misty57

I have to agree with the "cutting it too close" theme. I always fly in the night before or worst the earliest flight I can get in the morning. For me, flying out of Chicago any time from Nov-March is hit or miss with weather related delays and cancellations, so that extra day is a must.

Agree! One year we even left 3 days early as the weather was forecasted to be bad on the day we were scheduled to leave via Midway. We had to change our flight and hotel reservation but it was worth not having to stress about getting out in time. We also always stay over near the airport when we fly out in the winter. That drive from south of I80 can be frightful in bad weather.

If I absolutely couldn't afford a balcony I would do an inside cabin, but I loved having the balcony on our Alaskan cruise. It was amazing to wake up and see the glaciers and step outside to the absolute quiet, see the chunks of blue ice floating on the water as smooth as glass. We saw more whales from our balcony than we did on a whale watching excursion! It was really crowded on the upper deck and getting a minute at the railing to get a good picture was challenging.

My $300 OBC perk is on my reservation. I noticed it this morning when I made final payment.

You will have to excuse my ignorance but what is a "a wife beater" shirt. I have been a member of Cruise Critic for 8 years and have seen it mentioned quite a few times. I believe it must be an American terminology as I am not aware of it in the UK. I'm pretty sure I don't own one lol! and will continue to wear my Dinner Suit at Evening Chic nights. Too much going on in the World to let myself be bothered if someone is wearing jeans.

I know others have answered your question with descriptive photos, but I wanted to point out that it is really an undergarment. I'm not sure when people began wearing them alone. My own father never wore this style of undershirt, but I remember my Grandfather and uncles did. I dislike seeing them worn in public as much as I dislike seeing men and women wearing "pajama bottoms" in public. I'm also positive anyone attempting to attend dinner in this attire will be turned away!

It will be fine! As others have said, you can't compare the big one to the Majesty. It has its own personality. Check out the reviews for details about where to eat, what to do. If I remember right there is a little cafe that serves crepes.

We've been "overindulging" on vacations over the years since the kids are out of the nest. We're trying to wean ourselves from balcony cabins, although we do have one booked for next September since its our wedding anniversary.:D

I'm going to try to save as much as possible and look for good bargains for future cruises. We have pretty much been where DH wants to go, but would like to cruise Alaska again but add a cruise tour. Maybe when I retire?

Yes !!!!! Being farmers, hubby will have to pack his denim overalls and bring along a few sheafs of wheat to stick in his hair ( eye roll )

Umm, are you seriously saying that farmers would even consider dressing like that on a cruise? :confused:

Only you can answer your question. What the rest of us think or feel is really immaterial.

 

Personally for myself, I have chosen not to travel with health issues. I had a 14 day cruise to Alaska booked (with airfare paid) about 15 months out. The insurance cost about the same as what I had invested in deposit and airfare, so I opted not to purchase insurance. At about the 12 month out timeframe, my husband had a stroke. I didn't cancel, thinking I would be able to handle him, the luggage & the airport. Then about 6 months out I started having Angina when walking any distance, and realized I wouldn't be able to handle the luggage, and my husband certainly couldn't. Just imagining the shuttle to the airport, the airport (LAX) itself, and then shuttle to the ship was an envisioned nightmare. And would we really enjoy the cruise if we couldn't do anything? I cancelled the cruise (I did get my cruise deposit back, but lost the $600 airfare).

 

We have travelled to Australia (twice), Alaska (2 times), Hawaii (5 times), Europe (7 times). I have also done Tahiti, Hungary, Jamaica, Canada/New England on my own, so I am well aware of the effort it takes sometimes. So I know with our health issues now that I no longer have an interest in trying to do the travel. I'm glad I was able to travel in the past 25 years, and feel I have seen a good portion of this World. But short trips in my own car, where I can park in handicap spots and make do with a weekend suitcase are what I plan now.

 

If you still want to travel, then go for it. If you have difficulties along the way, it may force you to change your mind. I wish you luck & happy travels.

One reason while DH and I cruise now instead of waiting for retirement. Even now there is consideration to be made for the "what ifs" as it relates to his health issues. Reasonable access to emergency care dictates where we go now.

I'm back to using online WW. DH and I have remained signed up online paying the monthly fee but not always following it. DH follows my lead, so we have both been tracking well the last week or so. I will not get on the scale ( bad I know) until I "feel" like I have lost by how my clothes feel and how I look in the mirror. Then I will start weighing weekly. DH gets so frustrated when he doesn't lose or he gains, but his problem is portion control and his medications. Mine is that I eat to self console! My biggest push for getting back on the program is I want to make sure my clothes fit well in February for our next cruise. All I can do is track and increase activity and hope for some improvement. It will have to be enough.

We booked through them for tours in Las Vegas. They were reasonably priced and we were pretty satisfied with them. I too have been looking at booking excursions through them for our upcoming cruise.

We would drive the car onto a ferry and then tour Europe. Slowly we realised that one of the best parts of our holiday was the overnight ferry crossing, and so the seeds of cruising were sown....;)

Ah I just remembered taking a ferry from Dover to Calais the summer I spent in the south of England. I was 18 and it was the first time I had been on a ship except for a little paddle boat on the Mississippi when I was 15. Hmm, that may have been when my own interest was sparked:)

I sometimes think that solo cruising might be kind of nice in that you don't have to please anyone else with what you choose to see and do. I do like to share the experiences with DH but I kind of know which things he likes to do or can do, and so that eliminates some of the trips I would take. I hope we have many years of traveling together, even if we repeat itineraries. I think its great that you have continued to do what you love!

