GeezerCouple

How much detail can you see on those balconies from a webcam someplace? Another possibility: I often enjoy sitting outside late into the evening, reading a book. That is especially the case when the weather is nice and warm outside. (If there isn't already a lounger on the balcony, we request one the first or perhaps second day.) I've been known to fall asleep out there, and... no one disturbs me. DH will leave me in peace if he's ready to turn out the lights, and I'm already "out". 🙂 Sometimes I've just nodded off briefly and will soon start reading again. Other times, I'm asleep for hours. It's actually very nice to enjoy those warm breezes... it's a part of sailing that I love! (I do this even when I'm in plain view of the Bridge - we like forward cabins - and the officers don't seem compelled to send someone to make sure I go inside and sleep in some more conventional way. Or turn out the light.) GC

Contact a travel insurance broker like www.TripInsuranceStore.com They can help you with this. Chances are that getting "regular" travel insurance will work, but you only insure some tiny amount for the trip cost, keeping the regular medical coverage. But ask the experts. GC

I don't know how much time is available, but there were two excursions. We took the longer one, and where it went at the farthest point was quite special. (We were spending the night in Seward, so time wasn't a problem for us.) Enjoy! That cruise was one of our favorites. Will you be seeing Hubbard Glacier? That was a high point for us. LOTS of calving! GC

You'll probably get more responses if you post this on the Travel Insurance section of CC: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/ Many of us recommend getting travel insurance from a third party (NOT the travel vendor). And we strongly recommend www.TripInsuranceStore.com They are a broker (no extra charge to the traveler) who use several vetted travel insurers. We've used them for many cruises (and land trips) since discovering them here on CC almost 10 years ago. And (unfortunately), we've had several claims, including some large ones. Our policies through TIS have been with Travel Insured, but TIS may help you find a different insurer that is best for your particular needs/desires. CALL them: The fine print is just too detailed to anticipate any/every possible claim basis. They'll help you figure out which potential issues are relevant to you (frail non-traveling family members at home? pre-existing medical conditions? might need to cancel if junior's team makes the national play-offs? worried about weather?). Most coverages pay 100% cash, once a claim is submitted with receipts; a few (such as "changed mind") will pay 75% cash back. These are not "credits" perhaps with some time limit. Just cash back to do as you wish, when you wish. Note that the best choice of coverages is usually available within about 10-20 days of the *first* payment (it's state-specific). But after that, there are still good coverages until final payment. All of our claims were paid promptly and in full. (Caveat: I didn't get receipts for two tips to a taxi driver! That wasn't even worth arguing about, but I certainly get receipts for *everything* now. 🙂 ) GC

You should post on the Travel Insurance section of CC for more eyes (and eyes with more experience about this): https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/ You probably would do well to contact a travel insurance broker such as www.TripInsuranceStore.com They deal with several vetted insurers, and they can help you select the insurer and specific policy type that is best for your particular situation and trip. They can also help with claims, should it come to that. We learned about them here on CC almost 10 years ago, and have purchased quite a few policies. And we've had several claims as well (all through TIS with Travel Insured), including a few large claims. All we paid promptly, which is what matters, after all... You should ask them about deadlines for getting the waiver of pre-existing condition exclusions. That deadline is different from the one for CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason), and sometimes these get confused. And discuss your understanding with them. You do *not* need to have Primary travel insurance coverage if you have Medicare, but having primary will help speed the claim process. (It takes longer if you first need to have Medicare consider the claim and then deny it, even though everyone "knows" it will be denied. 😡 ) Also, don't forget that the definition of "pre-existing condition" is very specific for each travel insurance policy, and is usually quite different from how we "think of pre-existing conditions" in everyday life. Finally, what you describe as "within two weeks of booking" is not always that "two weeks". It can vary by state, and is typically in the 10-20 day range. (It's state dependent because travel insurance is regulated by the state.) Where we live, it's the longer deadline, although we always get the coverage started as soon as we get off the phone with the first payment. (Otherwise, IF we were to wait until the end of the 10-20 day interval... what if we were sick then, and not "fit to travel"...!? Ooops! So we get it straightaway and we are good to go. 😉 ) GC

Shortly before our first Oceania cruise, when we were already planning it, a local affiliate of some club sent out invites for "lunch aboard the Oceania Riviera while she is docked nearby for the day". We *pounced*... the offer was gone within about half an hour. Anyone who wasn't watching their email just then never had a chance. We were supposed to see a few of the cabin/suite types, but lunch was slow, so we had one very, very quick glance into a single balcony stateroom, and then it was time to leave. We enjoyed the lunch, and thought the appearance/ambiance of the MDR was lovely. It wasn't a tiny group, so I have no idea who arranged it or how, etc. This was circa 2013 or such... GC

