SoloAlaska

Why some people may be told NO and others may just have a waiter “turn away” while they take it back could also be in part attitude. If your kind and respectful and a happy person who doesn’t cause trouble your much more likely to get those privileged exceptions. The person who never makes a mess and is kind to the waiter is more likely to not make a mess in their room and be kind to their steward.

If I’m going in for my hair on a ship I do agree I expect a sales pitch. It’s the pushing to tip twice that I disagree with. Honestly I do add a cash tip on top of the automatic gratuity but it will never be 20%. This is only if I’m feeling relaxed and happy. If your being pushy and insisting on a double tip then I leave it at the automatic gratuity.

Please do not see my post as saying you have no place it is so far from what I intend. All I am trying to say is prefacing your experience can be helpful when you have such a varied personal experience. Eg. “when cruising with line1 and line2 there were no ports but we had a great time on our x# of sea days, met lots of solos who also enjoyed themselves doing XYZ”. I hope to be able to reach your level of cruising experience someday myself.

If your traveling internationally I would advise against counting out meds in a ziplock. Most countries require meds to be in original packaging when crossing borders especially. Since bulky bottles take up so much room I try to find versions I can buy in boxes with blister pack packaging. I’ll bring however many sheets of a given OTC medication I need and leave the boxes at home. For me this always includes 1-2 sheets of muscle relaxers (in Canada they are OTC), 1 sheet of Sudafed, 1 sheet of Benadryl, 2 sheets of allergy meds, 1-2 sheets of seasickness meds, a travel bottle of Tylenol and a travel bottle of Advil, and some individually wrapped chewable tums. If I need more Tylenol or Advil they are easy to find pretty much anywhere in the world so I don’t need to pack more than a day or two supply but the muscle relaxant isn’t so easy so I pack a weeks worth. Condense the space without violating any international laws. If for some reason you get stopped by the police the last thing you want is a bag full of pills to come out of your purse, that’s a scenario I will happily try to avoid.

If it’s an insured service by health insurance then it is not a tipped position. Most massage therapists on land are insured services hence no tip. At least in Canada most massage therapists are registered and services are covered by health insurance. Most spas have RMTs.

My stylist always asks me if I need any product that time but never pushes. Salons aren’t all pushy some are actually about enjoyment of the client. I rather go to a salon that asks me if I want a cappuccino or a glass of wine than one that tries to pressure sell me stuff. Yes sometimes I need some curl refresher and will pick it up at the salon but there is never a sales pitch for me to do it.

OP was referencing NCL ships. NCL calls these transatlantic cruises (not repositioning) and 90% of the time they have lots of ports. The main exception is two upcoming mid season voyages which are to dry dock and back. we all have different bases of knowledge. Mass market lines are the majority instead of the minority. OP was asking about voyages on a mass market line. Your value of knowledge can still be very helpful but not necessarily on the amount of port stops, what the cruise line calls these cruises, how large ships access a port etc.

This is why I always get an annual all inclusive plan. I don’t bother with the cancel for any reason insurance though. My plan includes up to 10M in medical coverage. Now the cancellation isn’t great coverage but that’s something I’m willing to risk. I can afford the cost of the trip but I can’t afford the cost of hospitalization and private medical flights etc especially at the price charged in the US.

Also solo cabins can be more expensive on some cruises. There are itineraries that have zero solo supplements and when that happens it’s cheaper to skip the solo designation. My upcoming TAs roll call we’ve decided even if there are no nightly pre dinner solo meetups we will have our own and go to dinner together. This cruise has a ton of solos because it has no supplement.

Does your dental hygienist also expect a tip?

The ship has glassware, no need to bring some from home. With that said I do bring a water bottle so that I can carry my water around easily on ship or in port.

I think my issue is how it relates with tips. I don’t have a problem with the price if the staff are properly compensated and tips are not expected. If your asking inflated prices, making a mandatory 20% gratuity and on top of that insisting on a tip it’s gotten completely out of hand at that point. On land I go to a massage therapist and no tip is expected at all, there are no prompts for it even but on a ship your charging at-least twice the price plus plus plus and it’s done by a staff with less credential. if the price was all inclusive it would be fine but I want it to be an enjoyable experience at a spa instead there is pressure placed to squeeze every dollar they can out of me.

I’m creating my own based on Zenbivy and would be equivalent to one rated for 45 Fahrenheit with a total weight of less than 2lb. That’s my go to temp for 3 season camping. I’m looking at many weeks of camping over a 3 month period so buying a fuel bottle could make sense but now I’m considering a biolite stove from your suggestion. With everything else being so ultralight I don’t mind a little more space for my stove.

Many if not most TAs have a several ports of call along the way.

