Essiesmom

You might also consider an Air tag if you have an iPhone. Just a little round disc that you attach to your chair. Synch with your phone and you can track where it is. If you have a different phone there are similar items available but not with as wide coverage. EM

MDR menus are pretty standard across the fleet, although the order may vary depending on itinerary and sea days. EM

You’re welcome. It’s one of my favorite sites. You can spend hours wandering around in it. EM

Cruisetimetables.com. Choose Cruises from.. and then your dates. Will tell you every ship and itinerary sailing from that port on that date. It may list suggested prices but I would t rely on that. For me, it is a research and planning tool. EM

Assuming you are talking about Royal Caribbean oyager of the Seas, suggest you ask on the. Oard here for Royal Caribbean. Many more people will see it there. EM

They will give you a transit pass so you can reboard without having to go through checkin, just security. EM

If this something that would really make his day-or cruise, I might suggest you take him on a Carnival cruise. I believe they have resumed the Behind the Fun tours on most, if not all ships. At the time we did it, it cost $95 on all but Fantasy class ships (now only Paradise and Elation) where it was $55. It took at least three hours, lots of stairs and standing. Group picture on the bow, and on the bridge with the captain. You had to wear closed toe shoes, o skirts, and no cameras/phones. Some people do it every time. It was one and done for me. Not sure if Princess has resumed their tours. EM

Just from what I have read here, the dining scene seems to be very confusing on Virgin. If I go to the Mediterranean I am going for the ports, and want more organization when I am back onboard. I think I would not take. Irvin there unless I had sailed them previously and was familiar with their system. EM

Chances are your ship will have collected your passports and take care of entry into non-Schengen countries. Your last two ports, Croatia and Slovenia are Schengen so any immigration will be taken care of and your passports returned. Ship clearance is often taken care of over coffee and pastries and depending on your location, a six pack…. EM

Ships reposition to Europe in the spring. Some go to Northern Europe, some to the Mediterranean. You could take one of the northern cruises, stay awhile, and return on the QM2. She doesn’t resume her regular crossings until she returns from her world cruise, usually in April. For a possibly fun exercise, go to cruisetimetables.com and click on Cruises from and the southern US ports. Start with late March and go through early May. They have little maps of the itinerary, so just look for those with the line across the Atlantic. When you have accumulated a list of possibilities, go back to the home page and choose Cruise Ships, choose QM2 (Cunard) and look at her itineraries starting late April and going through the period desired. Amazing what you can find…. EM

If you want to try MSC they also have bracelets that can track you on their newer ships. You might also look into something like Apple air tags which are intended for tracking luggage, but people also put them on pets, kids, Waller, keys, car…EM

Just curious…is this a long form birth certificate, listing parents names? How are the parents names spelled? If the parents names are spelled correctly, all that might be needed is an affidavit from the parents that the name was spelled wrong. But you would need to find out from the state what is required. Way, way long ago my mother, at age 49, needed a birth certificate to get a visitors card to take my Girl Scout troop to Mexico. She had never had a copy, born at home…when it came, it had her names as Harriet Louise, rather than Olive Louise (family names). All she needed was a letter from her mother, fortunately still alive, to have it corrected. EM

If you are looking for a little tranquility inside, don’t miss The Jungle, indoor promenade forward on deck 3. Tables for 2 by a large round window where you can watch the ocean glide by. Or turn your head and admire the giraffes on the walls. Giraffes in the jungle? What was Joe Farcus on when he dreamed that up…. Not much traffic there, most people don’t discover it until halfway through the cruise. Most of the traffic is crew. EM

@Crusin Karenthere was a recent review by @OceanZenawho is also deaf. He uses an app called Live Transcribe which prints out all conversation on his phone. I believe it requires Wi-Fi…EM

Look at Carnival Legend from Baltimore. Focus on the 4K full window cabins. Used to be French doors but they sealed them. They look at lifeboats, used to be call insides because of the obstructed view. They have the same space as a balcony cabin. I think you are out of luck. Spring/Easter. Real, everything looks to be sold out. EM you can get a balcony for 3 on MSC Meraviglia from Port Canaveral for April 2.

It’s quite possible that the thread has been removed. EM

Research on the Ports of Call boards here, for Europe. Also, join the Roll Call for your sailing, to see what your fellow cruisers have arranged. EM

Ask this on the board here for Oceania. More people will see it there. EM

First thing to remember is that showers are small. With clingy curtains. second, I don’t think most cruise passengers shower in the morning. It would generally be in the late afternoon or early evening, after active daytime activities and before dinner. I have never experienced a drop in pressure. EM

When you are asking about a particular cabin on a particular ship, it is best to ask on the board here for that cruise line. Many more Carnival cruisers there than this board. EM

You do not have to zero in Whittier. You entered the US officially when you boarded in Vancouver. The ship will probably offer tours for B2B . I did this on Princess and we took the tour to Anchorage with stops at alyeska and the wildlife refuge. They leave you at a conference/visitors center in Anchorage and you can wander on your own, to return for your bus back to Whittier. EM

And you are not likely to spend much time on your balcony in Nov…from NYC. EM

It would not matter if the cruises were purchased separately, or that you got off the ship for a couple of hours. The cruise line and the government view it as one continuous trip which starts in one US port and ends in another without visiting a distant foreign port. Any port in Canada is foreign but not distant. Nearest distant port is in South America. The law is called the PVSA. Google it. It is discussed (and cussed) a lot on these boards. EM

A suite. EM

It depends on two things: your port, and the number of B2B Cruisers. You do not need to pack anything. But do tell your cabin steward that you are staying on so he does not need to rush to clean your cabin. If there are a large number of B2B cruisers, it’s possible immigration will come onboard and clear you all in one room. There will be a letter in your cabin the day before with instructions. This is only for US ports. In Europe they do not have to zero the ship