SargassoPirate

If the terminally ill person will be on the cruise, you should ask about coverage for pre-existing conditions.  If not, then just shop for coverage as you ordinarily do with coverage for cancel for any reason.

My pickup truck is 20 years old.  I maintain it myself and keep it waxed.   Several guys that I know trade in their trucks every four to five years to keep up with the new bells and whistles.  Since I bought my truck, every five years or so I'll price a new one equipped like mine.  This year a similar model is over $70K.

Over the years the money I've saved has paid for a lot of cruises.

There are plenty of places to enjoy on the ship besides the Melanoma Deck with over-amplified music/movies.  

12 hours ago, Ret MP said:

If @DirtyDawgdoesn't, I do.  I need to see their mouth to hear them.  It's kinda like reading lips.  My hearing is bad but not the kind of bad that can be aided with hearing aides.  So, I rely on seeing the "smiling face", especially in noisy places/situations, to know (hear them) what they are saying.  Generally speaking, if I can't see your face, all I hear is moji jsoifjsaj kjsf nmsfojiwe bla bla bla.  Seeing a face is also one of the many factors involved in social intercourse.  Good or bad.  I like seeing the crew's face for many reasons, knowing what they are saying is a big part of it.  Especially crews, they are from all over the world and have different degrees of accents which make it even harder to hear/understand the spoken word.  Anyone in Law Enforcement will tell you that being able to see someone's face (the whole face) is an important part of their job, being able to decern a lot of factors.   

 

My wife is my source of repeating what people say to me in noisy, masked, or heavily accented situations.  It can be embarrassing at times especially if what I think was said, wasn't.  

I have some hearing loss, but wear hearing aids, and if you put someone in a mask and then behind a plastic screen to boot, it's like they are talking through a pillow.  Even She Who Must Be Obeyed who can hear a mouse fart has trouble. 

On my cruises since the restart, I have just about given up trying to interact with the crew because I cannot understand them, especially if English is their second language.  Plus, with most of their face covered I can't easily tell them apart.  

Food is subjective.  I've never gone hungry on a cruise ship and by the looks of some passengers they haven't missed too many meals either.

3 hours ago, bob63005 said:

I consider formal wear to be a shirt with a collar, but even that can be over-kill now.

I attended a funeral a couple of weeks ago and one of the deceased family members showed up with a do-rag, sweat pants, and Nike shower shoes with socks. 

Like they say, dress for success.

55 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

The bottom line is there is no longer an enforced dress code for the MDR no matter what the dress code is for that night. I assume if a man showed up wearing only a speedo or a woman showed up only wearing a thong bikini they wouldn’t be allowed in the MDR, but even then I wouldn’t be surprised if they were allowed in to the MDR. 

"Just the other night I was sleeping under a bridge and now here I am on the grandest ship in the world having champagne with you fine people."

After experimenting with various types of evening wear on various lines from back in the days when the maitre 'd was the clothes police, I finally settled on a cruise packing list that meets my needs and keeps me looking sharp for any evening on any cruise ship - and a lot better than the shorts, T-shirt, and ballcap crowd.

Since I often combine land travel with a cruise on one end, I pack light with mix-n-match items.  For the dress up nights, and in fact most nights since I carry a limited wardrobe, I don a pair of black jeans/slacks, a colored T-shirt, a black sport coat, and a pocket square that matches the T-shirt.

My sport coat weighs 20 ounces, so it's not a weight factor for packing.  I do, however, have an aversion for tying a rag around my neck after having to do so for years while working.

I recently rode a motorcycle 1800 miles to a cruise port with my cruise-only clothes in a small bag and still managed to carry-off my standard evening attire each evening and it was way easier than packing a lot of shorts and polos.

21 hours ago, Sullivans10 said:

We have cruised often, but not yet on Oceania. Please tell me if most men wear a sport coat to dinner. My husband doesn't  want to bring one if not needed! 

