navybankerteacher

Yes, that 15 day bit is a stretch.

It also happens at railroad and metro stations where such cards are needed to buy tickets - unless there is a manned window (sometimes with a long line) you are out of luck.

There are also small (often the more attractive) eateries which will only accept chip and pin credit cards - meaning that you must pay in cash unless you happen to be carrying one of the few chip and pin cards offered in the US (usually for a substantial annual fee).

It isn’t difficult to see that, since “wearing a well fitting mask” is part of the drill, dining venues must be of higher concerns - you can keep your mask on in theatres, etc.

Not all lines will cash travelers checks.

Somehow that “tech progress” has not done much in controlling last minute flight cancellations. It certainly has not improved passenger behavior on the flights that do go, nor has it done much in providing seat width or leg room. With or without “tech progress” I do not think the flying experience has improved “…over what we had several years ago.”

I suppose if one’s ongoing flight is from Southampton staying locally and doing day trips (which can get tiresome) could make sense. But in January I would far rather spend the time in London and fly out of Gatwick or Heathrow.

The sad fact is that Covid is still with us. Folks smart enough to be fully vaccinated are probably safe from serious illness, but crowds (such as cruises) are virtually guaranteed to produce some spread. My step daughter got infected two weeks ago (probably at a wedding she attended) fully vaccinated, but still experiencing flu-like symptoms. We are going to continue avoiding such locales for the time being - cruising is not the only travel option, and the measures still in place have negative impact.

One point - if you have a chip and pin credit card, make sure you take it with you - there are unmanned locations - such as train and local transport stations , gas stations, and even some restaurants which only accept chip and pin.

This approach has worked for us at a number of ports (not yet Boston - but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work there).

When it comes to money in Europe the same concepts apply as handling dollars while travelling in the US - the pieces of paper look different, but their function is the same — as is the risk involved in carrying large amounts of cash (of any sort). Credit cards (primarily Visa and Mastercard) are widely accepted and bank ATM’s are plentiful. Hopefully you have a bank debit card which does not penalize for out-of- network use. And, just as in the US, proprietary (non—bank) ATM’s are best avoided.

When you stop to think about it, a self leveling pool table might be something of a challenge for someone standing on a pitching or rolling deck to use. Now, if there were a similarly self-leveling platform for one to stand on …

The theme of this thread is: “Passport needed when leaving and reboarding on port days”. That can be taken to mean when leaving and reboarding the ship — it does not appear to involve overnight hotel stays in Bangkok or Italy - or even cashing travelers checks at American Express - if they even still exist.

Some of us are easily pleased. Have you flown in the past few months?

On three QM2 sailings we were able to change dinner seating time upon boarding by checking with the maitre d’ with no problem.

This is a genuine slippery slope. When you get right down to it many things were better in past years. Does anyone think airline flights are more enjoyable than they were several years ago? Does anyone who travelled on old sleeping cars think Amtrak sleepers are more comfortable - or the food in railroad dining cars better? Of course many things now are far better than in the past - but when it comes to non-essentials, as in the case of leisure travel, things do seem to have gone in the other direction. Yes: more affordable - but only at the cost of diluting the experience.

But they were built for Great Lakes service - and they certainly are not “river boats”.

Where have you actually “…have needed to use them while ashore more than once.” ? Very few ports come to mind. And what ports have you visited where such need exists?

Aruba and Curaçao in the far southern Caribbean have reliably warm water year round - ranging from 81 to 84 F. La Romana in the north has somewhat cooler waters - with January/February lows of 78 or 79 F, generally 81-83 the rest of the year. In October-November you can be fairly certain of at least 81.

I do not know if the practice has survived, but when I cruised HAL to Alaska they served hot pea soup on deck as we neared a glacier, and when entering the Panama Canal they served their special “Panama buns”.

Many screens, so almost any game on can be viewed - plus pretty good menu (especially their burgers).

People should remember that part of what they buy is the knowledge that they have the accommodations they want on the cruise they want. Sure, someone who wants to book last minute may pay less, but also might not get to go at all.

This is the essential value of any dress code: to set a tone. Asking people to make an effort does seem to go beyond just appearance - it does spill over into conduct. Private schools in the US and many state schools world wide have dress codes, state and Federal legislatures have dress codes, as have social and business institutions, and US courts.

I know a couple of people who watch NASCAR - one on the Connecticut shoreline, another on Narragansett Bay in Rhodesia Island. Generalizations are chancy.

If that was on a Victory Cruise Line ship, it was not on a “river boat”. Yes, Victory was acquired by American Queen which really is a river cruise line, but the Victory vessels were designed for Great Lakes sailing - which is quite different from river sailing (remember the Edmund Fitzgerald?)