njhorseman

We always take the elevator. I usually also pull over to the side near the elevators and unload the luggage there. My wife stays with the bags while I park, just as yours does.

They used to have a special seating area for higher level Latitudes members but IIRC you still got a low numbered boarding pass when you checked in. I don't recall having to show your room keys. I guess that replaces giving you the low numbered boarding pass.

We've done it a number of times in the past. Porters weren't stationed on the parking deck but if you happened to arrive when a porter was done handling a departing passenger's baggage they would take your bags with them on their trip downstairs.

One has to assume that Oceania will enforce the passport requirement because it's spelled out in their Terms and Conditions: https://www.oceaniacruises.com/legal/terms-conditions/ "Any guest traveling without the proper documentation will not be allowed to board the vessel and no refund of cruise fare or any other travel components purchased from Oceania Cruises will be issued. Passports must be valid six months from the date of trip completion."

If the master of the ship is unfamiliar with how to determine the effects of the rising and falling tides they shouldn't be the master of a ship. The tides aren't a mystery.

What's the itinerary? Even if some of the ports require a passport, they may not require six months validity, particularly for cruise passengers, who are typically considered to be "in transit" and often not subject to the same rules as air arrivals.

The six month rule is not as common as you think. If you look at the following document from US Customs and Border Protection you'll see that the US does not impose a six month rule for citizens of about 130 counties. Citizens of the listed countries only need a passport valid for their intended length of stay. As these rules are often reciprocal, in many cases US citizens visiting these countries will not need six months validity on their passports. https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2022-Mar/Six-Month Passport Validity Update 20220316.pdf There are also some countries that have a three month rule. Few Caribbean countries have a six month requirement for US citizens, particularly cruise passengers, and in most cases US citizens on a closed loop cruise to the Caribbean don't legally need a passport at all. Most closed loop itineraries can be cruised with as little as a drivers license and birth certificate. However all that is irrelevant if you're on an Oceania cruise because Oceania requires all passengers to have six months validity on their passports regardless of whether your cruise's ports of call require it. You agree to those terms when booking an Oceania cruise and if you don't comply you'll be denied boarding.

It is an Oceania rule, because it's required of all passengers even if the laws of the countries you're visiting do not require it. Few Caribbean countries require six months passport validity for cruise passengers...in fact most participate in the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and will accept US citizen passengers on a closed loop cruise not having a passport at all. Most, as well as the US, require as little as a birth certificate and drivers license for these cruises. Even without bothering to check the OP's itinerary there's pretty good chance that none of the ports of call mandate a passport with six months remaining validity...BUT...because Oceania does you have to comply. If the OP's passport doesn't comply they will be denied boarding.

The pier and its docking facilities have been in use for some time. Some ships docked there last year. It's the other facilities, particularly the cruise terminal building that haven't been completed.

I'm sure they meant Deck 6 .

This picture was taken at about 5:30 am . Sunrise in Panama City is currently a bit after 6 am . It's a daylight transit. The Cocoli locks are the first on the Pacific side of the Canal so the transit had just begun and you would have seen the first hints of daylight a few minutes after the picture was taken.

All cruise ships calling on Bar Harbor tender. There's no cruise ship pier.

I've never seen "no beverages off the ship" in the Freestyle Daily. I can't remember the last time we didn't take water with us when going ashore.

Yes, there's a massive difference between living on a cruise ship and taking long cruises, but what you said in your earlier post that I had a very negative reaction to was not about living on a ship at all, it was about taking a long cruise of a month or so. You said: "Anyone capable of stopping to think (who had any sort of worthwhile life at home) would quickly realize that living a month or so on a cruise ship would quickly make them yearn for a real home."

At present we're at home. Our next cruise will be "only" 23 days as we're easing back into cruising after a prolonged absence due to the COVID pandemic. Our last cruise, which ended just as cruising was about to shut down was (I think) 55 days. For 2024 we have a 180 day around the world cruise booked. We've met many people from the UK on our cruises .

Correct That's what we do.

Yes, I do long stints on cruise ships.

Cunard under Carnival ownership has become little more than another mass market cruise line, but one that is stuffy and makes you get dressed up for dinner. The food for the Britannia class cabins is no better...in fact I'd say not even as good as the food in NCL's MDRs...and yes I've cruised on Cunard so I've eaten in the Britannia dining room. The Princess and Queens Grill suites are far superior (I haven't cruised in one of those suites or eaten there but I accept the opinion of others on the matter). On the other hand the food in NCL's Haven dining room is pretty darn good...and I have sailed in Haven cabins and eaten there many times. I'll never cruise Cunard again. NCL gives you more for your money and NCL's casual atmosphere is what we prefer.

Per this Royal Gazette article, "in due time" may not mean anytime soon: https://www.royalgazette.com/tourism/news/article/20221109/cruise-couple-wait-five-months-for-ta-fee-repayment/

Yes, it's port-specific and Seattle does offer that service. I'm not sure it's currently offered anywhere else. You can never tell what traffic will be like, but it's only about 15 miles from San Pedro to LGB . Even if it were to take an hour, which it shouldn't, you can easily make the flight.

I think you should change your plans. First, you have plenty of time to make the 12:25 pm flight from LGB . Second, there's no luggage forwarding service from the ship to the airport.

I can refer you to a cruise line website. NCL specifically states that a passport is required for all Panama Canal cruises. https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/cruise-travel-documents#domestic-air-travel-ID Panama Canal Valid passports are required to board the ship for all Panama Canal sailings. No passport cards, birth certificates or other form of proof of US citizenship will be accepted. Failure to present a valid passport at check-in will result in denial of boarding.

You can also try the Gulf Coast Departures board.

Ask your question on the NCL board as posters there will be able to tell you their experience .

I've done a number of similar itineraries on other cruise lines and cruises calling on Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia definitely required a passport.