Mary229

That is information needed to book a cruise but I usually only would give that information in a verified communication

Enjoy them. Those who are going to make fun of you certainly know how to find something else to make fun of people. As I always say about those hypercritical folks - I wasn’t going to be your friend anyway. I don’t wear medals but the DH does put his pin on his fedora hat band; I assure you the crew takes note. I would find a way to wear your medal. I am the crafty type and I could see it fashioned into a purse hanger like this

Ok, ok, I want to know how many of you ever thought it was a medal that was meant to wear. I do hobble gobbles and other charity walks and get a lot of medals but I never thought of them as a wearable accessory. It never even occurred to me that there was an expectation that a person would wear it. No, we did not wear our medal at the reception.

That is why I am cautious telling people how to react in an emergency, many people react poorly or in their panic they latch onto a single piece of advice outside of the context of the situation. Best advice is follow the crew’s instructions. If in your room put your shoes on and what you can grab next to your life jacket. Heed whatever instructions you are given regardless of what you may think are the proper procedures.

They need to update their protocols and get in line with FEMA especially when transporting civilians. I understand the expectation of constant readiness for service personnel but the rest of us can get goofy when presented with an emergency. I just imagine hoards of people running back to their cabins “dressing for the occasion”.

From Wikipedia USN liferafts are stowed in heavy-duty fiberglass canisters and can be launched manually or automatically should the ship begin ………Survival equipment includes: manual reverse osmosis desalinator (MROD), bottles of fresh water, individual food packets, fishing kit, signaling mirror, rocket and smoke flares, flashlight, spare sea anchor, first aid kit, paddles, spare batteries and bulbs, and aluminized mylarsheets ("space blankets") to aid in caring for victims of hypothermia.[c

They don’t have those little foldable thermals. My fire department hands them out like candy as part of tornado safety. Like this

I think the days of a dinghy with no provisions was a different era. Modern lifeboats have provisions likely including lightweight thermal blankets. Have you ever seen a FEMA kit the blanket folds to the size of a disposable poncho. Get ye to the lifeboat, you will be tended to. Shoes are nice but more important is your life and the rapid evacuation of the ship. Don’t make the crew go looking for you.

Ummmm, have you looked at the rest of the stock market. There is no good news on Wall Street. Cherry picking a single stock isn’t going to help you make sense of what is going on. There are dangerous Geo-political and economic-political disasters unfolding.

When I searched those looked great. I like EF but only on sale

For the sake of appearances I bring hair oil which only requires a small amount and usually under 2 ounce packets of deep conditioning hair masque and facial moisturizer and oil. I find the ship water dries my hair and skin. I bring simple clothing and add jewelry and scarves to dress them up. I try to keep all of my clothes non-patterned fabrics in basic colors depending on destination and season. I have a black, gray, pink, red beige set; a khaki, black, green, white set and so on. I bring very few gadgets, if any, and none of those clever items you read about in all of those travel hack articles which are simply thinly disguised affiliate Amazon shopping lists. Unless the cruise is over 2 weeks I do not bring “evening shoes”. I simply use ship services to keep my leather walking shoes in tip top condition. Besides the obvious Medical and hygienic items if the cruise is over two weeks I bring a bar of soap. I find my home brand makes me feel more socially confident that I am fresh. Currently my only extravagance is my jewelry, contrary to good advice, and it is left behind if travel includes land travel and lots of transferring

Do you have a specific recommendation? That sounds perfect

Forget getting any disease - clean up. My twice daily routine (at least) on ships is mouthwash, saline nasal spray , face washing at least once during the day besides your normal morning and evening face washing, hand washing at the very least before every meal

I have no intention of wearing the thing, I added it to my collection of Gobble Hobble medals. It is a nice gesture and having a quiet, intimate reception is a pleasant way to spend an hour with fellow passengers whom we likely have common interests such as travel to exotic itineraries and traditional cruising.

I like the small, unpretentious affair. It is much more conducive to socializing.

People often equate stock price with financial strength, it is not true. The stock price is only a gauge of sentiment based on underlying fundamental analysis. It does not necessarily predict their viability, actually it doesn’t predict anything.

It is also the early season for eastern Canada. I like Europe in the spring, it is before the tourist season and the flowers are in bloom.

That is another reason not to pay for the cruise until final payment date. I always find a way to pay the smallest deposit possible. I simply will not pay thousands of dollars as a deposit. I either use a special sale with low refundable bonuses or I use a FCD

I think the most the command can hope for is that we listen to instructions we are given and follow those instructions. Having spent too many days in hotels, yes we always have a small flashlight each, shoes near our beds, wallet next to flashlight and study the door card describing our exit and find that exit the first few minutes of arriving. I do the same on the ship, I find where my muster station is and the easiest route. Once, while camping, we were swept up in a flash flood; we left with only our shoes, wallets, keys and flashlights and were able to find our truck and get to high ground. That is the only bug out kit you need. Most of our belongings were never recovered. Our quick wits and ability to leave belongings behind allowed us to help others to safety. Yes we had studied our exit routes earlier in the day. As a passenger I am willing to relinquish my control of the situation and hand it over to those who better up understand the procedure. That is what command wants. And that is why I didn’t argue about Covid rules I disagreed with, once you step foot on a ship you are under the command of the captain. If you are unwilling to accept that you shouldn’t go. Murphy’s law dictates that bad things only happen at the darkest part of the night. Keep your flashlight handy.

It must be up to the captain. On the Zaandam in July my medallion was unceremoniously delivered to my cabin. On the Zuiderdam in September my husband was presented his at a very nice reception. of course this led to a lot of discussion about the superiority of one sex versus another😁

I am pretty sure Navigator, like most apps, only runs on iOS and Android. If I recall LG has its own operating system .

I think you should find a good TA with cruise experience who can guide you in your choices. There are many options and price points and a good TA can match your expectations with the right line at the best price with the right itinerary. You may have to shop a little, don’t just buy what they first offer without reading the reviews. Cruise Critic as well as many other sites offer a overview review which at least gives you a feel for the age group and the level of luxury or budget.

I sailed another line and toured with another tour company this summer. Yep, there are some shoddy outfits out there, all with 5 star reviews and ratings too.

That is odd. It used to be that gift card bonuses had a one year expiration date. I assume it was meant to say that. @AFNavigator as of this morning AARP is still not working. Sigh, I have a bonus on a bonus expiring tomorrow

I am not 100% sure but there is mention of not using the in room fridge in the FAQs.