SargassoPirate

53 minutes ago, Tonye60 said:

That's interesting, we just finished a cruise on the Emerald, and a neighboring cabin had all there magnets stolen. Terribly mean, I've never known it to happen before, but you say it's common on rccl

Yep. Now SWMBO only "decorates" the door with something so innocuous that it's not worth stealing.  She uses the door decoration primarily to find our cabin. 

2 hours ago, Torfamm said:

I saw a clever idea that I might try so it’s not dark there when I’m up. Someone put two magnetic hooks on the ceiling on either side of the light and hooked a mask in front of the sensor at night

Was it an N95?

13 hours ago, Thrak said:

If you tape off the sensor in the hallway light how do you turn the light on when you want to see?

13 hours ago, Tonye60 said:

Switch it off, and back on, stays on the for about a minute

I also just reach up and give the painters tape cover a tap or a twist so that the light comes back on.  While sorting out my evening wear in the closet or finding something in the safe, the light always seems to turn off at an inopportune time.

Too bad we can't be trusted to turn it on and off ourselves without a workaround hack.

If one wants to go in drag, is an evening gown required or just a cocktail dress?

Asking for a friend.

11 hours ago, PurpleTraveller said:

 

With Princess even though they are refundable I have to take into consideration the currency exchange between USD and AUD. For my Alaska cruise last June I lost AUD120.00 in currency exchange when I cancelled and rebooked my cruise to get a better fare and all my booked excursions were cancelled and refunded. Then the excursions were all USD20.00 per person more expensive when I rebooked them. Luckily the saving from the better fare was more than the exchange loss and higher prices. That's why I am reluctant to buy the excursions so early if I'm using my money but I think I'll have to for the popular ones. If I use OBC I don't have to worry about exchange rates as my OBC is in USD.

 

I booked a heap of excursions for my two Celebrity cruises next June at 45% off and one at 50% off which saved me a huge amount. Also Celebrity charges me in AUD so if I cancel an excursion I get refunded the exact amount I paid with no exchange rate losses.

 

We generally avoid cruise line excursions and book mostly though shoreexcursionsgroup.com and tourbylocals.com.

Shore Excursions Group offers many of the same tours that the ship does without the $hip taking a cut, and they have a return to the ship guarantee.

Tours By Locals will take you place the big tours don't.  The big tours go where the buses can park.

Some of our best port days have been when we researched the port information with whatsinport.com, and just wandered around the port city on our own.

14 hours ago, KKB said:

Didn't get those on the Island...

Hopefully Regal will have those!

On the Regal this past fall.  Production shows were well choreographed as far as the dancers and the stagecraft was good, but they were like somebody punched a bunch of random number in a jukebox.  I couldn't discern a theme, and neither could SWMBO who loves musicals and Broadway shows.

One last thought, the production shows were all over-amplified to the point of sound distortion and the singers seemed to be screeching at times.  But for SWMBO being with me, I would've bailed early.  As it was, I used ear plugs.

Rough seas, rainy port days, missed ports, cruising during covid, but our worst cruise ever was 7 smooth sailing, good weather days in the Caribbean on a prison ship called the Norwegian Epic.

But that's another story for another time.

We've also noticed fewer "porch pirates" on Princess - those who steal SWMBO's door decorations. She gave up trying to decorate the cabin door on RCI years ago.

1 hour ago, pompeii said:

We recently sailed 50+ days on the Royal and the mail hold was a little tricky since the USPS will only allow you to put a hold for 30 days. They want you to put in a change of address if it's longer than 30 days.  I asked my mailman if there was a way around it and he gave us a form to complete.  Told us to fill it out with the dates of our travel and mark that we would pick up the mail when we returned (instead of him delivering it) and leave the form in the mailbox for him.  He said it was out of the ordinary, but he would make sure it got held, and he was true to his word.   

 

Other than that, everything else is covered above.  The main thing is having all your bills on autopay and put in payments ahead on the ones that don't send ebills.  

Regarding the hold mail, we live in a very rural area and have had the same carrier for over 20 years.  I place the hold mail card in the box as a formality because I usually see him once or twice a week.  Regardless of how long we are gone, he holds our mail and delivers it when we get back. 

He also gets a nice tip at Christmas time.

My WWII veteran father taught me that you always be nice to the people who handle your mail and prepare your food.

