donaldsc

We had sort of the reverse on our last Falklands visit. When we got off the ship the sea conditions were not great but manageable. Halfway through our penguin tour our guide got a call telling him to get back really quickly or they might have to leave us behind. It was interesting getting off the tenders going back to the ship. I heard that not surprisingly there were some people who complained on the ship that their tours were cut short and the ship owed them compensation. There actually have been a few instances in the Falklands where ships have had to leave so quickly that they had to leave people behind. The islanders just put up the stranded travelers in their homes overnight. Our guide said that he had to do that one time. I thank that an experience like that would be a real hoot. DON

I may have this wrong but here goes. We are w AT&T. They have a $10 per 24 hour overseas plan. My understanding is that your 24 hour usage period starts when you 1st use it and ends 24 hours later. This may sound like a lot of money but you can turn it on only on days that you need it. In addition your maximum charge for the plan is $100 so if you are on a cruise that is more than 10 days long and you use the phone every day your bill will be $10. This would certainly be useful for an extended cruise. As I said - I could be wrong about the plan. We have it but have never used it. Basically my attitude on the whole question about smart phones on trip is that the best way it to leave the phone in your room and don't use it. DON

We live in Las Vegas where it can be very sunny a lot of the time. My wife asked about transition type lenses. The optician said that they do not get very dark. DON

Server I can see. Bank teller assuming you actually go into the bank - does she give you 3 fifties for a $100 bill? DON

Instead of Visa gift cards how about used up NYC subway ride cards. The crew will think that they are getting something that is worth something until they try to use it and they will not cost you anything. Seriously now - the crew members are not your friends. They will never be your friends. Assuming you behave yourself and treat them with respect and are not a total pain they will forget about you in a few weeks because they are now dealing with a new set of people. That is the way it is and if you want to delude yourself and feel otherwise that is your choice. DON

I am glad to here that. I sort of doubted what the person said. DON

Definitely casual. To be elegant you would have to wear them with bib type jeans. DON

This is from tipping thread on another board.. "That is great to hear. We (the wife actually) got to know our main dining attendant on a Disney Panama Canal trip a few years back. The wife can end up knowing a persons life story crossing Time Square, just who she is. The attendant was telling DW Disney keeps very close watch on who gets what and pressures the crew to divy up what they get over and above what Disney dings passengers. Of that mandatory tip, Disney took a hefty slice off the top for "handling fee's". I NEVER use the provided enveopes. Always hand to hand along with a personal thank you. I have gotten in the habit of bringing a tube of American Silver Eagles with me on trips. For truly exceptional service I will hand deliver one or a few for service above and beyond. The joy in some of the eye's of receipients is priceless. They get it." Do the Disney fans on this board know it? DON

We took our 1st Viking Ocean recently and we are going back. Our cabin attendant was one of the best we have ever had. We tipped her. DON

Better yet magnets with pictures of your kids or maybe even your dog. The crew will love that. DON

We did 2 weeks in the Greek Islands in October on the Star Flyer. Does that count as the Med. We sailed most of the time heeled at 10 - 15 degrees. We had a wind gust one time that blew out one of the main sails but that gave us the opportunity of seeing the sail master or whatever they call him to spend a week mending the sail. We missed 2 ports because of the wind and had to switch to other ports. We had one night where there was a big crash in the kitchen. We did almost all of our travel under sail. We loved it but we definitely had wind. DON

Not always. Some ships have curtains and some don't. Some ship showers are small, some are very small. Some are large. Some are big enough that the 2 of you could shower at the same time. DON

If you ship has an excursion to the museum grab it. We were on our own. We were nearing the end of a 3 month driving trip in AK and Prince Rupert was where we got off the Alaska Marine Highway ferry and started heading back to Vegas. It did take us maybe 2 or 3 weeks to get back to Vegas w the planned and unplanned stops we made on the way home. We spent 3 days in Prince Rupert even though it was raining a lot. Hope that you have better weather than we had but you will enjoy yourself there regardless of the weather. DON

When was your trip? DON

Check out the weatherspark.com site. It is a wonderful climate site. DON

If you don't have Apple products why take an Apple cable. If they forget their cable that is their problem and not yours. DON

Here we go again. A person with the $2 bills and maybe also some Sacagawea $1 coins also. DON

Once you sit down there are 2 empty spaces left at the 6 person table. If you see anyone wandering around looking for a table invite the 2 newcomers to sit down w you. If you see 2 people at the buffet not eating but playing cards or something like that use the same "the more the merrier" approach. DON

Really?? Buying cigarettes as gifts?? DON

My response was to someone who was talking about walking around Talkeetna in shirtsleeves. If you take a cruisetour you will probably visit Talkeetna since one of the hotels that Princess uses is sort of close to Talkeetna. DON

Check out Weatherspark on the WEB. Best climate (not weather but climate) site I have found. DON

We are going next year. How was the weather? Did you see aurora? DON

What is pickle ball - never heard of it. DON

Your question of what the odds are is not answerable or at least unanswerable in terms of the way that you state the question. You have to provide a lot of information about your population group and also what accuracy you want your prediction to be before you can calculation the probability of an event occurring. I don't want to appear facetious but people take years of college courses to try to accurately answer the question that you are posing. DO

Based just on taste alone what would most of us prefer to eat - a salad or a bag of chips. I know my answer and remember I said taste alone. DON