Fouremco

1 hour ago, latebuyer said:

Thank you! Thinking of pulling the trigger and buying the stock. Wish i had bought it during covid.

Well, the price has dropped about $4 over the last couple of months, so while it isn't COVID-level pricing, it's not too bad.

None on my MacBook running Safari, but I too run an ad blocker.

While we've had umbrellas when booking a Vista suite, I've read a number of posts written by passengers whose umbrella were nowhere to be found. Take rain gear or your own umbrella, just in case.

On my MacBook using Safari, I still can't access Boards in a normal window, but I can access all other parts of CC. By switching to a private window, I can access Boards as well. Very strange, and hopefully CC will come up with a remedy soon.

Although a regular cabin, we sailed in 8080 aboard the Nieuw Statendam. As you can see, it is adjacent to the stairs and elevators, and we were concerned about the possible noise. In making our final selection, however, the balcony size and cabin location outweighed our fear of potential noise. As it turned out, there was absolutely no disruptive noise, and we couldn't have been happier with our decision. Ours was a 14-night cruise with a full passenger load, but still no noise from those waiting for or exiting the elevators or staircase.

38 minutes ago, cmaleblanc said:

Does AMEX do this every time?

From the Canadian AMEX website:

If the charge is not in U.S. dollars, the conversion will be made through U.S. dollars, by converting the charge amount into U.S. dollars and then by converting the U.S. dollar amount into Canadian dollars. If the charge is in U.S. dollars, it will be converted directly into Canadian dollars.

 

We can talk about tour companies on here right?  I know that we cannot name TA's...

Definitely. The ports of call forums are full of posts discussing/mentioning specific tour companies. Ditto roll calls. Go for it!

My preference is always to have passenger cabin on the decks above and below me. As 4166 is located above the Vista Dining Room, I'd not consider it. In the event that it makes a difference to you, this cabin only has a shower, no bath.

On the other hand, I enjoy stern cabins, and 7149 would be a good choice IMO.

Personally, I wouldn't pay the extra money for 6115. We'd rather maximize the number of cruises within our travel budget and forego the extra space and perks associated with a signature suite. 

There are lots of posts discussing/mentioning tugo, not all on this forum. Use "everywhere" for your search parameter and you should find 'em all.

3 hours ago, TRLD said:

I have seen groups take over entire dining venue for a cruise, block a specialty dining venue for multiple nights, and many other things on HAL and its main competition Celebrity and Princess.

Fortunately, there are multiple dining venues, and no one is denied a meal. I've cruised with many groups aboard, of varying sizes, and have never gone hungry. 😇 

1 hour ago, Water_Baby_ said:

 

I've never been charged an FX fee with that card. Very weird. I don't use it in the US (I have an American AMEX that I use there) but no charges in the UK or Europe. How odd ... 

There are innumerable websites that discuss the features of the many Canadian credit cards, and all say the same thing: AMEX Cobalt charges a foreign exchange fee. More importantly, your cardholder agree says the same thing. The difference between this card and the majority of other cards charging an FX fee is that AMEX hides the fee by incorporating it in the conversion rate instead of listing it as a separate item.

20 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

I can’t believe that AMEX goes through a conversion to US$ and then to CAD$. I have never had that with Visa ans Mastercard. 

Rogers used to do that with their Mastercards, but changed to direct conversion to CAD a few years ago. Hopefully AMEX will follow suit in due course.

When you purchase any type of beverage package, RCI automatically charges you an additional 18% for gratuities. If you look at your receipt for the packages you purchased, you should see that amount reflected. You will not be charged anything further.

2 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

I would consider it to include cruise if your port stop  is less than 24 hours 

on a TA the ship is stoping for supplies as it continues to its final destination 

On a TA or any other cruise, a port stop is an integral part of your itinerary. That's very different than the situation when a passenger lands in a foreign country while in transit and then continues on to a final destination. 

For a cruise, it's not the destination, it's the journey.

3 minutes ago, daisy-mae said:

I assume this would apply to air travel. However, I can't help but wonder if each port of call could be considered a stopover or does a cruise consist of multiple destinations?

Like you, I assume this applies to air travel, not cruises. There are very, very countries that a cruiser visits for over 24 hours.

Rainy day in a rainy week... But the lawn is greening up nicely. 😇 

2 minutes ago, Middleager said:

Ok, that's a special one, of Scotiabank/Amex partnership.  You apply for that card through Scotiabank, not Amex.  Amex doesn't list that as a card you can apply through them, or show that card in Amex websites.

 

I don't know of Amex Amex card with no FX fee.

LOL. I agree, there are no "Amex Amex" cards without FX fees. While I like my Amex Cobalt card, it stays in my wallet when travelling outside of Canada.

I agree with @lx200gps. Head to Old Montreal or the downtown core as soon as you arrive. A much better choice of accommodation and restaurants than you'll find near the airport.

