broberts

3 hours ago, Water_Baby_ said:

 

The announcements made in the boarding area are VERY CLEAR that you need to remove any medications or other things you really need. If this person chose to leave their meds in that bag, that was their mistake. 

Really, you were there?

22 minutes ago, SundanceCarnegie said:

Thank you all. We will take our driver's licenses and birth certificates in addition to our expiring passports. You have greatly calmed the anxiety of a type A personality!

Is it ironic that if one has to use a BC, a valid passport would be fine for id? 😃

It's a closed loop cruise, as long as the passport is valid until the end of the cruise it should be fine. One can also travel with an official birth certificate and government issued photo id that includes date of birth.

Celebrity has this article on closed loop cruising, https://www.celebritycruises.com/blog/closed-loop-cruise.

7 hours ago, erisajd said:

Sadly, my TA takes DAYS to get back to me with inaccurate information usually.  She was the one who offered US an OBC.  I didn't ask - but once she did I negotiated further when we had an in excess of $12000 cruise fare. 

 

So far, other than trying to book us in cabins [and cruise lines] we did not want [and told her we wanted a forward or aft cabin, and then came back to us $5000 over our stated budget] and then refused her company's online price match - and then having my mother in law die which messed up our planning for a month - I got back to her with cruise time, fare, cabin location and price to simply book it so it was someone else's responsbility to keep and eye on the cruise, she missed a discount, missed a discounted FAS+ expiration and has totally failed to do anything else but charge us.  

 

So - that said - lets say I don't exactly have a soft spot in my heart for any travel agent - I have not found a decent one since 1985. . . 

Why are you still working with this TA?

Have you checked current price differences? 

Sad comment on our culture that only selfish motives are being attributed to this passenger. Has no one considered that the carryon may have contained, as many do, necessary for life medication?

6 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Isn’t that for US citizens born abroad? Does it work for foreign citizens that become US citizens?

No. It's for those born abroad with one or two US citizen parents.

33 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

I don't think a Canadian BC would work. The BC is to prove US citizenship. 

A Department of State report of birth abroad, or whatever it's called these days, can be used in place of a birth certificate.

40 minutes ago, Candleonwater said:

Ah, didn't think about that. She's only going to Bermuda, which I believe only has to be valid for the duration of her stay?

It may depend on the full itinerary. If the cruise starts from one port and ends at a different port the cruise line may impose a 6 month rule.

Old San Juan is a favorite. A lot of history, interesting fortifications, blue cobblestone roads, interesting architecture, public sculptures, several interesting museums and galleries, good food. A really nice sail in / out.

10 minutes ago, OnTheJourney said:

In conversing with someone who is a member it became apparent that I can’t see her signature which lists pasts and future cruises.  Why is that? I get the same result whether using my iPhone or MacBook.  

Check that you have View signatures? Toggled on. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/settings/signature/

9 minutes ago, deer_ink said:

I have 🙏! When I clicked on "visiting as a tourist" and "entering Canada by plane", it showed that I only need an ETA. However, I am not sure if sailing out of Canada to enter the U.S. is considered the same as "transiting through Canada". If it is, then the result shows that I need a visitor visa. Can you please advise me on this matter?

What you need is dependant on data only you have. Complete the questionnaire as accurately as you can and it should tell you if you need a visitor visa. 

Personally, if I had any doubts I'd consider obtaining a visa.

46 minutes ago, deer_ink said:

It's also my logical opinion, but I'm not sure if sailing in Canadian waters (even without any other stops) would be problematic. What do you think?

As long as the vessel is leaving the country it shouldn't be a problem. It's similar to the situation if one flew into YVR and caught a connecting flight to Anchorage. The connecting flight flys over Canadian territory without issue.

While cannabis is legal in Canada it is illegal to transport it into or out of the country. https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/drugs

16 hours ago, chencl27 said:

Nassau, Bermuda

Did you mean Nassau, Bahamas?

Nassau: glass bottom boat, pink flamingo show & petting zoo, snorkeling, etc.

A bit on the expensive side but may be of interest is hair braiding. Pavilion in the port area.

45 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

The problem is privacy laws

I take it you have detailed knowledge of the stroke victims condition and are familiar with privacy laws and practices in Sāo Tomé and Principe?

Sailings are rarely cancelled because of storms. Itineraries do get changed, but not frequently.

On 4/2/2024 at 6:27 AM, Debberly said:

I'm curious about the beaches beaches you've been to on a cruise stop.  The clearer the water, the better!

TIA,

Debbie

Weather and sea conditions can change visibility for some time. Pristine Caribbean waters are often clouded for weeks following major storms.

45 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Did you even read this?

 

it is NOT the flu, despite your assertion in post #10.

 

You must have me confused with someone else.

I posted the link because I am tired of reading mis and misleading information. Legionella is a pneumonia. It is a non trivial disease that may be deadly to some.

35 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

I am sorry but Legionnaires disease has been around since 1976 and it is from water, bacteria yes and it is not contagious.  Nothing to worry about.

https://www.cdc.gov/legionella/index.html

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

Stroke does not imply any sort of mental incompetence or inability to communicate. Apparently, she is capable of sailing solo on a cruise ship as well as taking excursions.

She did not suffer the stroke before boarding. We have no idea the extent of the stroke or the patient ability to communicate. The comment I was responding to assumed she was fully capable of communicating. An assumption that does not strike me as reasonable.

.

1 hour ago, Starry Eyes said:

Strokes vary greatly so you should avoid generalizing about “stroke victims.”  This person  was medically disembarked, with care properly transferred to a local hospital.  If providers at the local hospital concluded she was incapable of making her own decisions, they’d have tried to reach her emergency contact.  If they determined she was capable of making her own decisions, then the onus is basically on her.  She’d have a right to privacy and self determination; that is reality.  She was able to communicate with the “late eight” after the stroke and she was then able to fly alone half way around the globe, including changing planes.

Strokes do vary greatly. So I wonder why people assume that the person was able to clearly make their wishes known. The fact is we have no idea the extent of any injury. All we know is that a couple was able to provide assistance when apparently nobody else would.

I also think it a real stretch to ascribe N.Am. hospital practices to the hospital in São Tomé.

33 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

....

 

In several media reports, the 80 year olds family expresses frustration and anger that they were not contacted by the cruiseline.  The family does not seem to acknowledge that conscious, reasonably competent patients have privacy rights and make such decisions themselves.  If mom does not call her son or ask that son be called, neither cruise line nor hospital nor hotel will call that son.  

Putting the onus to communicate on the stroke victim seems particularly removed from reality. 

26 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

 

• Due to state laws, we cannot sell CHEERS! until the second day of the cruise (starting at 6:00am) for voyages departing from our Texas, New York, and Virginia home ports. Drinks purchased on the first day of the cruise will be charged to the guest's Sail & Sign® card in the usual manner. When purchased on the second day of the cruise, guests are charged for the remaining days only (cruise duration less one day)
• https://www.carnival.com/help?topicid=1106

Interpretation:

Our beverage package accounting software cannot handle different port taxes.

🙂

Surely the $100 OBC is enough of an offset.

19 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

A bridge can be built in that amount of time. It happens in other countries all the time. But in America everything is made more difficult with regulations, red tape and labor disputes.

A surprise perhaps, but there are countries that manage to deal with regulations, red tape, and labor disputes while building expeditiously.