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I've always thought that prepaid, gift or debit cards were used by people who couldn't get a credit card for some reason. I can't see any benefit to them either. And I am super-careful about linking any financial entities. Once you've seen your Chase Ultimate Rewards reduced by 180K points, redeemed for many $5K Amazon gift cards over a period of two weeks, you become much more interested in fraud and security. I won't even put financial stuff on my phone, although I could probably set it up safely if I needed that service.

American Express I think. And if AmEx offers them, Chase and Citi probably do as well.

We did our first river cruise when we were about 45, Amsterdam to Vienna. We booked it for the itinerary, we had no idea what to expect ... and few expectations. River cruising immediately became our favorite way to travel. It was easy to spend time with the people who 'acted young'. The only negative "age-related" thing we noticed were these crotchety ol' peeps 'saving seats' in the dining room. They weren't very nice about it either, kind of yelling at us. Once we found out which people did this, it was easy to avoid their tables. "Saving seats" was, of course, against the rules, but Tour Directors like their tips, so it was never enforced. We never held buses for the late arrivals, there was none of that stuff that people think old people do. River cruise lines need to do some marketing to the younger crowd ... waking up in a new city every morning, each one more charming than the last? All ages would enjoy a river cruise.

Aw, come on ... you know that white straight males are the cause of every problem in the world, don't you? A Martian spending a week in today's America perusing the media would certainly think that. But some of us know that it's just a passing fad and soon the world will find some other group to make fun of.😁

OKKAAAAAAAAAYYY! I give up, let people on cell phones do whatever they want, I'll not try to get people to see reality any more ... I give up. Y'all win, I'll never say another word about loud people with cell phones. Probably won't say a word about the lack of good manners these days either. I'll just ignore it all.

I remember hearing about the ducks but didn't 'get it'. I think it's the same as people collecting stuff. There's nothing there, it's just something to do. Lots of people have fairly empty lives, and they like to create some interesting things to amuse themselves. I'd suggest just throwing the rocks that offend you into the ocean, but if they have paint on them, that's probably a bad idea. About the only thing you can do is ignore it, as complawyer advises.

Crystal is right, debit cards can be dangerous. I carry mine but never use it except at the bank's ATM. As for arriving in Turkey, yes of course you bring some local currency. How else are you going to get around? I never count on finding a convenient ATM in a country I'm unfamiliar with.

This is really simple. People sitting on loungers reading books don't make any noise. People sitting on loungers talking on a phone make noise. I've never met anyone who enjoys listening to someone else's conversation. I was reminded of another thing about cell phones this morning. People stopping dead in the middle of hallways to talk on their phone. This morning i saw 3 of them yapping away, blocking the whole hallway. At the airport they're impossible.

Usually, yes. I'd find a travel agent who's a cruise expert and work with them. If you haven't cruised much, the advice and guidance you'll receive will really make a great difference to your enjoyment. Be pro-active and 'vet' anyone you want to work with to be sure that they know what they're doing.

I'd poll everyone at lunchtime and tell the maitre d' how many and when. They'll do their best I'm sure. The first day, do it in person and leave a nice gratuity.

I'd stay in Vienna for WEEKS before I even thought of doing something about it. As for Avalon, I think I posted this early on in this thread. They earned my eternal loyalty during the virus hysteria. They refunded a cancelled cruise without me even asking. I had booked air through Avalon's air desk, so the total was just under $20K. I have two more Avalon cruises coming up and we'll keep sailing with them until we run out of European rivers.

This is a perfect example for why I'd never be without emergency medical evacuation insurance. Even if I didn't have to be evacuated, MedJet would assist me from the first moment and I'd have their full support in dealing with it all. I agree with you ... it's an awful thought to be sick while on your own.

DID this happen to you? Or are you predicting how you would handle it? Have you ever been in a Chinese hotel less than 5*? I think the divider here is real 'symptoms of a communicable disease' vs an occasional cough that 'might' be the virus.

"On me they smell like a cleaning product" made me laugh out loud. We used to have a UPS driver at the office who absolutely bathed in something or other, you could smell him coming before he even got to our door. It smelled just mosquito repellent! I wonder now if he had any idea.

