wyobean

We are on Isla Mujeres(not real far from Coz) been having 30-35 mph gusts. Cold front(lol) with temps in the high 60’s low 70’s. Boats under 40’ not allowed out. I am so glad I don’t have to take the Coz ferry in this! Sorry about your missed ports, tho.

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2 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Currently there are no postitive cases of Covid-19 in Republic of Ireland (Dublin) however there is one case in Northern Ireland and she traveled from Milan via Dublin.

The first case of coronavirus in Northern Ireland has been confirmed.

The first presumptive positive case of the virus was announced on Thursday and sent to a Public Health England reference laboratory for confirmation. 

On Saturday the Public Health Agency (PHA) announced the diagnosis had now been confirmed.

It is understood the woman affected is being monitored in her home after arriving in Dublin earlier this week on a plane from northern Italy with a child.

The woman had been on a skiing trip in northern Italy and flew back into Dublin Airport.

It is understood she then travelled to Dublin's Connolly Street station by bus before travelling to Northern Ireland by train. She was tested at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

A PHA spokesperson said the family "has asked that their privacy is respected at this time given the personal impact of this issue".

We are on the Veendam TA on 4-22 for 31 days.  We are proceeding as if it is a go. I figure they will contact me. I do see there is a case in Dublin which is one of our ports. We are retired so have no real schedule. I realize it is somewhat problematic for those on any kind of a schedule. 

Good to know...I would also always ask for their currency. They must have accounts with a bank that accepts other currencies. I am trying to wrap my head around how that can work. Guess I will ask my banker the next time I am there...lol

I have traveled mostly in Mexico. I have never run into this. I have used numerous ATMs and check the amount deducted from my account immediately. We spend 5 months every year in Mexico. There has never been any other charge on my account other than the ATM fee. I have also used an ATM in Canada with the same results. We also use our cc for a lot of things. I have only been asked one time in all my years here if I wanted the credit card to be charged in US dollars. I questioned how they could do that....they stuttered and stammered and said they would just charge it in pesos. While I am not claiming to know everything about how this works it has been my understanding that it is only legal for businesses in a country to charge their own currency on a cc. This was just substantiated by a friend of mine who is a business owner here(we are currently in Mexico). Needless, to say I will be on the lookout for the situation you are describing. 

There is a total misconception that the ATM determines the rate...not true. Your bank determines the rate. We have a Schwab account...no ATM fees and they reimburse any fees we are charged by the ATM. We always get the best rate. That account is our travel account. We transfer money into it before hitting the ATM. Then take the money out...leave about $10.00 in it. The absolute best way to get currency in the country you are traveling in. We each have separate cards so if by chance one gets compromised the other still works.

Actually, almost all stocks are way down...

Just saw this
 

Princess Cruises can confirm that the first phase of health assessment of all guests and crew aboard Diamond Princess, conducted by the Japanese Ministry of Health, has been completed. We were notified that among the samples that completed the tests, 10 people tested positive for Coronavirus. This includes two Australian guests, three Japanese guests, three Hong Kong guests and one U.S. guest, plus one member of the Filipino crew.

These 10 people, who have been notified, will be brought ashore by the Japanese Coast Guard vessel and transported to local hospitals to be served by Japanese medical professionals on the coast. It has been confirmed that the ship will remain quarantined in Yokohama. The duration of the quarantine shall be at least 14 days as required by the Ministry of Health.

The ship plans to go out to sea for normal marine operations including, but not limited to, freshwater production and ballast operations before continuing alongside Yokohama, where food, supplies and other supplies will be carried on board.

Guests will continue to receive internet and complimentary phone to use in order to stay in touch with their relatives and loved ones, and the ship's crew is working to keep all guests comfortable.

Princess Cruises will continue to cooperate fully and on instructions from global medical authorities and the Japanese government.

We will also cancel the next two Diamond Princess cruises departing from Yokohama (Feb 4 and Feb 1 2) and begin notifying guests today.

