dioxide45

I don't know why they would, it's a valid ID and you have your sail and sign card. Might be best not to arrive back at the pier at the last minute, just in case:).

The only port that I have been to where we had to show our ID in addition to our ship card was St Thomas, we know the OP wont be going there. So getting back on the ship shouldn't be an issue as long as they have their ship card, though they should also carry their temporary ID off the ship.

Alittle off topic but does anyone know if I can use regular visa gift cards for my sign and sail account ?I get 6% cashback from Amex at grocery stores and my acme doesn't carry Carnival cards anymore.

 

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I don't think you can apply a set amount from a credit card to your S&S account. So you can't take a credit card to the pursers desk and say to charge $100 against it. They want to just have the card on there as a backup for charges. They also then preauthorize the card. Their preauthorization may be higher than the value of the card and thus it will decline. Kind of like trying to use them at restaurants where they preauthorize for gratuity. Prepaid Visa and Mastercard gift cards are a real PITA.

We have done the Cloud 9 on the Dream and Magic. Spa balcony on the Dream and Spa Interior on the Magic. We also bought a spa pass while on the Dream on a different sailing while we were in a cove balcony. The Spa layouts were different, but we liked the Dream better. Each has a relaxation room with water and chairs for sitting, but I recall that the one on the Magic was open to anyone where the one on the Dream was only open to those using the spa.

Since it is very hard to out exercise a bad diet, taking the stairs may not give you much of a benefit. To prevent your issues of sore calf muscles, add standing leg/calf raises to your workouts. Do these with your toes on a raised surface or step to increase the range of motion. Three sets of 6-12 reps if male, and 10-16 for female. I do these one leg at a time with a dumbbell in the had of the same leg I am raising to increase resistance. As they get easier to do and you max out on reps, increase the weight. It will help build up your calf muscles and give them more endurance. It of course won't work for being winded after a few flights. That will probably require more cardio exercise for endurance and losing weight.

I can only provide the price for IMAX movies since we didn't do any of the other items you are asking about. We were also on a European sailing in September 2016 out of Barcelona. So the price may be different now and it also may or may not have included 10% VAT. We paid $25.90 for two people in the IMAX. It was a 3D movie which I am not sure was more than a non 3D.

We ate at Ruth's Chris in Aruba, our only time trying it, and we weren't impressed. I fully understand their cooking technique, which is really just broiled. Their steak wasn't very good, very fatty and greasy with grease splatters all over the plate. We haven't been to a Ruth's Chris again because of that. My wife loves steak. I like steak but rarely if ever get it at a restaurant. I will eat my own home cooked steak over a restaurant steak any time. I have cooked my steaks in a 500 degree oven in cast iron. Though I recently started grilling them on a small portable grill that I can get up to 700 degrees. All our home cooked steaks are choice cuts from Costco. They have the best steaks for the money. Well marbled and good flavor.

We usually go to the steakhouses on cruises that are 7 nights or longer and we usually enjoy them. I would put them above Ruth's Chris, but I am no expert. We really prefer The Keg in Canada when I get a chance to get there. Been to several of them on our trips north of the boarder.

I however couldn't imagine ordering a well done filet. That would end up being a hockey puck IMO. All steak should be cooked and eaten medium rare! The longer a steak is cooked, the more flavor you cook out of it. Though to each their own I suppose, it isn't my money you are spending :)

We have never been to Freeport, but have been to Nassau a few times. Are you interested in a beach experience or water park like Atlantis? For Atlantis, you may be better to find other ways to get a cheaper instead or paying Carnival prices. Some people book a room at the hotel or the Comfort Suites which also provides access to the facilities at Atlantis.

If you are okay with a beach, we took the water taxi over to Paradise Island and then walked to Cabbage beach. Though taking a car taxi will be faster and much easier. Cabbage beach is right beside Atlantis, though you can't use facilities. When we walked from the water taxi dock, we along with the whole throng from the ferry followed some local guy. Just tip the guy a few bucks or otherwise you will get badgered till you do. If you want to avoid that, just take a regular taxi.