We are D+ on Royal Caribbean and Elite on Princess.  Given a choice of similar itineraries, Princess wins over RCI with us.  As SKcruiser007 said, Princess is more "sophisticated". 

A big plus for Princess for us on longer cruises is the guest laundromats.

9 hours ago, MacMadame said:

You don't take your laptops? I need mine to edit photos and videos to post online. 

My smartphone does all of that, plus whatever banking I need to do.    No need to carry the laptop.

12 hours ago, beltsbear said:

We have been on five princess cruises. We loved our time on the island but there were some major differences.  The buffet breakfast was unusually bad. No salmon on 2/3 of days, unlike all of our other princess cruises. Poor other choices, little room to eat.  Breakfast in main dining was normal. 

When I cruise solo (SWMBO is on a different biological clock) I use workarounds to avoid peak dining times and crowds.  Early breakfast in the buffet when it first opens or breakfast in the MDR.  Lunch in the MDR most every day when it's open.  Evening meal is usually nibbles in the P&E lounge and I generally don't eat after that.

8 hours ago, dawnvip said:

On our latest trip, we found the Lido pool bar was our favorite because we struck up a good relationship with one of the waiters. By day 3, Andry had remembered our names, our drink preferences and was always walking by at exactly the right time to order another round.  

 

We typically head down to the Pinnacle or Ocean bar for a cocktail before dinner, and staff were circulating to take drink orders but were often very busy. I was surprised (having been a server loooooong ago) that the waiters didn't seem to have specific sections assigned. The overlap meant some seats had plenty of service while others were lacking.

Despite what some contrarians here think about tips, what works well for me is the old $2 bill extra tip slipped discreetly into the hand of the server when my first wee dram is delivered.  From then on, no matter about area overlap or some cruisers covered with a cloak of invisibility, I never seem to suffer from thirst between the first and second round.  And if those same servers spot me in another venue, they'll stop by to see if I need anything - usually just a soft drink in the daytime.  

I also acknowledge them with a smile, address them by name, and thank them.

It's been working for me for years.

11 hours ago, SCX22 said:

 

How about on a longer cruise?  The laundromat is one of the reasons I will only sail Princess on a longer cruise over 14 nights.  It's impossible to pack more than 2 weeks worth of clothes within the confines of the airline imposed 50 lbs.  (I'm a proletariat and don't fly anything other than economy.)

We often combine land travel on one end of the cruise, usually prior to the cruise.  Quick dry clothing works well for land portions, but rather than drag "cruise only" clothes/shoes around on land, we ship that bag to the ship or home via Luggage Forward.

For a cruise-only trip, other than more toiletries, I pack about the same amount for a two week as a two month cruise. If it's a Princess cruise, we use the guest laundry.  On other lines, it's quick dry clothing and the cabin sometimes approaches LAcruiser88's.

We prefer to do our own laundry.  Nobody takes care of my stuff as well as I do.

15 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

We’ve cruised for up to 150 days in a row, during our winter season, and we own a house in an area with fairly harsh winters. I’ve just copied this from my blog.  It was kind a tongue-in-cheek list of the things we’d do before we left, but it’s a good starting point. 
 

A partial list of cruise prep to do's:

