Philob

"I’m a little reluctant to pull the trigger on the cruise. Hearing from anybody will make me feel better one way or the other." It used to be contacting your Congressional representative to help, but even they are saying they can't help much now. One of them (NJ) had a press conference about this issue and came out with the slogan: "LOOK BEFORE YOU BOOK". He's pressing for more funding, but you know how that goes..... IMO you are doing the right thing and wait until you have your passports in hand before booking. If it's a closed loop cruise and you can travel with id and birth certificate then go for it, knowing the consequences of not having a passport.

Bought a package from Amzn (two masks, two snorkels). The total cost was about the same price as a one day rental for one at the beach. We had one suitcase between the three of us, didn't take up that much space.

The International Bartenders Association says bartenders should know how to make 77 "classic" drinks. The 77 should be made the same way anywhere in the world including cruise ships.

This conversation will get interesting when the bartenders become robots and will we need to tip them?

From which dock/port?

This. Plus the Presidio is inside a National Park, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Of course stuff can happen any where, any time. Just be situation aware.

There's an entire forum dedicated to Cruise/Travel Insurance, there are several threads about your ask. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/ In general, yes it is better to get third-party insurance, you get more "bang for the buck" and expert advice from an independent broker. Cruise line insurance terms tend to favor the cruise line and the rep on the other side of the phone may not know the coverage well. Best to READ the policy you are planning to get, it makes the difference of whether or not you'll get paid.

Best to look for a flight after 12. It's about a 45 minute drive to the airport.

We were booked in a "Waikiki" Airbnb, the host cited the new 90-day reg as the reason he cancelled. As I've read and understand there are certain parts of Waikiki that are NOT exempt from the 90-day reg, hence that could be part of the legal argument against the reg.

Definitely not "downtown". I used to live up the hill from that hotel. It is in the Russian Hill/Marina District area. Couple of blocks north is Ghirardelli Square/Fisherman's Wharf.

Yes, but one should compare the overall cost. Honolulu recently enacted new regulations for AirBnB type-rentals in residential areas requiring 90-day minimum bookings. This will not affect rentals in designated resort areas, including Ko Olina, Turtle Bay, and parts of Waikiki. We booked an AirBnB w/parking in Waikiki last summer, but the Host cancelled it when he realized our dates was after the start date (Oct 2022) of the regulations and took down the listing. We know a couple who purchased two homes to be used as AirBnBs, but now rent one full time, and uses the other as their 2nd home.

There's another thread talking about this: Passport Office say 10-13 weeks from the day they receive your paperwork; book, card, doesn't matter. Regular people are reporting faster times OR weeks to months beyond the 13 weeks. Paying the expedited fee may speed up it by a week or two. The card will not get you on an international flight. So unless you do a lot of land border crossings or cruising, better to get the book.

Back in the old times, Super Shuttle between SFO and the city was about $25 pp. Now a days a cab to downtown will be $60+ and Uber $30-$40. We caught a cab from SFO to home s/w part of the city and the fare was $56. SWMBO was not happy, Uber was quoting $33.

I'm pretty sure the OP has left the chat by now.

We skipped the luau. The Gateway Buffet & HA show package was enough for us. Or just do the Island/HA package and graze around the Market Place.

You should also have one or two high limit credit cards on hand. In most cases you pay the medical provider, come home and deal with the insurance company on getting paid back. Even if you only go to the med center on the ship, their bill will be on your final bill. Exception would be if you had "primary" coverage and the insurer is able to negotiate (guarantee) payment to the hospital admin while your still there. Getting "primary" travel medical coverage is worth the extra $ because when you make your claim, you only deal with one insurance company. "Secondary" means you have to make 2 claims. First with your home medical insurance provider. Then the secondary for what ever the first doesn't cover.

I live in the City. In additional human power there are now a lot of e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-skateboards.

Good luck getting that marlin through the security scanner 😎

Golden Gate Bridge has two walkways. Eastside is for pedestrians and westside is for bikes.

You can get a USB charger hub that charges multiple USB devices and is 110-220 volt. You'll just need one EU plug adapter with no voltage conversion.

A few restaurant owners in the Bay Area got together and started a no tip policy. They said they'll have living wages, health care, and other beanies. Didn't last long, wait staff complained they made more $$ with tips; beanies were nice, but they rather have more $$.

Geopolitical and tourism accommodations aside, as of March 2023 China is fully open to (L) Tourist visa holders & visa-free policies reinstated with a antigen self-test. Proof of vaccination is no longer required.

Let's not mention Hawaiian Pidgin 😎

Last year, $300, was the daily rate for a compact 😎

In San Francisco (anyway), health insurance is mandatory for employers above a certain number of employees. Either the employer provides private insurance or contributes to a "medical reimbursement account" for each employee. Some restaurants absorb the surcharge, other will pass it along. In the beginning it was a thing about whether the surcharge should be added in the first place and why the customer should pay it. It's now just another item that's added to the bill. We were in Honolulu recently and the surcharge was added to some of our restaurant bills. Best to call ahead and ask if the restaurant adds the surcharge, then don't go if you don't want to pay it.