wcook

Baby club? Is that kinda like a seal club? If so, I’m 100% against.

Just some random data points, but on my last cruise we made 4/6 scheduled disembarkment times, were 15-20 minutes late on one, and a bit over an hour late on one.

I struggle with the ethics of traveling to “bad” countries. For now, I believe the benefits almost always outweigh the negatives. But I completely respect people who feel differently.

The finance boys and girls at the cruise lines did an amazing job of keeping their companies solvent despite massive overhead and almost two years of limited to no revenue. Now they are transitioning from “keep the company afloat” to “make bucketloads of profit to keep the shareholders happy.” Expect more cost cutting.

I was gonna suggest the OP dress in layers of sensible clothes that coordinate well. Various shades of black, white and grey. But your plan for her to wear “memorable taffeta and sparkles” is much better.

Good luck with your visa issue. Just curious, what cruise are you taking with a port stop in Nicaragua? Sounds cool (other than the visa thing.)

It certainly was in 1912

Absolutely get your money’s worth. If nothing else, order a full order of chicken fingers, not just one finger 🙂

Red Sea.

Two fun cruise Youtubers I follow are posting live from a Australia/New Zealand cruise. Gotta say, I’m not that impressed. But to be fair, they are having terrible weather.

Am I the only degenerate who has no interest in a mixology experience and just wants some booze?

Every auction I’ve been to recently has been very clear what you are getting: one-of-a-kind art, prints, etc. And there hasn’t been a hint they you are buying an investment. I suspect Park West has been sued too many times and the lawyers have cracked down.

If you drop your bags off at the port to be brought up to your room, those guys work for the port and have not been tipped. Same with any local guides you get on shore. But everybody on the boat is included in your service fees and mandatory 20% gratuity. Feel free to tip more, especially if somebody has gone above, but you can go the entire cruise without tipping a dime and feel zero guilt.

Customs official: Anything to declare? You: Just some coke we got in Mexico. That’s not a problem, is it?

My mom - who came from a generation where waste was simply not acceptable - always went to a restaurant prepared. A few zip loc bags in the purse and what not.

What comes below basic Prosecco? Don’t expect high quality stuff. But did I mention it’s free?

You show up and register. They let you in and you can grab free “champagne.” Dude will give a speech telling you why owning art is wonderful and how awesome Park West is. Then you get to wonder around and look at the art. Be sure to grab another champagne or mimosa. Then the auction starts. A paining comes out. We learn a little about the painting. Some quick bids and on to the next. High energy, but no pressure to bid or buy. They mix up the auctions with raffles and special auctions. Can get boring if it goes on too long, but I find them to be goofy entertainment. Plus, did I mention the free “champagne”?

Several times on my recent cruise: Elevator *finally* comes. There are already 15 people but they are like “come on in, we can squeeze.” Me: I really should have worn my mask.

Are you sure the excursion starts at 7:45 and end at 8:45? Or does it just have a 7:45 meeting time. Which I would read as starting at 8:00 at the earliest, getting back at 9:00 at the earliest, but probably later.

Years ago on “another line” there was a tour of the French Navy base in Toulon. Not only did they check names, but passports were mandatory. Only time I’ve ever seen a tour care about names. And was obviously a very different tour than the standard party bus to the beach.

Keep in mind that even on ships with solo cabins, a single occupant inside cabin might be cheaper. I don’t worry about the specific cabin types. I just do a search for cruises after specifying one person and see what comes up affordable. I search using one of the huge on line travel agencies because they make it easy to search for one person prices. Not every site makes it easy.

Zero. They force the video to be played. They don’t force you to watch it. Some of the other cruise lines put a code or something at the end of the video which you have to enter/call to prove you watched it. Not NCL. For the curious, here’s the gist of the video: In an emergency, go to your muster station and do what they tell you.

If Noro didn’t keep me from cruising, Covid isn’t.

As my dad would say, “don’t piss on my ear and tell me it’s raining.” Note: my dad was a weird guy.

Worse case scenario is you pay the difference between the bourbon you want and $15. Plus 20% gratuity on difference. Could be cheaper than upgrading the whole package. Note that I wouldn’t hold out hope for excellent bartending. I ordered a bourbon at the Whiskey bar on the Epic last week, got a confused look and was offered Jack Daniels.