• Notify credit card companies and bank (for ATM card) that we’ll be out of the country.
• Verify all credit card and ATM card PIN numbers.
• Change auto insurance to comprehensive coverage only.
• Calculate and mail estimated tax payment for Q4 (despite my accounting background, I abhor doing taxes and hate this one with a passion!).
• Kiss and make up after arguing while doing taxes. 
• Vacuum and wipe out all furnace ducts and vent covers.
• Start up furnace and pray.
• Shut off gas fireplace.
• Turn gas fireplace on again, because it got damn cold outside.
• Shut off gas fireplace again. 
• Print Christmas card mailing labels for us and Mom.
• Put Christmas card in envelopes and give to Martha to mail in December.
• Print hard copies of all reservations- flights, hotels, excursions and cruise (including cruise invoices showing On Board Credits)- because I don’t quite trust the electronic confirmations and tickets on our iDevices. 
• Change all online financial passwords.
• Backup laptops onto hard drives and take hard drives to safe deposit box. 
• Take valuable and sentimental jewelry to safe deposit box and promise myself that next summer I really will wear it (I do this every. single. year. but never follow through).
• Get passports and Australian currency left over from 2006 Transpacific cruise from safe deposit box.
• Dig out scuba certification cards just in case we decide to scuba dive
• Clean up perennial beds in yard.
• Saw down tree in yard that looks like it might fall down while we are away.
• Honor every Garbage Day Eve by purging yard and basement and garage trash.
• Clean house completely about a week before leaving and do a light touch up after the suitcases are packed.
• Scrub garbage disposal well to eliminate odors while away. 
• Really well. 
• Dispose of vacuum cleaner bags in upstairs and downstairs canister vacs. Clean their filters. Replace with new bags. 
• Clean out bag-less rechargeable vacuum.
• Lubricate and empty shredder.
• Fill up cars and put gas stabilizer in tanks.
• Clean the deck.
• Bring suitcases up from basement and open them on deck to air out. Vacuum still more sand out of them, leftover from beautiful beaches of cruise seasons past.
• Reminisce together about all those beautiful beaches of cruise seasons past. 
• Purchase and mail all Q4 birthday cards early, because of course I did. 
• Tweak security system. Test iPhone apps that control furnace, security webcams and lights. 
• Update all apps and operating system on iDevices.
• Foster house plants out to friends.
• Leave laptops and household keys with friends. 
• Give mail key and storage tub to friends.
• Distribute cruise calendar to friends and family. 
• Promise neighbors they will be the first to know if we unexpectedly return home early.
• Apologize again for stirring up the neighborhood when we did just that last year. 
• Really promise. 
• Finally, work on cruise beautification efforts, including hair cut, hair color, give self a mani/pedi and apply Sally Hansen Nail Strips in Frock Star (because it is nice to know that some things just never, ever change!).
• Unplug all unneccessary lights and appliances.
• Watch as much football as time allows, trying to get our fix before we leave. 

And, of course, shutting off the water goes without saying. I also lifted the toilet seat and covered the bowl with plastic wrap keep sewer gases from backing up into the house, closed all bathtub and sink stoppers and covered shower drains for the same reason. We’d leave all cabinet doors open with plumbing on the outside walls of the house, and leave the heat set on 50°, though we had a WiFi thermostat and could bump it up remotely if the weather looked especially frigid or like we might lose power. 
 

We pay bills entirely online, so receiving mail was the least of our issues. The biggest issue we ever had was that a credit card we used for automatic payments (that stayed in our safe deposit box) was hacked at the credit card company. They emailed us that they were mailing us a new one. We were at the beginning of a several month season in French Polynesia with really poor internet. A friend had to go through our mail, find that envelope, call us with the information and we had to activate that card from outside the country (the hardest part) and change over the payment info for all of those vendors. But even that was able to be done, just not easily. 

Very thorough list.  We have a shutdown list, but not as comprehensive as yours.  Many of those things I/we do as a matter of course and out of habit.  

For example, I have an item called "secure garage".  Under that we lock our laptops in one of the cars in the garage.  Then I disconnect the garage door openers, turn the handle so that the door is locked, and then put a padlock through then track so it can't be opened.  Then all of the car and motorcycle keys go into a locked key safe that is in an out of the way place that only a contortionist might find.

Financial stuff is all online and/or autopay and I can check and pay bills with my smartphone.

If we had to leave in a hurry and did nothing else, the most important things would be to shut off the water ,turn down the thermostat, and secure the garage doors and ask a neighbor to water the plants and gather the mail and paper.  Did it once for a family emergency several states away and all was well when we returned.

"Be Prepared"

14 hours ago, BobandLizM said:

@SargassoPirate

Your views on topics and outlook on life seem very balanced. You sound excited, there is only one possible outcome, you are going to have a brilliant time.

Well, thank you very much.   What a nice comment.

I recall a line from "The Exotic Marigold Hotel" that I may butcher, but it goes something like "everything will be alright in the end.  If it's not alright, it isn't the end"

4 hours ago, Sea42 said:

After 20 years, maybe it's time to update to a $5 bill?

Ha, good point.  I don't recall what percentage the automatic gratuity was 20 years ago, but I know drink prices and thus the gratuity has risen as well.