In port one time we were walking into town to shop and was stopped by someone who somehow talked us into going to investigate a time share and we ended up purchasing one. One of the dumbest things we've done, seeing as we were not likely to fly down to this island every SUMMER! I jokingly tell my DH that they must have put something in our drinks!.:eek:

The cruising bug hit me pre-cruise from watching The Love Boat. After my first cruise on the Rotterdam in 1980, I was definitely hooked.

That's so funny... DH and I used to watch Love Boat all the time when we were dating , and now I wonder if that contributed to our "susceptibility" to the cruise bug!:)

Love these stories! We love the ocean too :). Our oldest son proposed to his wife on a cruise. It was just before Christmas and the ship was already decorated. He asked one of their dining companions to snap a picture when he got on one knee in front of the Christmas tree. It was wonderful to be able to see that since we were not there at the time. Surprisingly his wife doesn't like to cruise :confused:

It seems that many of those who have cruised more than once have been "bitten" by the bug!

We have done some land based vacations here and there since our first cruise, but I never feel like I've been on vacation until I have my cruise! I'm known at work as "the cruise lady", and people ask when and where we're cruising next:D.

Our first 3 night cruise did it for us! It was for our 10th wedding anniversary. DH had a friend who suggested a TA who suggested the cruise. After that we said we wanted to try a 7 night cruise, so we figured out child care with grandparents and took off! Those were the days of inside cabins ( those will be coming back more as we inch into retirement), and traditional dining. When our oldest was in college, she "supervised" the other 3 kids over spring break, and we made cruising a pretty regular thing. We took our 4 kids a few times, and they all loved it. Looking forward to# 20 and 21 next year. Anyone else care to share their story? What's your cruising style? Most memorable or favorite cruise?

Only a couple of items have stuck with me as must haves for cruises,

1) A net bag for dirty Laundry, recently read an idea to bring a fabric softener sheet to absorb dirty laundry smell.

2) a highlighter, I like to highlight the compass for things I don't want to miss the next day.

Dryer sheet is a good idea. I use a pop up hamper for dirties and then bag it up for the trip home. I usually have a separate piece of luggage for them ( we fly SW so no fees!):D

Islamorada at Bass Pro Shop. We've been there several times.

Even though the cash is already in your hand, if you put it aside like that it keeps you from spending that little bit on a fast food run, or a coffee that you wouldn't normally buy. When I have the urge to pull into the drive thru, I tough it out until I get home. Id rather put that dollar bill in my "cash cup" than waste it on something that I can do without. I ran for a few months with just $1.50 in my wallet.

Another way of savings that I have decided to use, is to avoid buying ebooks on a whim. That "buy with 1 click" button is wicked! Now I just buy (mostly) the free books. It also keeps me from reading all day since I seldom download a best seller. I have noticed a definite improvement in my bank balance since I started doing this. We don't have a free library where I live.

That's one reason I almost never polish my nails as I have to use the hand sanitizer constantly ( in the hospital). Its just not worth it. I have only had my nails done once. I always do my own, but I wait until the last minute so it doesn't get smudged before we leave for vacation.

I so don't miss the prepping, politics, common core, etc. of teaching. I don't mind a bit being my age as opposed to working...lol.

 

Deb

I'm actually a nurse and have to teach so many hours, have so many hours of community service, be involved with quality improvement/research and sit on committees. That is in addition to 3-4 12 hours shifts. Oh and 12-24 hours of call every 6 weeks. Then there are the phone calls at 5 am to beg me to come in extra:rolleyes:. My daughter is a teacher.... well, you know how that is!

We've stayed in Dania quite a bit, and several times at Embassy suites. Next time were doing the budget thing and staying at Sleep Inn at Dania. They have an airport shuttle and breakfast. We'll take a cab to port, and for dinner the night before we'll probably order in. We have to stay over in Chicago the night before so 2 nights in a hotel pre cruise is plenty expensive. We stayed in a Sleep Inn near the airport in Seattle last summer and it was pretty nice and the most reasonable decent hotel we could find. I didn't regret it one bit. I hope this one will be nice too, but its only one night, so I think its worth the savings. February is an expensive time to stay in Florida.

8 years 4 months and a day. Then I might be able to work one day a week!

I hope it goes fast. Most people fuss about getting older. I always say its one year closer to retirement!(partial:p) Just added a few more percentage points to my 403B. Adopting a more frugal lifestyle so I can focus on the important things. I just wish I didn't have to jump through so many hoops at work. Spent all day today preparing to teach a class tomorrow for 4 hours. So much for my days off!

I've mostly been concerned that I may HAVE to cancel a cruise than be happy that I did.That being said, our next cruise on Equinox is not making my heart beat faster like our Alaskan cruise last summer. The Panama canal is one of DH's ideas. I think it will be nice to see some other ports, but DH lets me do all the planning and I'm just not that much into this trip. The cost may be one factor, but also that its our first Celebrity cruise. I really like the familiarity of Royal, even if the ports are repetitive for us. If DH said he didn't want to go I would cancel in a heartbeat if I could book something else on Royal. There probably wont be any European cruises for us, as DH isn't much on history. It wouldn't be worth the time and expense or the risk with his health issues. If we did go to Europe I would go through a TA for help with the details. It would just be easier and less stressful. For Caribbean or North American departures I do my own bookings. We are grateful to be able to cruise for now. Its something to look forward to.:D

So they are still having problems?