Questions about a longer cruise

[Ineke]

My husband and I have a hold placed on a 56 day cruise. Our longest cruise till now was 35 days. 
He has a few questions:

1) How do people handle financial transactions when you don’t have a terribly stable or secure network? He will have to pay some bills etc. while we are gone.

2) About what percentage of men will wear a tux on dressy nights? We noticed on our 35 day cruise that there were more men wearing them than on say - our Alaska cruise (maybe one or two). I would love him to wear his tux, he, not so much.😊

3) We usually get the medium internet package - no streaming etc. But if possible I would like to be able to do some student support work which means watching some videos they have shared on Googledrive. Will this be possible on the medium Wifi program?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

You could set up almost every thing to be authentic pay . It makes life so much easier, 

Yes on longer cruises men wear Tux.

Internet, some places it's not going to work, and some places you can do a Zoom call.

Even meds you can set up 90 days and have auto refill.

Our average trip is over 100 days.

Edited July 21, 2023 by Gail & Marty sailing away

[kazu]

14 minutes ago, Ineke said:

My husband and I have a hold placed on a 56 day cruise. Our longest cruise till now was 35 days. 
He has a few questions:

1) How do people handle financial transactions when you don’t have a terribly stable or secure network? He will have to pay some bills etc. while we are gone.

 

I check and pay bills on line on my on line banking app.  My security is guaranteed 100% so I don’t worry about doing it on the ship any longer.  I pay all my bills on line.

 

Other option is to prepay of course or even memorize bill payments to be paid when you want while you are away.

 

 

14 minutes ago, Ineke said:

2) About what percentage of men will wear a tux on dressy nights? We noticed on our 35 day cruise that there were more men wearing them than on say - our Alaska cruise (maybe one or two). I would love him to wear his tux, he, not so much.😊

 

It can depend on the itinerary and, to be honest I’ve never been to Alaska.  It wasn’t on my DD DH’s bucket list or mine.  But, from reading on the boards, it sound pretty casual.  I do find people dress up more or should I say more elegantly / nicer generally speaking on longer cruises.  I’ve always seen tuxes but they seem to be getting fewer and fewer although still more than on Alaska or Caribbean.  I talked DH out of his taking his as there is so much more versatility with the suit and dress pants (which he would take anyways 😉)

 

 

14 minutes ago, Ineke said:

3) We usually get the medium internet package - no streaming etc. But if possible I would like to be able to do some student support work which means watching some videos they have shared on Googledrive. Will this be possible on the medium Wifi program?

Thanks for your help.

 

 

The medium wifi package lets you use internet and email (plus social networks like FB) but it doesn’t allow for streaming.  I wasn’t able to watch videos with the surf package but on that cruise when I was trying to, internet was not working well.

[Roz]

On my recent 31 day South American cruise, only a handful of men wore tuxes.

 

I agree with those who recommend setting up automatic payments.  That's what I did and it made everything so easy, and less to worry about. 

[wandrr]

Kazu nailed it. Nothing to add other than to say that longer cruises are way better. You will probably experience a different mindset. You start to think of the ship as home for the time you are on the cruise. Often, on a port call, we find ourselves saying "Let's go home" which means back to the ship.

[OlsSalt]

Don't forget you can also get online access in ports - but one does need to worry about security concerns - find a trusted source. We pre-paid our monthly bills, left with a credit cushion on the account - though the automatic payments work just as well. Coded email messages with a friend back home who can check your accounts  could work, if you are hesitant to transact anything online while away.

 

I have security alerts also set up for my bank and credit card accounts if any transaction is over a set amount, plus informing the bank of my whereabout so they do not reject a charge from Madagascar or something.

 

Yes, DH still brings his tux because he likes dressing up even if it gets down to only 10% wearing tuxes - it is our time and we like to dress up. And my own dressy choices are now the easiest things of all to pack, since the fabrics are lighter and do not wrinkle. 

 

My biggest now concern remains - watering my various potted plants, indoors and out. A nuisance chore and one more added vacation expense. But better than paying for dog-boarding, back when having a pet was amajor concern too on long voyages.

 

Unplug your appliances, worry about any lithium batteries and chargers catching fire and arrange for periodic house checks -burst pipes, leaking irrigation systems ,etc.  

 

After one cruise we came back to that awful but faint, dead mouse/rat smell, We could never locate anything or how it got in. Then months later, I was cleaning out an empty hanging shoe bag in a closet and the critter had crawled up and inside but apparently could not get out - by then it was pretty desiccated but yikes, not something one wants to stick their hand into and find out.

[crystalspin]

You definitely need Premium level internet for anything audible or video. 

Cruise Wi-Fi Plans & Internet Packages (hollandamerica.com)

[Ineke]

Very helpful, thank you all so much! We’ve gone ahead and booked, yay!

[kdakda]

I started buying the premium internet in advance of the cruise, based on what I'd read on this board. It's less expensive to purchase it in advance, and ended up being just a little more than surf.

[USN59-79]

We have taken many cruises from 40 to 70 days and have never bought a HAL internet package.  Previously we would just find a place to access it in the ports to check our email and since we have had T Mobile we just use our phone for internet in the ports.  Most recurring bills are automatically paid, but sometimes pay utility bills in advance.  One concern is the post office holding our mail.  The form they have says 30 days is max.  I just fill it in with the start and stop dates for holding mail and they have always done it as I requested, even if it was for 70 days.  However, I would suggest you speak personally to a supervisor at your post office to make sure they can do it.

Ray

[oakridger]

2 hours ago, USN59-79 said:

The form they have says 30 days is max.  I just fill it in with the start and stop dates for holding mail and they have always done it as I requested, even if it was for 70 days.  However, I would suggest you speak personally to a supervisor at your post office to make sure they can do it.

