3rdGenCunarder

Nooo, please no. I do not want to wear a medallion. I refuse to wear my keycard on a lanyard. I did that at work, and I'm retired. No more lanyards!!! I'm a boomer and tech-savvy, so I would use an app, depending on what it offers. I have used HAL's Navigator app, and now that it's been around for maybe 2 years, it has functions I find useful. The daily program (not that HAL has much going on during the day) is listed and, IIRC, you can set alerts for things you want to attend. Best use is menus, especially on their larger ships. I can see what's for lunch in the Lido and know in advance which stations I want to go to instead of wandering around like a lost soul to see what's on offer (are you reading this, QM2????). I can check the deserts and know if I should go there first before they run out of opera cake. The Navigator lets you book tours (and I think, also cancel). You can check your account balance without having to stand in line at the front desk. (Does anyone remember when QM2 was new and you could do this through your TV and the keyboard in the desk?) All of the uses I've described take a minute or two, and then I put the phone away. I don't think an app would make people be on their phones all the time. That's more a matter of how addicted you are--and starlink will enable that addiction, app or no.

Be careful what you wish for. It took about a year to get the bugs out of HAL's Navigator app.

If you booked through a travel agent, the website won't show OBC. I don't know if navigator is supposed to. I find a lot about HAL's IT aggravating.

I do, too. So many posters obsess about finding a hotel with a free or low-cost shuttle. Not worth it. Many of the FLL hotels are close enough to the port that an Uber isn't very expensive. And it beats a shuttle that has passengers going to various ships--you can end up with a tour of the port instead of a quick transfer.

For that I would do a prearranged limo service. I've used Go Airport Shuttle. You probably won't be able to book online, because the website looks like everything is for airports. But they do other services, and might have what you need. Talk to them about timing and waiting charges. Maybe plan to be off toward the end of disembarkation to give yourself a little time cushion.

Boston is the worst for customs and immigration. Twice on QM 2, we weren't disembarking, it was just the first port in the US and it was awful. HOURS to be processed because they sent too few people. I have never experienced anything that bad in any other US port.

I suspect that the farther you go from the ship, the more likely you are to find local businesses. That's why I like to wander away from the pier.

Another vote for a taxi. It's a short ride, very easy. I have found that pre-arranged Ubers are much more expensive than simply ordering one when you're ready, so the taxi would probably be cheaper. If you're concerned about getting off the ship quickly, consider "self-help" or whatever HAL calls it when you carry everything off yourself. That's the first group called to disembark.

I was in a Neptune Suite on K'dam when CO was brand new. It appeared well after I made my booking and as a solo, I did not want to sit in that glass box all by myself for an hour or more. I was newly widowed, so maybe I was oversensitive. But I arranged to go back to my original arrangement of a large table at early dining and was very happy there. I did eat breakfast in CO. That was great. I'm glad to hear the CO line at the front desk was helpful. When it was new, it was of little use. The staff kept forgetting to look over there and see if anyone was waiting. The time I went to the CO line, I stood there on the little orange rug, waiting and waiting without service. I would have done better in the regular line. Perhaps if they'd had a little orange bell I could have rung. HAL doesn't push the "you are special" thing as much as they did at first. I found it awkward. When my cabin steward gave me the coveted orange bag, he said that HAL wanted to make the CO/Suite passengers feel special. When I checked in at the pier, it was ridiculous. "Oh! You're in Club Orange! Right this way!" She walked me to a special desk all by itself, where I could be taken care of away from the hoi polloi (and stand on a bright orange rug!). Privacy to check in? Who cares??? And because I was behind the wall where the regular check-in stations were, I was in full view of everyone in the waiting area. So what was the point of the private desk??? Honestly, I haven't seen that kind of obsequious service in the Grills on Cunard. I did buy CO for my upcoming cruise. It was a lot of money to spend to get another tote bag, but I'll also get a very good upgrade out of the deal.

I thought my first Alaska cruise would be the only one, but I'm going for the fifth time this summer. A lot of people shop for jewelry when they cruise. I don't, but the stores seem to be doing fine without me. I remember being in line at the "shore expert" desk to ask a question when the woman in front of me asked if she would have time to go to Diamonds International after her tour. I said, "Don't worry, there will be one in every port." She replied, "But I don't want to miss any of them!" Cruises have been going to Alaska for 50+ years, so the independents were serving passengers long before the big Caribbean stores showed up. Ketchikan, in particular, has lots of small jewelry stores. Somehow, they've survived the big competitors. They lure people in with free gifts. I did go into one of them about 5 years ago. I talked to a guy for a few minutes--I looked at emeralds and alexandrite with no intention of buying, but I got my "sapphire" forget-me-not charm.

