SargassoPirate

I think sandals with socks makes a nice fashion statement. 😜

For hard-to-replace items, it's better to have one and not need it than to need it and not have it.

We often combine land travel before or after a cruise and sometimes we will book a transfer from an airport to the ship just for the convenience. All we have to do is get to the airport, no matter how much we travel before the cruise and where we stayed. For example, for an upcoming cruise departing from Southampton, we will end our land travel at an airport hotel at Heathrow. Then on departure morning, all we need to do is meet with the Princess staff at the airport and we are all taken care of from then on. As I always say, put the pencil to it.

For us, it always pays to put the pencil to it and gauge our level of personal comfort and security. Most of the time it's less expensive to book things independently.

We always put the pencil to the Princess pre and post cruise packages and find that they are way too costly per person when a little time spent on the internet can cut that in half. The last time we were in Yokohama and needed transportation to Haneda we booked transport through Sun Transfers. The driver was waiting for us at the appointed time, he was immaculately dressed and wearing white gloves, the car was spotless inside and out, he handled all of our luggage, and made sure we were at the proper gate for our flight before returning to his vehicle. There is a level of convenience booking with Princess, but is it worth that much extra?

If one were sitting at a bar on land and ordered a drink, adding 18 percent would be sufficient. If I were sitting at a bar on land and the check came with an 18 percent "service charge", I would have no problem not tipping double. Service charge and gratuities are synonyms for tips.

After a quick read of the Princess gratuity policy, I wonder why anyone would think there is a need to double tip. From the Princess website: "The "Crew Appreciation" is a daily amount for each guest that will be automatically added to your onboard account for your convenience, to recognize the efforts of a wide variety of crewmembers who contribute to the experiences of all our guests.  The crewmembers eligible to receive these funds work in various departments, many of whom rotate among different ships, throughout our fleet of ships. The amount of the Crew Appreciation will be based on stateroom category, as set out below: Stateroom Category Daily amount per guest Interior, Oceanview and Balcony US $16 Mini-Suite and Reserve Collection US $17 Suites US $18 We pride ourselves on excellent guest satisfaction and our onboard team is available to immediately address any concerns you may have about your cruise. In the unlikely event you remain dissatisfied for any reason, the Crew Appreciation is subject to adjustment, at your discretion, at any time during the cruise up to the time you settle your onboard account prior to disembarkation. If you do not choose to adjust this daily charge while on board, your payment becomes final and nonrefundable. A nonrefundable Service Charge of 17% - 18% of purchase will be automatically added to optional purchases of beverage packages, drinks, dining room and specialty dining, private group functions, and other elected products, services or amenities provided to guests that are not included in the Cruise Fare. The Service Charge amount is based upon the service/product purchased and is applied as follows: Service/Product Service Charge Specialty Dining 17% (included in total cover charge) Specialty Food Items 17% (included in total item charge) Drink Packages 18% Drinks 18% Corkage Fee 18% (included in total charge) Private Group Functions 18% (of total cost) Spa Services* 18% * Service Charge payments for spa services are not pooled for the fleet. If you pre-paid the Crew Appreciation and/or Service Charge as part of an all-inclusive or other applicable package: (i) the payments are bundled into your fare; (ii) the payments are nonrefundable from the time of purchase, except as part of the cruise fare, which refund shall be provided in accordance with our cancelation policy; and (iii) no additional amount will be added to your onboard account for the Crew Appreciation or for those Service Charges covered by such package. All of the Crew Appreciation and Service Charge payments made by all guests on all ships in our fleet are pooled, net of credit card transaction fees. The pooled funds are distributed throughout the year in the form of compensation, including bonuses, to crewmembers fleetwide who interact directly with guests and/or behind the scenes throughout every cruise, including those in the Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue areas.

That's a tough one as packing lists can be very person-specific. I will say that my longest cruise so far was a month and a half and I packed the same amount of clothing as I do for a shorter cruise. The variable is consumables, such as toiletries. To prepare for my world cruise, I kept track of how long each of my toiletries would last and made note of those. My belt and suspenders list will include items that if lost or broken during the cruise would be difficult to replace - such as hearing aids.

I just added another to my list. Spare hearing aids. I still have a functional, but older set.

