Travel Junkie Judy

Norwegian smaller ships use the old locks - The SUN in particular, just went though in April - we were on her. Check the dates and the ships -These would also use old locks - Star, Dawn, Spirit, Sky, Jade, Jewel, Gem, and Pearl. I see Encore, Bliss, Breakaway and Joy go to or through Panama and they would use the new locks. Good Luck, Judy

Allianz gives you 90 days to file a claim after your incident. Don't think the 3 years old claim would work...just sayin'.........🤣😂

Allianz gives you 90 days to file a claim, so I don't think the 3 years would work.....just sayin' 🤣

My Medicare Advantage (United Health Care) covers all expenses outside of the US - less my deductible. If it is at an emergency clinic, I pay only $65. If I am admitted to a hospital, I pay my $500 deductible. This is not an expensive plan. It is quite reasonable. It is my only health insurance, though I do have the Allianz Travel Insurance, which covers whatever my United Health Care doesn't - as long as the trip is 90 days or less.

I don't blame you. They have changed their policies concerning Covid - probably because of feedback like yours. Shame on them for not covering it.

I did not say my Medicare did not cover. Don't know where that came from. ???? Medicare has covered every claim I have made when out of town and/or out of country.

We were in California when I used my Allianz policy, but it is good all over the world In California, it paid the deductible from my Medicare Advantage plus a few things that Medicare A did not pay.. My Medicare Advantage did cover me in March of this year, as I mentioned before. The Allianz annual plan is probably the best travel insurance because it covers you for trips up to 90 days. Most are 30 days and some are 60. My Allianz did not cover the March incident because we were gone over the 90 day limit. Hope this makes sense.

I have had one claim with Allianz annual. I had a minor (hairline) fracture of my arm while out of state. I turned in all of the bills and my plane ticket to show when I arrived and left. Allianz covered everything (and then some) that my medicare did not cover. They paid me for the mileage to drive to the emergency clinic & back I think. I was very happy with them. You have to save all receipts. Lack of proof is the #1 reason that people are turned down for claims. When we travel, I carry a medium size manilla envelope and put ALL receipts in it plus boarding passes and luggage tags. Of course, some of the receipts are not useable, but you never know......

Wow! Why am I not surprised about NY? My husband used to work in "the city". My medicare advantage is through my old employer and I feel lucky to have it. I had a medical emergency in March in Honduras. The bill was $2970. Medicare Advantage picked up all but $500 deductible. Travel insurance would have picked up the rest, but we had been there 93 days and the trip limit is 90 days.

My Medicare Advantage covers outside USA , but we still carry travel insurance. Allianztravelinsurance.com to the rescue. An annual policy is not expensive and covers you when 100 miles from home - not just cruises.

Seems that there are many ships that can still use the Panamax (original) locks. We leave on Friday on the NCL SUN. It's their smallest ship and I love her! We go through the canal next week. Judy

So sad, but inevitable. I still love the smaller, more intimate ships. Thanks for the information. I wonder what happened to her. Judy

He is referring to smaller ships that go through the original locks. The "mega" ships have to go through the newer locks, which are not as interesting. Judy

This was our first ship . We sailed when she was NCL Sea. This was in 2002 or 2003. We loved sailing on her. Seaward / Norwegian Sea This ship was built in 1988 as Seaward, but was rechristened in 1997 after a hefty renovation. In 2005, the ship left NCL and moved to Star Cruises, at that time renamed SuperStar Libra. Photo By: Norwegian Cruise Line She continued sailing in various markets, including the Mediterranean Sea and Aegan Sea, in South America, and in Asia. In July 2018, the ship was converted to a hotel ship at a German shipyard.

Like others have said, the concierge is really only available to the Haven guests on the larger ships that have a Haven. On smaller ships, the concierge works mostly with the guests in suites. The number of Platinum and above guests is way too large for the concierge to be able to help them all. You might try Cruise Next. Judy

I hope some folks got their upgrades. It looks like the suites are all sold out. I just went and checked again and it shows that all cabins are gone except inside. I think we will have a full ship. Judy

I'm not sure what brands are offered, but I am fairly sure that you are charged the difference if the wine is premium - unless they've changed the policy recently. This is how it works with all alcohol. We find that the regular beverage package is fine for us. If we want a premium wine, the cost is minimal and most of the time we are OK with their wine selections in the regular package. It is an inexpensive way to sample some "finer" wines. Judy.

