SoloAlaska

Coffee tastes are different often by where you come from. I much rather have a good European coffee than what is served in most places in the US. I’m not a fan of Starbucks drip coffee but give me a half sweet caramel macchiato with skim milk and I’m a happy woman. I’ll be drinking coffee in port on my upcoming cruise as we go through Europe and bringing my favorite tea to make cocoa chai’s on sea days. Add in the occasional Starbucks and I’ll survive the 15 night cruise no matter how bad the onboard coffee is.

My two trips in Alaska had absolutely none of this. There was some fun back and forth between whale watching boats when one boat had whales right there but nothing on the cruise or about the cruise line. I think itinerary would affect this type of behaviour.

Good to know. I’ll be there in a few weeks. The reports all say a 30 minute shuttle but I would be very happy if they are wrong.

If my small magnet is a problem and crew say something or remove it I will apologize and remove it. No complaining or coming back to CC talking poorly about NCL. It’s in their right to enforce the rule. Since they aren’t enforcing it I will be reasonable with a small magnet that is not offensive to anyone.

Which dock are you referring to in Barcelona? North at WTC is no longer in use and it’s now a 30 minute shuttle from the port to the city centre.

So is some clothing 😂. Now I’m tempted to try to burn a magnet to see how it goes. If there’s a fire large enough onboard to light the magnet there are bigger hazards to worry about. I’m not a fire marshal but I was a firefighter briefly funnily enough.

I always travel with reusable snack bags (like stasher). They are great for that cookie I picked up that I want to save for later or that half a muffin I didn’t have a chance to finish before boarding my flight. Would I bring it to dinner… NO, would I bring it to the buffet to grab a snack for later at night… absolutely.

I agree with your statement and the policy does make sense. The over the top door decor drives me nuts. I’m glad to hear it’s not well enforced however and promise my business card sized magnet is not a fire hazard and you won’t notice it while walking by. I would also say some peoples attire is visual pollution and an eyesore yet no one would dare say anything.

I’ve got a free magnet in mind to bring. If it gets stollen I can request a new one or get it replaced in a few months. If someone steals it I hope they love it so much they buy the quilt kit from the company. Making sure not to have anything that identifies myself as a solo traveler on my door is also important for safety reasons.

If you moved my magnet I’d be honoured 😂

I’m also neurodivergent which makes remembering the number harder. I don’t “need” it but it makes it easier than wondering or having to look it up to make sure.

Perfect thank you so much. I’ll still keep it small and subtle but won’t worry too much then.

I understand NCL has a no door decor policy. I’m just wondering if I bring a single small fridge magnet to identify my room would that be a problem? In a sea of rooms I find it helpful to locate my room especially after a couple of drinks

This is such a common b2b. We did the deluxe tour through Seward City Tours before boarding my last cruise and loved it. It’s also a nice little town to just take the free bus and go for lunch etc.

Prescription medication don’t count as part of your liquids when flying. I keep all my meds in one bag including liquids. Instead of bringing an OTC cream I bring the prescription one so it doesn’t count for my liquids. One medium checked luggage and a personal item is all im bringing for my 15 night cruise. I tried figuring out carry on only but couldn’t with the amount of liquids I needed to bring. My best tip is the bring a small bottle of Soak which is a no rinse wash and wash some of your clothing as you go. I plan on bringing only enough clothes for 7 days but will mix and match to create new outfits.

I’m back from my texas trip and even though I didn’t eat much I put on 3lb. I was shocked to say the least. I think it might have to do with all the salt in the food I was eating and the margaritas I was drinking. Other whise I was fairly active which is normal when I travel on business but still need to drink more water. Over the next 4 weeks I have an insane amount of work to do and I’m moving my studio so it’s going to be hard to make sure I eat well consistently.

Nespresso is such a nice coffee compared to the burnt Starbucks. I love my Starbucks only when the flavor is masked by sugar. When I got my Nespresso machine at home I started loosing weight instantly since I wasn’t have to drink all that caramel syrup daily anymore.

Ya my 26 inch checked luggage is perfect. It’s the 30 inch that when filled can weigh over 50lb.

I bought a small dual voltage flat iron for my mom for when we travel and she loves it. It works fine on my very thick hair but I only maybe touch up a spot or two. I would stick with a corded unit. The one I ordered was a no name brand off of Amazon so nothing fancy. She has not much hair since her side are undercut so the mini size works plenty well while we travel, she even uses it at home now.

I would only trust it to go home. If you can’t handle your luggage solo I would suggest looking into a black car service. When I travel on business solo I hire a car and the driver is waiting at arrivals. For domestic flights they pick up the luggage off the belt, bring it to the car and load everything etc I’ve had enough luggage to fill 2 carts so I help but they insist on doing the heavy lifting. If flying international many airports have porters that will help for a fee within the baggage hall etc and then you can still hire a black car service for the airport to your hotel and again from the hotel to the port etc. I use AirTags in everything all the time but they aren’t the best when shipping. Sometimes it will be days without tracking because it’s on a train or something. Still gives me piece of mind when I have something very precious being shipped but it wouldn’t help your bag getting to the terminal in time. options B which I know may not be popular but you can try packing lighter. My 15 night cruise I am using a medium size rolling bag and a large purse and I will do laundry once.

They probably aren’t paper to start with. Usually those bands feel like paper but are actually tyvek. If they were paper you couldn’t shower or swim with them on.

41 days till my next cruise. Taking a big TA with 15 nights and a lot of great ports. After that I’ve got a gap in which I plan on getting a last minute deal at some point. Then 2025 I’ve got a big family cruise. I much prefer cruising solo. Recently however I started dating someone only to find out they get seasick, it might mean a lot of solo cruising for me in the future if he doesn’t want to risk it 😆

Yes however mine is directly from the website for Ontario Living Wage organization. A living wage is far from a comfortable wage. It doesn’t mean you can save to buy a house or enjoy traveling or buy luxury items. It means you can have a roof over your head, heat your home, buy groceries etc without having to work 60+ hours a week.

It’s calculated for each town or region based on housing costs, food, transportation etc. There are organization that certifies employers as living wage payers (different wording but you get what I’m saying). According to the US accreditation it ranges from $15-18USD per hour as a living wage for most of the country. In Ontario Canada it’s $18-23CAD.

My trick to quicker drinks at the bar is become a regular at one bar and get to know the bartenders. A tip and a smile doesn’t hurt either to become well liked by the bartenders. I’m one to usually always order the same drink and sometimes have a drink being made for me before I even get to the bar.