jsn55

Too funny! Print her tags in color, yours in b/w and see who wins the luggage race!

Well, it certainly doesn't sound like Avalon is responsible for any of this. Is there more to your story in an earlier post? This thread is about people not 'getting it' when someone makes a remark that is tongue-in-cheek. Your 'travel agency' has made all the mistakes and needs to fix the situation. Is this a real TA or something on the internet? If it's a real TA, I would find out the name of the owner. I would compose a polite, concise letter explaining the situation and asking for assistance. Be very businesslike. Give them a week to respond. Find out if the agency is part of any professional organizations to whom you might appeal. Your money has got to be in the agency somewhere, unless the agent was dishonest. They must have Errors & Omissions coverage. Blaming Avalon makes no sense, they can't cut your TA out based on what you tell them. This is a business arrangement. Is it too late to file a dispute with your credit card? If you're dealing with an online 'agency' you're probably out of luck. There's no accountability with a faceless internet website.

Any cruise port is my favorite ... when I am excitedly starting a cruise, they're all just wonderful! We are sailing out of San Francisco at Christmas, and that will probably be a most memorable departure. Let's face it, so many places are exquisitely beautiful at daybreak or dusk.

I think the point of this discussion is that this is a powerful drug that should be carefully analyzed by a doctor very familiar with the patient and their personal medical history. Nobody knows if it's bad or good, the point is that it needs to be handled cautiously. Some people have a very good grasp of their own medical history ... others of us only vaguely remember health challenges in the past that could affect the efficacy of a drug like this.

When you post on the CC insurance forum, I advise making a list of the facts in chronological order. Making an insurance claim requires you to do specific things in specific order ... the insurance company is always looking for an excuse to deny the claim. Everything must be done 'just so' when it comes to filing a claim. A situation like yours is complex and nobody can help you unless they understand exactly what happened.

Absolutely agree! We pick our cruises by carefully examining the details of the itineraries. What we enjoyed at 40 is now unacceptable.

Do what I do ... make a spreadsheet with a list of things that are both important to you and things you want to avoid. Fill in the blanks and you'll have your answer. The decision couldn't be more personal, so you need to make your own list. This has helped me through many tough decisions when so many offerings were wonderful.

You're right about shoe recommendations, but that's not a problem ... it's a positive. Like you, I can only order shoes online if I already have a pair. Occasionally a catalogue company will offer free shipping and returns. Last time I ordered 9 pairs of shoes that looked possible (forget name of the company) and was able to keep six of them, a really helpful sale. I walk around in them for a few days at home, using shower caps to protect the soles. Reading all the excellent suggestions on this topic gives us even more ammunition as we constantly seek footwear that fits our own personal 'rules'. Love it!

Might try to find a local hotel that offers a parking package ... a room and parking while on the cruise. Prevalent here in the US, stress-free and very convenient. Take a taxi to the pier, or maybe the hotel has a shuttle.

HILARIOUS!

I always just read the CC reviews of a specific ship ... then you can come back with any specific questions.

The most accurate answer to your question is: you never know exactly where smoking will be allowed until you board and explore the ship. Today it's 'there', tomorrow it's 'over here'. But there will always be a section to enjoy a cigarette somewhere unless a ship has banned smoking altogether. You just go find it after you board.

I agree about using a TA for other kinds of travel beyond cruises. I had a good one 30 years ago, but she ran off with a Frenchman and I was never able to replace her. I went through exactly the kinds of garbage you experienced. It was so bad that I wondered if people who failed at everything else became travel agents. I'll always book my cruises through my TA, and I'll always book everything else myself.

I can comment on a couple of your queries. I've booked all our travel for years and years. Through an online travel forum I participated in, I got to know a TA in South Carolina and she offered to book a cruise for us. She's a 'cruise expert' TA. I had gotten to know her fairly well and knew that she was savvy and very detail oriented. It would be almost impossible for me to 'give my trip' to a TA unless they were 'nearly perfect'! The deal she put together for us on Holland America to Alaska was phenomenal. She has now booked what seems like hundreds of cruises (most of them cancelled during the virus hysteria) and she functions flawlessly. I would never book with a cruise line agent or an online booking service. I do all my own research and figure out all the details, so all she really does is book the cruise. But she adds great value with her expertise and experience with so many cruise lines. She knows our priorities ... no cabins under or over any public areas, aft-facing balcony, smaller ships ... that kind of thing. In order to determine which cruise we want, I often make up a spreadsheet with all the attributes of the cruises we are considering. It's really helpful and the best choice usually pops right up. Up until then, the only advice I had been given on finding a TA was "ask your friends and family" ... totally useless. There is a professional association (maybe more than one) called ASTA which might be a good source of a good TA. I wish I had a magic wand for you.

