navybankerteacher

Back on topic - the “Midnight Buffet” and “Chocolate Extravaganzas” were symptoms of the growing pains of the cruise industry - when the “all you can eat buffet” became a big draw - for the new generation of cruisers - who seemed (and still seem) more interested in bargains than the real new experiences which cruising might have been able to provide them.

Sorry - but you are showing hubris (and a hint - a tone if you will - of ignorance). One widely accepted and applied definition of “tone” is the author’s attitude as expressed in his writing.

Sorry - but you are showing hubris (and a hint - a tone if you will - of ignorance). One widely accepted and applied definition of “tone” is the author’s attitude as expressed in his writing.

Our drive from CT to FL was west through NJ and PA then down the Shenandoah Valley - before heading east to join I 95 near Charleston SC - it totaled about 100 miles longer distance than I 95 but an hour shorter time.

… Any drive on I-95 between any two points between Boston, MA and Richmond, VA is best avoided. I happen to live within a couple of miles of two CT I-95 exits. It really pays to get a grasp of the local roads - generally doubling the distance by using local roads will save half the time (and a whole lot of frustration).

Since you title your post “LA to Miami vs Miami to LA” it is obvious that both routes will be partially “on the Pacific Coast” - what’s the difference?

Yes - but it is less visible — the amount you pay is the marked price (which often includes up to 20% VAT). Having the tax specifically added to the posted price makes it clear. Frankly, I prefer to pay that 5% or 8% or so and see it as an add on than to have a 20% tax built in. Having it so visible tends to make it harder for government to squeeze it out of the consumer.

If it is a typical closed loop Caribbean cruise (which ordinarily just requires ID rather than a passport) you should have no problem. If there is a stop at one of the very few ports which require passports (such as St. Barth’s.) there could be a problem. Of course you should check with the line.

To answer the original question: gratuities ARE morally compulsory - unless you have a legitimate claim about unsatisfactory service - which you have clearly pointed out to the appropriate personnel. The fact is: you might have the option to reduce/cancel gratuities in order to make it possible for you to avoid paying for service - but doing so is distinctly sleazy. If you book a cruise knowing that gratuities provide a major part of the compensation of those who serve you, the fact that you might not deal with gratuities in your home country is immaterial -

Re: Greek Islands - I would suggest you scan the itineraries offered in your time frame - and try to pick the itinerary which has the fewest ships in the ports you are most interested in on the days your ship will call. For example - Santorini becomes an unmanageable zoo when a couple of large ships are in,. For Alaska, mid June gives you the closest to “midnight sun” experience, but early August is likely to give better weather. It is worth doing a lot of research - beyond just superficial price comparisons.

Good to read a post from someone who actually thinks about travelling with very young children. (I had four born in a span of five years - twins, of course.)

There is always some risk, but from Delaware to NYC Amtrak is generally reliable. Personally, I prefer spending a day in any interesting port before a sailing, more to see the place as for insurance, but still. Why not consider getting a taste of NYC as long as you are going to be there anyway?

A three year old is likely to have a great time on any cruise ship. Since you live in New York, you might like the idea of saving air fare and travel time and sail from a New York area port - Manhattan or Bayonne, NJ. There are lots of NCL sailings from Manhattan.

And an as short (or even shorter) ferry ride across the river to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal for a much lower cost.

We’ve used “cruise air” (or whatever it is called) on booking one way trans-Atlantic flights for trips to Europe (UK and Italy) with the line we are coming home on. So far: Celebrity, Cunard and HAL. In each case we were able to pick airlines and flights and book ourselves -but only after we had paid cruise fare in full. It was still the best way to book one way air. It is obvious that if you leave it up to the cruise line to do the booking they will find the cheapest - usually inconvenient times and often requiring changes. Being able to pick airline and flight made it definitely worth paying cruise fare earlier rather than later.

“Correct local time” will not mean much if it differs from ship’s time and your ship sails without you.

My DW sides with me - she also gets annoyed with having to wait for that smooth-talking laggard.

The “problem” being discussed is that caused by people FLYING with more than their share of “carry-ons” resulting in others being cramped— and has nothing to do with “people walking of the ship” (with any amount of luggage).

I 95 between Baltimore and Port Liberty might serve as a helpful prep course for the road to Hell for one who prefers rural driving. Amtrak is not convenient to the Eastern Shore, but you might check out bus service.

There are a number of reasonably priced hotels and places to eat in downtown Manhattan (easy to get to from either LGA or JFK) and just a few minutes walk/ferry ride to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. There are few hotels in Brooklyn convenient to the terminal.

Other than air, there are busses and trains to get you from Lisbon to Barcelona (likely examples).

It is not so much the result of COVID, rather the typical corporate model of trimming expenses to boost the bottom line. In the case of the continually-growing cruise industry, such trimming is very easy: many customers of mass market lines are cruising for the first time so they have no grounds for comparison; while in the case of “premium” lines, many of their customers are “upgrading” from mass market lines which no longer satisfy their wishes - and they see an improvement over their previous experiences rather than a dilution of previous standards.

Different cruise lines have very different size/shape luggage tags. As a practical matter most tags can be folded to fit a fair sized plastic holder, but I have a couple of very narrow plastic holders (I forget for which line) which would not accommodate larger tags.

If one passenger brings more than his appropriate, share the result is that another does not have the room for his appropriate amount. That is often why on many flights “gate check” is necessary. It happens because airline personnel do not want to confront aggressive passengers over what they see as minor violations. Unfortunately our civilization has devolved to the point where many social rules are ignored if not strictly enforced. The fact that many folks drive to cruises has zero to do with the problem flying passengers have.

IF you generated income from activities necessarily linked to the production of that income you could deduct provable expenses from that income before you paid taxes on it. I really doubt that is what OP was driving at.