When we travel overseas and there might be a "language problem", we keep some small card-size photos of red, yellow, and green bell peppers... to hand to any restaurant person if there is any hint of a language difficulty. Invariably, what was a quizzical look becomes an "Aha!" moment. And the back of the card will have a translation of "Allergy to...." as an extra precaution. But we are still careful and try our best to avoid any mistakes... or red sauce/etc. GC

I've got a severe allergy to any bell pepper (any color, cooked or raw). I certainly understand that problem with "tomato sauce"! There are times/places where I simply won't eat anything with any type of red sauce, just as I would avoid anything like "mystery meatloaf"... The person serving is unlikely to know what is really in it. Again, better safe than sorry! GC

This ^^. "Plain" can mean many different things, and it can vary a lot by region. (Reminds me of my move when a child from East Coast to the midwest. We were in a restaurant en route, and I asked for a "cherry soda". For the first several years of my life, that meant something like sparkling water with cherry flavored syrup. My goodness was I surprised to receive a HUGE fancy glass with several scoops of ice cream, a pink liquid, and lots of whipped cream plus sprinkles and, yes, a cherry on top. Nope, it was definitely *not* what I wanted to drink with my lunch sandwich. I had never even seen such a thing before...) For OP: If there is a food allergy, CONTACT NCL Special Needs IN ADVANCE and they'll have you fill out a questionnaire. Most of it will probably not be relevant; leave those blank or put "n/a". AND... especially if it is a serious allergy, ALWAYS remind the person taking your order! And then... whenever we are served, we *again* repeat.... "This is the <whatever the special request is> food item, correct?" No matter how hard they try (and most really do!), mistakes can happen, in a variety of ways. Better safe than sorry! GC

I think that "2017" should reflect when you joined CruiseCritic... Does that match when you first signed up here? If you look at the other posts throughout CC, that date under the name stays the same; each separate post gets the current date. GC

If you are considering NCL because of the Haven, please keep in mind that the Haven, as nice as it may be with the extra services, is still on a large regular cruise line ship, and possibly on a very large ship. That is, if (when!) you leave the Haven, you've left all of those special features and services behind. Depending upon the particular cruise and how crowded it is, as well as the general ambiance of the full ship, there could be quite a difference indeed. If your thinking about that is something like, "Well, we'll just stay in the Haven", then you might want to rethink sailing on a large ship with the "ship within a ship" experience. A smaller premium or luxury line ship may be more toward your liking. You wouldn't feel restricted, that you (or your parents or even just your mother) might not feel comfortable "anywhere on the ship". On a smaller premium/luxury line ship, you'll likely get the services you desire without the possibly disruptive situations outside the Haven. And you are less likely to feel that you can't make full use of all of the ship's amenities, etc. GC

"...and no new classical group is coming on..." What a shame! We had belatedly "discovered" HAL just before Covid (our cruise ended mid-December, 2019; we had made some reservations on board for the future, but nooooo.... they weren't to be...). We fell in love with LCS. Amazing! What a wonderful surprise that was. We were genuinely impressed with the quality of the musicians. The room was way too small for the number of people who wanted to watch, so I would arrive very early, with a good book, and peacefully sit there in a prime seat (first row, center... that was me 😉 ), with a seat saved for DH. We absolutely *love* classical music, and we help support our local world-class Symphony and also a period chamber orchestra. I had read here on CC when LCS was announced, but I never thought it would have such good musicians... or we *would* have booked with HAL sooner! To be at sea with an excellent chamber group? Heaven indeed! HAL would have found us on quite a few of their cruises (except for the horrible misfortune of Covid, in so many ways). Now? Okay, we are often itinerary-driven, which is how we found ourselves on HAL, on the Noordam in NZ and Australia in late Nov/Dec 2019. But there is often more than one cruise line in a particular area, if one is flexible on dates, and we certainly are. If there are other "classical music cruises", we sure hope to find them... Yes, LCS will be greatly missed. I guess we should feel fortunate that we had that one special cruise, with some very special musicians. We may end up spending more of our "cruise dollars" on more of our Opera, Symphony, Ballet, and Theatre trips to NYC, with some to London. But we'd both rather enjoy good classical music on a ship... the best of both worlds! We are glad we had those two weeks once, at least. Thank you, Lincoln Center Stage musicians! 🥂 👏👏 🥂 And serious complaints to HAL, which we will absolutely send along separately! You had something very, very special with LCS, and the quality of the musicians and the music selected was a very nice surprise! GC

Your link *still* shows personal information. GC

Many ports/countries have strict regulations about what foods, if any, may be brought into the country. This may not be a possibility regardless of whether a cruise line would be willing to help out. GC

