Mum2Mercury

5 pair of similar shoes? Nah, no point in that. My theory is, don't take duplicates in the same category -- one pair of tennis shoes, one pair of sandals, for example.

You can see how many cabins are still available for your cruise, but that doesn't tell you: - How many people have purchased Guarantees and haven't yet been assigned. - How many 3rd and 4th people are in those cabins. Other indicators: - If you're near your date and the price is dropping, your cruise probably has unsold cabins. - If you're booking over the summer or on a holiday, you're almost certainly going to sail "over capacity". Probably with lots of kids.

I was going to say, the worst sensation is waking up and seeing that your ship is docked at your departure port.

A shoe isn't likely to have a breakdown. I personally have gone a lifetime without breaking a single heel, though now that I've said that I'm sure to do it next week. BUT if your shoe does "break" in some way and you have no backup, you're screwed. Ruin your shirt, and you might be disappointed, but you have other shirts -- and can buy other shirts. Shoes aren't as easy.

I was going to say, "Guest Services is open 24 hours/day, so go early in the morning or the middle of the night", but since you were looking for your lost luggage, that isn't practical. Visiting Guest Services personally is a low point in the cruise experience. Was your luggage lost between the porters and your room? They've been known to do that!

Thing is, I don't care strongly about the location of my cabin. Well, I care that it's an Ocean balcony as opposed to a Park or Boardwalk balcony, but the location was just a perk -- not a real preference. In retrospect, I wish I'd investigated an Ocean Balcony Guarantee.

I'm interested in this too. We usually go with a Guarantee, but our adult daughter's coming with us, so we wanted a balcony -- just like when they were kids, a balcony is the cheapest way of getting a little more space and a separate space for Dad to disappear while the daughters are dressing. With three of us, we also wanted to choose a room near a public rest room. BUT we'll be on Wonder, and we really only wanted an Ocean Balcony ... we really do not want a balcony next to the carrousel. So we chose our room. Did we do wrong? I mean, could we have specified Ocean Balcony /not Central Park or Boardwalk? Doesn't matter now, as the Guarantees are now higher than we paid, but I wonder for the future.

That's a nice addition, and -- yes -- apps should always be moving forward, adding features.

Not just on cruises; for example, I've been handed back a stranger's credit card in a restaurant. Doesn't inspire confidence in one's wait staff.

A couple thoughts: - That $2600 was for a cruise on a small ship, nothing like the big ships available today. - I know I overpaid for my first cruise. I wasn't aware you could /should watch for price drops. - I remember watching Love Boat as a child -- would've been the 70s. Back when cruising was kinda a once or twice in a lifetime thing for the "newly wed and nearly dead", and I never really imaged I'd be able to take a cruise.

I don't think this is carved in stone, but it's a general truism. And I thought I was fortunate for booking an inside guarantee and getting 1) an Oceanview, 2) a Promenade room! Yeah, partially those rooms were gone because they'd announced not only your room -- but all the other guarantee people. You are taking a chance when you book a guarantee, but I personally have never been disappointed. Note: You don't have to have an Apple phone. I always pull my barcode up on my computer and scan it with my (Android) phone. Sometimes it'll say GYT ... that means your room isn't yet assigned. Once I've seen my room number, it's never changed. Once it went back to GYT, then returned to the same number ... not sure what that was about.

They are interchangeable with many outfits, and if I were going on a three-day cruise I might consider bringing only one of the two; however, their function does differ: I always wear little white Keds or white Vans on a cruise ... they look cute with a tee-shirt dress or a shorts outfit. Since we only cruise in the fall /occasionally early winter, the tennis shoes are more weather-appropriate for the drive to and from the Carolinas. I like to wear the tennis shoes for boarding ... seems more solid, more protective. I also prefer them for going ashore and for walking on the track. I've kinda quit running on cruises, so they don't matter for that reason. I usually go with a medium-brown sandal with some arch support and wide straps. I like these for around the ship because they are easy to slip on and off, and they're best for the beach or the pool ... though I don't (purposefully) wear them in the water. I have some foot problems, and being able to change my shoes feels good. Both these shoes are daily workhorses for me, and two pair doesn't feel like overkill: One recent cruise we were caught in an absolute downpour in Cozumel, and my sandals were soaked through ... stayed wet for a day. I was glad to have a backup pair.

Many of my female students wear fake eyelashes -- extreme fake eyelashes. Some of them look like they have spiders on their faces. The moral, Beware going too far.

Always three: tennis shoes, walking sandals, dressy shoes for dinner Sometimes, depending upon plans: water shoes

A couple comments: - We're not big milk drinkers, but I've noticed cartons of milk (whole, 2%, 1%, skim) available for pick-up. - On Grandeur I noticed they had chocolate milk in a big serve-yourself container, and it was kinda ... separated. Didn't look appealing. Or maybe it just needed a big shake, but a passenger can't really shake a two gallon server. I didn't note whether cartons were also available. - If expiration dates are a problem (and they are at my house), try buying Ultra-Pasturized. It lasts more than a month! Seriously! It's true! Walmart offers it in store brand.

I've always believed this! Consider, too, that popcorn would attract sea birds, and that'd mean yet another mess to clean up. Otherwise it'd be an ideal cruise snack -- it's very cheap, and almost everyone likes it. BUT people cram it into their mouths and drop it. As someone else said, look at the floor of any theater. If you love popcorn -- and I do -- you could bring along a bag of pre-popped. Personally, I'm in love with that stuff that's half-cheese /half-caramel. Doesn't sound like it'd be good, but I'd eat a whole bagful if I had it right now.

