ldubs

Thanks for posting this. I knew where it was but had not idea what the Strait of Magellan actually looked like. I should have paid more attention in class. Good question about commercial shipping. I wonder if it also has to do with being in international vs territorial waters.

Yes, you nailed it. Many (most) countries require visitors to have passports. And, I don't "not like it". I said thanks for an actual example applicable to closed loop cruises out of the US. That would be instead of a broad generalizations.

There is a current thread about waterproof cases for cell phones. Here is the link (assuming I did it correctly):

Thanks. Nice to have an actual real life example instead of a bunch of could be generalizations.

That is surprising. Are you talking about closed loop cruises by US citizens out of US ports?

Whatever Mrs Ldubs says I'm supposed to do.

I would add that for a couple places on our recent Caribbean cruise we were advised to have a picture ID along with our cruise card. So, while I might not lose a lot of sleep about it, it is a good idea for a minor to have ID, if not a passport.

One of the reasons I don't like the ships with the central boulevards. For this particular thing, I enjoy the Princess Grand class ships. While not small, the design has many comfortable public places to sit with a good book and a view of the ocean passing by. The mass market lines I've used (RCI, Princess, Celebrity, & Carnival) seem to have dropped the educational talks. It seems like a lot of folks enjoyed these and that they would be a relatively inexpensive offering. But sadly, that is the current situation.

One is a fare with no tipping. The other is a fare with prepaid tips, which technically can be adjusted and many do give additional cash to their favorite cruise staff. Additionally, there will likely be implications for something being booked as a salary expense vs a gratuity to eligible staff.

You should run for office - that is one of the longest non-answers I've seen! lol Seriously, I'm personally not comfortable sharing that info, but it would not be anywhere near the higher amounts.

Thanks. That would be a pretty handy feature, especially when sharing a pdf In reality, I was making a poor attempt at humor from an old Charlton Heston quote. 😃

Are they included in the price quoted, or is the gratuity added? My understanding is the 18 gratuity is added to the stated package price. I wouldn't be surprised to learn I'm wrong as I've never purchased a drink package.

No it does not,. At least, not that I am aware of. I suspect it will not be long before paper money is a thing of the past and there will be no need to go from the ATM to the teller window to get the denominations wanted. We won't need quarters to use the laundromat. If you think about it a lot of technical advancement does seem like magic -- electricity, electric smart cars that drive themselves, Dick Tracy watches, solar power, computers the size of a deck of cards, etc, etc. The technology advancement curve is pretty steep.

Those are good points and I can understand an individual preference to pay more for convenience. As someone who doesn't drink a lot and who doesn't use specialty restnts very often, it just isn't a big deal to me. Really it is just the opposite because I don't want my fare to include a lot of things I don't want. Additionally, the new apps allow almost instantaneous review of any charges, so surprises shouldn't be an issue. The hawking of canned water aside, what some call nickel and diming, I view as A la carte. On our last cruise I can happily report that I was never approached about my car's warranty! lol.

I find it interesting that individuals who have the capability to earn enough to enjoy a cruise are unable to deal with purchasing a drink. I just don't get constant reference to "nickel and diming". If I want something I buy it. If I don't want something I don't buy it. I just don't see that as a huge negative.

Would I support all including pricing? I think my answer would be yes and our choice will always depend on the final price. Kind of scratching my head though, because you say include grats in the pricing then also say we would continue to tip additional to service staff. In the case of bartenders 18% is already added. I assume you would want to have that included in the total price and then tip more? Might as well just do a price increase. To me, if the objective it to get rid of the vagaries of tipping, then get rid of tipping.

I found the Carnival Hub to be very reliable and suggest it is not something to worry about. As already said your phone won't ring when a text comes in, but you will see a notice on your screen. If you want to be able to talk to others in your group, I would consider getting the wifi plan before I bought walkie talkies. Likely more expensive but it will work.

"Somewhere" in the middle I guess. It is all in the eye of the beholder. For me, a small cruise ship these days would be under 1,000 (maybe 1,500) and larger would be over 3,000 (maybe 3,500).

I'll give up my yellow hi-liter when they pry it from my cold dead hands. 😁😁😁

If you mean doing something while physically at the bank it sounds like you are not using the "new technology".

I think that is a worthwhile option. Some of the new iPads with the remote keyboards looks remarkably compact.

For everything we do, there are always going to be at least a small subset of outliers. I sure agree that to the extent we help those folks, the better we are.

Pretty good summary. Our preference is somewhere in the middle, meaning ships in the 2,000 to 3,000 passenger range. Those seem to provide the kind of entertainment options we enjoy. We don't use the water parks. On the other hand, we want a little more excitement than the weekly trivia contest. 😁 We just returned from a cruise on Oasis of the Seas. There is an incredible amount of energy, but just too many people for us.

We just got back from an RCI cruise. Their version is much easier to use. More like the list we are used to on the printed version.

Nicely played. 😁