wcook

You know it’s good booze when some celebrity slaps their name on it.

And passengers jump off the bridge back onto the ship. A highlight of the cruise!

Lol. We cruisers are funny. “Enough with the tourist stuff, give us authentic experiences.” But also, “This is boring. Where are the zip lines and souvenir shops?” As for the other stuff, it’s all moot as long as the PVSA is around. But I honestly believe Anchorage/Aleutians would be viable if allowed.

The problem is that it’s hard to visit those ports and Canada except on longer cruises.

No need to even go down to South East Alaska. Which opens up Anchorage-Anchorage, Valdez, Homer, Kodiak, Dutch Harbor etc.

Speaking just for myself, and talking about tourism in general not just Alaska, but at some point the tacky tourist traps are just as “real” as anything else.

The PVSA is part of the problem. Every cruise has to dock in Canada. There would be many more options if you could do Alaska-only cruises. Alaska’s congressional delegation was able to get a brief exception to the PVSA during Covid. They tried (and failed) to make the exception permanent. Maybe someday.

If that’s the one YouTubers Pair-o-Dee-Jay were on, I feel like I was there with you. Great trip. And it was funny seeing the contrast between ports that get a handful of ships in a year vs the ports that have a handful of ships every day.

Seems to be an issue at many ports. I always picture the ship pulling up, somebody dropping one of those orange extension cords down, only to discover it has the wrong plugs. Then there’s a big scramble as they look for an adapter.

I was told there would be no math

The good news is… no snow! According to my phone’s AI The average temperature is in the mid-80s for most islands and the mainland, with occasional showers. The Caribbean's seasonal climate varies by region, so it's important to know the climate of the specific islands you're visiting.

Huge thanks to everybody. You’ve given me a lot to think about.

Cat?

🤔

Sapphire Princess. And yes, the no smoking casino was something that looked great with Celebrity

I have a cruise set on a different line for June 2025. But for practical reasons, switching to the Summit makes sense. I’ve never sailed Celebrity, so went to watch some videos and… it’s not grabbing me. Nothing I can put my finger on, just that nothing makes me say, “oh wow, that looks great.” So a plea to Celebrity fans in general and Summit fans in particular, what are some nice things I should focus on. I’m especially interested in little things - a favorite dish, a secret viewing spot, etc. Thanks!

There are several private companies out there and they are very good at optimizing search engines so they show up when you Google something like “do I need a visa for France.” Since these companies are in the business of helping you get visas, their information on who needs a visa can be sketchy. I suggest avoiding them.

You know what I like about $5 bottles of wine? It’s wine. To be honest, I think a few folks on this board would benefit from a glass or two.

In the “Dress Code Wars,” us slobs have won.

Chief Brody has been proven right.

Not strictly cruise related, but don’t eat the yellow snow. Mostly relevant for Alaska cruises I guess. Though if you come across yellow snow in the Caribbean you absolutely should avoid it.

I believe, and the majority of the general public vote with their wallet, that bigger ships are better. No reason to be afraid.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 4-7 night cruise on a mainstream line that had zero sea days. I think the best you can hope for is a cruise with only one sea day.

My grandparents all lived in Miami. We wore shorts constantly 🙂

Kinda wasteful don’t you think?