Yes, as we exit the car, I always take a picture of two things: - The suitcase(s) - The closest numbered sign ... so we'll be sure to remember our parking place That is a really good idea and not something I've been doing. I always do that. I stand there until I see that my bag is placed on one of the trolleys. It'd be unusual for it to go on a trolly and not make it onto the ship. I give every bag two tags. My bags have never lost a tag, but I figure it's cheap insurance!

Nah, I've sailed an 8 day ABC island for less than $400, but that was in an Inside Guarantee and one of the cheapest weeks in the fall. Agree. We're not talking about bread and milk here. Cruising is a product you can live without. If this were happening on a regular basis, it'd be all over this board. Nah, when you include the total price -- ticket, transportation, night-before hotel, tips -- I can find any number of vacations cheaper than cruising. Plenty that're more expensive too. Well, prices for gas, food and more are up -- and those increases raise cruise ticket prices. And they're trying to pay off debt they incurred during Covid. Are they going beyond what's necessary and gouging the customer? I think they have been, but I also think we've been in a high-priced bubble (caused by people ready to sail again after Covid), but that's coming to an end. Competition will bring things down again. Companies will charge as much as the market will bear.

A month or so ago we probably all read several posts about the same (very unfortunate) situation in which someone was turned away at the embarkation port. But those posts were about the same situation, not multiples. I read the article, and it's important to understand what 102% and 101% (or whatever) mean. It's easy to think it means they're booking more people than they have cabins; whereas, the truth is that when they book a 3rd or 4th person in a cabin (usually children), it means that the ship is sailing at "over capacity". I learned this years ago when we sailed (once and only once) on a holiday. The ship was packed, and we weren't even given a table in the MDR ... rather, we were assigned to a little side room off the MDR. When I went to the Head Waiter and asked to be moved, he explained that he could not because we were sailing at something like 105% capacity. When I didn't understand that, he explained it was because so many cabins were filled with a 3rd or 4th person. We did find that cruise unpleasantly "full" and promised each other "never again on a holiday", but it doesn't mean anyone was left behind.

I bought a new suitcase last fall at TJ Maxx. They have odds-and-ends pieces, not necessarily full sets, and the prices are good. I don't particularly go for the highest quality, as the cheap ones seem to last a long time; also, you don't have complete control over what porters /airlines do to your suitcase -- even a good one can be ruined in a single trip. I guess I'm saying, I just don't see this as an investment item. What I like: - 4 wheels so you can run it along flat on a flat surface - I am not crazy about outside pockets, as I never seem to be able to fit anything into them -- I'd rather just have a big interior area. - Any color except black -- we own olive green, rust, and rose gold

Why is that unfortunate? You'll never find me up early on a cruise -- but my husband loves to see the ship comes into a port. Recently we cruised out of Tampa, and he loved being out on deck as we sailed back in under the bridge. It was all lit up for nighttime. Engineers. They love that kinda thing. Oh, yes, I definitely prefer doing our own thing OR a private tour. Ship's tours are too big, offer fewer choices and less interaction with the guide -- and they cost more! I won't say never, never, as occasionally they're the better option; in fact, we're going on a ship's tour on our next cruise, but it's the first time we've made that choice in more than two decades. I think you're in the minority here; I prefer morning so we can be back on the ship in time for a late lunch, then have the afternoon to ourselves on the ship. Not saying one choice is better or worse than the other, but I think more people choose morning. When we were younger and had to work around work and school schedules (and when the kids shared a cabin with us), we always went for a balcony. We needed that "second room" and the extra space. However, now that we're retired and it's just the two of us, we've tried the cheapest-of-the-cheap (Inside Guarantee), and we've found it perfectly acceptable. Yep, we're with you. We are in the minority, but it's an easier, more streamlined choice. Oh, yeah, I don't get into loud fun like the pool competitions or Quest. And I usually have 2-3 alcoholic drinks all week long. I would do that, if I didn't have an 8 hour drive ahead of me. I think it's more a thing on this board than on ships. I don't think it matters which way you run /walk -- as long as you're paying attention to your surroundings and the people who are sharing the track with you. Though this is oft-touted on these boards, it makes no sense. That thing (especially after it's unfolded once) takes up a lot of suitcase space -- and then creates visual clutter. The staterooms have ample storage for two people -- so much hidden storage behind the mirrors, in the bedside tables, on the shelves in the closet.

It's unusual to see your Guarantee assignment so early. I've never been so fortunate. Once my number's been assigned, it's never changed; however -- again -- mine's always been assigned 3-4 weeks away from sailing, and things are more set by that point.

- I agree that the difference between Guarantee and Pick-Your-Room is significant. - People are not being bumped from their cruises willy-nilly; seriously, I read this board pretty often, and we've heard of this happening to ONE person. If you don't want to book Guarantee, fine -- but don't let this be your reason. It's just not a realistic fear. - We usually book Guarantees and have always been satisfied. The one thing I dislike is the waiting to know your room number -- the closer we get to the cruise, the more often I check for that information! TOMato, toMATO. A price difference between the two types of bookings exists. Call it a fee or a discount, but focus on the bottom line.

With these two things in mind -- heated pool + ability to escape noise -- I'd pay $20 in the winter months. Maximum. I am aware that my "worth it meter" is set lower than other people's, and I'm okay with that.

Two suitcases with (almost) nothing but books? Someone needs to tell that woman about Kindles! I bring 2000+ books on every cruise; I can hold them in one hand.