You and Jose had so many wonderful trips, building happy memories. Thank goodness you traveled when you did! Years ago, there was a commercial for an investment company selling retirement programs, like annuities. They showed a couple in their 60s and the voiceover said "Instead of cruises, we took long walks. Instead of champagne, we drank coffee." Sure, you have to plan for your future. But I hated that commercial because it gave no importance to the present.

Hmm, this is the first time Zaandam will be in Miami, coming from a Panama Canal cruise. But she will have been in San Diego and Fort Lauderdale in January before Miami, so I don't think the return-to-US inspections would be needed.

Yes, haunt United's website. They are sloppy about letting people know about changes. Maybe they're better working with a cruise line. But don't trust them to keep you informed. Even for people not on a Max, it's good to keep checking. Airlines may have to do some shuffling if the Max planes don't come back online when they're needed.

I just looked again at @dobiemom's boarding pass and see that group A has a boarding time of 1:00. I just got my assignment, and it's group C 1:40, which means B is 1:20 and A is 1:00. Have they really starting boarding this late with a 4:00 departure? Or is it still the usual random assignment of times nobody looks at? I know this may not be the final time/group. They say not to print anything before 7 days out. New question--has anyone boarded a HAL cruise in Miami? For some unknown reason, maybe crowding at FLL, Zaandam has had a few cruises moved to Miami. I had planned to show up around 11:30 as I usually do in FLL. Most people are through check-in and in the waiting area, so I can check in quickly and go upstairs to wait with the priority group. Last time it was perfect--I stepped off the escalator just as the other priority passengers were walking onto the gangway.

There was a lot of confusion with cell phones and time change on my Norway cruise this fall. Our first sea day out of Southampton was the end of summer time in UK and Europe. BUT we were moving to an earlier time zone, so the ship did not move clocks back, since we'd only have to change them forward again when we got to Norway. (As Bullwinkle used to say, I am soooo confused!) Some people's phones reset automatically, some didn't. Some watches reset, some didn't. One woman at our table said her watch reset but her phone didn't.

If there's a photo you really want to share or move, email it to yourself. Or use cloud storage that both devices can access.

Yes, I've seen this. It almost looks photoshopped, it's so ridiculous. When I was there 15 years ago, our ship was the only one, much smaller than that thing, and we did not dock on top of this lovely part of the town. I remember how charming it was to stroll around there on our way to the sardine museum.

There is something almost decadent about lying on a heated lounger and watching snow-covered mountains go by. (Thank you, @RuthC for that tip!)

Your boarding pass looks like mine. I thought the orange border might be like the orange stripe on the key card, for quick recognition. Wow, priority has its own door in FLL. Unfortunately, my cruise has been moved to Miami, where the staff will not be as familiar with HAL's way of doing things.

One day in Rekjavik led to two weeks in Iceland, so you never know what port you'll fall in love with.

I don't know if I'm unusual in this aspect, but one of the things I like about a variety of ports on a cruise is finding places I want to return to for more than just a day. I wonder how many people do come back for longer (and more expenditures) after a sample visit.

I think your first and third paragraphs explain why Bar Harbor is limiting cruise ships. I have seen the sidewalks overflowing with people and have heard grumblings that hotels are losing business because land-based travelers don't want to deal with the cruise crowds. Over the years, I haven't seen changes in the port area businesses. They even still have an independent bookstore, one of my markers of a town that has kept its character. I wonder if they're afraid they won't be able to fight the pressure from the influx of thousands of people and lose that character. You can't get it back once Diamonds/emeralds/tanzanite International and Del Sol take root.

Now, there's a way to convince him to reduce his screen time. Keep logging him off!

Rules here forbid telling us who your agency is, but is it large enough for you to escalate above her supervisor? Did you check your credit card to see if HAL or the agency issued a refund? Did check the website to see if your cabins are still available? Will anyone at HAL hold them for you until Monday when you can try again to get satisfaction from the agency? There are some travel agents on this board. I hope one will chime in here to give you some advice on next steps.

I just got the 15 day reminder email. All sorts of advice, like keep meds in your carryon, be sure you're at the airport 2 hours before your flight (domestic). One item I hadn't noticed before was to have the same credit card I used to set up my account. I've never had my card checked since they put check-in on the website. I did check-in so long ago that I had to go into the account to see which card I had given them. I have to say, I like the new design. The "gate keepers" can't miss that orange border, and the 4-star logo is larger than it used to me.