momofmeg

On 11/2/2021 at 9:42 AM, MimiMomma said:

Any suggestions for packing for a 2-3 week cruise? Is there enough room

to put things on inside room? Balcony room?

Leave your jeans at home. They take up to much room in the suitcase. I try to take thin and lightweight things that can be easily rolled up to  take up little room in the suitcase. I only bring a couple of outfits for evenings/ dinner which I repeat. You know a pantsuit, a dressy dress and one or 2 skirts that I could use with the tops  that I would wear the next day with a pair of capris for daywear. Evenings were not a problem for repeating clothing since the ships are air conditioned.    I also stick to neutrals mostly with a couple of tops in bright colors to vary it a bit. Don't depend on the ship's laundry service. They were only allowed to do so much because of pollution laws in some areas.  On some ships you have to put in your orders, 2 or 3 days in advance. I learned that the hard way.  This was a June Med cruise when it was as hot and miserable as Florida that time of year so yes we sweated in our clothing and needed them washed. Fortunately I had some Tide to go packets in my suitcase and was able to rinse out a few things to tide me over.(no pun intended) The clothing being light weight also helped it to dry fast so that was a plus for me too.  However, lol I was able to fly home with clean clothes since I got laundry service the next to the  last day of the cruise.

On 11/2/2021 at 2:56 PM, Essiesmom said:

We book a whale watching tour in Maui, saw nothing.  Got back on the ship and saw many close in from our balcony.  EM

 True, there is always the chance, but you very well know if the whale watching company has a good reputation for knowing what they are doing, they will cancel a tour if they believe there will be no whales.   For example, in Newfoundland we had a tour canceled by the company when they believed we had little chance of seeing whales. They suspected the whales had already traveled south as it was September and they had not seen them in a couple of days. Of course, they had already told us that may happen and if it did, they would cancel our tour.

  The tour we took from Santa Barbara, called it a wild sea life tour and made no guarantees about whale but said we would see plenty of sea life and we did. we saw numerous dolphins, sea lions, seals and yes, we saw 2 whales too. So we lucked out.

 I only wanted the OP not disappointed if he saw none from ship. He does have a better chance if he books a tour, especially for a Caribbean cruise.

Just now, momofmeg said:

 There's always a chance but don't count on it as it is not very likely. If there is you will hear  the captain come over the intercom and tell everyone. We did see whales on ship In Alaska. They said it was very unusual. On a California coastal cruise we saw a school of dolphins.  So occasionally it happens but if you really want to see whales or other sea life you should book a tour. we have always seen stuff when we booked a tour.

 

 Now, this may not interest you, but at Ensenada everyone's least favorite Mexican port. We saw a bunch of sea lions on the rocks by the ship's dock. I loved that better than any nature tour I have taken. but then I love sea lions.

1 hour ago, Joebucks said:

I'm going on a Carnival Mexican Riviera cruise in January. Seems to be whale season. The ports mention whale watching in these months. What is the likelihood I will see whales from the ship? Will the crew point it out? What else should I know?

 There's always a chance but don't count on it as it is not very likely. If there is you will hear  the captain come over the intercom and tell everyone. We did see whales on ship In Alaska. They said it was very unusual. On a California coastal cruise we saw a school of dolphins.  So occasionally it happens but if you really want to see whales or other sea life you should book a tour. we have always seen stuff when we booked a tour.

On 9/14/2021 at 2:57 PM, davekathy said:

All the cruise lines need to make it mandatory that everyone no matter their age, medical condition(s), or excuse(s) be vaccinated before boarding their ships. 

Carnival did. The 77 year old woman that died was vaccinated. I guess that is why the CDC recommends people with compromised immune systems or over 65 not cruise right now. I get it. in 2012 I came down with whopping cough  3 days after coming home from a Med cruise. I had no idea you need the vaccine booster for that every 10 years, I had not had that vaccine since I was a  preteen.  in 2017 I caught the flu on a Canadian cruise. Yep, if anything is going around you are more apt to get it on a cruise ship.  So if your immune system is weakened, you really should not cruise.

On 9/14/2021 at 8:36 PM, frantic36 said:

What happened in Iceland? Positive cases went up a bit but deaths from Covid are rare. As far as I know they have only had one death from Covid since May. I have a friend that lives there.

Good to hear. New Zealand has done well too. So has Saipan.

On 10/10/2021 at 2:58 AM, DeeDee Groff said:

 

Talbots has both a dedicated area for petite misses in their stores, and you can also find petite misses offerings in their catalogs and online.  Shop their sales for the best discounts.

 I did not mention  Talbots because there are no Talbots around where we live. I was mentioning the stores  I know about. Of course she can try online shopping  but I hate returning online. I prefer to go in person if possible, so I don't usually recommend that. . Maybe the OP has access to a Talbots.  It is not an issue for  my daughter. She is able to find things that fit her correctly. Which was my point. The OP says because she is short, maxis are too long on her.  I guess we can agree she  needs to find a store that carries petite misses, the size  range for short women.

To the OP, petites start in size 0 but go up into larger petite women "big gal" sizes. the only difference is  the length of dresses and pants, and where the waist line hits. You may find you will love that size range for pants too so you won't have to have your pants hemmed. 