A root canal is less painful that dealing with a call center staffed with people for whom English is not their first language. At least with a root canal you get something to numb the pain. I quit using cruise line call centers years ago when I could tell they were outsourcing to third world countries. I usually book directly with the cruise line website and once I've secured the perfect cabin in the perfect location, I transfer it to my warehouse club travel department. They handle any issues and I garner some additional bennies.

After watching some folks struggle with a wonky charger for their cellphone on an international trip, I started wondering about redundancies for a WC. I already have a list of how much toiletries to pack, and now I've added an extra charger/cord for my cellphone. I also added a set of reading glasses in case my regular glasses should get lost or damaged. Yes, I know there are stores worldwide, but to avoid the inconvenience, what redundancies should one consider?

True, Bgwest, but where's the fun in that?

I'm based in the US, but when I'm in Canada and log in to check my bookings I get the prices in Canadian dollars.

Sometimes it's better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission.

We tipped extra during Covid because so many businesses were hurting and we appreciated those who struggled through. Since things have returned to normal after Covid, employers are paying higher wages to attract workers, and workers have unionized to demand higher wages, we have cut back on tipping. For example, in our area, most all food service workers, including the front of the house, are being paid at least minimum wage (according to a friend in the restaurant business). We ignore tip jars everywhere. On a cruise, we generally prepay our tips. I do tip a little extra for my evening wee dreams and find that it does work To Insure Prompt Service.

Whom is one expected to tip extra if you have purchased the Plus? Asking for a friend.

I don't answer any calls anymore. If it's important, they'll leave a message and I can return the call. What's amazing is how many calls from numbers in my area never leave a message.

I take about the same amount of stuff for a short cruise (7-15 days) as I do for a longer cruise (15+). My must haves include my insulated drink mug for morning coffee, a small electric travel fan, and more books in my Kindle app. If it's on Princess I bring a foldable camping chair for my cabin since they removed the barrel chairs and one is relegated to sitting on a desk chair or the bed.

I fill my own insulated to-go mug with coffee every morning, unless there is a crew member there who won't let me do it myself such as when there's a noro outbreak. I'm smart enough to maintain distance between the spout and my mug, just like I'm smart enough not to put my lips on the spout of a public drinking fountain. For my reusable water bottle, I refill it in my cabin.

I wonder why someone would order a medallion knowing that they would not be home when it's delivered - but then I wonder why people don't wash their hands before they eat or think it's ok to "reserve" a lounger at dawn and expect it to be ready for them in the afternoon.

When I want the same cabin for a B2B, I open two screens on my computer and start two bookings simultaneously. That way I can see which cabins are available for both cruises. The only time I was unable to get the same cabin on a B2B was when I waited and the decided to add the second cruise later. Moving was not that big of a deal. Whatever was hanging in the closet was moved by the crew and everything else went in my bag that I rolled on over to the next cabin and left it there.

Or, as often is the case, we combine land travel with a cruise and are gone by the time a medallion would arrive. Not everyone is home up until the day before the cruise.

I have heard of folks getting upgraded at the end of a segment on a world cruise, and on other "long" voyages the discussions seemed to focus on when they closeout your shipboard account. If they closeout your account at the end of the segment, that seems to kick in the status upgrade. I once did a B2B2B that I booked as separate cruises and as each cruise was closed out, it was reflected in my Captains Club status as separate cruises. On another occasion, I booked a long voyage as one cruise, which was also sold in segments, and my account was not closed out until the end of the cruise and my Captains Club status did change until the end of the long voyage. It shows as one cruise.

I had an epiphany several years ago when I was on a long, long motorcycle trip and all I had in the world for two months was what I had on the bike. When I got home I started to reevaluate possessions and started sorting. Some goes to the kids if they want it, some goes to Goodwill, some goes to Habitat for Humanity, and a lot of memorabilia and collectibles go on ebay. A couple of years after starting the gradual clear out, we did a big project of tackling boxes from our last move - 35 years ago - and got rid of things we had forgotten about and obviously didn't need. You go out with the same you came in with.

I'm on the east coast, so my 5:00 AM coffee and price checks is 2:00 AM Pacific Time. Other than my big score that I mentioned I have found some price drops but the I have to wait until my warehouse club TA opens at 7:00 Pacific Time. Regardless, it's worth a little effort.