ozpom51

On 7/31/2022 at 10:57 PM, Joanne G. said:

 

 

I do have concerns on my upcoming cruise about mealtimes.  I am still wary of covid, and crowded restaurants make me nervous.   On my vacation, I mostly ate outside or in my hotel room, and I only ate in restaurants when not crowded, such as early morning breakfasts or mid-afternoon late lunches.   With the number of fellow passengers on a cruise and specific dining times, I doubt there will ever be a time when the dining rooms, including the buffet, aren't full of people. 

There are a lot of times when the buffet area is quieter. not sure about the restaurants,  so you could always try for those times so that you know you will get a seat and also not too many people around.

It must matter which ship and which port. I have just come back from the new years eve 2022 cruise to Pacific from Sydney and we needed to show our international vax certificate plus a copy of our covid- included travel insurance.

I travel solo because I prefer being alone most of the time. I don't usually book anything special. I like having the choice of when to be round other people. Yes, I wish the solo price was cheaper but it is what it is, from the cruise company's point of view, the upkeep of the cabin  is the same whether it is for one person or two. cheers Sheila

one of the things we found out whilst dealing with issues with a travel card may be helpful for others. Apparently if you have a travel card and want to use it whilst on a cruise. you may not be able to use it on board because they don't have a name on them!

cheers Sheila

Definitely take the Kindle! Take a ziploc bag that it will fit into, as well. Then you can shove the Kindle in the bag and read it poolside or at the beach and never worry about it getting wet or getting sand in it. :)

I have the kindle app on my smartphone and wondered if the phone would work in the ziplock bag too....it does!!. Thanks so much for this tip. I'm the world's clumsiest so I'm sure my phone would end up wet somehow otherwise.

I am a type 2 diabetic and have cruised on a few ships. I have never had any problem getting sugar free drinks on board. I usually drink diet sprite, which I have to pay for. I bought the drink package last year which included the coke machines. There were diet drinks available on these machines. You can also purchase diet sprite by the can. Kind of pricey. They also have sugar free iced tea available in the windjammer, that you can add Splenda to, If you want.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Thanks for everyone's responses to be various questions.

Re sugar free drinks....if they're not available we'd be stuck! I'd be ok with the iced tea but not hubby. Have you ever sailed on the Splendour of the seas? don't seem to see it mentioned much.

As a non-parent, it really makes me feel a whole lot better about society when I hear about parents actually parenting... instead of finding a way to look cool to their kids or become "besties" with them.

 

The job of a parent is to teach, guide, and instill values into kids. That isn't always a popular, cool, or glamorous job.

I'm a parent to 3, and grandmother to 8....so I know how hard being a parent can be... Hats of to both of you. The parent for doing a great job...and the non-parent who appreciates them doing a good job.

I think their official policy is no water or soda allowed, but obviously security practices may vary somewhat. I don't know if you will be able to get your soda back after the cruise. Maybe someone else has an answer to this.

Hubby and I are both Diabetic. we were told by Special needs that sugar-free drinks would possibly not be available on board and we should bring our own, and provide a doctor's letter.

Saw this tip somewhere before... but didn't notice it in this thread. If you bring along your laptop, use it to power all your gadgets (Iphone, Ipod, Blackberry, Kindle) via the USB ports, thus only using 1 outlet.

Do the TV's have USB ports?

I wonder why more people don't take the stairs?

 

And remember that walking "down" is easy going, leave the elevators for people who need them.

It's not easy for some. I've had 5 knee operations and whilst I can go up with no problems I have to go down stairs sideways like a crab holding onto the rail. Slopes and stairs down HURT! Never judge what you think someone else can or can't do unless you KNOW. Saying that...most times I will take the stairs but if I need to, I'l be taking the lift.(elevator)

Boy, after reading all the snippy culture war back-and-forths on this thread, the tales of line cutters and elevator brutes, then tales of lounge-chair hogs, has me wondering why I ever signed up for my first cruise!

I'd been thinking the same thing too.....but then I realised the nice people outweigh the not so nice......and I won't let the nasties spoil my day, my cruise or my trip.

Any idea how to find 'mini' versions of deck plans, versus printing out individual pages for each deck ?

I made my own by copying and pasting into a word doc. I then added other useful info on the same page eg dining times or relevant tips from CC . That way you can size for your own use.

Sorry for piggybacking my question on this thread but it is coffee-related so thought it would be ok.

Does anyone know what how the coffee is served on board (non premium)? Is it a coffee pot or a pot of hot water and sachets of instant coffee, and if the latter, does anyone know what brand?

Your cruise itinerary will show which ports are tendered. .

thanks to you and others for the answers. We're doing a w. meditteranean cruise in June so will have a look and see if I can find some type of itinerary. I have been on a cruise ship before but don't remember anything about tendering.

Is there any way of finding which ports are tender ports?

Quite a few ifs and buts there so it's probably easier to download loads before you set off. That way you've also got more choice.

Thanks for your quick response. I've already downloaded the books using the kindle app...I just wasn't sure if I could read them in airplane mode. I have an old 3G smart phone and so far have only used my phone for the basics (call/text/photos) .

The iPhone has a built-in feature called Airplane Mode that disables all 3G/Cellular network access and lets you use only Wi-Fi. In addition you also have the ability to disable data roaming.

 

These are the only two things I do to my iPhone when I travel and I'm still able to use it for photos/videos and to listen to music.

I have the kindle app on my iphone as I'm not planning on taking proper books with me . Our cruise is part of a longer holday we are taking...about 5 weeks in total. Can I still access the downloaded books if the phone is in airplane mode?