SargassoPirate

We used to call that the Green Apple Quick Step when I was a kid. She Who Must Be Obeyed carries a little medical kit with her for travel and I bring it along when I travel alone, but I've never needed it so far. Some chewable Pepto tablets, some throat lozenges, some lysine in the event of a cold sore, some antiseptic cream, a few bandaids, and an emergency dental kit. If we are traveling on land in a third world country we add a suture kit and some super glue for lacerations (more sanitary the local shaman and most "hospitals") I agree, I wouldn't report to sick bay unless it was serious, especially at the risk of a huge medical bill or quarantine.

I'm Elite but never use the laundry perk. I prefer to do my own and be in control of soap, water temp, and dryer temp. There's a guest laundromat just down the hall and the turn around time for one load is about an hour and a half. Never had any laundry damaged by me, but can't say that for the free laundry service according to anecdotal be stories I've heard.

Big box gives me a big box gift card at the end of every cruise, depending on how much the cruise cost - and I use the big box credit card to pay for the cruise and get a nice cash back bonus there every year. Big box returns to its members the commission paid by the cruise line to TAs as the gift card. You gotta play the game to win, otherwise you're just leaving money on the cruise line's table.

I have yet to use a CVP. I make my own bookings online to get the price and cabin I want. Then after I'm satisfied with the booking, I transfer it over to big box and garner their incentives. Then I pay for the cruise with my big box credit card and get a nice cash back bonus. If any issues arise, such as a price drop, I call big box and let them work their magic. What is the added value of a CVP? Have I been missing something?

They're already wiping down every surface in sight, so I suspect your delayed departure may be a bit of theater just to make on-coming passengers feel better since the cat is out of the bag about noro on the ship. Just my opinion, but then I am very skeptical about corporate/government actions in the face of possible bad publicity.

we_like_to_cruise, I would like to know how your packing list for that many days expanded. Extra clothes? Extra toiletries is a given.

That natural immunity thing may be what keeps me well. I've joked with my personal physician that I may have some sort of super immunity since I never get the flu, the last cold I had was in the 80s and I'm still covid free after not wearing a mask anywhere or anytime unless it was required. BUT, I still take reasonable precautions with food and drink.

My black sport coat weighs 20 ounces and it's easy to slip it on over a colored T shirt with a matching pocket square and a pair of black jeans and be presentable for any formal or dress to impress night on any cruise line. That sport coat has never let me down. Plus, I like to dress up a little bit when She Who Must Be Obeyed is on my arm since she always manages to get dolled up.

I always suspect food handlers and food staff. Watch them wear those ubiquitous plastic gloves while touching multiple surfaces. People think those gloves have some sort of magical disinfecting powers when all they really do is spread contaminates and keep the wearer's hands clean. Covid has only made the rubber glove theater worse and when I question food supervisors why their staff are wearing gloves, the usual answer is that it makes the customer feel safer. Can't get a plastic straw on board, but I wonder how many gloves they go through?

How about the dress code for cross dressers? Asking for a friend. 😁 However, I have seen men show up with a kilt and not be turned away.

On a Caribbean cruise now and here's what the patter states as dress code for formal nights - however it's enforced about as rigidly as no reserving loungers, no saving seats in the theater, and no parking mobility devices in the exit corridors overnight.

Caribbean Princess. Noro is the bad news on this cruise and mostly an inconvenience. The good news I've only seen one "covid quarantine table" outside a cabin and it disappeared after a few days, most likely after some negative testing. Very few passengers have been wearing masks and very few crew as well.

Good points, roberto. I carry clorox hand sanitizer to augment my frequent handwashing. Purell stands are all over the ship and usually just a few steps away in the buffet. There have been several studies and not all hand sanitizers are the same. Those formulated with alcohol or ethanol seem to be the most effective. I'm still amazed at people who don't take the extra step after they have touched multiple common surfaces on the way to their table and as they get settled. One needs to take extra precautions to protect yourself and not depend on others to wash their hands after using the restroom.

