2 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

This is not something the cruise lines choose to do for fear of litigation.  It is mandated by the Federal government.

 Good to know

13 minutes ago, gerif said:

The OP cruises in 18 DAYS. A bit late to change cruises don’t you think?  In any event, there will be a splash zone for the baby and no cruise line has an actual pool that will permit a child who is not potty trained. 

 Well the OP should have already asked  this then.  I am glad to know they have a splash area. I figured they would. Most family friendly cruise lines would have this I would think. Especially after what happened in Atlanta at White Water.

5 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

This is not correct, and varies from state to state and city to city, as local codes vary.  For instance, the Maine state pool code allows non-potty trained infants in public pools with rubber pants over the swim diaper.

 

Cruise ships are not regulated by local health officials, but by the national CDC via their Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), which holds cruise ships to much higher standards than state and local codes.  CDC did a study of land public pools a few years ago, and found that if those pools were held to CDC standards, nearly 2/3 of them would be in violation and many would be subject to immediate closure.  They also found that those areas in public pools that were specifically designated for swim diapers, had about an 80% failure rate to meet CDC standards.

 

The higher chlorine levels are not an "effort by the cruise line", but mandated by the CDC.  Many first time cruisers are not aware that ship's pools are maintained at higher chlorine levels than land public or private pools.

 

And, chlorine, at the levels mandated by the CDC, do very well in controlling any issues from urine in pool water.

 

For the OP, the swim diaper splash area is specifically designed to meet CDC requirements for use by non-potty trained kids.  The water supply is separate from any other water feature, the "turn over rate" or how many times an hour the water is filtered is higher, there is an added ultra-violet sterilizer that the water passes through in its filtration, and there will be a full time crew member stationed to monitor the area.

 Maybe true but I know here in Atlanta at White Water about half a dozen children died from e coli about 15-20 years ago because a parent allowed their child with diarrhea to get in the kiddie pool.  Google it, you will find it. One child was  the child of one of the Atlanta Braves players at the time. He lived, but was very ill. After that  they put in those regulations  and  Georgia passed some laws about it too; of course sadly  it was too late for those 6 children . White Water went bankrupt because of the law suits, but Six Flags bought it and reopened it with a great kid's area,  a great huge splash  area where the water runs off.

Anyway I imagine cruise lines may have those regulations for fear of lawsuits if something like what happened at White Water happened and several children died. 

But you give a good point about there could be regulations about a proper  waterproof covering over their swim pants.  I know on youtube I saw this story about this poor little girl they called the mermaid girl (her legs were fused) and what they did so she could get in a pool (she had a colostomy) was get a suit like a scuba dive suit made for her. So there may be something online she could order for her child. Personally I think it needs to be something more air tight than rubber pants.

BTW I also think it you are elderly and need to wear diapers or some sort of protection

you should not use the pools either  I doubt they would police that so we should police ourselves if we have issues. 

23 hours ago, cruisenlove said:

Hi All,

 

Going on Adventure of the Seas with my family in 18 days and I read that babies are not allowed in the big pools? I have a 15 month old and she loves the pool and water. Is it true I am not allowed to bring her in the pools with me on the ship (Not including the solarium pool). Also, does anyone know if this ship offers the babysitting program? I read that some ships offer it and I am not sure if this one does. Thanks so much!

 That is a health law becasue of e coli. The cruise line could be fined if they allowed that. However, Disney cruise line has  a splash  area for children not yet potty trained. I just got off MSC Armonia and they had that too.  I am not sure if their other ships have that, but I am sure at some point all family friendly  cruise lines will have them. Perhaps you can check and see if Royal Caribbean has any ships with that and if need be switch cruises.

8 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Including me, but I've never seen folks that I know do this at the dinner table much less a stranger.  Unless a medical necessity, I think the proper thing is to do this away from the table.   

 True, but is their diabetes is so uncontrolled they must blood test at the table? If it is I would think they would eat in the buffet  for fear their sugar would drop too much (insulin shock) before the food is served. 