After experimenting with various types of evening wear on various lines from back in the days when the maitre 'd was the clothes police, I finally settled on a cruise packing list that meets my needs and keeps me looking sharp for any evening on any cruise ship.

Since I often combine land travel with a cruise on one end, I pack light with mix-n-match items.  For the dress up nights, and in fact most nights since I carry a limited wardrobe, I don a pair of black jeans/slacks, a colored T-shirt, a black sport coat, and a pocket square that matches the T-shirt.

My sport coat weighs 20 ounces, so it's not a weight factor for packing.  I do, however, have an aversion for tying a rag around my neck after having to do so for years while working.

50 some cruises on various lines and I've always taken a small leatherman and a Swiss Army knife with a corkscrew.  ALWAYS in checked luggage.  Never had a trip to the naughty room.

On 9/8/2022 at 11:55 AM, Caracarn2 said:

So I've heard mixed stories.  Some people swear by excursions, many comment that they would have rather just seen the sights on their own to now feel so rushed.  I then read stories about how it can be dangerous to just take cabs on your own etc.   We're in our early 50s and my wife and I tend to just explore on our own but also have never been to the locations we're going to having never been on a cruise.   We love to hike and take in history so for example one of our stops in Puerto Rico I see a historical excursion but comments say they only got 40 minutes at the fort and would have loved to spend more time there so would have done it on their own.   

 

Our cruise in the spring is stopping at the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten and St. Thomas as I realize location may play a big part in answering this question well.

So what are the recommendations and why from the more experienced out there?

A lot of what we do depends on the port and if we've been there before.  I've had success with whatsinport.com when researching the ports and toursbylocals.com when booking a tour where it's not off and on the bus with 10 minute stops that stretch into 30.

Good luck with your research.  It's half of the fun.

On 9/9/2022 at 7:51 PM, Ride-The-Waves said:

For cruisers, which I believe it the intent of this thread, Barcelona may be the worst.  Have watched two crimes in Barcelona, one upstairs in a restaurant where the perp grabbed a bag and ran downstairs...and tumbled yje last 6 steps...  Victim got the bag back.  Only place I have lost a wallet was in Paris near the Eiffel tower - not pay attention standing in line to buy water for the bus ride back to the ship.  The perps (Roma) charged a $2 phone call to a credit card.  Have watched people being beaten by police in Jerusalem - horrible.  

 

BL:  If you don't feel safe and the hair on the back of your neck is standing up, don't go there.  Always be aware of your situation and surroundings.  Walk with determination.  We have traveled the world and visited all 7 continents (penguins in Antarctica were non threatening).  You can be robbed/assaulted just about anywhere.  I once drove about 5 miles off the Interstate in central Louisiana - not the place I wanted to be and quickly u-turned back to civilization.  Traveled extensively in eastern Europe during the "Communist" era and never felt threatened.  

On road trips, my gauge for safety is "if I get a flat tire now, I'm driving on it".  Had that feeling in east St. Louis one time after taking a wrong exit.

On foot in cities, I scan ahead constantly and will sometimes cross the street when we don't need to because of somebody I've noticed down the block. 

I'm Elite and still do my own laundry on board.

1.  I get it back immediately.

2.  It gets folded and/or on hangers.

3.  My experience with doing my own laundry has been excellent.  
 

4.  I have never damaged anything.  All buttons and zippers are intact.  Cold wash, warm dry and I keep an eye on any synthetics in the drier.  Whites and darks are washed separately.

5.  I iron what needs to be ironed as it comes out of the drier.

20 hours ago, caribill said:

 

We know now that such transmission is extremely rare, but early on that was not known.

 

(That is why for a while many people were wiping down groceries they purchased.)

 

Thus, even after the restart, having different people touch things was discouraged.

 

That is why the evening chocolates were discontinued.

 

That is why the pen and paper were taken out of the cabin.

 

That is why the buffet did not have self-service anymore. (Helps to prevent spread of noro, but not Covid.)

 

Well, the self-service in the buffet is returning, but so far the evening chocolates, the pen, and the paper have not returned.