Ah, I just noticed - San Antonio! I'm from Houston! We are neighbors!! Judy

Hi, There is a roll call for this cruise & you should check it out if you haven't already. There is no thermal spa on the Sun, so no need to look for it. It looks to me like you got many, many perks! Good for you. 😋 The Sun is an amazing ship and her officers and crew are wonderful. You will find that you will get to know more folks on this smaller ship. Annual travel insurance is the best way to go. You should be covered any time you are 100 miles from home - on land, sea or air. It's the only way to go if you travel at least 2 times a year at least 100 miles from home. Water - the tap water in your cabin is probably cleaner and better than most bottled water. Filtered multiple times. I know I'd like you - I read between the lines that you are a very positive and fun person. We don't have all of the perks you have, but we (hubby and I) will make Ambassador on this cruise. 2 free cruises. Woohoo!!! Judy

I didn't think you'd want to try to add any of these things. I am amazed that you are doing this with no help. Bravo! It takes a group to run lots of things. We had one person who did nothing except host the excursion page. I think our "committee" consisted of around 6 or 7 people, each assigned to one or two events. I gracefully have to decline running R-L-C or anything. We are doing this cruise as a "relax and do nothing". We are traveling alone - no friends or family. We have an aft suite and plan to sit on that big balcony a lot. We've been through the canal and we've been to all of the ports. If we decide to get off, we will hire a taxi. This cruise puts us into Ambassador level, so no more counting numbers. I will look and see if I can't find some things to donate to your gift "pile". Good luck. Judy

Lots of questions...that is a good thing. 🫠 Specialty dining - buy 2 more dinners and do it before you sail. They are cheaper on line . Well worth the money. Specialty restaurants are great. The food in the main dining rooms is also excellent (in my opinion). The menus vary each night if I remember correctly. You will have plenty of choices. They do have a set menu of a few items that are available every night. Door decorations - I have a magnetic 10 X 8 sign that I had made at Vista Print. It has our first names and Hometown. I put it up on all cruises. I've never been asked to take it down. I take heavy duty tape in case the door is not metal. I also have a few gel seasonal decorations that I sometimes put up - no problem again. If you get too elaborate or gaudy, you may be asked to remove it. No lights or items that could hinder passage down the hall. Yes - I've seen some crazy ones that had to come down. We always get the drink package. You do not have to sign for any drinks. When you first board, it is one drink per person, but if you go to the same bar and they know you, you can usually get a drink for yourself and travel companion. No limit on the number of drinks per day. Limited to drinks $15 and under if I remember correctly. I find it very easy to order drinks. Embarkation - I think (don't quote me though) you can embark any time if you are waiting until the afternoon. Lines are shorter. Remember that NCL is truly "Freestyle". No set times, except shows. Do try to see the shows. Like all things, some you will enjoy more than others. They usually have a good comedian and/or magician. Try the entertainment in the smaller "clubs". When you board, if you want to learn the ship, walk the decks and just stroll around. The officers and crew on NCL are known for being super friendly. Smile and say hello to them. Have fun! We love the Getaway. Judy

This is an interesting question. I have run and helped run quite a few M & Gs. Several were very large, with the largest one being attended by over 250 guests! This was on the Dawn around 10 years ago. We had a committee run it. It's too late now to add some of the fun activities that we had, but in the future you could do some of them. Our biggest undertaking was a horse race. Folks set up teams before we boarded. Each team had a name, a horse, a jockey and supporters. Some horses were people, some were "props". We had the help of the cruise director who called the race. We did have betting. The Captain, Hotel Director and most officers were in attendance to watch. We did this horse race on 2 or 3 cruises. We had a very large slot pull (0ver 50 people) which required lots of planning. We had a Cabin Crawl with Poker (more betting and lots of planning). We had a sail away party and we had a Cruise Critic luncheon - they set it up in the smaller main dining room because there were so many of us. Our M & G was in the dining room also. We had a large gift exchange at the M & G. We also had R-L-C games on sea days. Those brought in as many as 35 people. (more betting). If you've never played Right, Left, Center, look it up. It is a fun, past paced game and doesn't cost much. Each person bets $3.00 per game and we played one or 2 games. When 35 or more people, one game was about all we had time for. I can tell you more about these activities next week on The Sun. I will look around and see if I have any trinkets to add to your drawing. We've done that also. I had a large roll of double tickets that we used for the drawing. If I find the roll, I will bring some. Judy

It is easy to add a perk. If you booked directly with NCL, call them. If you booked with a Travel Agent, call them. If you paid for the soda package, it is probably worth it to move up to the drink package. A glass of wine (or two) with dinner plus another drink during the day would probably make it worthwhile and if would definitely be easier. No tabs to sign is the biggest plus. Good luck and enjoy your cruise. Judy

A cruise is what you make of it. We've sailed in forward suites several times and loved it. It is very quiet with no one going up and down the halls. When in port, it is awesome. You can see everything. When heading into port, it is the best place to be. We even enjoyed being out there when leaving ports. I honestly don't remember missing the balcony on sea days. It's been a few years since we've had one, but if it had been "terrible" I would remember. If you've never been in a suite before, you are in for a lot of fun. Use your Butler. Enjoy all he/she can do for you. Enjoy being pampered. You will love it. Judy