On 9/12/2021 at 9:43 AM, Sunshine3601 said:

Fortunately there haven't been any outbreaks large enough for the news to focus on (other than that one carnival ship with several crew members with covid).

Covid will get onto a ship and may have a positive case or two pop up per ship That shows the current protocols are working.  

 

 a 77 year old  vaccinated passenger from Oklahoma died  after that cruise. I read that, but the only death  so far I have heard of since cruising came back. That gives me hope that the vaccines and  other precautions do make a difference.

Since COVID isn't going away we  need to learn  how we can live with it safely.

On 7/21/2021 at 6:36 PM, Missbollinger said:

Thanks!  I’ve been shopping, us ladies are on the ‘shorter’ side so maxis are hard to find without alterations.  I will post soon with pics!

 Midi length is the rage now and they will be "maxi" on you. Or else buy from the  misses petite section. My daughter is 5" and she wears maxis a  good bit   that she buys in the petite misses section. Kohls and Dillard's still have those.  I know a lot of stores like Macys and JC Penney has done away with that section but there are still stores that carry petite misses. 

On 6/5/2021 at 2:40 PM, navybankerteacher said:

Frustrated wannabe cruisers disliking the CDC for their actions in the COVID environment is somewhat comparable to high school kids disliking the police because they stop them when speeding.

  A better comparison is those kids who staged a protest for not wearing a mask  on their  flight to the Bahamas. Their flight got canceled. All that trouble accomplished nothing but a canceled vacation.

On 7/7/2021 at 2:02 PM, ontheweb said:

The cruise lines sailing out of Florida at the moment seem to have found a workaround for the Florida law. They are asking for voluntary showing of proof of vaccination. If you are unwilling, you are considered unvaccinated, and are treated differently. You have to pay for Covid testing. You have to wear a mask. You can only go on bubble excursions to get off the ship. Certain areas are off limits to you.

Yes, I read Clark Howard's article if you don't want to say  you are required to wear a mask at all times. 

On 5/24/2021 at 2:54 PM, navybankerteacher said:

With airlines already filling middle seats, why would expect cruise lines to have restricted capacity for very long - especially if vaccination is required.

 Florida made it illegal to require vaccinations. Plus, you are on a flight a few hours unless you're flying to Japan or Australia.  A ship you are on for days. So, yes, it is a concern. 

On 6/30/2020 at 7:11 PM, clo said:

 

On 6/30/2020 at 5:25 PM, ontheweb said:

Or maybe Hazmat suits.

 That may be your idea of a joke but the reality is cruising will not be allowed  again until this pandemic is over. I do not find that funny myself.  I already had one cruise canceled and the way things are looking the next one could be canceled too.

On 6/22/2020 at 5:49 PM, chipmaster said:

 

People are all to quick to point out all the inconsistencies from the CDS and WHO, and refuse to just do a little mental thought and how breathing works, how masks around your nose and mouth what they do to what you breath in and out.  

 

Other people like to spend endless amount of time talking about ill fitted N95, etc. etc. or argue about people who don't cover their nose or mouth..  

 

Then others make excuse about comfort or convenience.  Of course they will be hot, harder to breath.  I can except some really are so weak they can't use mask, but maybe if it is that bad and you are that weak maybe you should be up and about?

 

But in the end covering up is better than being naked, but people simply don't want to get down and admit the obvious for whatever selfish purpose/motive.

Bottom line the way I see it is there is a  very good reason Europe has banned Americans from coming there. I get it, we have too many cases and why? Because too many exercise their "right" not to wear a mask. People can argue all they want that masks do not really work but in the countries where people comply the cases are down.

At this point I am simply hoping I get to do my trip to Scotland, England, and and Ireland in 11 months and that is not another canceled cruise because of COVID. 

On 6/15/2020 at 4:52 PM, ontheweb said:

I ran into a former neighbor today who was not wearing a mask. But she apologized for it as due to her medical condition she could not breathe with one on.

 If the mask is made of cotton  it is easier to breathe.  I doubt she had a medical0 condition just tried wearing a mask made of polyester.  I have asthma and I can wear a cotton mask with no issues. Now maybe I would if I tried to run a marathon, lol but then I would have trouble doing that without wearing a mask.

 Honestly in my mind if she has real medical condition maybe she should not  be out if possible. Because if she has breathing issues then she is  also more prone if she gets this  of it being a major illness for her and not like a mild cold as it is for many.

My friend who  who is 66  and has insulin dependent  diabetes since she was in her early 20's lives with her daughter now because of her health issues. The daughter refuses to wear a mask because your wearing a mask does not prevent you from getting it.  I pointed out someone else who  may have it and not wearing a mask could give it to her and she only be mildly ill but it would more than likely kill her mom. That is why we wear a mask to protect others for IF we have it.