That is why I was taught to wash my hands after touching things or common use surfaces and before touching food or anything else that was going in my mouth.

All one has to do is break the chain of cross-contamination.

2 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Also a Covid thing.

Yeah, lots of covid has been spread by pens and paper, complimentary newspapers in hotels, and magazines in waiting rooms.  (sarcasm alert)  

10 hours ago, Wineaux007 said:

We just booked lunch in Chops on an upcoming cruise.  I was surprised to see from the Royal invoice in the Cruise Planner that they had added the gratuity to the purchase.  In the past I can't recall having to pay gratuity with the purchase of any specialty restaurant.  I thought it was included in the price.  Is this something new?  Last time we paid for a Chops Lunch on sale in the Cruise Planner, the price was the price.  We just tipped at our discretion.   

Some of the historian's here may remember better than me, and if so please chime in.  When specialty dining was first rolled out, the extra charge was to cover tips for the waiters since with the slower pace of the meal, they couldn't make as much as in the MDR.  Then it seems there was an upcharge with tips optional.  Then, the upcharge included the mandatory tip.  Then came pre-booking ahead of the cruise to gin up demand - "OMG, I'd better reserve whileI can still get a table"

Once again, it's the basic law of the marketplace.  Charge what the traffic will bear.  

I have walked by many specialty restaurants on various cruise ships with lots of empty tables and the maitre d looks like the Maytag repairman.

On 9/5/2022 at 10:17 AM, iancal said:

Over the  years we have travelled to many countries.  Cruises and independent travel.

 

Despite all the cautions we still look at each other and roll our eyes when we see how totally clueless some tourists are.  

 

 

Just a few of the thing we notice on a regular basis when we travel...

 

-people who wear expensive jewelry, watches, chains, bracelets, earings, , etc.

 

-people who, when paying for something, open a wallet full of cash or credit cards instead of keeping most of the credit cards and cash hidden

 

-people who pay more attention to taking a selfie than they do to the purse or backpack that they leave beside them on the pavement.

 

-people who walk around with backpacks on their back and their valuables inside.  (easy target for a clever thief with a knife)  Same for carrying valuables on your person where pick pockets can easily access them

 

-people who hang purses and backpacks, etc from the back a chair or beside their chair in a restaurant/cafe

 

-people who pay more attention to the items in a trash and trinket store than they do to their own belongings  (same in Costco where we live especially at the food sample area)

 

-people who wander about in a fog with absolutely no sense of their surroundings.

 

Anyone can get assaulted, robbed etc.  But...you do need to keep your wits about you, not attract the wrong type of attention, and not act carelessly in such a way as to attract opportunity based thieves.

 

We are just as concerned when travelling to certain NA cities as we are to some overseas cities.  Can never understand why people seem to think their own country is so safe compared to others.

On the streets in any city, you are either the sheep or the wolf.  With plenty of sheep such as you describe, I've never had a problem in any city in the world so far.  I look people that I encounter directly in the eye and smile a greeting.  If I do carry a backpack, it's in front of me.  I wear non-descript clothing that does not draw attention to myself.  I constantly scan my surroundings and if I spot some nefarious looking characters, I make eye contact and move away.

Several years ago She Who Must Be Obeyed was taking some photos with her cellphone of a cathedral in Santigo, Chile.  I was scanning our surroundings and notice some non-Chileans starting to ease toward her in a hunting pattern.  I stared their way, made eye contact, and they eased back to their spot at the fountain to wait for their next victim.

That being said, there are some ports and cities that once I've seen them, I stay on the ship.  Heck, there are some US cities that I'll never step foot in again that I have enjoyed in the past - LA, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, NYC for example.

You gotta have some street smarts.

Thanks to everyone for your replies.  I'm looking forward to trying Oceania.  I see a lot of folks post here say that once they tried O they never looked back.  I am not fiercely loyal to any one line and shop more for the itineraries as I get older.  Sounds like O will suit me just fine.

