jazzydiver

Perhaps you are looking for this website: http://ports.cruisett.com/

Click on the specific ports, then the month & year.

Jazzy

I had been watching prices for *months* for a January trip with friends.

Prices have been stable since I started checking about three months ago. Yesterday (a Tuesday) there was a very slight tick upwards in price (only $6 more). I decided I didn't want to risk any large increase and booked the flights.

Today just for the heck of it, I looked at the prices and now the exact same flight is about $140 less! Grrr! I put in a claim for reimbursement but I doubt I'll get it because it was about 26 hours after I booked when I discovered this.

I'm assuming I'm SOL on getting the lower fare at this point...ugh.

Anyway, I suppose I could start a rumor that you should always book your flight on a Wednesday..... :-P

I have used a rolling garment bag (has lots of room and large pockets so I used it for my suitcase for *all* my clothes, not just formal wear). For the items that were on hangers, I had a plastic bag over each one - you know, the plastic bags that your clothes are in when you get them back from the dry cleaner. I think I didn't have quite enough bags for everything so I put a couple casual dresses in between the nicer dresses that were in bags. Nothing wrinkled at all.

I didn't bring any formal wear on my last cruise. I think if I were to bring a cocktail dress again, I'd put it in a dry cleaner bag and then fold it up carefully and not worry about using a garment bag. Just hang it up as soon as you unpack in your cabin.

That's interesting, SeaShark, thank you. I was not aware of that.

If one Googles the topic in general, LOTS of info comes up. Quoting from the site mentalfloss.com: "At one point, the United States Navy explicitly stated, 'The commanding officer shall not perform a marriage ceremony on board his ship or aircraft.' What about non-Navy captains, though? Well that depends on the captain. They can't perform marriages at sea (or on dry land) by virtue of their maritime license alone, and no state has enacted a statute explicitly authorizing ships' captains to officiate marriages. [Their bold print, not mine.] However, if a captain also falls into one of the categories of "persons qualified to solemnize marriages" prescribed in laws of the state they're in, then they're good to go."

So sounds like NCL has all of the captains on the "select itineraries" (see fine print on same page of brochure) obtain the proper credentials to perform weddings. ...Now I'm wondering how they go about that...hmm, more interesting info here: http://marriage.about.com/cs/marriagelicenses/a/officiants.htm

Sorry O/P, I'm getting off-topic a bit! Looks like Jane Don provided a useful link. Hope you come up with a lovely plan!

"I mean, captains can perform weddings at sea, right?"

Sorry, that's a myth. :-( But I hope you come up with something special and romantic. phoenix1181 has a nice idea. Or maybe present the sparkling, shiny gift while strolling on the deck at night?

Another vote for Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch - I don't mind putting it on face or body. Does not feel slimy to me - I like it.

ahaught, that link doesn't seem to work... :(

Hi everyone,

Quite a number of years ago I lived in central Mexico for a couple of months. Tipping taxis drivers was not standard practice. You only tipped if the driver helped you with your luggage or groceries or something. Was in Baja California a while after that for a vacation, seemed like that was still the norm.

I have seen a couple of references on this board about tipping taxi drivers - is tipping the norm in Cozumel? Or only if driver goes above & beyond standard service in some way? Just wondering if this is an area in which Cozumel has its own rules & customs, different from the rest of Mexico.

Thanks for input.

Thank you for the replies. I will leave the bottle opener & shampoo home, but guess I will throw in a little sample-size conditioner.

Happy sailing, everyone!

Hi everyone, I searched the threads but thought I'd post to get up-to-date info. This pertains to the Jewel.

Are there any particular bars where it's better to get a bucket of beer? I mean, is there a likelihood of having more variety in what's offered if I go to one of the bars vs. getting it poolside? I'll probably just get one bucket and have it last me a few days - I'm not a huge drinker.

Also, do they give you a bottle opener along with the bucket, or should I bring one? (I believe not ALL the beers they have are twist-off...at least I hope not. ;-) )

I know there are dispensers for body wash and shampoo in the showers - is the shampoo a straight shampoo, or a shampoo/conditioner combo? Yes, there is a difference (although if you can't tell I'll assume I'll still need to bring conditioner). Just thought I'd save bringing one more bottle - I can deal with a shampoo/conditioner combo for one week. I'm in an interior cabin, not a suite, so I know I won't get any fancy toiletries.

Oh, I guess I have one more bucket of beer question - I think I read that you need to return the bucket to a bar after you're done, or you're charged a deposit; am I remembering that correctly?

Thank you for your help! :)

Jane

+1 for true promenade deck - but I vote for NOT enclosed! :)

Or maybe one of each.

Does the secret room have windows? Just wondered if you'd have a view in there.

I agree with the others about not buying equipment yet and using that provided by the excursion.

As far as taking a class beforehand, that depends...first off, one could say there are two ways to snorkel - many people are perfectly content to float along on the surface with face in the water and admire the lovely scenery below. Other people like to alternate floating on the surface with diving down underwater a few or several feet (the flippers help you get down) and swimming underwater a bit.

If you are already very comfortable in the water, a good swimmer, and figure on staying at the surface, I don't think a class is necessary.

If you want to learn the technique for diving & swimming underwater, a class would be very helpful. Also, if you have any qualms about how it will feel to breathe through a snorkel and have a mask on your face (are you claustrophobic in any way?), the class would also be helpful. It's nice to not spend half the excursion figuring things out and getting comfortable, especially if you're not totally at home in the water in general.

Whichever you choose, I hope you have a great time! :)

I mailed my renewal application, etc. on May 16th. I used certified mail per application instructions, but didn't do any sort of expedited mail. My check was cashed on May 21st. I received the passport on June 20th. My old passport arrived about 3 or 4 days later.

At about the 4 week point I tried to request an email with my order status, but I never received an email - maybe because it was already en route to me? At any rate, I didn't have time to start getting worried too much.

Robin, you mentioned that they were adding at least one DOS to the Jewel.

OK, I did a search but still can't figure out what DOS stands for - although I assume it's a type of suite. Double Occupancy Suite? Duplicate Owners Suite? Dirty Old Suite? Deliciously Ostentatious Suite? Lol. Please fill me in!

Thanks for the info on the Jewel updates.

Jazzy

I mailed my renewal application, etc. on May 16th - will try to remember to post here when I receive renewal passport.

Yes, thanks for all your work on this. I already knew the UBP won't be worth it for me, but the spreadsheet is great for getting an idea of how much to budget! :)