Now, I get their taking their insulin shot at the table as there is a wait for food but testing their blood could be done in their room before coming to dinner. I have diabetes and I know what  about how long  before I would have a drop.   I have had diabetes 30 years  but   I have taken care of myself and so far  I can take Glimepiride   to have my body make insulin and metforim to get insulin out of my fat cells. At the beginning of the meal I take my metformin and I wait until the main course to take my Glimepirde. Glimepirde can cause insulin shock if my blood sugar drops too low, (metforim won't do that) doing it that way I am fine. Then I check myself after dinner. I  bring  a few prepackaged food items on  board that I have on hand if my BS is too low that I can eat. Normally I take them right back home though as I well know   how much I can eat. 

Now flatulence, well I have skipped dinner(and the show) because of that.  I would not do that to anyone if I could help it. If it started at dinner I would excuse myself and  leave.

1 hour ago, Herfnerd said:

Only once.

 

Last cruise to Alaska on the HAL Eurodam, we were entering Glacier Bay and stopped into the MDR for breakfast.  Was seated with a Canadian woman that had nothing good to say about the trip, the ship and the staff.  Rather than watch the scenery around us, she was complaining about the breakfast (nothing was done right) and because she had a drink package, was making the staff look for a particular brand of water that came in a glass bottle - to the point where they called a sommelier in.  She kept insisting that she wanted the "good stuff" and not the domestic dreck.  When she finally got it (a half an hour later), she only had a few sips and asked if we wanted any than got up and left.

 

Her room mate was back at the cabin - I'm guessing she didn't want to deal with her either.

Lol we had someone at a nearby table like that this last cruise the first night. A Jersey USA gal lol! So I don't think you can blame that just on Candains. Obnoxious people come from everywhere! Fortunately we had anytime dining so she was not near us again for dinner. But every time I ran into her she was complaining about something. (show theatre, excursions desk)  Lol!  

On 6/22/2019 at 12:45 AM, ldubs said:

 

Uh oh.  I think we disagree on this one.  Decorum.   I think it goes both ways.   What would Mrs Manners say about a woman making not nice remarks out loud about neighboring diners who were doing nothing to disturb her dinner.   Just sayin. . . 

How do you know Hank would say things within their hearing? perhaps he would simply ask for another table and use a polite excuse like he wants an ocean view or say the pathway between tables was too tight? there are ways you can ask for a table change without insulting your table mates. Of course the waiters  usually figure it out if they are obnoxious. No one has to tell them that.

Think about it.  Early in this thread a person who mentioned that  they had table mates who asked  to change for a window table when dinner was 8:30 pm and it was already dark. I would think they were being tactful, mindful of their table mates feelings is why they used that excuse.

On 6/22/2019 at 1:00 AM, ldubs said:

 

Interesting.  We are kind of in the same boat (😲).   We are a large close knit family.  Now that the kids are grown and independent, the oldies (like me) like to take more group vacations.   A cruise is an excellent way for our family group to travel together.  So these days our cruise count would probably be much lower if it weren't for the family members traveling together.  

 

Next trip for Mrs Ldubs and me is Northern Italy later in the summer.  Next cruise is in Jan '20.  Our group of 16 will be going on a 7 day cruise and then a few days at both Hong Kong and Singapore.  

You know I am with you on that. Instead of doing the Caribbean 3 times a year I would much rather do a  better trip every 2 or 3 years.  (amounts to about the same amount of money spent) We are going back to the Caribbean next week  lol but we thought we were going to Cuba which has been my husband's dream for years. That is not happening now, oh well.  Anyway  we will make the best of it and will see how well we like MSC.  (our first time on that line)I do feel bad for my husband who wanted to go there so badly but  I really doubt it would be a lot different than any of the other Caribbean islands.  Anyway if we had not booked this, we would have waited until next year when we do Scotland and done our usual Myrtle Beach trip this year. 

