IAcruising

I should also have said that size matters. Three 125 lb. women will fare much better than three 250 lb. men.

You didn't mention the relationships between the adults, or the length of the cruise. As you've been cruising since 1982, I assume you're not three 20-something best friends out to party. Three adults in a club balcony is going to be tight. No getting around it.

Yeah, uh, NCL, obviously. Grandeur is an obvious rust bucket, and Jade is a newly refurbished rust bucket. No-brainer.

I thought the bidding was done by a third party. That would not be "control" or "perked everyone around" by NCL, right?

What could possibly go wrong with taking Amtrak? 😆 I suppose it's different in the NE, but here in the Midwest, we would never, ever base any type of schedule on Amtrak.

It won't go down. But if it did, you would just cancel and re-buy.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea of a "post-cruise" overcharge. If you walk off the ship with a balance, you are charged that balance, right? I know what that balance is. Do I have to start taking a screen shot of my bill before I get off a HAL ship? I seem to be missing an important detail here.

You naughty girl you.

$150/pp for kids?!

Only 2 levels as I understand it. But please, do not even remotely count on winning a Haven bid on a Bermuda cruise in June. It's not going to happen. Just book it outright.

If you're unwilling to just stuff your stuff in a bag and let the chips fall where they may, NCL laundry probably isn't for you. That said, pants, polos, t-shirts, shorts, socks, etc. have always been returned just fine for me.

And there she is. 🤣

You didn't say, but I assume you're on the Joy? It's a great ship. The dry dock will be removing about 1/3 of the Observation Lounge, and the Galaxy Pavillion. If that matters to you. Bermuda was fantastic this past November on the Escape (very similar ship). The ship was packed, and it was winter break, but it didn't seem overly crowded. Those east coast kids were quite well-behaved! 😄 There are never enough days in Bermuda. That $600 gratuity price seems high. Should be closer to $300, or about 2 drinks a day (each). The kids don't pay. I'm sure others with kids can you more detail and answer more questions. And I'm sure Bird will be along shortly.

You guys are making me sleepy.

As I get older, and my days on this Earth get less and less, I find it going up significantly.

I get it, but it's not just the 55-minute phone call. It's the original email, the follow-up email, composing this thread, thinking about it, etc. etc. I'm simply curious what value you put on the time and stress?

Just out of general curiosity, what dollar value do you put on an hour of your time?

Pretty sure anyone who grew up hearing that song every hour on AM radio already knew that.

Were you force-fed them, or what?

I always remind Mrs. IA that TSA uses gloves when they search a bag. I do not infer how often they may or may not change them.

A similar, but different question. Why doesn't NCL (or other lines) let you bring liquor on board if you have a beverage package? Seems like a no-brainer to me. Every drink from your own bottle is one less drink from the bar on them.

I've never forgotten the blue pills.

Both of these statements are ridiculous. If you forget something, you'll survive. If you don't use something you brought, you'll survive. I just take whatever pops in my head while I'm packing. 😎

Sometimes half the fun is just taking everything as comes, however it comes, and not knowing (or caring) whether you're doing it "wrong".

Heheh. Didn't even consider that. That's why I hate acronyms.