joe6666

I do know they are having tidal issues there. The larger the ship, the more water that gets displaced. When they have high tides, especially around Fall time, a passing cruise ship is not a good thing.

I'm sure there issues that we dont know about other than just the numerous amounts of tourists these places draw. Sometimes the local people do know what is best for their communities both economically and sustainability of the constant traffic due to the tourism. I believe we should at least listen to all the issues and find out the most effective way to preserve both of these beautiful places for future generations.

What?

You say a cruise ship tied up in Key West causes high tides?

I saw the episode of "*******" where the guy went swimming in a large septic tank that was part of a sewage treatment plant.

He didn't die.... So it must be OK.

:):)

For those sailing in ships with splash pools for non-potty trained babies, those are the best. Otherwise, the duck pool worked for us. I am certain older kids and some adults probably go #1 in the pool.

Does the "Splash Pool" drain water go to the same place as all the other drain water and cycle back through the system?

Oh... just in case you need to see more.

http://www.epicfail.com/2013/04/06/hot-streak-fail/

http://babyparenting.about.com/b/2009/07/11/swim-diapers-yes-or-no.htm

Please.... can't you just keep your baby's waste out of pools?

Do you REALLY think kids that are able to swim in the pool aren't peeing in it?? Or adults?! Come on.

I'm thinking... Yes. Kids and some adults pee in the pools.

I know of no way to prevent this.

The adults probably don't poop in the pool.

Probably the best thing would be to put some kind of dye marker in the infant diaper in order to alarm when a leak has occurred.

Here's the thing..

The cruise line has rules about infants in diapers in pools. If you have an infant peeing and pooping in a plastic baby pool and then you empty the filthy water into one of the many pool water drains, you are simply delaying the contamination.

OK.... So when your infant is done pooping in the inflatable do you just dump the poop water into the pool water?

It hasn't been that long since Sr. Frogs was not just another bar.

Why would so many people be interested in the next cruise of total strangers?:)

I guess I'm in the minority - I don't care how it works. I do the prepaid gratuities and stop worrying about it.

 

I don't ask my local waitress how the tips in the restaurant are split and I wouldn't dream of asking my waiter on the cruise ship the same question.

 

I just consider the prepaid gratuities part of my fare and I go on vacation. :cool:

Exactly right.

The cruise line wants me to pay a suggested amount and they automatically charge my credit card by that amount.

End of story.

I'm so pissed about these mini bar overcharges that I will stop gratuities to the Cabin Steward if I catch them doing it.

Watch..... the year will be 2020 and Royal Caribbean will be offering a "Towel Animal Package".

The Wife and I have done many, many cruises and we really enjoy the ships. But I don't need any towel animals.

The way it's supposed to work is, I come back from dinner, find a towel animal, and think, "Oh how cute, I'll give him an extra tip".:)

A few times, I have told the Steward in a nice tone... "Please don't bother with any towel animals".

Well, it was like I had ruined his day. As if he had been waiting all his life to make towel animals for me, and I had disappointed him terribly.

If the Steward really wanted to please me, he could spend some extra time making sure I don't get charged for any of the mini bar stuff they insist on placing in my room.:)

I think towel animals were at one time a fun novelty, a nice surprise.

But now... I think they fall into the same category as the dining room staff stopping service while they all sing a song.

Oh.... I'm thinking of changing my screen name to "Crotchety old Fart".

What do you think?

This doesn't make sense?

 

You are saying that you are not sold on spending that much money on Alcohol to a poster

who had just pointed out how much you usually drink on a cruise and that it added up to almost the same amount as you would not spend?

 

I understand the wine bit though.

Sounds like the Wife is doing the posting and the Husband is doing the drinking.

I know! :eek: We actually had the waiter give us a bottle of an expensive wine the last cruise! Of course he was tipped very nicely. We looked at the wine packages and decided we could buy a couple of nice bottles then take the left overs to our room if we desired. We usually eat at a specialty place one time but will see, I don't have to have that if the service is good in the dining room. I really prefer to spend my money on something lasting much longer and making me feel better, not worse!:p

It sounds like you have a problem with drinking.

If it makes you feel bad, why are you doing it?

So is this only if you are sailing from Spain or to Spain? We will be Rome, Crete, Greece, Turkey, etc but never Spain. So we won't have this tax?

 

We figure the MOST we ever spent and felt we had all we wanted to drink the tab for 7 days for both of us was less than $400. This amount is excessive for us. We will probably buy a bottle or 2 of wine for dinner, then add the gatherings with some free drinks plus a few of our own, then we will be good. "I personally am not fond of paying to feel bad the next day or to be ill." ;)

2 bottles of wine at dinner $70 and $32 for a couple of $8 drinks each comes to $102

The premium package would be $110.

If drinking makes you feel bad, by all means, don't do it.

And remember.... You have to beat that $55 p/p each and every day.

I agree - especially on port intensive cruises. That being said, it wouldn't be hard to rack it up by drinking better than you usually might by getting higher end liquor/wine as the package allowed. I would definitely be getting Grey Goose rather than the gut eater Absolut!

 

Friends who get the package on Celebrity (and refuse to come over to the dark side of Royal Caribbean until they get a package...even though I think they'd enjoy themselves more) get their $$ worth by basically picking 2 good bottles of wine @ dinner each night. There's at least 1/2 the price of the daily packages covered. They start the day with a coffee + ??, a couple beers by the pool, some slushy icy drink, a bottle of water, a drink or 2 in the late evening. Easy to polish off $50 but you'd have to have more stamina than I do!

That's true. If the $55 package allows high end things, it could be easy to beat. As you say, a couple of bottles of expensive wine at dinner would do it.

The $33 p/p package we bought was limited to a wine list and bar drinks without high dollar alcohol.

The Wife and I did a $33 per person drink package on a 7 day on an MSC ship in Europe.

I kept all the slips and it came to $466 for the two of us.

And believe it or not, the package cost us $466.

How did they know?

Anyway,

I did some drinking on that cruise but the wife doesn't drink as much as I do. But still, I'm thinking it would be hard to drink $55 worth each every day.

On embarkation day, everyone is given a Public Health Questionnaire to fill out and submit when they check in. You are handed a form and then sent over to a table to fill out the questionnaire with pens that are provided on the table. Unfortunately, the pens provided have been previously used by other folks......some of which may be ill and not know it.

 

Click on one and it will bring you to a pdf file that is the Public Health Questionnaire that is handed out in the terminal. There are two forms per page.

 

You can print the forms off and have them ready to be signed once you arrive in the terminal. It's a simple matter of having your own pen with you and signing them prior to being checked in.

Thanks.....

If you get a W2 can you claim the cruise as a deduction?

http://wizardofodds.com/play/craps/

Try this....

Battle of Hastings?

If you pick your cruise dates you can get a kid free cruise.

I've done it.