NutsAboutGolf

Should be on Craft Social/Michaels, the casino bar, and probably on the outside TVs. Also on the stateroom TV; they have two special event channels if not on the regular channels

The host will have zero direct knowledge of ratings including betting amounts, all rated play is sent over electronically

Historically, X will email out port requirements (like visas) 30 days before the sail date which should include validated government URLs and basic instructions

Blu's dessert options are the same as the MDR, with no differences at all. The Blu menu has a clean cuisine section

Reportedly, you need to have a loss average of $500/night to qualify for an OBC

Pretty much agree with everything except for “evidence”. Even if the OP had the crew members name, they could issue the OP a $50 future cruise credit and claim they provided compensation. The OP claims it was verbal so evidence doesn’t exist unless someone recorded it and even then with background noise, accents, etc, may be difficult to accurately capture a clear voice Many seem to forget the OPs claim that the other sailing received a full refund and their sailing received nothing despite the on board crew claiming they’ll receive something. As stated, I believe it was misinformation that the OP received that the entire next sailing were offered a refund Lastly, whenever there’s an itinerary deviation of any kind, someone somewhere demands compensation for it. This has been going on for decades and will likely continue to do so. Cruise lines like most in the travel industry want to display the lowest price so I do not see them increasing cruise fares do add passenger friendly compensation rules unless forced to

The overall point of this thread was the OP’s claim that no one on the OPs sailing was compensated and that everyone on the next sailing could have been refunded if they cancelled. It was some extra salt in the wounds when OP claims the on board crew promised some sort of compensation by email which never happened. We only have limited info, taken at face value it does appear this claim is false. More probable was that the OP heard from passengers outside of the US who were refunded but most likely paid a higher cruise fare to begin with. Perhaps more info will be revealed to provide some clarity If you believe X should add a major itinerary change refund rule, you should create a separate thread with why you believe this should be the case. In the US, we have not had this rule in the cruise contract on any of the major cruise lines. While they are rare, they have happened including a Bermuda one which only went to the Bahamas. Cruise companies are a for profit business and understandably are not going keep a ship at its home port while they iron out itineraries. Lastly, one assumes an element of risk if they book a cruise in an unstable region. There was most recently an uproar when Russian ports got cancelled

Assuming this is true, the OP received the wrong or incomplete info. It appears on the OP's sailing and the next sailing after, that UKers (perhaps additional countries like Australia, also) received refunds and no one else did. It wasn't the sailing specific, it was country of purchase-specific The UK pays higher cruise fares so it's a pretty safe bet that if X adds the major itinerary refund rule to the US, it's going to increase the cruise fares to cover their potential losses and many would still buy insurance to cover other circumstances

You would hope so but there's probably no "enforcer" of power strips. We don't know how they do things but would it be surprising if there was a box of them in a random supply room and it was first come first serve? The only facts we know for sure that could change tomorrow is that there isn't enough for everyone as those who request them upon meeting the stateroom attendant are often told there are no more left. Also is stateroom attendant is in charge of acquiring and delivering the cord. The point I'm trying to drive home for those who need one for medical equipment is why take an unnecessary risk? Fill out the special needs form if you wish and pack your own non-surge extension cord. I have got one on every single sailing, over a dozen since the restart, and worst case, they take it and you get it back at the end of the cruise

I suggest you reread my post because I actually agree with you; I eat from charcuterie boards all the time, and in many cases, it’s been sitting out far-far longer than two hours The person I quoted is from the US and seemed concerned so I brought to their attention that the US based FDA has a two hour rule in case they assumed the US had a rule with a shorter duration. Thanks for bringing to the threads attention that what you see is on display only

Anyone is welcome to trust special needs forms, but they only have 100 cords and you’re the 101st person. I know a lot of people in suites request them with their pre-sailing concierge, not sure who gets priority

There are pros and cons but if it were me personally I wouldn't want to be under the OV buffet and would do something to try to change locations. The deluxe porthole is a shallow balcony but you don't have to face each other, you can both turn the chairs 45 degrees toward the sea and be comfortable even if you're 6'2

If you attempt to carry them on vs throwing them into your "check-in" luggage that goes to the porter, then yes

Pretty much the inside, OV and IVs are identical except for one wall (you do get a slightly larger room in an IV as it absorbed the balcony) If you want you may want to look into the MoveUp program, maybe the you'll see value in upgrading

If only shoreside-to-ship communication was reliable. You're helping others if you bring your own CPAP extension cord as you are freeing up an onboard one that now someone else can use as there's only a certain number available on board On social media sail groups, from time to time I see a post where someone didn't bring a cord and the ship ran out so they had to forego the use of their CPAP until they got to a port where they wasted time and money (because it's usually expensive) to buy a cord when in port. Never heard of anyone claiming their extension cord (different than a power strip) got confiscated when returning to port

There can be multiple solutions, we have to remember that there isn't a one-size-fits-all for everyone's device needs as you have the overall number of devices, device ports, speed of charging, and medical device equipment like CPAP. I've heard some use a battery power bank to charge a device overnight, and then they'll charge the power bank during the day. I personally bought this cable to charge my iPhone when on an airplane

Expectation vs reality as they do NOT have enough extension cords on board

That your surge protector is functioning correctly and is providing protection to the devices you have connected to

I would imagine for most this is true but there is a minority who lock their phone in the safe and need to use a CPAP. On the older ships, the only outlet is too far away by the desk

The Rolex will most likely appreciate making it an investment but it's also a big target. With that being said, really the debate should be whether should one buy a 23-year-old a $100ish wristwatch if they didn't ask for one

Always got on extension cord (non-surge) by putting it into the luggage that goes to the porter, they may get confiscated if you go through Xrays but many have reported success if they put their extension cord into their CPAP case Edit to add, the stateroom attendant will actually tape the cord to the carpet for you

You're welcome back anytime. I'm saying not true with your comment that there are plenty. Also there are some people who need an extension for medical purposes such as a CPAP. While there are SOME on board, they're first come first serve so good luck getting one unless someone wants to be one of the first ones on the ship

In addition to "not true", for the past several years most new devices come with a USB-C charging cable which do not work in the ship's USB-A ports so at a minimum you'll need to purchase a USB-C to USB-A adapter or cable which ironically can cost more than an extension cord especially if its an Apple device

If you read social media sailing groups this always comes up often accompanied by CPAP machine The consensus is it's the lesser of all evils to bring a non-surge extension cord and put it in your luggage that goes to the porter

It's best to avoid traditional watch gifts for the youngins' unless they specifically asked for one as they may see it as a burden to only wear it when they're in your presence. Most "kids" these days may not want a traditional wristwatch regardless of brand and even if given a Rolex would much rather sell it. Most want smartwatches as they allow them to see and interact with notifications without removing their phone from their bag or pocket From "Ms. Nuts" who works in a hospital, most new smartwatches have heart rate monitors and are really good at identifying heart issues by monitoring heart rate irregularities. Some people's hearts are very sensitive to heavy drinking (while overall it's very uncommon, stroke and seizure-inducing A-Fib is the most likely heart issue associated with a young healthy person drinking) which those in their early 20s are known to do