neeuqdrazil

I hope I left her in good shape for you, Roscoe, and have a wonderful time! There were definitely some H. Buckets on board on the leg that I was on - one lady in particular complained about how she knew that 'they' couldn't control the weather in Florida, but couldn't they have done something about the weather in Florida?

The cruise line might also offer an excursion + transfer option (I know Cunard does this after TAs) - you disembark, get on board a coach with your luggage underneath, have your excursion, and arrive at the airport at a more reasonable time.

The instructions on the luggage tag call for folding and stapling around the handle. Because I have to fly, and because I don't want to have to go hunting for staplers (or bring one), I use the plastic slips linked above to hold the tags. They were cheap, and if you get the wider ones, they should be usable with all (or almost all) lines. As long as the room number and location code are visible, they should be fine.

I always travel solo, and I've never had an issue booking transport. Definitely book through the cruise line if you're unsure about an area - paying for that convenience and ease of mind can absolutely be worth it. Also, when you're travelling solo, the cost advantage of booking a taxi on your own is often much less. I took the hotel shuttle to the port at the start of my last cruise. For a couple travelling together, it would cost more than getting a cab, but for a solo traveller, it was cheaper. I also second bringing only what baggage you can easily manage on your own. Except for this last trip (which was 16 nights long, and required a lot of extra cruft), I only bring a checked rollie bag and a carry-on-sized backpack (Tom Bihn Aeronaut 45), plus my purse. This last trip had two checked rollie bags, the Tom Bihn, and my purse, and it was a bit of a hassle to manage.

I'm a solo female traveller who struggles with depression, so while I can't speak to the horror of losing a child (as I'm child-free), I can speak to some of the fears. (Please note that I pretty much only cruise on Cunard, so some of my comments may be specific to that line.) I took my first cruise (a transatlantic on QM2) after losing a partner suddenly and unexpectedly in 2016. She and I had always talked about doing a TA, but hadn't gotten around to it, so after she passed, I took that first trip 'in her honour', as it were (about a year later.) I fell in love with it, and have done two more TAs and 3 other cruises, since then. My nesting partner has zero interest in cruising, so I travel solo. What do you like to do on cruises? I'd recommend booking on a ship with fixed dining times, and requesting a fixed dining time, at a shared table. It can be awkward at first, but it does give you a daily 'touch-point' with people who know your name. (If no one is at your table on the first night, ask the maitre'd to move you to a table that does have people coming to the MDR.) If you're a crafter, go to the crafter's meet-up, or walk the ship and find someone else crafting and ask if you can join them. Knitters are friendly! If you're not a knitter/crocheter, but you're interested in learning, pick up some yarn & needles at home, bring them along, and ask in the meet-up if someone can help you! (YouTube is also great for learning, but less likely to encourage conversation.) Most ships have solo traveller meetups, although I must admit that I've never attended them, but when I've walked past, they've seemed relatively well attended (at least on Cunard.) If you're worried about getting lonely and bored, maybe try a cruise that has a lot of port stops?

QA is a new ship, so will likely be somewhat different, but when I was on QV last month there was an LGBTQIA+ meetup (unhosted, I believe) every afternoon, and there were gay couples all over the ship.

I had the soft drink package, and it was hit or miss whether or not they had me sign when I used it - maybe 1/3 of the time I got a slip? I didn't add a gratuity to those, but at the end of the voyage, I gave (relatively small - $10) cash tips to the waiters in the Chart Room, whose service really was above and beyond (they'd see me coming, catch my eye, confirm I wanted a drink, and bring it to me wherever I ended up sitting down.)

I ended up with the QV bug after leaving the ship - I disembarked Wednesday morning, and was evacuating my digestive tract (just out the top, thankfully) by Wednesday evening. Flying home overnight that night was Not Fun, and the next 3 days were primarily sleeping and being feverish. I felt off on Wednesday afternoon, but figured that it was exhaustion plus a lot more walking than I had been doing for the previous almost 3 weeks. I managed to not spread it to my partner, however - diligent hand washing (and acute symptoms stopping while I was on the plane) seem to have done the trick.

Sephora does sample/mini sizes of a lot of things, and if you go into store, you can usually get a sample of foundation products, which is nice.

I can't wait to see her (and get aboard!) in Fort Lauderdale on Monday!

I'll keep your chair in the Chart Room warm for you! (I'll be on from 22 Jan to 8 Feb.)

In my circles, they're known as "Taxi" shoes, or another, significantly less polite, epithet. 🙂

How was it on the ship during the Literature Festival? I'm looking at the 13 Nov 2024 TA, which is the Literature Festival for 2024, but I'm mostly interested so that I can be on board for my birthday. While I'm a reader, I'm not a big 'Author' person.

The lack of announcements is one of the things I adore about Cunard, actually. There is one announcement daily, at noon, and barring emergencies (or emergency drills), that's it.

Well, fingers crossed that the stent & removal help, and that your numbers come down!

I'm glad they were able to get the stone out, and put the stent in. Fingers crossed that it solves the problem! Have you had problems with stones before?

Whereas, the last time I was aboard QM2, there was a blind woman with her service dog, and that dog was perfectly behaved - laid under the table while she ate, led her around without issue, and was generally what you expect from a service animal.

In Canada, the UK, and the US, assistance dogs (not emotional support dogs) are by law allowed with their person into public spaces, including restaurants, shops, hospitals, and public transport. (Info for the UK found here: https://julius-k9.co.uk/blog/uk-law-assistance-dogs-and-emotional-support-animals; US information here: https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-2010-requirements/; Canada information here (regulations differ by province): https://www.supportdogcertification.org/article/service-dog-certification-and-regulations-canada) These dogs are well trained, and would never be allowed into service if they were at risk for biting or knocking someone down.

Hopefully you don't mean a service dog. They are allowed everywhere their person is, by law. And well trained service dogs (which licensed service dogs all are) are almost certainly better behaved than most children.

While my father-in-law was in chef school, his son took the leftover duck a l'orange that FIL had brought home and had it on Kraft Dinner (Kraft macaroni & cheese for the Americans.) 15 years later, and we still won't let him forget it.

I am with those of you on the 'bring more shoes' train - I've got a World Voyage segment starting in January on QV (16 nights FLL-SFO), and at this point, I think I'm up to 5 or 6 pairs, plus flip flops for pool wear? 1 pair heeled sandals that are comfortable for walking but also dressy enough for smart nights, 1 pair sporty sandals for excursions, Blundstones for getting to Florida from snowy Toronto & for walking around in likely rainy SFO, and 2 or 3 pairs of heels for evening wear - two black, and one probably green.

I'm actually not sure if it's the first US port of call or not - if it is, then that makes sense that they'd have to zero out. I've just checked, and it's not - the ship stops in Port Canaveral the day before!

I'm going to be joining QV for a segment of her World Voyage in January, boarding in Fort Lauderdale. I know that when QM2 turns around in Brooklyn, US Customs & Immigration requires that the ship be zeroed out before anyone can board. Is that also going to be the case in FL?

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool introvert, and I love cruising (admittedly, I cruise solo, which likely helps.) I take my ereader, my knitting, my headphones and podcasts/ebooks, and do my own thing. It's the perfect introvert's vacation, if you want it to be. (I will note that I've only cruised with HAL and Cunard, which tend to a slightly older clientele, so I can't speak to how other lines fare when it comes to providing quiet spots to de-people.)

I think TAs are my favourite cruises. (Admittedly, I'm a Cunard girl, which is a somewhat different style of TA, but even given that...) Multiple sea days strung together, lots of things to do, or nothing, depending on how you're feeling that day. It's glorious. (And I always cruise solo.)