mnocket

I hadn't heard about the highway being closed due to lava. The Blue Lagoon had reopened after the initial eruption died down, but closed again yesterday due to new volcanic activity. There website says they will remain closed at least until tomorrow. It seems that for the foreseeable future, any trip to the Blue Lagoon will be conditional upon the whims of the volcano🙁

It seems every cruise line is testing the market to see how much they can cut back on their offerings without losing business. So far the answer seems to be encouraging them to look for more and more areas to cut back. People may complain, but they keep booking. One day, I'm sure it will come back to bite the cruise lines in the ass - but that day is still a ways off.

Starlink is dependent on the presence of satellites and in some locations this can be a problem - particularly some ocean locations. Most of Starlink's satellites are the original Gen 1 satellites. They are not useable when over the ocean and beyond the reach of ground stations to relay the signal. Only the new Gen 2 satellites work over the oceans since they can use laser communications to send their signal satellite-to-satellite until a ground station can be reached. Starlink continues to launch and position new Gen 2 satellites, and until the constellation is complete there will be some remote areas that receive poor/no service. Still, in most cases it's a huge step forward for ship internet.

In truth, the Mariner did have a spat of toilet issues that far exceeded what is normal. However, there is some reason to believe that the situation has returned to a more normal pattern of occasional outages - something that happens on many (most?) cruise ships due to the nature of the vacuum waste systems. At least we can hope🙂

That's sad news. Moorea is my favorite island there.

I agree, Regent could have expanded the 30% rebooking offer.

That certainly looks like a fair and reasonable change. Attaboy to Regent.

We were in cabin 413 in September. Some days the AC worked and other days it didn't.

For me the question is do I want to visit the Falklands on a large mainstream cruise line or on a small ship. My decision is to visit the Falklands as part of an Antarctic expedition cruise in 1/25 aboard a small (200 passenger) expedition ship. I've just grown tired of the lines - especially for tendering, associated with mainstream cruise lines. I tend to book private tours and being at the back of the line for tendering is a real problem. Actually, crowds and lines is a problem in general for me... just ask my wife😁

Was there any discussion about the avian flu?

This is the kind of thing that has turned me off to cruising on mainstream cruise lines - the lines!

imho Most Celebrity cruisers will only be happy sailing MSC if they sail in the Yacht Club - in which case, they will be very happy.

About the elevator override.... I'm willing to pay for extra perks that other customers don't have - where I value them. That said, I'm not comfortable with perks like the elevator override that so clearly disadvantage others for my benefit. I've never used it. On those occasions when being escorted by the butler, I felt the disapproving looks from the other passengers were justified. However that's just me. You paid for the perk and if you want to take advantage of it, that's certainly your choice. I'll pass.

We stayed there in December. Different experience. Entered room and found the room safe still locked from previous guests. Called reception and was told there was no one from security in the hotel that could unlock the safe. Hard to believe so I waited a few hours and called again. Different person. Same story. Dead bolt on room door wouldn't lock. Bolt didn't line up with hole on door jamb. TV remote was in terrible condition. Missing vinyl cover over one button. Had to press several buttons 10-15 times before they would work (i.e to bring up guide and then again to select channel from guide). Was told they were aware of the problem with many of the TV remotes and they were trying to buy replacements. Didn't help me🙁

Yeah, that was one of potential problems I thought about. Another was imagining a crowd of people gathered around empty lounges as the time ticked down. Kind of like musical chairs on a pool deck😁

I don't know if it is practical for mass market cruise lines, but I posted my thoughts previously in this thread, starting with post #108 and expanded upon in follow-up replies. Basically, I believe whenever a situation exists where demand significantly exceeds supply, the inevitable result is hoarding. Unless cruise ship pool decks can be redesigned to provide adequate lounges (adequate being in sufficient number that people don't have anxiety over finding an available lounge), then people will tend to hoard (i.e. "reserve") lounges. So, in the case of mass marked lines, the chair hogging dilemma may indeed be unsolvable🤔 I have read one post some time ago claiming a situation where notices were placed on unoccupied lounges with a timestamp warning that unattended items will be removed after a set time has passed. I initially thought this was a good solution, but having thought about it more I could see a number of problems arising. Since I haven't seen another post since reporting such a policy, I'm guessing it hasn't proved to be an acceptable solution.

I would hate that! My goal in vacationing is to relax and be free from schedules that dominate daily life. I don't like fixed dining times and I sure wouldn't like to have scheduled sunbed times. Just goes to show that no solution will please everyone😁

This makes me sad. I haven't been to the Trulucks in Ft Lauderdale for a few years. I didn't know it moved from the strip mall location. My wife loved the bar area with the piano player. Now a DJ??? Is sounds like another restaurant chain that has lost its way. Such a shame as we really liked Trulucks.

Might want to consider buying a suction cup attached shower grab bar. Just search for "shower grab bars suction" on Amazon.

You will be dressed like the majority of people.

Let me get this straight.... NCL invoiced you. You submitted that invoice to Kaiser. Kaiser says they will pay NCL, but only once they document that they have in fact incurred the cost. NCL has been unable to provide that documentation. Have you asked Kaiser if they will reimburse you directly if you pay the NCL invoice and provide documentation that you paid? As for getting a lawyer involved... I'm not talking about getting a lawyer to sue someone. I can understand why they won't take that on. I'm talking about getting a lawyer to assist you. You will have to pay an hourly rate. A lawyer can confirm the insurance company's claim that there is a time window to COMPLETE the claim. A lawyer can write to NCL and demand that they either provide documentation to support their invoice in a timely manner or relieve you of responsibility. Sure NCL can ignore his "demand", but a letter from your lawyer to NCL's legal dept. will likely get more action than your talking with customer service reps.

Got it. So the fundamental issue is really that you can't produce any documentation to prove you incurred a cost. I'm no lawyer, but I question whether even documentation that O paid the Air Force would establish that you have incurred cost. What if O never invoices you? It seems to me that an invoice for the cost of evacuation really establish your claim. Your concern is if they don't do it before your insurance window closes in 2 months, you will be stuck with the bill. Have you asked for the invoice instead of proof that they paid the Portuguese Air Force? Since they acknowledge that they paid the Air Force, but haven't been able to produce the documentation, they should still be able to invoice you for evacuation cost. That invoice should be adequate to establish your claim with the insurance company. Given the time window is closing, it may be wise to get a lawyer involved - if for no other reason than to establish the validity of the insurance company's claim of a time window for completing the claim (I've seen time windows for FILING a claim, but not one for COMPLETING a claim). You've already filed your claim. A lawyer may also be able to pressure O to either invoice you or relieve you of responsibility before the insurance window runs out. I'm assuming we're talking about a sizeable bill here that justifies paying a lawyer to get involved. As I've said, I'm no lawyer so my advice is worth what you've paid for it, but given that you've been running into a brick wall for months, that's what I would do. I sincerely wish you luck.

A bit confusing to me. If O made the payment did they then invoice you to reimburse them?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if companies started giving compensation for poor customer service at their call centers? Yep, but does anyone actually believe this will ever happen?

I would love to find one these TAs people talk about that offer 8% rebates AND provide good service. The only TAs I've been able to find who offer that kind of rebate don't provide good service. Having given up the lion's share of their commission, they rely on volume to make money - hence not much time or willingness to provide outstanding customer care. I'm not saying they don't exist - just that I've never found one.