navybankerteacher

Seconded.

Are you really suggesting that someone who opted to save money by not getting a passport would opt for the sort of premium travel insurance which would cover taxi and meals?

Figure out what clothes, etc. you will want to have with you, crank in your willingness to either do laundry and/or rewear unwashed clothes - and then use the size luggage which makes sense. Remember that it is always easier to travel with minimal luggage, while also remembering that staying home means having no luggage to worry about - it is not rocket science: just do what makes sense to you.

Of course Starbucks relies upon a wide customer base who are either very wealthy or are unable to perform simple arithmetic functions.

Sounds like a bargain - CT is $24 for 2 years or $96 for 8 years - both Real ID -

Not at all the case. It is rare for insurance to be mandated other than when mortgage financing on a home is involved. And then people frequently save money on premiums on various sorts of insurance: real property, auto, health, liability, etc, by carrying minimal coverage, not carrying certain risk coverage, carrying high deductibles, etc.

Then how is the answer “yes”?

Would you also call yourself a dunderhead if you had carried homeowners insurance on your house for years - with no fires, thefts, storm damage or other claims paid?

I think you missed my point— which was simply that folks who claim to cruise for a week or more “with just carry on” are likely to have supplemented their packing capacity by “bending the rules” by hauling more than “one carry on bag plus one small personal item” - never implying that they were the only ones to hog space meant to be shared fairly with all others. I regularly travel for weeks with one carry on and one checked bag, both of which I can personally manage easily - be it over cobblestone streets or up and down two or three floor walk-up accommodations.

Remember -- you are on a thread populated by many folks claim to cruise with "just carry-on" -- even if they have only one max possible carry-on bag in the overhead, you can bet your sweet potato that their "small personal item" (if there is just one} is likely to easily fit under the seat.

Thank you for injecting some real life information.

Remember: you are talking about folks travelling with a one year old and a three year old- if you have not done that personally, consult with someone who has.

They do it because too many US fliers are either uninformed, contentious or angry -- sometimes a combination; and the (lazy and/or defensive) staff finds life is easier if they ignore the stuff the passengers pull, hoping that they can skim by with minimum effort.

That is the logical thought pattern; however the path frequently taken is simply the less expensive one - which saves not only dollars but the effort required to make an informed decision.

Wouldn’t that depend upon who the “they” was who asked? Very often “they” are delighted to add no-cost features to their program, but tend to become somewhat more selective when there are expenses involved.

Seconded — a one year old really does not expect much from a visit to NYC 😛, and his three year old brother might be happier in front of a TV than experiencing mid-February New York weather. If the weather is OK, there is a lot of interesting lights/action in the Times Square area, but what you really need is a decent TV and room service.

There are always a few who booked and insure with “cancel for any reason” coverage, and then some last minute cancellations are almost a certainty when a thousand or so cabins are involved. Keep checking or availability - perhaps with the help of an agent.

There was an interesting suggestion to the effect that having a passport was not necessary because cruise lines have port agents.

Bahamas cruises in January (which tend to hit uninteresting ports on short itineraries) in January can give you cool/chilly weather. The Caribbean is completely different - it is generally tropical and almost certain to be warm, it offers a variety of ports, and generally involves longer itineraries - a week or so - which makes the effort of getting to the port worthwhile. Lumping the two regions together when discussing January cruises makes very little sense.

Of course there is always someone who “…knows how to get the documentation.” and no one is going to be really stranded long term; but it can take some time to get it. Anyway, happy sunshine posts claiming there will be NO problem getting documentation for stranded cruisers may make folks feel good - but I still prefer to travel with a passport — even though some experts here point out that there is no real need (or point in having one) because even if you had one you could have left it on the ship or had it stolen.

And you believe that the line’s port agent is authorized to issue temporary documentation permitting undocumented people to board flights to the US? We are discussing handling a specific documentation problem here - not just cruise lines’ staffing policies.

And are there convenient locations everywhere with signs indicating “Free Waivers for Undocumented Fliers to the US”?

Likely true if the whole cruise is aborted because of ship’s breakdown; but if the individual has to abort his cruise and fly home due to an emergency (which does happen) not at all likely. And not going to happen in if the individual missed his ship (which also does happen). Of course he will ultimately get home - but possibly after many expensive days waiting.

This - in a nut shell. Very many carry-on-only folks claim that they happen to be smart packers - as opposed to the other folks. And, a fair number of them are only able to manage by “bending” the rules dictating ONE carry on and ONE personal item.