2 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

The last time I got $2 bills it was a major hassle - The first two banks didn't have any.   Banks 3 and 4 had 10 each.   It was a hassle getting them - this was ten years ago and another reason why I stopped.   With inflation - $5 is probably a better bet now anyway.   Maybe they are easier to find now or you can order them.

 

I tried using Sacagawea dollar coins a while back - what a disaster - everyone thought they were fake....

 

That's why I stick to the 18% and auto tips - that way I don't have to carry around small bills on the ship.   

No problem getting them.  I go to the bank whenever I need to resupply my stash and order a wrapper of them.  If I recall, a wrapper is $200.  

I wonder why some here are such contrarians about what others choose to do for tipping?  It's not their money and not their business.

5 hours ago, NCCruzQueen said:

My philosophy these days is, if you have good health and “a little cruise money,” you’re doing ok!  
When do you board your ship for your adventure?

January 4 in Fort L.  I'm flying in a few days ahead just to stay ahead of any weather or other flight issues.  It's getting close now.  One of my bags is already there via Luggage Forward.

14 hours ago, xiphoid76 said:

Just received a phone call from a toll free number stating they are my "new personal Princess planner" and they have been assigned to handle my current and any future reservations.  They went on to state "I see you have cruised to Alaska" in the past which is true but they did not know that I had one current reservation currently for 2025...it all seemed so scammy.  I told them I only deal online and don't want a personal planner and they said well you have been assigned me and will have to deal with me for all future changes...I then hung up on her.  Anyone else get a call like this?  Legit? I booked my current cruise online, no agent involved.

Just curious why you even answered the call?  We at Pirate Manor don't pick up any call unless that number is already in our contacts.  If it's important and legit, they'll leave a message.  99% of them don't.

On 12/21/2023 at 9:17 PM, NCCruzQueen said:

One port I really wanted to visit was Myanmar with a side overland trip to Bagan has been cancelled along with Israel are not happening on our Miami to Miami World Cruise.  As of today, the overland trip to Nepal is still on.  Really looking forward to that trip!

 

There may not be time to ever go to those missed ports plus the Black Sea but those I have cruised to in the past 30 years have been phenomenal.  How lucky am I!

Love your attitude, that I took the liberty of bolding.  SWMBO and I have discussed that, while on fixed incomes, we are the richest people in any room because, well into our 70s, we do whatever we want to do, when we want to do it, and most importantly we have our health.

4 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

Because they are much less familiar to the places in whatever foreign countries that they will spend or exchange them at.  It may make you feel clever but it just inconveniences the crew member.

 

And what does "gets results" even mean?  People who leave no cash tips report getting excellent service so what are these results you speak of?

 

But hey, if it makes you feel good who am I to gainsay you.

All I can attest to is anecdotal based on some 20 years of cruising and some 50 cruises of varying lengths on HAL, Cunard, RCI, Princess, NCL, and Viking.  My father, retired WWII Navy vet who at one time got paid in $2 bills, got me started on $2 bills for tipping.  His philosophy was that the recipient will remember you because of the unusual denomination and may result in a little better service the next time.  They have also led to some interesting conversations with servers from the Philippines and other Pacific islands.

I don't care one whit about the policy of pooling or not pooling tips.  I discretely hand them the $2 folded twice.

21 minutes ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

The problem with the $2 bill routine is that it is harder for the crew to exchange or spend.

How are they any more difficult that $1, $5, $10, $20, $50 or $100?

Please explain.

All I know is the $2 get results.

1 hour ago, crystalspin said:

I like the paper slips. I add a $1 tip every few slips so I do not have to carry $1 bills (or $2 bills -- an awful idea!) OR try to find my favorite servers on the last full day with $5 bills! 

 

ETA: If drinking as a couple, alternate cards -- the bartender will like this as not making two swipes. You can sign the slips with an abbreviated signature, like your initials, just always do the same sig.

I've been carrying $2 bills since I started cruising 20 years ago.  They are unusual, so the servers  recognize me and before you know it my butt and my drink are hitting the table at about the same time.  I only have a wee dram or two in the evening, so I give them the $2 on the first drink.  The second usually just appears.

Some folks dislike the $2 routine, but it's worked well for me over the years.

28 minutes ago, tonit964 said:

Not to mention you can hardly hear them because of all the household loud conversations going on or kids running around screaming. Unbelievable and so frustrating. 

And if you don't have your Call Center to English dictionary handy, you're out of luck.