ededmd

Just for interest from the CDC website - section entitled - Keeping Your Hands Clean on a Cruise:

What about alcohol-based hand sanitizers?

CDC recommends that cruise ship passengers use warm water and soap to wash their hands. Washing is always best.

If water and soap are NOT available (perhaps on excursions), use an ethanol alcohol-based hand sanitizer, preferably in a gel form. The sanitizer should be at least 62% ethanol.

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/pub/Handwashing/HandwashingTips.htm

The main problem with hand sanitizers is that the amount of ethanol in them is often not high enough to be effective against norovirus (contrasted with proper soap and water hand washing).

From a FL DOH summary on Norovirus I've found useful:

A full minute of contact time with 70% ethanol is required to

inactive Norovirus.

Only 30 seconds of contact time with 85% ethanol is required to inactivate calciviruses [includes Norovirus], but this concentration is not commercially available in a hand sanitizer.

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/chd/bay/Documents/Norovirus.pdf

As a point of reference, Everclear is 95% ethanol, Bacardi 151 is 75.5% ethanol. A standard vodka is 40% ethanol.

This is a really great thread. Thanks for sharing.

The areas where I have been critical of Oceania have to do with a specific policy (that I sure as heck are not going to rehash now).

 

IMO, one of the main reasons these threads have been such a pain is that posters are not discussing issues -- they are attacking. On the recent dress code thread, there was a discussion about collared polo shirts. The policy clearly allows them. I clearly think they look cheap and wish they were not allowed. People attacked me for my view instead of giving their point of view. If you like polo shirts and think they look great -- say so instead of attacking.

Three things:

First, I actually would be interested in hearing your opinion(s) on the classism for which you criticized Oceania prior to sailing. Having now been on the ship, did you find it to be a positive / negative / neutral?

Specifics to include differential boarding times, priority tenders, specialty restaurant reservations, etc would be welcome.

Second, having not actively participated in the recent dress code fight, I recognize some of those by whom you may feel attacked to have given their point of view - that being, if they are clearly within the dress code, it really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks (about polo shirts or otherwise).

Third, you know you engender strong feelings in some here. Take it all with a grain of salt. Keep that which you find useful and discard the rest.

I have a silly question I'm sure, but my GD wants to sail a Disney ship because a friend told here there are soft serve ice cream machines outside the cabins. Just wondering if that's a true statement.

Not outside the cabins as in just outside each door but yes there are "free" soft serve ice cream machines on the pool deck.

Don't waste your time / money / luggage space.

As of April 2013, DCL is going to be delivering letters to onboard guests including the following:

Concurrently, we ask that guests not use over-the-door hanging organizers as they have been found to scratch and/or disfigure stateroom doors and trim.

Guests found with damaged doors are assessed a $100 damage fee per incident to cover the cost of repairs.

That being said if you want to use it for the quick grab space just know you are going to have to use with existing hardware (as per prior poster) and not the doors.

Thanks Patti22. Very helpful insights.

Have sort of hesitated to post but in our opinion on our cruise (2/26-3/20) this was not our favorite trip.

Thanks for posting. Please expand on the "why" so that other readers can understand if the issues that bothered you would bother them.

If you really want Hendricks, have your TA put in a request for you or contact Regent shoreside if you booked directly.

They do try to accommodate reasonable requests. This would be one.

There are THIRTY "extended Veranda" category B cabins on Deck 7, ten at the front of the ship and twenty more nearer the stern.

I suspect spook1 was referring to the fact that there are only FOUR of the extended balcony rooms as depicted in the first set of pictures by canuck.qc - those with a solid divider and an open railing section.

The remainder are presumably like the pictures LHT28 posted.

Anyone that owns a computer or tablet can view the brochure on-line.

True but doubtful that Regent wants to rely solely on a pull marketing strategy.

They obviously have the metrics to support the value of the cost of printing their push marketing brochures as well.

I LIKE the brochures, they are the things dreams are made of - and sometimes those dreams become realty! I've never regretted ONE!

This. I certainly wouldn't go to the website and look at Regent nearly as often as they show up in my mailbox. They create a continual presence in my travel plans due to same.

Nice to know that FDR is there to help those who don't share our view however.

Best wishes to your spouse for a restful, pain-free cruise!

Presuming your cluster headaches are unpredictable, episodic, and not daily, is there any reason why you could not just visit the health center on board if one strikes?

If this is feasible for your headache pattern, it would seem to be so much easier (if needed) than procuring / providing carriage for the oxygen from external sources.

 

Let's hope we both have good experiences with them.

 

Keith

Please post your results regardless but yes, good wishes for a good outcome.

another wonderful review sdmike!

just wanted to add an another endorsement for Capt Ken with Northern Lights in Ketchikan. we fished with him in 2010 and had a great time! while we didn't get near the number of fish you did - we were lucky enough to get king salmon - caught by my then 7 yr old no less!

thanks for refreshing all my alaska memories!

Captain John McNeill is awesome (IMO).

Having just sailed with him as well, from a passenger perspective, I wholly agree.