23 hours ago, babs135 said:

Reading some of the comments here I get the feeling our American cousins don't totally understand how different the rules are for us Brits. I wish, for example, we could get 'cancel for any reason' insurance which would really help you but I've checked a lot of insurance companies here in the UK and no one seems to offer it.

 

The question is quite simple; are you willing to lose your deposit for what sounds like a fab trip? Only you can answer that. If it was us, I might be prepared to risk it but DH would say a very definite No.  Have you thought about approaching a travel agent and see if they can offer advice? 

 I got it that is why I suggested waiting around  6 weeks to think it over. 

it is not perfect for us either. If we want travel insurance to cover us in all aspects( some insurance will cover you for some but we want for last minute cancellation since my MIL is elderly and still living , medical evacuation, medical insurance if needed  if off US territory, needing to cancel last minute because of Job termination ) we need to buy that within 9 days and that is non refundable although you can transfer it to another trip six months out. But if we pick a less expensive trip then we over bought insurance since the amount we pay is based upon the cost of the trip. 

12 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Aww, I'm glad I'm not alone.  We have honestly lost track of the number of cruises.  We think we must be at about 30, but don't have the energy to fact check anything.   If asked, I now say something like "over 25".  And actually, some nice conversations can ensue about things like favorite ports, etc.  

 

 Me too. I would have to get out my cruise cards which I keep as souvenirs and count them. I know over 20. I don't think 30 though. I am thinking 24 or maybe 26? no more than 26. I know it is enough that  at this point we no longer desire to go a cruise  twice a year or even once as we were doing.

On 6/20/2019 at 8:17 AM, K32682 said:

 

It is the opposite for an infrequent cruiser or first-time cruiser.  There seems to be a certain pecking order related to the number of cruises one has taken.  I learned this on my first cruise when admitting the fact put my wife and I at the lowest point in the table's informal social register even though I had extensive land travel and global business experience. 

 

If you've cruised extensively and don't want to provide the number perhaps, "So many cruises I don't recall the exact number" would shut them up. 

Really? we had table mates  that she had never cruised and he hadn't since a child. But he had cruised Cunard with his parents. It seemed they  had done it annually. Then we found out in talking with him, (He never volunteered anything so not bragging)  that he had been all over the world on land trips.  Of course we  knew he was probably well off because he wore a very masculine ring with a very real diamond of about  1 carat or so, so good sized but not  gaudy. I only wondered what he was doing on Celebrity. Lol!

On 6/17/2019 at 7:00 PM, Velvetwater said:

Thanks 🙂 

 

Can us none refundable deposit Brits do that?

 

Never booked super far in advance so not sure how that works over here.

 Maybe take 6 weeks to think it over first? I doubt it would sell out or the price would go up that quickly.

On 6/17/2019 at 5:40 PM, Velvetwater said:

 

Accidentally found an amazing cruise while trying to look at a last minute cruise for this year. I was looking at Canada/NE cruises and a few Iceland/Ireland ones too.

By mistake I put in 2020 found a cruise for next  August that has both, is a transatlantic and includes the much desired port of Greenland! We have done a lot of different geographical areas when cruising so finding ones we want to do is getting harder.

 

I couldn't have planned a better itinerary in regards to places we haven't been to but want to. It's also in the school hols which is a must for us. We only need one flight there as we can get the ferry from Dublin and as we hate flying this is a bonus. It will allow us to have a bit of a break stateside too.

 

Only problem is it is a bit over budget (around £300ish extra pp than usual) with no extras and an inside cabin when we usually OV it. I realise it is an unusual itinerary on 

a upscale line (Celebrity) on a ship that has had a massive refit. There also the fact it has above average expenditure ports.

 

We can afford it in physical terms but I am usually such a bargain cruise girl. As we live in the UK we can't just book and cancel. If I cancel the cruise I loose a £300 deposit.

 

What would you guys do?

