SargassoPirate

With the majority of cruisers vaccinated and most cases presenting with only mild symptoms, I would project that people with only mild symptoms that could be any number of illnesses will stop reporting to sick bay for fear of over reaction by ship staff. Headache? Cough? Upset stomach? Mild fever? Why risk quarantine with only mild symptoms?

Common sense and science are starting to communicate. I'm all for personal responsibility and taking measures to protect myself. I do not depend on others on cruise ships, airplanes, trains, grocery stores, theaters, concerts, stadiums, or anywhere else to wear personal protective equipment to somehow protect me. Besides, unless mask mandates include a performance certification for the device, such as an N95, it's all theater.

Around a decade ago, I was watching a fare on a Princess cruise that was waitlisted (it was a long cruise). Part of my early morning routine is to check all of my bookings and cruises that I've saved. I sometimes start a booking just to see what the actual price is. Once morning I did that on the long cruise and was able to book it even though the day before it was still waitlisted. The cruise fare had dropped considerably, and I was able to book with a final price was half of what it had been the day before and I was not charged a single supplement. I made an immediate deposit. The next day I checked the cruise and it was waitlisted again. I don't know what happened and didn't bother to ask. I will share that my per diem cost for a single inside was under $100. Jackpot!

Sure you can. Millions are doing it.

I just use my OBC for laundry tokens. Easy Beezy.

What level D+ gives you the special hat or is that just for the pinochles?

There are certain things that if you want them done right, you do them yourself. For me, laundry is one of them. Fifty-some cruises and numerous extended land-based trips and I've never sent out my laundry. Thus, I've never had any of my clothes lost, damaged, shrunk, or color changed. I use laundromats on the ship and on land when available, travel with a lot of quick-dry clothes, and use "wear a day, air a day" on board.

While not widowed, She Who Must Be Obeyed does not enjoy cruising as much as I do - motion sickness issues - so I cruise alone. I book insides since I'm only in the cabin to sleep and shower/change clothes. The rest of the time I enjoy the same ship that those paying a lot more for the cruise do. I enjoy the freedom of doing what I want, when I want, without a requiring a committee decision. If I choose to stay on the ship on a port day, I do so. If I decide to avoid another over-amplified production show, I do so. I avoid the MDR in the evenings since it can suck up so much time and instead enjoy a quiet dinner in the buffet followed by a wee dram in one of the live music venues. I find that I can be alone without being lonely. A smile and a raised glass by way of greeting often sparks a conversation. SWMBO informs me that it's more difficult for a single woman to do that, but on a cruise a couple of years ago I had a woman sit down in one of the lounges at a table next to mine. As her drink was delivered, she made eye contact with me, raised her glass and said "good evening". She was there the next evening and we shared a table and travel stories. She shared that she was around 25 years older than me but was not looking for a boy toy. I laughed and said I was well beyond the age of being a boy toy, so she had nothing to worry about. She was recently widowed and said she enjoyed some male company and conversation in the evenings. We often ran into each other around the ship and would always visit a bit. She was well traveled and had decided to continue travelling, albeit on her own and sometimes with "girlfriends". She said, I'm not going to sit at home and miss out on the rest of my life.

It's always good to put the pencil to it - especially if one is Elite and eligible for discounted WiFi and a mini bar setup and has some generous OBCs. Of course, it also depends on how much alcohol one can consume.

I've never seen that differentiation either since all I look for is an inside without the extra bunks. That's a tricky one and I don't know if the age of the ship matters.

Yes. As recently as last January through Fort L and the facial recognition was working. The cruise before that it was not and we had to go through the cattle chutes to the officers. Regardless, I always scan the area for a TSA Pre or Global Entry line instead of just lining up with the sheeple. Speaking of scanning the area. A oouple of times I've arrived at the TSA checkpoints, scanned the area, and noticed that the steerage line was shorter with more magnetometers and staff working than the TSA Pre line. I noted the last person in line in TSA Pre and then I processed through the steerage line well before that person made it through the TSA Pre.