Top marks for creativity!

First the easy one, never purchase insurance through a travel provider. It's easy ... and buying insurance is hard work, so many people just take the easy way out and live to regret it. I have full coverage with my credit card, but during the virus disaster I was concerned about all those credits out there. Corporate insolvency was a possibility. I contacted a travel insurance broker and bought coverage for all the cruises we had booked. It was necessary to use up my credits so I had something to cover first, of course. We're cruising Quebec-Boston in September ... for the 'fourth time'. This year I think it's a go. Every time a cruise got cancelled, I just moved the insurance coverage to the new trip. I used a broker in Omaha, but the agent bordered on incompetent. It was like pulling teeth to get him to do anything and I'm glad I no longer feel the need for insolvency coverage. Lots of people use online brokers, so perhaps there will be some advice coming up for you. I would also urge you to purchase an annual emergency medical evacuation policy. I've had one for years, don't know if I'm allowed to recommend the company here on CC. We had a chance to use it six years ago when my husband broke his hip in Paris, and they literally saved the day. I don't scare easily, but that was a terrifying experience. You're wise to get going on this now ... I always advise everyone to insure any non-ref cash spent on travel. It's the only way you can emerge financially unscathed if something awful happens.

So true! I remember when this 'suite baloney' started with hotels years ago. A suite is TWO rooms at minimum. I guess they think that adding 'mini' to it will alert frequent travellers, but most pax will think they're getting an actual suite. Not a chance. It's just a cabin with more square footage. Fortunately with the internet, we can see photos and diagrams and everything else so we know exactly what we're booking. I have never known what the 'curtain' is supposed to accomplish. If the DH husband is watching TV in the sitting area, a curtain helps not a jot for keeping the sound down. A wall with a door, now, that's what is effective. But most people are too smart to waste money on a full suite, so we just bring earplugs and/or sound machines. cr8tiv1, I thought I was the only one who gets completely distracted by punctuation and grammar! I always wonder why on earth people don't proof their posts ... but they don't and I try hard to get the gist of instead of being annoyed.

I always do a 'generic search' and read everything that comes up about a cruise I'm interested in. Reading the ship reviews here at CC should be very helpful in obtaining the 'big picture'. Please come back on the Princess forum with specific questions.

Very good to know; I'll have a look , I need the support.

We might want to start a club ... women who have figured out the hard way exactly what their feet need ... what their feet INSIST ON ... and we could spread the word. If you make a note of the rules your feet dictate, you can get along just fine. A 'normal' friend of mine spent some time trying to convince me that there were boots out there that I could wear comfortably. Not in a million years! Now I have a response to those who wish to 'help me'. "My feet have rules, they are not to be broken."

It's beyond annoying that a cruise line would just deny a pax a solution to a fairly-common problem for no real reason. How refreshing that you aren't whining about losing your money with the cancellation and you accept the rules you agreed to in the first place. Your situation calls for 'artful begging'. If you booked direct, you may have to talk with a few different agents to find someone who is inclined to help you. They are very reluctant to escalate your request, but they can do it. But I don't know if cruise lines are answering the phone these days ... or they are like the airlines who just ignore their customers. Be very polite, make a list of your points before you call ... and don't give up. There's no reason for them not to just make the switch ... but like airlines, they may have grown used to jerking the customers around for no reason at all. The accessible cabin could easily be switched to a regular one. Now, if the ship is sold out, all my comments are irrelevant. One last gasp ... does your credit card have any built-in trip insurance?

We are sailing out of SF to Hawaii for Christmas, Pris, on Royal Princess. It's our first Princess cruise. Which cruise are you on? We could have our own Roll Call. I am so jazzed about no air at Christmas, it will be such a no-brainer, my favorite kind of trip. I love flying, but avoiding the crowds at SFO over the holidays will be a great treat. I am a little worried about this Medallion thing and wondering if it will work. I've just started learning how to really use my phone, got an "Android for Dummies" book and it's very helpful. I hope I know it all well enough so I don't have to bring the book with me!

Amazon delivers to cruise ships??? What fun that would be.

Good for you ... we loved the sled dogs, the goofy lumberjack show and the bear sanctuary. Icy Strait Point was a fabulous day, I so admire what those locals have created. While it was really cool to see the color in the icebergs floating right off the ship, the glaciers were a big disappointment, all dirty looking. I've watched too many nature shows over the years I guess. We really enjoyed the whole cruise, but a word of warning ... we were there during August and it was HOT. We had nothing to wear! Never occurred to me to check the temps like I always do. I mean, it's Alaska, right? You'll have a ball.