Travelling2Some

Excellent idea but ask people on a different deck to be sure they have a different steward.

I can't be of help but I just wanted to say that, even if the labels are correct, it would be very helpful to make the key words large and in different colors. More than once I have had to step out of the shower to put my glasses on so I could figure out which was which! And how about the manufacturers who make their conditioner bottles and shampoo bottles virtually identical or the bottles that don't have a flat top so you can't stand them upside down when they get low without them landing on your toes, lol???

Dead tourists are always bad for business. Most of the violence takes place at night and in neighborhoods that are not touristy. However, the cartels do like to occasionally make a show in order to terrify the authorities and/or extort local businesses and it is possible to get caught in the crossfire at those rare times. But I do agree with your general point that tourists are not deliberately targeted.

It is a shame but the key words are "right now". Actually our Bliss itinerary does not stop in Mazatlan anyway but I was initially disappointed that it did not. We are stopping at Acapulco, which has been sketchy for quite awhile, including incidents on the beaches. Part of my decision to just do a ship's excursion there is because, frankly, it just doesn't seem all that interesting. If there was something I really wanted to see I would go see it anyway. I'm getting old now but had foreign adventures that were wildly foolhardy in my youth. Don't want any trouble these days 🙂

Very true. I think fear, by it's very nature, is a highly emotional rather than reasonable thing. We all are more bothered by some types of risk more than others, regardless of logic. You're not going to enjoy a trip that makes you anxious so why spend good money on anything you won't enjoy?

No problem, lol. I'd be out of here in the proverbial "New York minute" (taxes and cost of living alone) if we didn't have a large family tied to the city by occupation. It's truly a great city though. We love it and believe it can recover.

Dropping ports can be a day to day decision (weather, civil unrest, etc.) or it can be "premeditated" in which case NCL is very likely to keep on advertising the original itinerary anyway.

I am a planner too but isn't it sad how some of the anticipatory pleasure of cruising has now been replaced with anxiety? We love the big shows on the big ships but I sometimes wonder if it is worth this frantic element. I am really hoping they will bring back being able to make entertainment reservations in advance and soon! It is important to many of us to be able to settle our plans rather than rush around tying up a bunch of loose ends upon boarding. Cruising used to be relaxing!

The last couple of years has shown us that risk tolerance is a very individual thing.

Sure. Why would they not have been a week ago? Life changes on a dime. There is never a guarantee of safety anywhere. We read the papers and we do what we think best and that's all we can do. Did you notice I live in NY? Cabo and PV are looking pretty good from here, lol.

We are vaxed, boosted and not young. Recently retired and will not live forever. Got to go on with our lives! Have taken several cruises and finally caught it on the last one, which was 18 days long. Zero regrets. It was very mild and now, having had it, it adds to our immunity and is even less likely to impact our future travels. We are all going to get it sooner or later, no point in hiding under the bed.

We are booked on the Bliss in a couple of weeks. Right now I would not get off the ship in Mazatlan but I'm still very comfortable with Cabo and Puerto Vallarta. In Acapulco I decided to book a short ship-sponsored tour that does not leave the tourist areas.

Don't worry. You can show up whenever you want. If you want a good laugh, our last cruise embarked from New York and the instructions on our boarding pass told us to go to the terminal in Miami. Mixed messages are common.

Yup. We were on the Sun too. Sent me the video about 8 times and then had a regular muster drill when we boarded. Kind of weird.

They must have sent that video to me about 8 times for our last cruise. I was beginning to think they lacked confidence that the darn ship was seaworthy, lol. (It was the Sun right after the iceberg encounter!)

I had the exact same reaction!

We are embarking on the Bliss on January 27th from Berth 46 too. Would really appreciate it if you could come back and update us on what the actual procedure was. Some folks have reported that they needed to check in at the regular terminal (berths 92/93) and then were shuttled to Berth 46. Useless to call NCL as the phone reps know less than we do.

We have used pictures with our dining room in the background (not a blank wall) and they have been accepted for our last 2 cruises. I just did the check in process about an hour ago for our next cruise. Have your passports handy plus the credit card you want to use for your onboard account. You will also need the name and phone number of a contact person not traveling with you.

I find it odd that every starter is some sort of seafood. A fair number of people do not eat seafood and I would expect more variety given that Cagney's is billed as a steakhouse.

I don't mind them either but when you have more than one person in a smaller cabin (or European hotel room) there is always the "you are in my way" factor. A person who is alone cannot get in their own way when moving about no matter how small the space is. I absolutely love the look of those cute little "tiny houses" on TV. I'm sure I could live in one happily since I am very tidy, not claustrophobic and not a pack rat. Alas, I am happily married and unwilling to ditch the hubby, lol.

Wish I had the tech skills to post a film clip of Belushi handing his friend a six pack and encouraging him to "start drinking heavily". I frequently point out to my husband that wine is pretty much the equivalent of mouthwash when it comes to killing germs:)

Husband and I finally managed to catch covid on our last cruise (November cruise -18 days). We were only very mildly ill. I wasn't going to post about it so as not to encourage those who long to shut down cruising again. My biggest problem with covid for the past couple of years has been how to politely dodge well-meaning crew armed with hand sanitizer. I'm allergic to something in it and my hands break out in itchy red bumps. Very willing to wash my hands but got to avoid being sprayed!

I had purchased this a few years back as a surprise for my husband on Oasis of the Seas and he loved it - especially since he is in the engineering field. He's quite bummed that it is still not available on our Bliss sailing later this month in spite of being platinum now.

Just had a little chuckle over your remark that "she looks good". I assumed you meant Emma but, of course, you likely meant the ship. She (Emma) was on the cruise just after ours.

Love Emma and we were in one of those regular inside cabins in November. Were so pleasantly surprised by the size of it when we walked in. The cabins are much wider than usual and square in shape rather than rectangular.