Charles4515

I like the Lawn Club.

A European would get the same reaction if they tried to use Euros in the USA. US merchants won’t even take Canadian currency. I think most who get a $2 bill in the US hoard them. The same with $1 coins. That is why they, $2 bills and $1 coins are not in general circulation. I bring 50 dollar bills and if I need more I replenish at guest relations.

They will remember you as a goofball if you hand it out on a cruise ship.

They probably don't expect to get a tip from those who remove the auto tips. Despite the claims some here make that they remove them and pay cash many are lying. In any case the crew gets the list because if someone paid the autotips and pays an additional cash tip as many do, the crew does not have to put that cash into the pool. Any cash under that has to go into the pool. So the crew needs to know. Also the cruise line has an algorithm of what cash tips will be from those who remove auto gratuities. If more don't actually tip a crew member what the algoritm predicts the crew member is going to have to make it up. That is how the share of the pool is figured. So not turning in all the cash and getting caught probably is not worth the risk.

One time I saw the list laying on the cabin stewards cart in the hall.

The documentary in my opinion is somewhat vague on some matters probably for legal reasons. I would guess that litigation by survivers and survivers families and possible criminal charges is not settled. We have to draw our own conclusions. Mine is that the company that owned the island and was also the tour company bares the responsibility for the deaths and injuries. There should not have been land tours. There was increase gas and mud being ejected in the days before the eruprtion. An eathquake in the area. The documentary is on Netflix. I will warn that it is very disturbing.

A little research on the internet would have informed the tourists that the Volcano was always active. Always releasing gas. It has erupted often. So to me this cis not a case hindsight is not 20/20. It was a known fact the volcano was active and erupted often. Some people get a thrill out of taking risks. They get high off of tempting fate. To me this excursion was tempting fate.

If the flight info posted was correct they should have gotten there in time to board.

You should always book a flighr a whole day before. In the winter I book two days before. Even if bad winter weather is not in your local area storms a thousand or two miles away affect flights.

I suggest for a group that size you would be better off using a travel agent otherwise you will be doing all the work. You might want all the group seated together in the MDR. A group event. Also there might be group perks available. Easier with a travel agent.

RCI does have responsibilities although in my opinion they were secondary. The tourists on White Island when it erupted were not all from the cruise ship. There were tourists who drove to the tourist center on the coast and who flew to the island on a helicopter. I climbed the falls Dunns River falls too but we were informed it was slippery. We also had the option of climbing a staircase alongside instead of the rocks.

I have been on several volcanos. Although they could have erupted none showed activity like the one on White Island had. A red flag would be if they had us wearing gas masks like on the White Island excursion. . I would not have gone.

All the webinar does is play. You don't interact with it. If they wanted access to my camera on my device they would have to ask for permission and they did not.

The documentary was very careful not to point the blame. Probably for legal reasons. The cruise ship that had an excursion on the island when the volcano was Ovation of the Sea. The couple whose lives are ruined for life says they would never have done the excursion if they had been informed of the risk.They claim they were not. White Island is owned by a private company whose whole business was tourist excursions so the companies economic interest was to do the tours. The tours were popular and lucrative to the local economy. So I would say the cruise lines responsibility was incidental. In my opinion the private company that owned the island was primarily resonsible. Also In my opinion the the NZ government should have prohibited those excursions.

Elite Plus, when I don’t have drinks included I get specialty coffees. That is the very nice to have. Otherwise meh.

The caveat is that all insurance plans are not alike. When I was working my employer plan would have covered 80%. It covered outside the US but was considered out of newtwork. Some plans cover nothing outside the US. I always bought primary travel insurance (not secondary travel insurance) since travel insuance covers medical evacuation.

You registered through Gotowebinar. When you watch you click on a link to watch. They know when you connect and disconnect. They of course don't know if you are paying attention.

Some US insurance plans cover medical expenses outside the US and others do not. If yours does you have to submit it, the ship won't.

OP was asking about ticket booklets. Tokens and transportation passes are sold at the Dockyard.

Not sure I undersand your question. You have to pre purchase tokens before getting on a bus. Or else pay with exact change.

Getaway LOL

The NCL ferry was operating today. I saw it on the Port of Bermuda webcam docked across from the NCL Gateway.

I don't do Celebrity excursions so personally their restictions don't effect me. I have been booking independently for years and I am comfortable researching independent tours. I am very good at it. The problem though is that there are Celebrity passengers who only feel safe booking cruise line excursions. `Who are not into doing the research. Some believe they will get stranded in port becuase the cruise line markets excursions that way. I read a lot of reviews of independent tours before booking. That takes time. If I did do ship excursions and was coming up against Celebrity's and Royal Caribbean's busness decison to age restrict then I would have to make a busness decison to book with other than Celebrity/Royal Caribbean. Really easy to do......

The risks are low but you limiting yourself to Caribbean and Mexican itineraries. So boring. Every port is the same. There are wonderful experiences to be had outside of the closed loop itineraries. I can’t imagine not having a passport and only doing cruise vacations.

The limits are some policy that Celebrity and Royal Caribbean are imposing. I have seen the same excursions offered by other cruise lines without the age restrictions. I don’t worry though about Celebrity’s or Royal Caribbeans restrictions because I usually book direct with the tour operator for the same excursions and I have never had one turn me down because of age. Rarely is the cruise line the exclusive vendor although I have run into that on rare occasions.