We were just a very few balconies further from the Bridge. When the officers were on the wing extension, we could see them very well, and they us. We'd occasionally wave, and then the novelty wore off... for us/me. I'm sure it was very "old" for them long ago, unless there was something unusual to look at...! After all, we had the ocean and just that Bridge wing to look at. They had almost the entire side of the ship, and all of the decks, plus the front of the ship and everything else in front of that... Plus they did have work to do. GC

Yup, this would have been THE place all the kids in my neighborhood would have insisted on going... all the time (or whenever the parents agreed or could afford a meal out, etc.). I'm surprised it didn't take off as a national chain, or was that before the big chain times? GC

Not all states use raised seals. GC

What would that accomplish? The notary would certify... what... that "This is the piece of paper put in front of me today"? How would they authenticate anything? (It could have been created and printed at home half an hour earlier.) GC

And I certainly wouldn't consider any of the land WiFi or even Internet we've used to be "perfected". Not yet, anyway...! GC

It's already happening on land, with some hotels: https://hoteltechnologynews.com/2022/09/how-hotels-are-using-robots-to-reduce-costs-improve-operations-and-enhance-the-guest-experience/ They can deliver towels, coffee, other supplies... I don't know what the "latest and greatest" (?) is. They were also used when Covid hit, supposedly to add more distancing. (Were those same robots already ordered, but the hotels just had another "explanation" for using them?) And some are being used to disinfect hospital rooms (or at the least, being tested for that): https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/robots-disinfect-hospital-rooms-with-ultra-violet-light GC

Can you find the actual tour operator and ask them? It's likely to be very difficult, unless you can climb up and down a bit, to get into and then off the catamaran, even IF you could manage once on board. (Also keep in mind that the toilet may be several steps down, if it's one of those large catamarans with some rooms in the hulls. (We chartered these a few times, and invited others on our Roll Call to join us. But I have no idea if the catamaran is the same as the types we chartered.) Depending upon your abilities, having some friends nearby for assistance may be of significant help, too. But the first thing is... you want to be *safe*! Good luck! GC

This is a real treat for us: Having *our* breakfast delivered in *our* sleep! 😉 We do this most mornings. We leave a note with what we want (and it's usually a *big* breakfast!), and the time. We tell our Butler at the beginning, in the "Butler Letter", that the "privacy" notice is NOT for them; it's for everyone/anyone *else (e.g., the Steward). So IF there is a reason the Butler needs to come in, they should just knock/ring, and then come in. IF we do actually want privacy, we'll bolt the door. So, at the designated time in the morning, the Butler arrives, and it is *so* pleasant to wake up to the aroma of coffee and bacon, and perhaps the very gentle clink of some china. If we are awake, we'll greet them, and they will return the greeting. If we are asleep, the Butler will soon quietly leave, and we'll get up whenever we get up. Usually the breakfast arrival does rouse at least one of us enough to notice there is coffee and bacon nearby... (The Butlers are professionals. They can deal with someone sleeping as well as with someone sitting and watching TV or out on the balcony watching the ocean.) We also have some dinners served. In that Butler Letter, we also mention that we are usually *very* flexible time-wise. Therefore, if we have a request at a time that is otherwise busy, they should let us know and we can almost always easily reschedule. And if not, we'll say so, but that is really rare. We also let the Butler know what types of snacks we like. Mostly, those are fruits of various sorts, with fresh pineapple being a favorite. Also, what snacks we do not want (they'd just be wasted) and we remind them about food allergies, etc. We very much appreciate all of the help the Butler provides; it makes our trip so much more pleasant. ... and we tip generously. 🙂 GC

We prefer Deck 11, so we try to get PH suites that are under the Oceania Suites. That way, there are suites on each side, and also below *and* above. It's worked very well. GC

Call them soon. IF I recall correctly, if you are before final payment, it might *not* be too late to get that waiver of the pre-existing condition exclusion, at least with some policies. But ask *them*! 🙂 GC

We really missed balcony/balconies on the Dawn DOS, although the views were exceptional, with the full floor to ceiling wall of windows across the full forward view, the side, and a bit down the back to see the side of the entire ship. (This is the same view the Bridge has.) Our avatar is of "us" lying on the bed, looking forward, over our feet, at the glorious wide forward view. This was DH's first (and very, very belated) cruise, and the first morning, he was hooked! The only thing like that thus far was the OS on the Sun... and that definitely should be classified as a DOS. It had the same wide forward view (no side), but a huge (huge!) balcony the entire way across, plus a private hot tub. 🙂 And we had this for an Alaska cruise. We snagged it not too long before sailing; someone must have cancelled. We got a great price, and we were just lucky that it was the starboard side for a Northbound sailing. So we had all of the wonderful snow-topped mountains much of the way. So far, that Sun OS was our favorite. We had almost all of our meals served, and sat there in front of those windows (if we weren't on the balcony!). GC