... don't take simple steps to protect themselves. Received the noro notification letter in my cabin two nights ago. Washy washy is enforced at the entrance to the HC. A crew member has to hand you a silverware burrito and a plate. The crew serves bulk food and even has to hand you individual portion containers. If you want to add some salt or pepper, you have to request a crew member to do it for you. The usual norovirus response. It's very easy to keep from catching noro. Just settle in at your table, pull your chair in, don't lay your silverware directly on the table, and BEFORE you touch your face with your hands or touch any food going into your mouth, sanitize your hands. You do carry your own sanitizer, correct? Norovirus is spread the fecal-oral route and all you need to do is break the chain of transmission. Act as if every surface is contaminated and simply wash your hands often and sanitize them before you touch your face or your food. Fifty plus cruises so far, several with norovirus outbreaks, and I've never been sick yet.

From the CDC: Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. This is about one in five deaths annually, or 1,300 deaths every day. On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers. That's double the current death rate from Covid. From Princess.com Your Cruise Health Comes First Rest assured our top priority continues to be the health and safety of you, our crew and the communities we visit. Anyone else see the disconnect when it comes to allowing smoking inside ships? (Apologies for the sloppy cut and paste - using a smart phone.)

I avoid Crooner$ because of the smoke drifting out of the Casino. There must be a bunch of smokers at Princess top management. Seems like they could place a call over to Celebrity and see how their casino revenues compare before and after the smoking ban. Smoking bans haven't killed the restaurant and bar industries like the tobacco lobby said they would.

Funny how those dangerous, fire hazard electric kettles are OK in to the UK and OZ markets, but once a ship leaves those markets they disappear.

I'd need the Betty Ford van to pick me up at the port! A wee dram or three in the evening is the max for me and some evenings not even that much.

Choosing a world cruise is a daunting task and one needs to weigh your priorities. Complete circumnavigation was number one on my list. Number two was a nice mix of ports and sea days. Third was cost per day and possible loyalty benefits and TA bennies. Fourth was an itinerary with a few places I haven't been and some that I'm not likely to get to except for the WC itinerary. Folks here can opine all day long about why one line or cruise is better, but the bottom line is it's an expensive decision and one to be made without any regrets. Once I found my perfect cruise and booked the perfect cabin for me, I'm all in and counting down the days.

And that, skai, sums up my approach to inflation in a free market economy. As the consumer I can make a choice if I am willing to pay the asking price for goods and services. At this point in my life, I find very little that is a must-have. Also, at this point in my life, She Who Must Be Obeyed are buying more experiences than things. BTW, we have never have been very impressed with the specialty dining on any line. That's just us. We can find something else to do with that upcharge. Fortunately, there are choices for all of us.

On board my current cruise for fifteen days so far and for fifteen days I have avoided the MDR. I have been enjoying the Elite lounge spread for a light meal in the evening - all I really need - and for breakfast and lunches it's been the Horizon Court. Here's why: For breakfast and lunch I can get a variety and the food is either piping hot or chilled - depending on what it is. I can see what I'm getting so there be are no surprises based on vague menu descriptions. The staff are more attentive and constantly circulating to take care of my every need. The supervisors are vigilant and I see the chefs at every meal. I choose a seating convenient to me and I'm in and out in 30 minutes. A few days ago, one of the chefs had a small griddle set up and was serving beef medallions. I asked for one and it was a tender, juicy, and flavorful as anything I've ever had in one of the specialty venues. No stringy or tough cuts of beef after waiting for an overworked server to bring it out. All I can say is that it works for me.

A non-smoking area in a casino is about as effective as the non-smoking areas on airplanes before they went smoke free. Princess casino smoke also migrates into the theater and the Piazza and affects non-smokers in those areas as well. Change takes time, but Princess is behind the times.

To add to your inflation post, allow me to mention the basic law of the marketplace from Economics 101 - "charge what the traffic will bear". If people line up to pay over inflated prices, there is no incentive to lower prices. On the other hand, if people refuse to pay over inflated prices, the price will come down. It's a free market economy.

No, but my hotels don't carry me to different locations and give me more food than I can possibly eat and several venues for entertainment - all included in the price of my cabin.