On 6/9/2020 at 9:03 AM, LHT28 said:

The WHO  have been wrong in the past about things 😉

 

I do not have symptoms but I will still wear a mask when in public places  because I do not know if those with symptoms were ahead of me  

I am protecting myself from selfish people  who refuse to self isolate or stay home when sick

 YMMV

 The info changes daily on masks if they help, if they don't. From what I understand it only helps if you have it then, you are less apt to spread  this if you wear a mask.  I do not  go out much but I wear one  for just in case it helps. At least I am protecting other people IF I have it. I do wish more people would wear one so I could go out more. That's the reality for me as a high risk person. I have to stay home because so many refuse to wear a mask.

On 5/24/2020 at 4:13 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

I wear one in everyday life because I have to do so in order to be safe and keep others safe. But I find it difficult to breathe in them for extended periods of time. I develop a headache if I have to wear one for longer than about 45 minutes to an hour. 

 

I cannot imagine that I'd be able to enjoy myself on a cruise or anywhere that I had to wear a mask most of the time.  

 Right now, also, even if we could go, the UK is making people quarantine for 14 days. So I am wondering if  my cruise next summer will happen.  (my Caribbean one  for this year was  cancelled of course ) One thing for sure I don't want to quarantine for 14 days before going on my cruise. I hope we can go but unless something changes in the next  6-8 months I don't see that happening.

17 minutes ago, chipmaster said:

 

Nice, do they have a similar for the more daring 🙂

 Lol at least she has coordinating attire!

On 5/14/2020 at 3:16 AM, wowzz said:

Let's face it, if the CV19 situation is still so bad that people are needing to wear masks, cruises will not be taking place. 

Or if they are taking place we will be afraid to go for fear if one person becomes ill we would be stuck on the ship for a month making circles in the ocean.

Well our cruise was cancelled. I wish we could have gone but  I was afraidd if one person got sick after we sailed then no port would let us dock and we would be circling the Caribbean for who knows how long. So I see why the cruise line had no choice but to cancel.

We went ahead and took the refund as it just does not seem feasible right now to to try to plan a cruise this fall or winter. (we already had a cruise booked for  summer 2021. I HOPE this is all over by then.) That is what we wanted to do. The good thing is Travel guard issued us a credit for our insurance to use at a future date. They understood why we felt we could not plan anything right now.

On 3/27/2020 at 11:19 AM, Ava79 said:

Yes, this situation is full of uncertainty is exhausting and destroys all the plans, I agree. Also, this abundance of news on TV and on the Internet drives into a state of anxiety. And what about hospitals... I have a lot of friends who say that many hospitals are full, there aren't enough places in the wards and so on... But is it worth believing?

 I can only say  about my local  county hospital, there the  ICU is full and I  do know  one person  there  (friend of a friend) fighting for her life there right now because of COVID-19. Which she did not get by cruise ship BTW.

We have not yet canceled our cruise but it is hard to look forward right now. Yesterday my daughter found out she won't go back to work tentatively until April 27th.  Georgia's governor has ordered schools to stay closed until then. Now she wonders if school will reopen before August.

 Our county has been on shut down since Wednesday. Of course I feared this would happen. The first person diagnosed in Georgia who was diagnosed after returning from Milan Italy February 24th, lived in Fulton county. Our county (Douglas) borders Fulton. The Fulton county line is only 4 miles form our house. They say our hospital ICU is completely full which is why the shutdown was ordered.

Anyway they know around here the corona virus came directly  from Milan, Italy.

On 3/12/2020 at 11:16 AM, momofmeg said:

They will  when they return home. The government  could force an on  USA soil   quarantine as they did to the USA citizens on Grand Princess.  ( previously Diamond Princess)300 of them are at Dobbin Airforce Base right now. It is just a crying shame they did not do this when USA citizens flew back from Italy 2- 3 weeks ago when it was known there was an outbreak there. You know allow them back on US soil but then send them to quarantine.  Right now we have it in the state of  Georgia because of 2 Americans  (who live in Georgia)who came back from a business  meeting  in Milan Italy on February 24th. We now have 31 cases here.

 Pretty bad here around Atlanta. So far it is traced back to a guy who had a business trip in Milan, Italy who returned home February 24th.  (first corona virus victim in Georgia) A few days alter another person  who had flew home from Italy was diagnosed.  If only they had been quarantined when they got back on US soil.

 I read where one  person on cruisecritic  said everyone in the USA  with the virus can trace their virus back to the Princess cruise ships. Not Atlanta and the suburbs.  As I said,  it has been  traced back to Milan, Italy. 300 cases in Georgia (yesterday) and so far none have been traced back to those (or any other)cruise ships

7 hours ago, Addict said:

Doesn't it only say into the US from mainland Europe?  They probably don't care where people are going to from the US.

They will  when they return home. The government  could force an on  USA soil   quarantine as they did to the USA citizens on Grand Princess.  ( previously Diamond Princess)300 of them are at Dobbin Airforce Base right now. It is just a crying shame they did not do this when USA citizens flew back from Italy 2- 3 weeks ago when it was known there was an outbreak there. You know allow them back on US soil but then send them to quarantine.  Right now we have it in the state of  Georgia because of 2 Americans  (who lie in Georgia)who came back from a business  meeting  in Milan Italy on February 24th. We now have 31 cases here.

Well we received notice we can cancel our May 30th cruise up until 48 hours before and get a refund or cruise credit.