Ya the spa is insanely expensive and I’m use to paying 200-300$ every time I get my hair done on land.

I want a ship with a full time naturalist onboard for Alaska which won’t happen with NCL. It’s all about port time in Alaska and all the amazing adventures your going to go on. Personally that means I get up in the morning, get ready for the day and have breakfast before going ashore. I come back after a big day and might have a nice latte before starting to get ready for dinner. I don’t know when I would even have the time to enjoy the spa other than maybe twice. I prefer a smaller ship with less children. NCL wouldn’t make my short list for Alaska.

Thanks. I have big duffle bags from cabelas I bought on sale a while back that I use the same way. They hold up so well during airline travel. I travel with an international refillable stove but the issue of traveling with empty canisters is something I’m looking into. I could always buy a canister in country however which is an option. The one thing is with your husbands new stove the canisters can’t be purchased in some countries. I forgot about the wood burning stove option, back to doing more research. im currently making my own baffled down camping quilt. It’s ultralight weight and I can use it as I travel as a blanket as well. No more bulky sleeping bags.

Ya she’s getting a few hundred skeins more soon too. Have to ship them out before my next cruise.

Haha SBY is local to me, I wish I could knit with wool still. Well if you haven’t yet you should work with Trailhead Yarns fyi that’s me lol. We are discontinuing the yarn but there still shops that have it and one will continue to have it for a few years.

I love Boo knits, I have a few samples in her patterns. I’ve got a few sweaters on the needles too but they are too bulky to travel with. I need to get inspired for what project to bring on my next trip. I leave in 3 weeks and might have to dye something for it so I better get on Ravelry to find something. Up until last year I was designing patterns but am happy to just enjoy knitting other peoples patterns now.

Is that Cabot Trail - China Doll by Trailhead Yarns? thankfully the centre of a Hap is all stockinette and the outside wasn’t anything complicated. I knit A LOT with Tencel.

My newest hand knit shawl is a laceweight tencel hap shawl. It’s perfect as a blanket on a long flight, a shawl to dress up any little black dress, or a scarf when getting into a cool port. The colours are perfect to work with anything in my wardrobe. It was a lot of knitting to get it done but with so much use it was well worth it. Plus it was something I can knit as I travelled since at 2 skein it was the project that went on forever.

Haha my trick for my knitting is to use cube style project bags. They pack much better in my carry on and luggage. I bring 1-2 knitting projects, 1-2 embroidery projects, and 1-2 quilting (epp) projects. The embroidery fits in a Yazzi cube for all the tools and thread I may possibly need and a flat project bag (or ziplock). The Epp project fits in a flat project bag. Usually all of my crafty stuff is in my personal item when I travel along with a couple of emergency snacks, water bottle, headphones, earbuds, charging bank, cables, travel documents etc. My crafting is essential for my travel since it’s part of my business and I travel to get inspired in designing new products and am starting to write my first book. So I also carry some rechargeable photography lights for taking good wip photos. I also always pack magnetic hooks but don’t bother with the other “cruise essentials”. Next year I will probably also bring a green screen, more lighting, a microphone, and a embroidery hoop holder. I’ll need a carry on plus the medium sized suitcase to accommodate all the work supplies for longer cruises. Eventually I hope to cruise for 3 months a year with 1 suitcase, 1 hiking backpack, and 1 carry on. That would contain everything for my work for 3 months, all my cruise stuff, plus all my camping gear. Yep you read that right that includes a tent, sleeping bag, stove, blow up mattress, hiking poles etc. for multi week hikes.

My last cruise I was a size 18-20 so plus size means more fabric and always a good bra. I was in Alaska plus had a few days working afterwards and like getting dressed up for dinner every night plus needed hiking clothing. I still managed one medium size suitcase for everything. One thing I did a few years ago was hire a stylist to put together my colours and style guide. It helps my closet and my packing so much. Everything works with each other to make outfits. My next cruise I’m planning on using the 5-4-3-2-1 method or packing. For example 5 tops, 4 bottoms, 3 dresses, 3 shoes, 2 sweaters, 2 swimsuits, 1 belt, 1 bag, 1 hat etc. I love using Pinterest to get inspired on how to pack. This will cover all my “cruise clothes”. Because I plan on hitting the gym lately I’ll bring 2 workout pants, 3 tops, 3 pairs of socks, 1 headband, 1 pair of shoes. if it weren’t for my love of variety in shoes, cozy sweaters (cool weather), and needing over 2 weeks of liquid I could make a carry on work. Think of how much more room you’ll have in your cabin if you don’t bring a bunch of extra stuff.

I’ve got the same technique. Enjoy the start of my vacation with sleeping in.