Essiesmom

This might not be the fault of Celebrity. Last year, facilities in Alaska were having trouble recruiting staff for the facilities. The summer hire college students just weren’t coming. So the cruise lines had to cancel bookings because the hotels told them they couldn’t handle them. I think Princess didn’t open one of their lodges. They might be having the same problem this year. EM

There is a live thread from someone on the repo cruise. He doesn’t actually board until 4/13 but you can follow along and ask questions once he has sailed. It’s Live - the worlds longest trip report. EM

You might ask on the Ports of Call board for Mexican Riviera. EM

I initially got TSA Precheck, but my sister decided to get Global Entry. We applied, and she was able to get an interview in PHL while visiting her daughters. The nearest center for me was Atlanta, but no appointment available for months. But there were lots in MIA. So I booked an early flight from JAX to MIA, walked the length of the terminal to the well hidden office, got my interview and okay, walked back to the far terminal, got my commuter flight back to JAX and drove two hours home. I viewed it as an adventure. The only time we really used it was coming back from Nassau after an all Bahamas cruise. There was USA pre clearance at the airport and long lines everywhere. I spotted the global entry kiosk and no lines. We breezed through. I had to renew last year and did it all online. No interview needed. EM

Galveston and NYC, but maybe not Bayonne, as that’s NJ. EM

There is actually a board here for this, under Cruise Discussion Topics. Saving Money on Your Cruise: Tips and Advice. EM

When I sailed Seaside in 2019 there were two buffets, Marketplace on 8 and Biscayne Bay aft on 16. Biscayne is a bit smaller, and if open would probably be less crowded, because many might not realize there are two buffets. I don’t think anything else is open on embarkation. I found Biscayne handy for breakfast. EM

How would you be treating your daughter if there is little on the menu that she will eat? Treat to the experience? The ambience? It seems she would have much more choice eating in the MDR or buffet? EM

I suspect you had other Canadian ports on your itinerary before a U.S. port so no pre-clearance in Quebec. EM

Monica, you might not be aware that the font you are using is nearly unreadable on mobile devices. It appears as a fine cursive script in light print and has to be enlarged to be read. If I was. It on my full iPad, I would have passed it over. EM

I started traveling solo when in my 20s. I had a cousin who asked how I could do it, and I said “it’s 100% better than not going at all”. EM

Messaging is disabled for all but the mods. Has always been so. EM

If you are going to fly to the departure city, I would research flights…costs, connections, times. And since you hopefully will be going in the day before, the cost of hotels. EM

Yes, I am a member, I’ve been reimbursed many times over through the pictures I have contributed to the site. If you are clicking on the cabins on the deck plan, you can’t see the pictures. But if you go to the left, scroll down the ca in categories to Verandah, click on Handicap, it will list all HC cabins in that category. Those with pictures will have a very tiny camera icon. If you click on that, you can see the pics. Many of the cabins will on,y have the diagram, but those I numbered will have pics. EM

I have the 50GB for $0.99/mo. My phone is also 256gb. EM

My pics from my phone automatically show up on my iPad and iPad mini. When I want them in my laptop I use a usb cable. I also send my cruise pics to Shutterfly, using free Wi-Fi onshore EM

The only one with all of those is NCL. I don’t know of any other line that will loan you an iron in the cabin. MSC has only fixed dining times, unless you pay up to the Aurea experience, or book into the Yacht Club. Some lines have coffee makers or tea kettles in the cabins when sailing in Europe. EM

She’s on the world cruise right now, and there are four or five ‘live from’ threads going. Have you read any of them? EM

Hard to say, since the first cruise from NYC is on April 22. Usually, shoreside staff are not cruise line employees but hired by the port and work for every line that ports there. Whether they are strict or not, noone knows yet. EM

If you are diligent and look at that cabin and its starboard counterpart, and their forward counterparts…specifically 5051 and 5137 on Westerdam, you can see balcony and bathrooms. It will be the same on each ship in that class. EM

Take a few things along that he likes to play with. When you explore the ship you will find locations/lounges that are lightly used during the day and you can stay there and play with him. Sometimes there is ambient music playing and he can dance around to it. EM

You might ask on the cruising technology forum here. EM

Some years ago there was a state or two that were issuing birth certificates the size of a credit card/drivers license. I think it was one of the Carolinas. EM Correction: Iowa issued them from 1993-2009 but required them to be replaced because they were essentially short form and the State Dept. wouldn’t accept them.

Venezia is a Vista class ship ( Vista, Horizon, Panorama) and pics of the same cabins on theses ships show a couch. EM

If you go to cruisedeckplans.com and patiently sift through the deck plans of the four Vista class ships, you can find pictures of these cabins on Westerdam and Zuiderdam. However, I did not find any bathroom pics. Go to the website, select cruise line, then ship, and scroll down the left side too. Era dah cabins. Click on Handicap and it will list all of the HC cabins and whether they are ambulatory accessible or fully accessible. There are tiny camera icons, so click on those. Unfortunately most pics will just be the cabin layout drawing. The site is a pay site to see cabin pics, but pics of accessible cabins are available without membership. EM Vista class are Noordam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, Zuiderdam.