Magicat

As per the CBP website

I have mentioned this before on other threads. We met up with this Scottish couple a number of years ago on a TA. When we mentioned one of our friends was experiencing a bout of sea sickness he told us of this remedy. Now this has worked for her and a couple of others. You mix one part of brandy and one part port wine. Yes, it doesn't sound like something you want to be drinking while feeling ill, but it works. Hope this helps.

The Tavern was a great place for us. We were travelling with a dozen or so friends and would meet here before dinner to catch up on the day's events. It was not noisy and the large couches made it possible to have many people sit and converse. It was busy just before dinner as the crowds were getting their drinks for dinner but after that it was fun. The area in the corner was great if you were not into watch football or basketball every night. Went the Tavern on the Explorer and the experience was not the same. They had the art auction there at 6pm. We left and hung out at the pub.

Take Buckley's, it works wonders for colds.

At the Windjammer perhaps a better option would be to weigh in and weigh out.

Nov 12th on the Explorer, sanitizer and mask in OV balcony.

We were on a couple of weeks ago and I spoke to a guy who was there to review the upgrades. He basically confirmed what is said here plus they are replacing some of the flooring.

You really don't need to even gamble however, if you don't your card is locked from taking money from the slots for 24 hours. Speaking from experience here.

Does anyone know if Uber or Lyft are allowed in the new terminal for pick up? I believe that we had to exit the old terminal and wait across the street to use Uber. Thanks.

Royal has recently implemented the procedure to sign for your free drinks (D,D+ and P). Since there is no tip associated with this purchase we will tip $1 per drink. So I put the number of $1 bills in my pocket daily equal to the number of drink coupons we have. When I run out of money, I have no more free drinks. I am no way suggesting anyone needs to tip on these drinks, it is just how we keep track.

We used it flying into Miami from Mexico. Got us into the Global Entry line which was long and with one agent taking a long time. Funny they were still photographing and finger printing some of them. About 10 -15 mins in we we asked who was Global Entry and who were MPC. We were separated and the officer told us, who where at the front of the line, that we would have to wait until all Global Entry people were processed as they had priority. Well another office came and opened up and flagged us over. He didn't get the memo about the GE folks. Judging from the original length of the line and how long we waited I am not sure how much time we saved. Just saying as I saw passengers that were on our plan in baggage claim before us. I think the time saved will be seen at the counter as they don't have to take your picture.

Since 2019 I have been tracking all costs associated with our cruises. Everything from pre-cruise expenses like hotels and meals, to airfare, the cruise and everything in between. I've been doing this because I would like to retire sometime in my lifetime. From the 15 or so cruises we have taken or planning, our average expense per day is about $450.00 Canadian a day. Some were as low as $325/day and others as high as $575. The data shows that longer cruises are generally cheaper as the airfare kills us. So now when and if I retire, I can target where to reduce our expenses to make cruise vacations more affordable.

Not strange at all as we are touring Austria a week prior to the cruise because Aeroplan points made it economical to fly to VIE business class for only 70,000 points each.

We have a TA in Oct 2023 and we found flying into Vienna is reasonable. With the train to Rome makes it cheaper than flying directly to Rome on AC.

We are finding booking through United is cheaper than AC. And usually it is the same flight. Yes airfare is crazy expensive. To find reasonable prices I think you need to be a little flexible in your travel plans. At least that is what we are finding. Good luck

In Barcelona take the train/metro to Monserrat. Also not sure of the town but there is also a short train ride to their Cava (Spanish Champagne) region. There are a couple of wineries, cavaries(?) within walking distance from the train station. Notably Freixent.

If you go to the passport office, ensure you have documentation showing you are traveling within 45 days.

They really need to update their menu.

Well, it is a dream to fly out of somewhere else, but just booked flights to Europe out of Toronto. I'm a glutton for punishment. Or maybe I have the misguided dream things will get better by then.

Here's a question for the group. When disembarking in Galveston and you have a bottle of alcohol (wine, spirits etc) do you declare it when you pass immigration just before leaving the terminal? In our case we received our free bottle of wine for some reason and had not had the opportunity to drink it. When asked if we had any booze we honestly replied yes. They asked to see it, and informed us that we need to pay tax on it. Since it was free we told them to keep it. I think the paperwork for us to surrender it took longer than if we would have paid the $4 or $5 bucks. Our Texan friends do it all the time and scolded us for declaring it. So, do you declare booze in Galveston or any other port when returning to the US?

I just did a high level search...does JetBlue fly from YVR? They had some good flight options, long days but no overnights. Not sure of your exact dates so just guessed at Feb for 8 nights.

I have very few problems flying out of YYZ. However, that is because I have to be there 3-4 hours in advance of my flight to check my bag, go through security, then if flying through the US, go through US pre clearance. Arriving less than 2 1/2 hours you run the risk of missing your flight. Returning waiting on the tarmac for 45 minutes until a gate is open and then another 45 mins for luggage are inconveniences that occur the last few times I flew through Toronto. So my assessment is based on the additional time, sometimes more than the actual flight, it takes to have a problem/stress free experience in Toronto.

Have to agree YYZ sucks. Pearson is our airport however we are now exploring alternative options like taking the train to Montreal and flying out from there.

We have a RBC Bank account which is the US version of Royal Bank. We add a payee (person or company) and then pay them like a bill. A cheque is generated and mailed to them. Not as instantaneous as an e-transfer but works well in the US. I have not tried it outside of the US.

Seen them in Curacao, perhaps not because of alcohol but because they got caught at the bridge.