Just now, LHT28 said:

There  are some deck loungers  on the  "promenade  "  they  are under the lift boats  so may not be available  in tender ports

 You can always check on the pool deck area  there is  some shade

 

Thanks.  I usually avoid the pool decks on the more mainstream lines because they always seem to have a movie or music blasting.  

Excellent. Thanks. 

I'm a solo cruiser nowadays since She Who Must Be Obeyed doesn't like to cruise anymore.  I have 50-some cruises on various lines, including RCI, Celebrity, Princess, Cunard, and Viking.  I'm looking at a particular cruise on the Nautica with an itinerary that I want.  In studying the deck plans and ship photos, one of the first things I noticed was the abbreviated promenade.  That's usually a deal breaker for me since I book insides and enjoy using the promenade to walk and to read on the shady side. 

All of that being said, are there deck chairs on the promenade? 

20 hours ago, slyster said:

Interesting reading the responses.  We have usually waited 10 min past TD start time.  That way there is no line by the time we get there.  This was just unusual for us because my brother joined us on this cruise.  He has a lot of cruises under his belt.  Well, he got in line (probably 20-30 people in front of us).  I told him we don’t have to wait in line because we know where we are going. His husband said are you sure?  I think everyone has to get in line.  I said that’s for people who need an escort to find their table.

 

My brother strolled right past everyone but as I got towards the front, I turned around to make sure my wife and brother in law were following me.  That’s when a group of passengers told us “there’s a line…you are cutting”.  I said no…I already know where my table is.  “Doesn’t matter!” I pointed to our table which was probably 30 steps inside the dining room and said, “my table is right there”.  The guy was rude and said, “you are still cutting in line”.  I turned around and kept going.  My brother in law didn’t look too happy as he felt we broke some kind of rule.  He followed me in though.

 

I knew when I got back home I would ask cruise critic.

Your story of the guy standing in line chastising those who didn't and proceeded to their table reminded me of a tender port story.   Tender operations were slow and when I arrived back at the port after a long hike, I could see that the line wrapped around itself and there was no way the last tender would be leaving as scheduled.  I found a nearby bodega and bought a couple of beers and found a bench under a shade tree where I could watch the line of people standing in line in the sun.  Before long a few other people joined me and we had a nice little party going.  When the line was down to the last 75 or so and the crew was starting to take down their canopy, the shade tree group got up and moved toward the line.  One woman in line looked at us and had the audacity to exclaim "Well!  Some of us have been in line in the sun over an hour" to which one of the shade tree group replied "Well!  Some of us are smart enough to get out of the sun."

You only have to be on the last tender.

9 hours ago, Ashland said:

We go to the WJ for dinner every night now as we're no longer interested in the dining room....No worries there and usually book MTD only because we have to make that option when booking our cruise. However even so we always get a call from the dining room asking where we've been about half way through our cruise.

 

We varied from MTD to TD on our last two cruises only because we thought the MTD was too late (just in case we decided to go) but once onboard we changed our mind and switched back...They still call looking for us it seems no matter what we book.

 

I'm with you.  I enjoy the MDR for breakfasts and lunches -alternating with the Foodjammer _ and trade  the whole MDR evening 'experience' for the buffet where the food is always hot, I'm not waiting for a slow eater in order to get my next course, there never seems to be an adjacent table of loud drunks. and I can spend more time enjoying the evening activities around the ship instead.

After 50 some cruises on several lines, I have developed my own style of cruise eating that works for me.  Breakfast is the buffet or the MDR.  Lunch is the buffet or MDR.  Dinner is light fare from the D+ lounge and if that doesn't work out I hit the buffet.  The nice thing about the buffet in the evenings is that it's a lot quieter than the MDR, the food is hot, and I can dine at my own pace and have plenty of free time to enjoy the evening.

The basic law of the marketplace is to charge what the traffic will bear.  If people line up to pay almost $70.00 extra when an included meal is available in the MDR or the Foodjammer, then that's what the cruise line will charge.