5 minutes ago, Middleager said:

Which Amex card?  Most of the Amex cards we know of, charge foreign exchange fees.  If paying USD, it's 2.5%.  If other countries, they charge 2.5% to convert to USD, then another 2.5% converting to Cad.

The Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card charges no foreign exchange fees.

The right of "innocent passage" through the territorial seas of a country is granted to ships of all states under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This means that ships can traverse the territorial waters of a coastal state without entering its internal waters or calling at a port facility, as long as the passage is "innocent" and not prejudicial to the peace, good order or security of the coastal state. Passage through its territorial waters does not constitute a visit to the coastal state.

On the other hand, while there is a right of innocent passage through territorial waters, no such right exists for internal waters, where the coastal state has full sovereignty. Passage through the internal waters constitutes a visit to that country.

If you were to draw a line connecting all of the outermost islands constituting the Bahamian Archipelago, all waters lying within form the internal waters of the Bahamas. Assuming that your ship entered these waters, even though you never tendered to HMC, you are considered to have visited the Bahamas.

NEXUS doesn't have its own definition of what constitutes a "visit", but when in doubt, I'd always recommend including a country. It certainly won't hurt your application, and avoids any possible need to justify why you failed to include a country.
 

OP, just so you are aware, in addition to the regular cruise port, there is a tender port to the south west, further away from the cathedral. The itinerary for our Nieuw Statendam cruise showed the wrong port location for both Bergen and Trondheim, but as I often do, I'd checked directly with the port authority and received the correct information. In both cases, it made a change to our planning for the two ports.

The walk to the cathedral from the cruise port is quite doable and is very pleasant. From the tender port, however, it's longer and not particularly enjoyable. However, the shuttle bus is available.

17 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

We probably don’t have the complete story 

If you life medication in your carry on , why would you check it 🤔

 

Let's not for get that this was a young girl who, unlike most of the posters here, might well have been taking her first international flight. Perhaps her first flight, period. Consequently, she may not have thought about such issues as keeping her meds with her when she volunteered to gate check her carry on.

The one question that comes to mind is why it appears that no one took the time to explain to the clearly upset youngster that her bag hadn't been left behind and had been loaded aboard the plane. Perhaps the earlier delays had put the crew in a tetchy mood.

5 minutes ago, Fairgarth said:

 

When I have been asked to check a carry-on, the agent has been very clear that I should first remove and retain any valuables, medications and lithium batteries.  That last is very important since they do not want spontaneous combustion in the belly.  I truly can't believe that any agent would take the carry-on without first advising the passenger.  That has to be mandatory.

On the other hand, I've been asked to check my carry-on bag on a number of occasions and have never been asked about meds or lithium batteries. Maybe it depends on the airline or airport?

Given the circumstances, this case sounds like a very good candidate for a successful appeal. There appears to have been no mens rea on the part of your daughter, the offence was quite minor, and association with your daughter seems a pretty flimsy excuse for revocation IMO.

The appeal process is laid out here: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/services/travel-voyage/prog/nexus/appeal-appel-eng.html

Another useful link: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/services/travel-voyage/prog/nexus/lose-perdez-eng.html

I do hope that you proceed with an appeal, and that you are successful.

46 minutes ago, daisy-mae said:

And would CBSA have a record of our visit?

It's highly unlikely that CBSA would have any record of your visit, but it is entirely possible that US CBP has a record. Assuming that your cruise started and/or finished in the US, it would have received the passenger manifest, although I don't know how long they would retain it. Also, while both US and Canadian indices are checked, I don't know whether or not passenger manifests are included in the checks. So, there is a (very) slim chance that your visit to Jamaica might be revealed. As you did visit, albeit without going ashore, include it in the list of visited countries.

 Unless there have been recent changes that I have missed, valid passports, passport cards, and NEXUS or FAST cards satisfy the marine entry requirements for US citizens. Original birth certificates don't meet the requirements, while enhanced drivers licenses are acceptable if issued by a limited number of states, excluding Georgia. 

Here's a look at three cruise ships in Juneau, two docked port side in, one starboard side in. Another day and a different trio of ships, the arrangement might be quite different.

I took this photo in Skagway, and as you can see, we were docked starboard side in. Rather the a view of the town, however, all you could see was sheer mountainside.

As we spent no time looking out from our balcony when docked in port, it really didn't matter which side we docked on. Consider all the other factors that go into choosing a cabin, and ignore docking side. 

1 hour ago, LB_NJ said:

Not all lines do this.  Last time I sailed on them the following didn’t: Cunard, Oceania, and Celebrity.

Correct, not all cruise lines followed this course of action. That said, I know that Celebrity certainly did. Here's a January 17, 2018 "Today" describing the policy, posted by a passenger aboard the Eclipse.