vivAtornado

How short-sighted can you be? I'm not a Celebrity fan but I do believe they attract a more accomplished and well-traveled clientele than most other mass market lines. It really has little to do with age and more to do "worldliness."

We are Oceania loyalists and have seen everything from young families to seasoned elders. What they have in common (more than age), i .e., a cosmopolitan lifestyle, is "what makes them O sailors?"

At the bottom line, do you want to have dinner conversations about world affairs and garner a few valuable professional contacts OR do you want to just talk about "how 'bout them Niners?"

I'm sorry but as a person in my 30s are you saying that i do not know how to talk about world affairs, or am a professional person with a career? i don't give a crap about sports.

two way ageism here

sorry i had another thought. at my doctor i can't even get my shot if my allergist isn't in the building, incase of a reaction. i don't think my dr would ever release the serums...but if you find out anything different i would be most interested to hear!

not to my knowledge. I've been getting allergy shots for about 9 years and whenever i travel I'm simply on a pause. sometimes that means you regress a little bit on your treatment, but i always discuss it before i go. when I'm on weekly shots it sucks to miss some, but when I'm up to monthly its not *so* bad.

judgey judgersons.

if someone enjoys is - awesome! if someone doesn't, great! don't go!

is it harder than that?

i am so sorry for your loss.

i agree with the others, that only you will really know if you are ready. i lost my travel companion about 4 years ago and i did a lot of travel experiments to see what i could handle. thankfully, i have been able to cruise and vacation and enjoy it...but like anyone who has left us, the memory will strike you at the most unexpected times with either a smile or some sadness.

best to you xo.

lobster shells do freak me out some, but if i can get past that i do love them. i usually have 2.

although i must confess - lobster is really just an excuse for me to eat liquid butter.

great, thank you guys so much. i feel a little more comfortable now :)

Hi All - question for the veteran HAL cruisers. I have searched through the forums as best as i can, but most threads are very old or not clear.

heating pads - i realize people have an opinion on this, but i would like to know what the actual rule is? i looked through my documents and found nothing banning them, but i can tell people don't like it. I'm having some major sciatica issues this week that are only helped by lying on a heating pad and moving it around to different areas - the disposable thermal pads won't cut it for this. I'm really really ReALLY bummed about the possibility of pain on my only vacation in two years, but it is what it is. I'm hoping its better before then - but I'm trying to be prepared. id rather use heat than pain killers.

aromatherapy/essential oils - does anyone take portable diffusers with them? again, also not on the list of banned items. if you're into oils, but don't take a diffuser what are some alternatives you use to enjoy your oils?

advice and constructive feedback appreciated!

given how painful q&as typically are with movies/film festivals, musicians and authors, I'm sure they disapeared for the same reason!

So far I have taken 2, 7 day cruises and have returned with the feeling like I'm still on the ship.

 

I don't get motion sick onboard, just after I'm traveling or at port when I'm not moving.

 

I'm told this is MdDS (by an ENT MD)... I'd really like to find something to lessen the severity of my symptoms when I return from my next 5 day cruise or I may have to give up on cruising.

 

Does anyone else have this problem? Do you do anything for it? How long do your symptoms last. (Mine last 2 weeks for a 7 day cruise.)

 

http://www.mddsfoundation.org/understanding-mdds/

 

 

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i do a few things. i really really really tend to my sinus/ear health. i have allergies at home but i only tend to them at their worst. on a cruise i keep up all the irrigation and rx nose sprays etc. i also wear a patch - all that said, i still feel it for a few days after cruising, but it is not severe.

the only exception for this is when i took a small boat around cape horn. the seas were so extreme i had it terribly for 6 weeks.

good luck!

passports, xerox copies of your passports and at least two pairs of walking shoes (incase a pair gets wet or ruined). and stomach medication, just incase.

the rest is whatever you usually need :)

Your comments are so old fashion and turn younger potential HAL cruisers off. The cruise line by design has decided to be less formal. If you don't like it move on but please don't insult people with different tastes in clothing, it's "boorish".

preach. every generation has their opinion on what is proper - there is no right answer here.

for myself - yeah, i usually put on something i would wear to work for the "formal" nights, but other nights? i have no objection to wearing a nice pair of jeans and a non t-shirt top.

i have subscriptions to the theater here in LA, and i wear jeans to that on a regular basis. and i never wear anything but sneakers.

doesn't bother anyone else that i dress how I'm comfortable. live and let live.

curd are also at sprouts :)

eh. i have some brand loyalty and these guys fit it so..

That sounds like the Doubletree Bayside which is in Dorchester down by the JFK Library and UMass Boston. Closest T station would be JFK/UMass. Definitely not a downtown hotel - at least 30 min to get in town and not a lot of amenities nearby.

like i said - i am not interested in boston since i have been many many times. my suggestion was as a place to sleep and shower, rather than flying in the same day as a departure.

just have a good time, go with your gut and it will be fine. obviously people have strong opinions on what they think is proper, but we all come from different walks of life. do what feels right for your and your family.