I agree with my colleagues about the CCs, but I always want a little cash for any country we're visiting. I don't like to pay ATM fees, so I usually order the cash in small denominations before we leave home. BofA ships it to a branch and I go pick it up. I have some kind of relationship with BofA where they don't charge a fee for that ... I've been with them so long I really have no idea! Depending on where you're sailing, many places accept American dollars. Awful exchange rates but worth it in the face of an 'emergency'.

A legal pad and a pen are much easier and more efficient than trying to use an app. I love clothes, I enjoy dressing on trips. Decide on your colors ... black & beige for example. Decide on one bright color ... maybe red or bright blue (so you don't get bored). Everything you pack has to to pair up with everything else. Keep a list and think it through ... don't toss in anything at the last minute. Everything has to be hand-washable with no ironing. You wash something by hand, roll it up in a towel, put the damp garment on a hanger and it will dry quickly. Or you can send it out, or use the pax laundry on some ships. I pack nothing but black pants and shoes. I also pack scarves and jewelry. I have several sheer, weightless toppers in pretty prints with great earrings for dinner; I can wear them buttoned over a camisole as a top, or open over a tank like a jacket. I can do any cruise or a 3-week land trip under 24 pounds. I never thought I'd learn to pack light, but the trip itself is so much more enjoyable with fewer things to pack that now I do it all the time. My husband is shocked.

Nah, it's important to use your phone without guilt ... when I need to know something, there has to be a nice group of people to look it up for me. And they're always happy to do so!

Jean Nate splash. You can pour some in a little bottle for travel. Nice, light, clean and you can get it at a big drugstore. I'm in NoCA, so I wear it all year long, switching off with other fragrances.

EXTREMELY well said ... you are explaining what I was unable to articulate. People of all ages are turning into walking zombies. Watching a mother and 10-year-old at dinner ... they don't share a single sentence, they're both playing with their phones. Can't the adults at least SEE THIS? I think it's very sad.

I'd do a search for the port, pull it up on a map, then ask for 'hotels' to appear on the map. Then you can read the reviews and come up with just the right place. If you'll not be walking to the terminal with your luggage, staying too close might be a challenge to finding a taxi.

This is the only way to deal with all the static in technology today - ignore and look again tomorrow. I've posted this thought so many times in so many places ... if you're not getting where you want to go, move on and come back tomorrow. IT Departments are obviously short-staffed, just most other sectors of the business world. It's gone on so long that I'm now expecting it to continue for quite some time. Princess requires you to use technology; Princess cannot keep their technology usable. Two more thoughts: if you get something that sticks, take a screenshot Create a file of them because you might need some proof in order to not spend 5 hours trying to board your ship. Never let anything go until the last minute ... start early! As always, approach travel with a good attitude and be ready for anything. I have a feeling these coming months will be quite challenging.

I'd think the autograph might last if you hand-wash the shirt in cold water. Or take a photo of it, hang it up and just deal with the shirt normally. It's gorgeous.

All valid, and all things that I'm going to eventually learn to do ... if I want to. My problem is being forced to use my phone for something that is better experienced 'live' without the phone. Like the ship's newsletter every evening. I don't want to be jerked around by people telling me what to do. I don't want to carry my phone around a ship so I can unlock my cabin door. I don't like seeing bewildered folks who are apprehensive about travelling without using a phone, they're all worried that their trip will be ruined because they don't know about their phone ... that's just bullying. I'm rolling along with the phone, I got a book on how to use it, I'll use it if I want to. I also don't want to spend more than $125 a year for my Tracfone. I have far better things to do with my money. Appreciate the list ... it will push me into finding out how to do all that stuff ... some day.

I love photography as well and travelled everywhere with a little Diamage that fit in a shirt pocket. Once it died (OK, I killed it being stupid), I couldn't find anything to replace it. One day I discovered that I could take a photo with my phone and the quality was really good. Haven't had any prints made, tho, I'm going to experiment on our Quebec to Boston cruise next month.

You might want to read posts on these boards more carefully. Nobody thinks that people who use technology are idiots. I have no idea what you mean with the accusations about the virus; I think you have me mixed up with someone else. Have a nice day.