Daniel A

I think I failed to mention that the Bronx is also a distant foreign port. 😄

You may be mixing apples and oranges. A "Closed Loop Cruise" is one where it embarks in one United States port and disembarks at the same US port. The PVSA only requires that the ship stop at any foreign port, so Bermuda would satisfy the PVSA for a Closed Loop Cruise. The other type of cruise that PVSA regulates is where the ship embarks at one United States port and disembarks at a different US port. PVSA requires that the ship must stop at a "distant foreign port" which is a defined term in the PVSA. US Department of Homeland Security publishes a list of what constitutes a "distant Foreign port" as opposed to a "foreign port." I have two examples: A closed loop cruise leaving from San Diego and stopping in Ensenada, Mexico and returning to San Diego would satisfy the PVSA. A cruise sailing from San Diego and terminating in Fort Lauderdale would need to stop at a distant foreign port. Central American countries do not qualify as distant foreign ports so on a Panama Canal full transit from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale, the ship will usually stop in Cartegena, Columbia as Columbia is a distant foreign port located on the South American Continent. Any ship flagged in the United States is exempt from the PVSA. I hope this explanation helped and wasn't too basic of a response to your question.

I took my first Holland America cruise last year. I was surprised to learn that HAL does not have self-service laundry. You can either do your laundry while in port 😝 or you could either pay by the bag or get a laundry package. On a 35-day cruise, the package worked out very nicely for us. You can send your laundry out on Princess, but it gets very pricey. I've also seen complaints from elite CC members that the complimentary laundry can take days to come back.

I understood that. That was why I qualified the statement and used the word 'usually.' My point was that a crew member should not expect a tip at the beginning of the cruise. I tend to disagree with @Sthrngary about giving a portion of the tip on the first day. Would you tip a waiter or a waitress in a restaurant before they took your order? That said, I will admit that I will give a generous tip to a bartender upfront as that has produced very good results for me in the past.

Last month on Emerald Princess, we had to go from deck to deck to find a free washer. Once we found one, the token machine was out of tokens (this happened about four times in different laundry rooms) when the token machine was out, you had to go all the way to the Passenger Services Desk to purchase tokens. By the time you returned, someone else was using the machine. Lesson learned: pre purchase however many tokens you will need so when you find a free machine, you can use it right away.

The butlers should go above and beyond regardless of any upfront tips. That's their job. They usually get their tips at the end of the cruise anyway.

Would magnets stick to the walls on Insignia or just the ceiling?

That's what I was assuming as well. Cartegena and the ABC islands work but it seemed to me that Aruba is a long way to go for a cruise leaving from NY to Miami. It's like when years ago NCL was cruising the Hawaiian Islands and needed to go to Fanning Island to qualify for the PVSA closed loop sailings.

Last year, we arranged for a cab to pick us up 6 AM at the Holiday Inn at Palm Beach airport just to take us to the airline terminal there. It never showed up. We had an 8AM flight to San Diego and at 6:45, we were able to hitch a ride from a construction worker leaving the hotel. Cabs aren't always reliable either. 💁‍♂️

We have used this: Amazon.com: MAX Houser 6 Tier Shelf Hanging Closet Organizer, Closet Hanging Shelf with 2 Sturdy Hooks for Storage, Foldable (Grey) : Home & Kitchen We attach the hooks to two very strong magnetic hooks stuck to the ceiling. It will fold up and fit inside your luggage.

DW & I will be taking our first "O" cruise later this year. We will be going to Bermuda in a Penthouse on Insignia. I have two questions: First, are the walls and ceiling metal so we can use magnets? (We have a portable shelving unit that suspends from two magnets attached to the ceiling.) Second, does anybody know if the Insignia will be able to (and will) open the casino while docked in Hamilton? I thought I read that Bermuda permits cruise ship casinos to operate during certain hours while staying overnight in port. TIA

DW is always afraid of a last-minute traffic incident which would delay our arrival at the terminal. On our last cruise, the hotel shuttle broke down and they needed to get a replacement shuttle from another hotel in another nearby city. We did get there (eventually....) but DW was so stressed that it ruined the whole embarkation day experience. If this had happened with the last shuttle from the hotel, we might have missed the cruise, so we arrive early and are content to wait around a bit. Happy wife, happy cruise! 😁

Do you know how your cruise was able to embark in New York and disembark in Miami without violating the Passenger Vessel Services Act? Did you stop at a "Distant Foreign Port" designated by the PVSA? Thanks.

Regarding tipping - I always seek out the people I want to tip on the second to last day. My thinking is that they are EXTREMELY busy on disembarkation morning, they can be difficult to locate, and they don't really have the time to hang around waiting for any gratuities that may be coming their way. I know many others do the tipping on the last morning, but I'm one less cabin they need to worry about. It's nice because the crew member has the luxury of spending a little time with you when you give the tip that day. It makes for a nice, relaxed visit. Plus, I'm also extremely busy on disembarkation morning as well.

CORRECTION: I'm not sure that it matters much, but the September sailing was on Breakaway, not Getaway. Sorry if I caused any confusion with bad information. 🥺