There's always the option to "wing it" and book something at the port when you arrive. We've done that a few times and had great experiences.

 

CeleBrat

"Wing it" or "Free-styling" is what we often do now. After some bad cruise excursions through the cruise line, like paying twice as much for what was just a taxi ride to the beach we now always get off the ship and set out on our own. This might mean paying for an island tour that will end at the beach or renting a car. We have also in the past prebooked excursions with private operators. We have always been happy with private tours or winging it, something that can't be said about cruise line excursions.

Ultimately the cruise contract is there to protect the company. The cruise line may not follow the letter of the contract and provide extra leniency for PR purposes.

Also, it is also possible that depending on how far in advance, you may not be getting 100% of your original booking amount back. The difference could be the difference of the cancellation penalty based on how close to sailing you cancelled.

Yes. They changed it in like February.

Thanks for clarifying, This is likely why the OP is reading conflicting information since at one time fairly recently you couldn't do this.

Is being able to use them online for Fun Shop purchases a fairly new enhancement? I recall a year or so ago that we couldn't use them to purchase water prior to our cruise. We could only use them once we were on board for onboard purchases.

It's still there, but it actually has never turned into a sit down place at dinner like other ships that have the Cucina restaurant. At night, it is where Camp Ocean does the children's dinner.

Thanks for clarifying. We have been on both the Dream and the Magic and I must have confused the two.

Is there no place on receipts to write in a tip amount to be charged to your onboard account?

Previously on the Dream, it was a build your own pasta during lunch at turned in to table service Italian for dinner. Not sure if it is still the same.

There is no doubt that the cruise lines will return as soon as they consider it viable but as a side note, KLM have posted that they consider it will be at least a year before the island will be able to handle the pre Irma volume of tourists.

It may be a year, but it will probably be much longer than that for the island to return to pre Irma tourism levels. After Irvan, it took the Cayman Islands seven years to get back to the same tourism levels it saw before the hurricane in 2004. Cancellations are pouring in to many properties in the impacted areas. Even for places that think they may be able to reopen fairly soon, people are cancelling because of the uncertainty. Unfortunately it will be a long time before people have the confidence that to return.

Westjet is flying 'rescue flights' to/from St. Maarten.

 

Link

 

gary

Seeing the video of Front Street is what has given me a little glimmer of hope for the island. The port didn't seem too bad either given the fact that there was a category 5 hurricane last week so supply ships and then ships with merchandise shouldn't be that far off.

Thanks for the link to the video. While the buildings look intact, the amount of debris on the streets is concerning. There is a lot of corrugated steel that looks like it would be from the roof tops and that probably means a lot of water intrusion and the inside of those buildings could be far worse than it looks from the outside. There may really only be a shell in many cases. Some buildings may require a lot more than just cleaning up.

Their main issue will be getting supplies in to make the needed repairs. Being an island, they have to bring in 100% of what they need. Some people may decide not to rebuild and move on. I had read a story about an American that was living on the island owning a restaurant. She lost everything and decided to just move back to the United States. Who will be there to clean up what is left of what she had? Many foreign property owners may decide the same fate for their properties. In the end, it will be local authorities that have to clean up the mess, and that could be years in the future.

I really hope that the island can start taking cruise passengers soon, they will need the revenue. It will be a long uphill climb for them to get back on their feet.

I saw the video of front street. Both the courthouse and the church looked intact to me. There are lots of signs down and trees and debris to clear but it looked way better than I thought it would. The stores all have shutters and they withstood Irma but looters were still trying to get it post Irma.

I would not be surprised if the cruise lines are back by January. After hearing from friends and seeing the video of Phillipsburg DH thinks 2 months but I think January. Timeshare and vacationers will be slower to come back than the cruiseships.

 

Everyone knows that this little island took the brunt of a category 5 hurricane. Pretty will take a while, so if that is really important to a person I think that they should switch cruises. They can get new signage and clean up the debris in Phillipsburg but the hills are brown, the trees are broken and there will be buildings that are unrecognizable on the way to the beach.