 

My local post office will not hold mail for more than 30 days and only once per year! Since then I had to get someone to collect it.

 

~Nancy

[Mary229]

If you purchase internet prior to the cruise it is the top package and is discounted.

 

if you don’t want auto pay simply pay extra on the bill.   This insures my electricity stays on in the event of a credit card hack.    (I don’t allow direct drafts from my bank accounts, I deem that the devil’s playhouse)

[Hlitner]

6 hours ago, oakridger said:

 

My local post office will not hold mail for more than 30 days and only once per year! Since then I had to get someone to collect it.

 

~Nancy

Our post office is very cooperative.  But if they give you a hard time about holding mail you can simply rent the smallest mailbox, at the post office, and have your mail forwarded to that box.  The mail is then held as long as you want.

 

Hank

[Roz]

How does the smallest mailbox hold all your mail during a 30+ day cruise?  

Edited July 22, 2023 by Roz

[GeorgeCharlie]

HAL is just starting installing Starlink on their ships, so if your ship has it installed by the time you sail, you should be able to watch your student videos without any problems.

[OlsSalt]

9 minutes ago, Roz said:

How does the smallest mailbox hold all your mail during a 30+ day cruise?  

 

I believe you can request holding First Class mail only and reject all the other junk mail.

(Need to check that please) It used to be 60 day holds.

[Hlitner]

4 hours ago, Roz said:

How does the smallest mailbox hold all your mail during a 30+ day cruise?  

It doesn’t, but the post office just tosses it in an overflow basket once your box is full.  That is kind of the dirty secret.

[vinonme2]

12 hours ago, oakridger said:

 

My local post office will not hold mail for more than 30 days and only once per year! Since then I had to get someone to collect it.

 

~Nancy

Same 30 day hold limit here. If I want to rent a mailbox I have to notify every person, company, newspaper, etc. that mails to me and give them the post office box number. Then of course when I return home I'd have to notify all of them again, telling them to use my street address and not the post office box number.  

 

Solution: Give post office a letter telling them who will be picking up my mail. Fill out how many of the yellow "hold mail" forms - each for 30 days, dates of course changing on each.  Give forms to a friend along with copy of my letter to post office. Every 30 days my friend takes the next hold mail form to the post office and hands it in, and then picks up my 30 days of mail after showing her ID.

Or she could just come to my house every day and pick up the mail but that's a lot of running for her. 

 

My post office and I greatly differ on their procedure but it's not my decision to make. 

[USN59-79]

Some clarification on mail hold.  We had the same mail delivery person for a few years and I got to know him.  I had a collector car (63 T-bird) and got some collector car magazines.  He mentioned that he had a collector car, and when one of the mags had an article on his car, I gave him the magazine.  Sometimes when I didn't know what to do with a souvenir we brought home, I would give it to the mailman.  Such as some Mongolian liquor made from mare's milk, or something simple like a t-shirt from Okinawa.  So when I requested a longer mail hold, there was no problem.  He eventually moved to a desk job and then retired, but it set a precedent, so when I asked a new employee in March if we could hold it for 45 days, she said it was OK.  Bottom line:  Get to know your mail person.

Ray

[oakridger]

@USN59-79 That would work for me in the past, but for about the last 10 years I never have a regular mail carrier or even a regular delivery time.  It's kind of sad because the woman I had as a regular was very nice and helpful!  Her name was Tina!!  I have no clue who delivers my mail now.

😞

~Nancy

[Mary229]

9 hours ago, Roz said:

How does the smallest mailbox hold all your mail during a 30+ day cruise?  

When you forward mail they only forward first and second class mail.  Most of the bulk advertising is weeded out. 

[SusieKIslandGirl]

If you decide to put in a forward to a PO Box, there should be a spot on the forwarding order to mark that the forward is temporary and an end date is given. That way the mailer is not notified of a permanent change of address. Be prepared for the cost of the box-the prices have risen lately, and often there are no boxes available to rent.

[MMastell]

You can have the post office hold your mail for 30 days.  It will be kept and when signing up you have the option to pick it up at the post office or have the carrier deliver it.  

https://holdmail.usps.com/holdmail/

 

If more than 30 days than it is best to do temporary forwarding to a family member or friend.

https://moversguide.usps.com/mgo/disclaimer

 

We have done this for years with no problem. Also sign up for Informed Delivery to get a daily e-mail that shows you what is in your mail each day so you know if something important does arrive.

 

Take care,

Mike

[albingirl]

Everything with us is auto pay now.  So, we don't really get much mail anymore, but I have a neighbor just put it in a bag for when we return.  As far as plants go, I only have succulents now and they survive 4 months at a time without water.  I know, amazing.  They just look thirsty when I return.  I love a long cruise because it's heaven to see parts of the world I've only imagined before.  It's humbling, too.  Who knew there were that many people and cultures in the world. 

[TiogaCruiser]

On 7/22/2023 at 3:51 AM, Mary229 said:

 

if you don’t want auto pay simply pay extra on the bill.   This insures my electricity stays on in the event of a credit card hack.    (I don’t allow direct drafts from my bank accounts, I deem that the devil’s playhouse)

Totally understand that one.

I have not taken long trips (yet), but several years ago I set up a separate stand alone checking account that I keep a minimal amount in (enough so the account is complimentary).
 

It has its own personal ATM card. When I travel, I put a couple thousand dollars in it (enough for lodging, food and return airline tickets) in case I have an emergency and need to access cash. If I were to set up auto pay for bills, it would be linked to that account. Should I need to transfer more money in, I could call my bank and have that happen.
 

My “real” ATM card (the one that gives access to our accounts) lives in our safe.