They walk amongst us and they vote!

In certain cruise ports TSA Pre has come in handy - Fort Lauderdale in particular. Twice disembarking there I've seen huge crowds and long lines waiting to go through immigration and customs, while off to one side was a short line for TSA Pre or Global Entry (can't remember how it was marked since I also have Global Entry)

When shopping for a cruise, after the itinerary the first thing I do is look at deck plans carefully. I check for a wrap-around promenade, location of the laundry room, decks with passengers above and below, and note which cabins do not have a connecting door or pullman beds. Once I've booked the perfect cabin, I have to check my booking every day to make sure Princess doesn't give me an unwanted "upgrade". There's a reason some cabins are unsold and the idea is to quietly "upgrade" unsuspecting passengers into those less-desirable locations. Been there. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Covid is everywhere. Common sense is starting to communicate with science.

Maybe they were texting each other 😁

We washy washy on the way into the buffet and then use hand sanitizer after we are settled at the table and after touching any common-touch surfaces - including the underside of the chair that we grab to pull it in, salt/pepper shakers, etc. All you have to do is break the cross-contamination chain. (Think about cross-contamination the next time you see food workers wearing plastic gloves. See how many surfaces they are touching without changing the gloves)

After a couple of "Alaska" cruises we figured out that we were seeing what should be Canada if you look at a map and weren't really experiencing Alaska. One year we were able to book a cruise from Vancouver to Whittier (Anchorage) where we disembarked, rented a car, and drove just about every paved road and a few unpaved roads we could find up to Fairbanks and back. After a few weeks on land we boarded a cruise from Whittier to Vancouver.

Thanks sandiego1. I had no idea Costco offered travel shots. I checked and the service is offered in my state. I owe you a drink some evening. "Program Currently Available Only In Arizona; California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, Texas" Full Service Travel Medicine Consultation Program* | Costco

Someone probably looked at a map and saw that Alaska and Hawaii are very close to one another out there in the Pacific. Makes perfect sense when you have no concept of geography. Remember when Jay Leno would do "Jay Walking" on the tonight show?

WiFi? If someone boards a cruise ship and keeps their nose on their device all of the time, why bother to cruise? They may as well go to the carnival since they probably won't notice the difference unless someone takes a photo of them and posts it online. Part of the experience of cruising for us older folks is that we can be in the moment, enjoy being at sea with the salt air, travel to new places, and meet new friends. I can't begin to count the number of times I'll see a family on a road trip and everyone except the driver has their nose to their device and are missing the scenery around them. They may as well stay in the driveway and run the engine every so often. Or, how many times I'll see two couples or a family out to dinner and everyone is on their device and not interacting. frugalvoyager the marketer should figure out how to market virtual reality cruises to the youngsters. They won't notice the difference.

You're welcome. As a side note, l once combined a cruise with a long motorcycle trip since I planned to ride right by a port city My space on the bike was limited, so I pared down my usual riding clothes and added an extra pair of shoes, one pair of black jeans, and a black sport coat. The black jeans and my jacket were cruise only but when I mixed in a couple of colored T shirts with a matching pocket square I was all set. She Who Must Be Obeyed makes her travel clothes do double and triple duty by mixing and matching and then throwing on a colorful pashima for the evening. The old saying is to take half of the stuff you think you'll need and twice the money. Good luck and have fun on your adventure.

It's the most annoying thing to me about booking with Princess. No upgrades should be the default and then allow people to have their bookings marked "please upgrade" if they are willing to take their chances.

She Who Must Be Obeyed and I were on a HAL cruise some twenty years ago when we were in our 50s and joked that we qualified for their "kids" program. Even then we enjoyed the HAL style of cruising. Now that we are in our 70s, we enjoy it even more and avoid the floating carnivals.

Thanks. I guess I'll keep checking my bookings every morning until I learn differently.