jsn55

EXACTLY! I hope that people soon tire of complaining about smoking and move on to another topic ... any topic. If you don't like someone smoking, walk away. No need to make a fuss.

I feel bad for the clueless cruiser who posts on these forums. Such snark. Certainly we could treat them with a little more respect. As to the question about dress code, ontheweb, river cruising is relaxed. Wear long pants and tuck in your shirt; add a scarf and some jewelry for dinner. If you want to go all out, wear a blazer to the Captain's Welcome Dinner and those sparkly earrings that have been waiting for an opportunity to shine.

Wow, Laura, this is very enlightening. Not sure I'd have the courage to actually make the trip. Fingers crossed for these intrepid travellers. My little brother from Minneapolis is in Ecuador but a 'couple of hours' away from the turmoil. He better keep his head down. And I hope these cruisers get safely on their ship and away. Thank you for posting this.

Nope

Do you think that this may be a result of compassion for the people who work in fast food and couldn't work for so long during the virus disaster? I found that the worst part of the virus, the lower-level jobs disappeared and people couldn't feed their kids. It made me sick. Other than travel, we don't go out all that much, and after the world started to wake up, we went out more and would leave huge tips. I do find myself still tipping far more (for real service) than I used to.

Are you serious? This is hilarious. And the best part? People put MONEY in that tip jar! I love it.

Makes no sense to ban cigars and pipes in outdoor smoking sections. Even tho the smell of a cigar is pleasant to NOBODY, there's no reason to ban them outdoors.

Just want to be sure you're aware that a cruise-expert travel advisor is paid by the cruiseline. The benefit to a good TA is the answers you'll get to questions you don't even know you should be asking. You don't necessarily need someone in your own town, it can all be done remotely ... but don't use just any online TA, they're usually nothing but order-takers. I've booked independent travel for 40 years, but once I used the services of a (good friend) TA to book a cruise, I was hooked. She is able to put the 'best deal' together based on what she knows about our wants and needs.

No question that tipping in the US is completely out of control. My fave is the 'tip jar' at a fast-food restaurant. If people are dumb enough to leave a tip for no service, good for the establishment. If you're in a culture where tipping is the norm, don't try to force your opinions by not tipping. All that does in punish a hard-working staff. Get with the program or stick to places where tipping is not expected.

Either gender can wear almost anything they want. White shirt and black slacks, white slacks and black turtleneck, a suit, a blazer, or ... like the couple I met in the hallway on a Christmas Princess cruise ... lots of red sequins. She wore a red sequined sheath, matching stiletto heels, and he sported a red sequin blazer with matching bow tie. Quite a sight.

You can make a two-pronged effort .. do a search for 'private tours, excursions, sightseeing City Norway'. Post on your Roll Call and get specific answers and suggestions, plus opportunities to join other pax on private tours that they are arranging.

I would think the ship's excursions Alexandria-Cairo are on the back burner. The short port time combined with the traffic in Egypt might have caused problems in the past. Years ago, we took a train Cairo-Alex and a bus back - it was at least 15-hour day. I've been trying to get back to Alexandria ever since ... we have an overnight there on NCL Sky in November. Keeping my fingers crossed that the itinerary doesn't change.

How long's the cruise? I would think that $200 would be a small price to pay for the extra room in a suite. Look at the deck plans and compare the two, both square footage and configuration. Read the booking page to see what extras may be included with a suite. Peruse what's available and the location ... don't want to book over the nightclub or bowling alley.

I'm giggling ... a perfect accent for this dress would be a 'fascinator-type'. The thing you specifically don't want! Not one that clips on the side of your head with weird stuff shooting off in all directions, but something feminine and understated.

Now that I see the dress, I don't like the hat with it. A more 'lightweight' hat would do you better I think. I think a hat to enhance this gorgeous dress might be quite a challenge!

My only addition is that we were on an Alaska cruise in early June and it was HOT. We had to buy t-shirts. So everybody's right ... layers!

I think it's perfect for your described event. My only reservation would be the incredible numbers of shades of navy blue ... you'd want to be sure the hat color complements the dress color. What color is your coat?

This is exactly the point. These people are rude, period. Nothing can excuse that, and cruiselines need to move these people on if they're too dumb to figure it out. There have to be hundreds of places to gather and do whatever you want to do on a cruiseship.

One UK location I'm interested in is the UK pronounciation of Southampton, the port. I've been told both ways. SOUTH-am-ton or South HAMP-ton. Which is correct in the UK?

Yup, I doubt that people who 'travel full time' have any money worries. If you're 27, you can travel around the world for months on a shoestring, but most of us 'more mature' folks would find that not so enjoyable.

I would LOVE to read what people have to say about this ... I've always found it a fascinating idea. But just can't wrap my head around how life would be living on cruise ships and hotels. But I can't imagine how people live in the huge apartment buildings of Manhattan either. Look forward to some good posts on this subject.

Rent a furnished apartment, make your own meals and wait it out.

This kind of restriction is really maddening, bordering on outrageous. I wonder if NCL is reacting to some horrible negative experience in the past or if they just can't be bothered.

I hope you're back up to speed after such an awful adventure. It's great to know that the insurance functioned as it's supposed to ... how long did the claims take to process?

I see it as a matter of basic courtesy and consideration. The buffet is for dining; if the ship doesn't have enough seating for everyone, pax can be considerate to people who are hungry. How hard can it be to find a nice spot for a group to use for several hours?