jsn55

This is SUCH a discussable subject! I've read stories about the ease of accessing hotel safes, I remember one from London where they just picked up the safe plus the cabinet and carted it all out it was in with them. I think the instances are rare, but no question that getting into a safe would be fairly easy for corrupt hotel staff. Nobody knows for sure, but I've never put anything in a safe. As most experienced travellers, I never leave home with much that anyone would want. I like to hide my passport, extra money and laptop 'in plain sight' and have never had an issue. If I were worried about something, I'd put it in the big hotel safe I guess.

65 to 70 degrees with sunshine is my idea of perfect travel weather. I'd only be concerned about storms ... and there's nothing much you can do about that.

97% of the time this is a place to ask questions, a very good place. But like everything else on the internet, there are people who can't wait to be borderline insulting. They seem to derive satisfaction from dissing others' posts, knowing that nobody knows who they are. Just part of the faceless nature of a public forum.

Oh yeah! I love to watch all the bustle of a port, the bigger and grittier the better. I like to get off the ship and stroll around if it's possible without getting run over.

I know people on this forum say they do this all the time. They even include lists a mile long of what they put into a carryon. I don't believe them! But your premise is correct ... nobody notices nor cares what you're wearing as long as you look 'presentable'. So first decide how many black shoes you need. Pack some black pants, two tank tops, two S/S and one L/S shirts to wear on their own or as 'jackets', a top, scarf and pretty earrings for dinner, two polo shirts, a nightgown/robe/lounger. Make sure all the tops and bottoms are interchangeable and hand-washable. You can always buy some shirts during the trip if you like. I have a very lightweight travel vest that's handy to carry heavier things on the plane, also good for port stops.

Are you familiar with the Royal's buffet setup?

You might want to quit reading my posts.

And here I thought my husband was the worst worrier ever. This seems like a non-starter for a problem. The unscrupulous sales person is ON the ship. So you have them take the item back and credit your onboard account.

You can also use a third-party search engine; chose the map instead of the list. Then book direct.

This is the kind of experience we had on Royal Princess over Christmas. Nobody ever seemed to know WTH was going on in the dining rooms. The medallion was worse than useless. Even the buffet was a mess ... walking around and around looking for food, everything cold by the time you got your meal ... half the stations totally empty. Then you'd forget which side your table was on and wander some more carrying your plate. A real po-dunk operation.

I'd look at the weather topic as I look at which cities I'll connect in when flying in winter from California. How much of a chance do I want to take? The weather may be just great, may be kinda ugly, may be just awful. If it's awful and nobody gets seasick, it will still be a pleasant cruise. If she won't fly, what else are ya gonna do?

Once you have an idea of which lines/ships would work for you, read the reviews on each here on CC. Read both the 'editor's overall review' and the member reviews ... you'll form a clear idea if it's a good choice for your family. When reading member reviews, discard the ones who obviously had one big problem so are blaming the ship for ruining their lives. Same with the gushy ones which read like they were written by the Captain's wife. They're pretty easy to pick out.

Once the ship sails, you can set up a time every day to 'check your shipboard account' together. She can 'help you' access it (even tho this is one of the few things that actually worked for me on the medallion app). This will put her on notice that she can't just go buy something without discussing it with you first.

Aargh, that's just awful. When I was 17, I lost brand new contact lenses on a trip. From that day forward, everything I travel with goes into the same place, every trip. My jewelry goes into my makeup kit. But I will be putting the whole bundle in a ziplock from now on.

I agree ... unless it specifically states a meal or break for snacks, I bring something along. It's miserable trying to sightsee from a 'luxury motor coach' when you're hungry!

Obviously, I'm ignorant of current trends in dining ... I never pay attention to any of that stuff. It's like buying gas in NoCA for an SUV. There's no point in looking at the price, it's just depressing. If I like the restaurant, I go there and pay whatever they charge. Kinda lazy I guess. But if they're coming up with weirdness like 'Care Facilitators', I'm better off ignoring it all. I've just always wondered what the real story is behind who gets the tips in a restaurant.

Sorry, I read that your opinion was based on eavesdropping. That part was quite clear. Maybe I missed part of your post?

For even more efficiency, I put the straws in fingers of a clear plastic glove, roll the thing up, wrap it in a paper towel.

I agree ... but I live with a man who wants the cheapest anything, everywhere. We have great fun trying to buy things like toaster ovens and vaccuum cleaners together. Easier to get the arguing over first, then order on Amazon.

I'm politely asking how you know where your tips go in a restaurant. I live in SF and never heard of a 'cook's commission' anywhere in my travels.

I'm reminded of my Rick Steves' soft nylon backpack. It's about 20 years old and has been on almost every trip with us. It was probably far more costly than anything else I buy, but still looks great and packs into a little ball.

All depends on the luxury level of the hotels you stay in. Lots of people haven't stayed at Conrads or InterContinentals, so it's good to be prepared for anything.

Some of us just want our stuff with us. Some of us like to get out of our wet swimsuits ASAP. Some of us want extra shoes in case something breaks. Some of us just want our stuff with us.

It's almost embarrassing to explain American tipping to someone for the first time. First, you get in a taxi, you tip the driver. Then you tip the doorman who unloads your luggage. You tip the bellman (OK, bellperson) when your bags are delivered to your room. We've really created a complex mess here, haven't we? I keep a $5 and some $1s in my shirt pocket so I can easily tip everybody ... unless I forget of course. No worries if you 'forget', people know that other countries don't tip much ... nobody should criticize you. I too have math challenges. A banker client told me years ago for restaurants: Take 10% of the total, add half that to it. That's a little over 15% tip which was fine back then. After the virus disaster, we've started tipping at least 20% in restaurants, often 25%, since it's these kinds of workers who were hardest hit when unable to work. However, if the service isn't good, I tip zero.

Same color I paint my toenails!