. We make sure we can do just carry ons so no chance of losing luggage. We check on the way home when we often have bottles with liquids. Having clothing pieces that can do double (or triple) duty helps too. I have a very simple black dress I can use as a swim suit cover up, comfy tour dress, or in the MDR on formal nights. It can be rinsed in my room and dries fast. I have a very large scarf that is light as a feather and takes up about as much space as a pair of underwear. I can drape it or make a cape to cover my shoulders, I can use it like a belt, I can even tie my hair back with it. Another trick is little tack pins. They are a cross between earrings, buttons and a pin. Use them to make multiple accessories with a scarf or wrap. Also, don’t fold-roll when packing.

We thought about doing one as part of a 10 day vacation to FL. I know a few people who have done a Disney parks and cruise package where the cruise was part of the total longer package. For us, it’s a 3 + hr drive just to get to the airport. Then a 3 hr flight to any cruise port - if we can get direct, which is rare. So anything less than 6 days is not worth it.

Back in 1999 we sailed a RC ship and I can’t remember the name. They had a huge “mall” open to several decks and did parades down the center. I thought that was cool. The very first ship I sailed on was by far the worst. 1991- Costa Riviera. It had peeling wall paper, all the workout equipment was broken and it just felt dirty. I think it was the last cruise before being decommissioned. This was before they were bought by RC. I still remember the stupid song they made us sing every night “C c c, Riviera C, c c c la la la la la la”. That was it. Clever lyrics- not!

Maybe there is a difference between renewal and new passport. My son got his first passport last year. He applied in June and just barely got it in time for our Oct sailing.

Couldn’t agree more re- passports. That goes for tickets, meds, and anything else you must have. I start making a checklist weeks before a big trip. Also make sure you will have enough rx to get you through a few days past your vacation. Don’t want to realize a day before you leave you don’t have enough. Ask for vacation refill if you have to. Most pharmacies and ins companies will allow this. As I think of things, I add them to my list and even go so far as writing down where I want to pack them. Then I use the list to pack. And still I check before I walk out that door. I also print anything I HAVE to have just in case my phone dies, or I can’t get reception. Lastly, on passports- be aware that they have to be valid up to 6 months after the end of your trip. If that passport expires sooner than 6 months out, they will not let you board. Being prepared doesn’t mean you can’t be spontaneous. It allows you to relax!

Did I do something wrong? I read through the guidelines and the only thing I found relative was about contacting the cruise lines just before the cruise instead of weeks out. But I still don’t know how to contact them at all. I am not a travel agent or any kind of travel professional. I have also posted this on our roll call. I am the one who suggested we arrange to meet. But it is an informal gathering. Please let me know if I broke any rules. I want to be respectful of all guidelines.

My very first cruise the seas were very rough. I started to feel a little “icky”. I’ve never had any motion sickness. My husband insisted I take Dramamine. THAT made me sick. I lost a whole day. The “icky” was just lack of sleep, richer foods than I’m used to, and the stress of things not going exactly as I planned. Never will I take any motion sickness med again.

Does anyone out there know how to contact the cruise line regarding planning our own meet n’ mingle? We are planning one for our cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse on Nov 11. (Go to that roll call to find out more). I want to: make sure nothing else is going on at that time, B. See if we can get a line on the daily itinerary, C. Maybe get some hors d'oeuvre provided.I like the idea of beads. They are easy to see from a distance. I was going to bring name tags. I figured if any non-CC members happen to join us, the more the merrier!

Ya, I agree with you there. When you book a cruise and are told certain things are included they should be.

Maybe I’m just a half glass full kind of person. But I see this as a plus. Rather than just raising prices they give people the option to cruise affordably. It’s like the choice between economy, business or first class on a plane. Rather than raise the cost as many lines have done, they lowered the services. The cost of Princess’s upper tiers that include even more than before are pretty reasonable.

Lots of ships also have adult only pool and deck areas. And if curse the bars and casinos are mostly adults.

At the risk of revealing my guilty pleasure- I know there was a season of the Bachelorette tV show that had an entire cruise ship for the whole shooting season. I’m sure they paid top dollar for it.

One tip for long airport waits or layovers- lounges. We have American admirals club (I think). We get it just because we have the elite cc. If you fly first or business sometimes that’s all you need. Not all airports have the same ones. There is an American Express lounge, or some airports, like Quito, have a longer for anyone who wants to pay. If you have more than a few hours to kill in an airport whatever a day pass may cost, they are worth it. They have quiet sleep areas, free food and drink, a place to leave luggage, WiFi, etc. Some have showers and actual beds. We had a 20 hour layover once in Miami. I slept for a bit in the lounger, picked at the food all day and always had a beverage. I binged an entire season of my favorite Netflix show. The time flew by, I felt rested not stiff for the last leg of our journey.

The only silly question is the one you don’t ask. I don’t know Viking. But we have never had the cruise arrange our flights and taking their transfer to the airport has never been an issue. They make drop you at the BA terminal. You usually have to pay for the transfer like a shore excursion. So if they let you sign up for it I can’t see that they would deny you. Maybe different if Viking offers transfers free as part of the cruise price.

I think some decks also have less motion than the others. But I can’t remember if it’s the higher decks or lower. Unless you are super sensitive, you can barely feel the motion on the boat. You feel more of a vibration from the engines than movement. Of course rough seas are a different story.

This same thing happened to us on our first cruise in 1991. It was our honeymoon. We had it booked for mid December. The only choice we had was to move it to early Nov. Little did we know that’s rainy season in the Caribbean. It was a miserable, rainy, disappointing cruise. We still enjoyed it. But it wasn’t what we hoped and saved for. I’m sorry they are still doing this. I hope they compensate you very well.

I’d agree with the wrist brands. They won’t make you sleepy. We also learned that keeping your stomach full greatly reduces the risk of sea sickness. East enough to do on a cruise. I have a really sensitive stomach and have found ginger tea or bitters work better than any med. My favorite go to is tamarind candy. But I’ve never seen it available outside of south or Central America. Some of the natural remedies in Latin America work great! When all else fails, get bitters and soda or Apperol at the bar. Get fresh air, eat and sleep well and don’t worry too much. You can talk yourself into being well as much as you can being sick. fyi- Meclazine is for vertigo.

I agree it seems wrong to pay for a cruise where food is all included, then be asked to pay extra for food. On the other hand, what Mike45LC said is valid. I will say, there is a huge difference between cold water lobster, like in the north east, and warm water served in most cruises in the Caribbean and Mexico. Warm water lobster, in my humble opinion is nothing worth paying extra for. I can honestly say the only really memorable meal we had on a cruise in recent years was at the hibachi restaurant.

Enjoying you vacation is all a matter of attitude. If you think of every blip as an adventure rather than a problem you will have so much more fun and less stress. This goes for life too! Always hope for the best and prepare for the worst.