 

I know that there is a Phillipsburg business association and they will want to be up and running ASAP. Hopefully Mother Nature will give them good weather as they move forward.

Would you mind sharing a link to the video? Any images and video I have seen so far are all from the air. I think it is hard to get a true sense of the destruction like you may see from street level photos and videos.

You have received incorrect advice. No matter what you've been told, DO NOT go to Greece without first getting the IDP from your local AAA office. What are you going to do if you get in an accident and don't have one when the police ask you for it, are you going to say "I don't have one because someone on an internet travel advice website told me it's OK to be here without it".......??? That will go over like a lead balloon. Remember: You'll be in a foreign country where you don't speak the language and where your rights vs. those of a local resident will be secondary, at best. Be smart. The IDP is only $15 if you bring your own 2 passport photos. No test or membership required.

Yes, sometimes it’s possible to rent a car, ATV or scooter just by showing your passport and a current drivers license. No problem.

BUT....................

If you get in an accident and don’t have the IDP you'll be in serious trouble with the Greek Police. Greek Law requires it and if you can't produce it you could possibly be detained until you come up with the cash to pay for any _and all_ damages to the vehicles involved regardless of whose fault it is and whether or not the damages were pre-existing (especially if the other car belongs to a local seizing the opportunity to play the system!)

AND...................

Your insurance, including what your credit card supposedly provides, will be invalidated because technically you will have been driving illegally.

And in that regard I also encourage you to take out the local insurance offered when you pick up the car, as much coverage as you can get. Don't rely on the automatic insurance your credit card claims to provide you. You'll be in a foreign country and there won't be a claims adjuster handy.

Just as important: Don't take "No Problem" as a substitute for indicating on the rental acceptance form every little scratch, dent, tear, stain, crack and missing part on the vehicle, inside and out and underneath. Take photos to back up your inspection. If the rental agent resists signing off on all that you've indicated walk away and find another agency.

I don't see where Greece is on the list in the link in Post #4? That said, we are renting a car in Rhodes and will be getting an IDP. A lot of people here are using the term International Drivers License, that is incorrect as stated in post #4, it is indeed an International Driving Permit.

I believe the word you wanted was 'complication', not symptom. The symptoms of Zika are flu like ones. Birth defects, Guillain-Barre syndrome and others are the rare complications of the disease.

You are correct, my point was that the issue isn't just birth defects. People with compromised immune systems should also take protective measures as well as just about anyone else. I wouldn't base my decision on which islands to go to on Zika, just take precautions regardless of the ones you choose.

Do you mean at the Terminal ? Most cruises originate in US ports, so US Dollars.

And the Vista doesn't offer currency exchange onboard, so only US Dollars accepted on the ship.

Either in the terminal or onboard. You can put cash down on a cruise at Guest Services. Since the Vista is currently sailing out of Europe, they must have people that try to put Pounds or Euros on a cash account?

Wow you certainly brought up a controversial topic! Everyone has an opinion on this issue.

This topic always gets people riled up. We have passports since we travel a lot to Cancun or Aruba. We are also going on a European trip this week. So we will always have a passport. If this is a single trip on a closed loop US based cruise, then you can forego the passport. For a family of four, the $500 can be put to other uses.

Unless your elderly parents are considering giving you another sibling, there's nothing to worry about. [emoji4]

 

 

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Birth defects are not the only symptoms of Zika, if they even are. Of course, other symptoms are usually uncommon and many people will never know they had Zika. Though some can have similar symptoms of the flu. Not something I would want to catch if I can avoid it.

The currency standard for the ship is US Dollars.

 

And Guest Services does not offer any Euros to US Dallars currency exchange.

What about people that want a cash account? Do they have to put US$ on their account, or can they put down Euro or Pound?

Thanks everyone. Guess I will go with two out of three. We booked a car rental in Rhodes based on local time=ships time. Worst case, the time we booked for will be when the ship docks. The rental company knows we are arriving on the Vista and are doing a port pickup. So I suspect we will have no issues.