I've booked a doubletree in boston - it has complimentary shuttles to/from logan as well as to/from the port. i am not interested in the city itself since I've been many times, so I'm not sure if thats a concern. its around 210.

do i need to learn french? i know the very basic pleasantries from former trips to france, but it didn't even cross my mind i might need it in montreal. i will be there for almost a week. i am always happy to try and speak the preferred language when i travel, i find people tend to appreciate the effort when they tell me its okay just speak in english= just wasn't sure about this part!

i also often provide feedback in the service industry, as i managed a customer service platform for almost a decade. as a result, i am in some ways more understanding and more critical of service issues. i feel that i often know what is reasonable and what is not. i strive to provide both negative and positive feedback, as a manager i found all types of feedback helped better our service in the long run. there are times compensation is a appropriate, there are times acknowledgement is all you need. all situations are different. my standards are WWID. what would i do!?

I have found that even if you load up your onboard account with cash before boarding, HAL will still zap your credit/debit card for the customary $60/$30 per day/per person credit hold. ($30 per day for cruises longer than 25 days).

sort of off topic, but you have just reminded me of a question. for ships departing from the us and ending in canada, will these charges from your ship spending be american or canadian? some of my cards have foreign transaction fees and this would help me determine which to use! Thanks :)

I went on a Canada / New England cruise on the Veendam a couple years ago. I cruised solo, but I'm older than you. ;)

 

I used the self service laundry on that cruise.

 

I went into Bar Harbor at about 10AM, walked around, had lunch and went back to the ship around 2pm. I had plenty of time for what I wanted which was basically to shop. There is a little town square with free wifi. I did sit there for a bit. You'll see a lot of other people doing the same.

 

In the end, I didn't do the specialty dining because the room and menu didn't look that inviting to me.

 

I believe the rooms were available when I got on the ship.

 

Things change over time depending on who's cooking the food, but I really enjoyed some of the evening buffet offerings. I splurged on some pastas and they had a nice Bolognese sauce. I've read that the buffet has been redone during drydock and they no longer offer sandwiches made to order. At the PEI (not sure of your itinerary), they brought on PEI mussels and had them at the buffet. At Dive In ( the grill by the pool ) they had a Poutine Bar one day instead of the normal nachos. Very unusual offering. Salad bar is my go to thing and it was nice. My big splurge was the ice cream cones in the buffet. Too tempting. Oh, one afternoon, they had lobster rolls in the buffet, but they were not very good.

 

I went in September. Some people used the hot tubs, but I don't recall seeing a lot of swimming, but I could be wrong. It was very cold one day. I wished I'd brought warmer clothes and ended up buying sweatshirts in Bar Harbor.

 

Good luck.

thank you so much for the feedback!

Joe, your tag line says it all. One persons slight is another persons compliment. Maybe the contractors were actually admiring the person in their own way.

::head explodes::

there is no situation in which this behavior is acceptable -in any walk of life, but especially in a service based business. those trying to defend this as anything other than wrong and a serious issue needing to be addressed ..well ill keep those thoughts to myself.

regardless, HAL needs to acknowledge the issue and investigate to ensure it is not repeated behavior in the future. there should be no tolerate for that sort of behavior.

op i hope you find a resolution with HAL, and i am so sorry to hear your experience.

i like to travel so i have a travel savings account that automatically debits every time i get a paycheck. this helps me build up a nice little egg for the big purchases. i am also very strategic with my loyalty earning with airlines and hotels so that those are covered. and then, once a trip is booked i begin saving for the NEXT trip. as for saving for the current booked trip at this point, i start by literally stuffing any bill i break into something smaller than a 20$ into a jar. it helps me have nice cash on hand, especially for tipping.

i should probably put more in my 401k but. shrug.

as everyone says - it depends what makes your anxiety flare. and also to clarify - if you are just nervous about it, or have actual anxiety with panic attacks that require xanax//ativan.

i have an anxiety disorder, but luckily it doesn't effect travel for me. getting on a cruise can be annoying and hectic - kind of like getting on a plane that charges for checked luggage. i do have friends that have severe anxiety in crowds, and i have always suggested they avoid cruises. buffet can be hectic and getting off the boat right when it docks as well as waiting for the MDR a few minutes before it opens. otherwise its not too bad. just depends what you can handle!

I've only had one bad embarkation and it was when the cruise terminal was switched at the last minute to a terminal not equipped to handle everything..but that was just sit around and wait mostly.

people have suggested faster to the fun for carnival - and i would recommend that as well. when i used that option i had the best boarding experience.

i hope you find what works for you and have a great time!