Princess Cruises confirms that there are 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew currently on board covering a range of nationalities. About half of the passengers on board are from Japan.

One problem you will have if HAL pays for your flight.....no perks from your cc. Like priority boarding, free checked bag, etc. We found that out the hard way the first time we used flightease. It has been said on here that you can request HAL to use your card to book. Just an FYI....

I am not sure I understand your question....if you get money from your card at the tables there is a fee. If you use your card to add money at a slot machine there is no charge.

We did the 13 day tour. I concur with other posters. We did not take the meal plan and were glad we didn’t.  Many times we only wanted a bowl of soup or a light snack. The people we talked to that had the plan all said it was too much food and too much money. Our guide always gave us direction to several nearby restaurants. Have fun!

We do it all the time. Hotspot on our phone and I use my iPad and laptop. Don’t know about how much data you will have, tho. 

11 hours ago, colonialinnkeeper said:

What is the proportion of vodka to vanilla beans?  Thanks.

I use 4 -5 beans for a liter of alcohol. You can look on Pinterest for their proportions. I also make other extracts...lemon, orange, cinnamon, etc.

If you are buying it, I agree...Los Cinco Soles. Why not just make your own? That is what I do. Get the vanilla beans while you are traveling or order them. Split them and put them in a bottle of vodka. I let mine set for about 6 months or longer....it is awesome!

We always check both ways...using 2 numbers and using one. Sometimes there can be an advantage one way or another. We have never gotten the higher amount using 2 numbers.

We are retired also. But, if we lived 5 minutes from one we could easily spend that much on gas. We would never have that much in OBC. We sail in inside cabins so $400-$500 from them even on our long cruises is about tops. I get the Canadian’s reasoning. Totally enjoyed the savings when we took our trip up there last year...sorry!

26 minutes ago, zelker said:

  I think it stinks that they are now forcing customers to only spend the so-called perks in-store or online rather than being able to get cash back from the old gift card they issued or issuing refundable OBC, depending on which cruise line it was.  

I am confused about this. If you have a membership you obviously spend money at their store or with them online. The amount of “money/OBC” you are given is the same whether you spend it on the ship or at/through the store. I just don’t get the big deal....oh, and I live 5 hours from the nearest one but, I order online so I am looking for other reasons why it is such a problem.

It depends on the airline. Some allow it, some don’t.

We are in the Caribbean and have had major wind for over a week. Port closed to boats less than 40’. No diving or fishing. Supposed to last a while longer. Glad I am not on a ship.

We have flight ease coming home from Amsterdam in May at $425pp. I would say the $800 credit could come close to covering your cost.

23 hours ago, RunningTheWonder said:

Door #3 it is, with the additional concession that the 100% FCC cruise must be BOOKED within 365 days of the transfer, which makes it an even better option. Now it's on to filing the paperwork with HAL for non-refundable hotel and airline costs.

Wouldn’t your trip insurance cover this?

TAD2005....our flight is from Amsterdam-home. We already had seats.  We wanted to upgrade. Couldn’t do it until the flight was paid for.

I was not worried about the price going up but we wanted to pick different seats. Had to be paid to do that so I went ahead and paid a couple months ahead of time. 

Three years ago my mom passed away while we were on a South American cruise with Hal. My husband was at Machu Picchu(not on a HAL excursion) The supervisor of customer service was a gem. She helped me get a message to the company to tell him to stay at the airport in Lima instead of coming back to the ship. They got me a transfer from the ship to the airport. They made our airplane reservations to get back. It was at our expense but, we had insurance. They were very kind and I appreciated everything they did for me. I realize this was not an accident but, they really went all out to help me. I would hope it would be the same if it were an accident situation.

We too (although jealously not retired yet) spend at least 2 months between Isla Mujeres and
 

Cruisinsusan2....well, well, well. Wonder if I know you. Our time in Mexico is also on Isla Mujeres....