JolieMadam

What is the accepted method of bringing the wine onboard.  Does it go in hand carried bags?

Believe one person is using LaGuardia and I am flying into JFK.

Our departure date is Oct. 14th and we are flying in on the 13th for a cruise on the Caribbean Princess.  Since we are staying only the one night we thought Brooklyn would work well.

Need some recommendation for hotels convenient to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.

What memories all these photos bring back...my first sailing was on the Rotterdam in the summer of 1961. Went with my parents but I could not stay in their stateroom...had to be in an inside cabin to share with 3 other females whom I did not know. It was fairly large with 2 upper and 2 lower berths...each of us had a closet and there were 2 sinks. Had to go down the corridor to use the bathroom and shower. I swore then if I ever went on another ship, it would never be in an inside cabin. We had to get dressed every morning just to get on deck to see what the weather was like.

Almost fainted when I first saw the ship with it's bow sticking so far out of the water at the pier in New Jersey...had never seen anything so huge and now it looks so tiny in the pictures!

What memories all these photos bring back...my first sailing was on the Rotterdam in the summer of 1961. Went with my parents but I could not stay in their stateroom...had to be in an inside cabin to share with 3 other females whom I did not know. It was fairly large with 2 upper and 2 lower berths...each of us had a closet and there were 2 sinks. Had to go down the corridor to use the bathroom and shower. I swore then if I ever went on another ship, it would never be in an inside cabin. We had to get dressed every morning just to get on deck to see what the weather was like.

Almost fainted when I first saw the ship with it's bow sticking so far out of the water at the pier in New Jersey...had never seen anything so huge and now it looks so tiny in the pictures!

It would be best to leave it in the hotel safe and not carry it around. Large tourist city streets are notorious for pickpockets. You should not need it in the course of a day except if you need to exchange money at a bank...they usually ask for it then.

If your coat has a zip out lining then it might be wise at this time of the year to pack it. My question regarding your shoes...what shoe did you plan to wear for formal night and the smart casual nights on board?

It's also a good idea to pack an extra pair of walking shoes in case your feet get tired or sore and you need to change off.

After reading all of these threads from the beginning, I'm starting to see that it's got to be a good idea to stay away from the buffets on the mainstream cruise lines. I've never been a fan of buffet-style dining and on a cruise, we don't eat at them more than necessary.

I'm convinced that the majority of the offerings at these buffets is food that is leftover from the dining rooms' previously served meals. I once was employed at a large hotel in Los Angeles and we were served a daily buffet lunch (gratis). This is where I came to find out how many different dishes could be "re-designed" from the previous day's dining room and banquet menu. My position was in the Banquet Dept. so we knew what the chefs had prepared the day before. Fortunately, for the employees, the food was nicely presented and was always very tasty.

As far as the worst item, it would have to be venison which my FIL ordered for dinner on a Princess cruise. It came very underdone and he ended up sending it back 3 times in an attempt to have an edible meal. In the end, it was not good and he barely ate any. However, the next day the waiters got him good...it was lobster night and he was the last one at our table of 8 to be served. Everyone was waiting for him to get his plate and when it arrived it was a whole lobster including antennae. Turned out it was rubber, but absolutely real looking!

There's no way I would take Pepto Bismol to combat a constipation problem since it's formulated to relieve diarrhea.

Whenever I'm traveling, it's Metamucil that I will rely on because it works. Take it every day at the same time and drink the appropriate amount of water with it. If I'm on a cruise, I'll stir a heaping tablespoon into a glass of water and drink it at the same time I'm having my coffee in the morning in my stateroom. It's now available in capsule form which is certainly handy when one is traveling, but I have found that it does not work as well. However, this product should not be used if you find that you are already constipated as it might make the situation worse.

If you take it every day, then you are not wondering all the time if you have consumed the proper amount of fruits and vegetables to get the fiber you need.

We work with RCI for our exchanges and every time we've checked cruise prices through them, the rates were higher or about the same as if we were booking through a TA. In most cases, we've found it would not be worth it to do an exchange for a cruise. However, we did get a very good price for a Panama Canal Cruise on RCCL by booking with the RCI travel department and not involving our timeshare in any way.

The exercise I do for combating JetLag works very well for swollen feet and stiff legs. Lie on the floor or bed and get your legs up along the wall. Obviously, some of us will be more nimble than others....stay this way as long as you can. I am usually comfortable this way for 20 minutes. A long time ago this was recommended by airline personnel so after arriving at my destination, this is what I do and it is very refreshing. After, take a shower and go explore your surroundings!

Also, avoid the soups (yes, they are delicious) on cruise ships as they are loaded with salt and remember, they also fill you up too much. Actually, all the food is highly salted (could this be why it tastes so good). Also, lose the sodas....they bloat and are especially bad when you are in an airplane at high altitudes. Traveling involves sitting for long periods with your legs hanging down, eating in airports and fast food places and not being properly hydrated. These are most of the the causes along with imbibing more alcohol while vacationing, which is very dehydrating. Drinking even more water is necessary to combat the effects of those cocktails.

The salt air has nothing to do with it either....people have been living near bodies of water for centuries and don't suffer from swelling.

We have often considered exchanging the timeshare for a cruise but after checking the fares with RCI, have never found any that are worth it. Have noticed that often they do not quote fares with port fees and then they sometimes conveniently forget to inform you that there is an exchange fee that has to be paid as well. There goes any savings you might think you have. We have come up with lower fares on our own and so it has never been worthwhile to do the exchange. The only way it might be a good deal is when you want to book more than one cabin.