shipgeeks

51 minutes ago, loman said:

I dont bring any extra crap. I like to travel light .

Cash and a credit card on hand if anything comes up .

Toothbrush and hairbrush.

Not much else.

Vision of the Seas, from Baltimore, does a nice 9-night C/NE cruise several times each season.

16 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

I used one of the larger online travel companies, and everything went fine.  I did notice that their advertised low fare increased significantly when the "fees and taxes" were added on. 

Ours clearly says "based on double occupancy" (which is our default), includes our loyalty status, and states that it includes port fees but not airfare nor taxes.  Any time I log on, the responses are automatically personalized for us.

Yes, it was a great group (or non-group) of passengers. We've probably gotten group rates on other cruises, but never had any reason to sense that we were part of a group.

Years ago, we used to browse different online agent sites.  We found some to be very confusing and hard to navigate (does this price include port fees or not??), and eventually found one that was very clear and straightforward, and easy to navigate.  We used that one for a long time for doing research (same as I used the Sears catalog as a wish book when I was a kid).  We decided to give them a try, and the rest is history.  First time, we call, and are connected with an agent, who becomes our usual agent. When we choose a cruise, we email him, he calls with a cabin and price, we book, he sends us an email confirmation. For us, it works well every time.

Funny story: This agency has a group bookings department, which our agent has used to get us a better price. On one cruise, we found that our MDR table seated 11 people, all of whom came to dinner each night.  The AHW asked us how we all knew each other.  We didn't; we were from all over the country.  Apparently we had been booked as a group, and the cruise line had taken that literally. (It was a great table.)

We have never bought a drink package; not tee-totalers, but would never find it worthwhile for our few evening drinks.

We do enjoy many of the free drinks, coffee, tea, iced tea, lemonade, Arnold Palmers, juices, and most importantly, the ship's water, from bathroom tap and from dispensers. Much nicer than any bottled water.

I have to agree with the point about being off the ship many days, and not being able to sit around the pool with Pina Coladas all day.

Thanks!  Yes, sunscreen is the only thing I could think of that would make the use of two appropriate. But I've looked at mine, and it doesn't seem to contain any sunscreen.

I'm using the one I have, and my face has not fallen off or anything. And I'm telling myself it is fresher if I use just one til it runs out.

We are both definitely Ship people. We want to be on a smaller ship, with a promenade deck and other outdoor spaces, and views of the sea while we sail.  Seeing the sea and sky (and maybe flying fish) and feeling the movement of the ship.

We have cruised to many destinations, and many are now repeats.  Our favorite cruises have been the long stretches of sea days, on a TA or Hawaii.

The only ports at which we now usually get off the ship are on a C/NE itinerary.

GeezerCouple, You have confirmed for me what I always thought.  So many people seem to think that having travel insurance is the perfect solution for anything that could go wrong, whereas we just make sure our credit cards/funds will cover emergencies.

Most of the products I use/see are named one or the other: Day or Night. What's the difference?  Any disadvantage to using just one for both applications?

I know that many non-US hospitals require payment upfront, often $$$. I always wonder if having evidence of travel insurance is sufficient in that position. Doesn't insurance always require that we pay for a service and then submit claims for reimbursement?

Yes, gloves, and a ski-type headband to keep ears warm.

When we did our AK cruise, all we could justify was an inside cabin.  Due to circumstances, we were moved to a balcony, our first.  We did not enjoy it.  We do like being able to look out, but the balcony obstructed our view of the water and scenery.

We spent virtually all our waking hours up on the top deck, watching the scenery in all directions, getting sunshine if it was a sunny day.

During the 10-night cruise, we only spent a couple of hours, one afternoon, out on the balcony, and we were not at all comfortable.

Have a wonderful cruise!

Just now, Koohiichan said:

Won’t they just add gratuity as a daily charge once you board?

 

I seem to recall this from years ago.

Yes.

On any ship, an odor while in port can frequently be traced to the fact that fuel is being taken on. Gas station aroma.

OP, I took your title to mean "give up entirely/forever, kicking the habit".  Could I do that?  Maybe, as I'm sure there are things I could give up if my doctor said I absolutely had to, for example.

But why would I?  It seems that many posters base their answers on cost.  For us, cruising is one of the few things we spend money on, and actually, it is not a lot.  We have no interest in booking the newest, biggest ship, nor in a suite or balcony.  We love the older ships, and an OV cabin. 
When I compare the prices of rail trips, hotels. resorts, beach condos, we always come out ahead.  We scrimped and saved all our working years; we are now enjoying the benefits of those efforts.  So we will keep cruising as long as we enjoy it as much as we do now.

I believe Pax existed long before CC, MDR, OP, and all the other shortcuts were created.

Could she be moved to the Philadelphia Navy Yard?

Yes, in many countries outside of the US, requiring payment upfront is usual.

I assume that would normally require a credit card.  I sometimes wonder if having evidence of travel insurance would even be accepted by a hospital, or cash or credit card only.

Would a hot water bottle work?  Plenty of hot water in the bathroom to fill it up.

Posts get deleted all the time; definitely not just re MSC.

7 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

@Swin-2-winSorry...wanted to add we sailed on the Mera Oct 2019 with "the masses". 

 

Although I loved the cruise (big pizza eater here) the crowd seemed to be a lot of "foreign groups" with different cultural norms. I'm not xenophobic....and I'm a NYCer....so I'm used to "non Americans pushing" etc...but I can understand why a lot of people get turned off.

4 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

When you get to be my age...and DH uses a cane...you'll gladly shell out the extra cash.  We only tried YC because I needed a rest from being his butler!

We were in with the masses on Carnival and NCL after our YC experience...and both were good cruises. But YC...was not "good"...it was "uber great"!

One of the things we liked The Most was the passenger makeup, with Americans in the minority; it just felt more like being away on vacation rather than close to home with people just like us.  So much easier than having to fly to Italy.

And we are probably older than you; both of us sometimes use canes....and we would still book Bella and cruise with the masses.

We loved ours, walking distances notwithstanding. I agree about not being able to use the area under the slant, and I had to put postits on the window to keep from bumping my head all the time. But we loved the views.  Re keeping the curtains securely closed all night, I heard that is required even after we turn the lights off, as there is still interference from the door peephole, little light on the tv, etc.

58 minutes ago, peder said:

Surely someone here is old enough to have been on the Monterey, Melody, or Achille Lauro? 😅

6 hours ago, Beamafar said:

Melody lol.  😜 Gone before we ever started on MSC.  (Can Melody even be called a ship?!! 🤣🤣). 

Melody, 2002, out of Fort Lauderdale.  MSC was "more different" from other cruiselines than it is now. There was a learning curve for getting the most out of the experience, but in the end, a fine cruise. Great cabin, fabulous music and dancing and activities.

In talking with the Captain on Seaside in 2020, we learned that he was an officer on Melody while we were aboard.

And in my case, I pack my own shampoo because there is too much conditioner in the dispenser. I need extra body type shampoo.

(dup)