 

This is the cruise:

 

14 NIGHT ICELAND & GREENLAND CRUISE

02 Aug 2020 

Celebrity Summit

Cape Liberty, New Jersey > Halifax > Sydney > Qaqortoq > Prins Christian Sund (Cruising) > Reykjavik > Reykjavik > Akureyri > Dublin

£1759 per person interior stateroom

 I think ever so often you should pick something extra special, your dream trip and yes I would do an inside cabin if need be.

13 hours ago, gooch47 said:

We avoid shared tables because my husband is quite hard of hearing and can't participate in conversation if there is too much distance between him and whoever is talking.

 

Question:  How do you answer if someone asks you if you cruise much?  We try to reply in a neutral way, but sometimes people ask how many cruises and I feel like we are bragging.  Would you fib about it?

 Just reply. I think we have done 24? not sure lost count but with people  telling me they been on over a 100 I do not see that hardly as bragging, especially if they ask me.

3 hours ago, Mike981 said:

 

Or what they paid for their cruise or air fair, or how many nights they will be eating in a specialty restaurant, or how they go to the spa everyday, or...

Lol. Does it matter? really? I just feel sorry for people like that becasue they seem to think the more money they spend the happier they will be. and you know it does not make them any happier. Their bragging is really them trying to convince themselves they  are happy. If they areas  obnoxious as you imply I'd appreciate their absence and if I book a specialty, plan it a night they are in the main dining room.

7 hours ago, ducklite said:

Some cruise lines automatically assign people to a MDR table without a choice.   

I know we like anytime dining but our last Celebrity cruise we did that was too full and we got assigned dining. we had booked about 5 months out too so not last minute. The issue is anytime dining is very popular now.

It depends on what you want out of your trip. For example, if you want to see Paris or Rome extensively,  or any other big city for that matter. A few hours there on a cruise is not going to allow you to see much. Especially Paris which is a 3 hour train ride from cruise port.

But if you want to see several areas  within a week, like we did in our cruise of Italy. We went to Pompeii, the  Leaning Tower of Pisa, ST. Marks square, The Trevi fountain  all within a week. I do feel doing it by cruise ship was the less exhausting than by coach or train. We loved it and honestly the only place I would really like to go back  to spend more is Venice and   Tuscany. I would love to go back to Italy for a week and spend 3 days in  Venice and 3 days in Tuscany/Florence.

16 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

I agree that makes no sense. The one thing I did think of after I posted that question was maybe they were alcoholics and did not want the temptation there to see.  That at least would make a little sense.

 If it is for religious reasons  and they are bothered by others drinking they should ask for a smaller table. Even if it is alcoholism, I have empathy; but really if that is their issue and are bothered by table mates having a glass of wine, should they be on a cruise where they are surrounded by alcohol? I mean other tables nearby are drinking, people drink in shows, people drink by the pool. they can't get away from it. If they really have a problem abstaining maybe they should pick another vacation.

As far as the holding hands prayer thing. That is not needed. You can  discreetly say a prayer the 2 of you without making a big show to your table mates. No one would be offended.

18 hours ago, Ashland said:

And the ones that bring their dirty plate back up for re-fills. I wish RCI would have a sign up about this...although those offenders may not notice !

That is against public health standards. I am surprised staff does not say anything. Almost always I see officers in the buffet. I am surprised they did not address this. A few videos taken by other passengers and posted on social media would get them a big fine.

On 6/17/2019 at 9:36 AM, navybankerteacher said:

If you see an opening at the station which has what you want, going to it is not really “cutting” because you are not causing the next person - who may be hemming and hawing over which slice of cheese to take - any delay:  you are simply not letting them delay you, you are not “cutting”.

 

Mindlessly standing in a buffet line to follow a “no cutting” rule, when stepping into a gap in the line would not delay anyone is, simply put, mindless.   Of course you should not “cut” in front of anyone - but you should understand what “cutting” is.

Good point. Plus a lot of food I am not interested in, so I by pass that.  But if someone is  about to get food that I want I wait my turn. 

9 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

We were traveling with a couple we were good friends with and who we have cruised with several times before when we got seated at a table with two other couples who were friends. Before we could order anything, the other four requested that we not order any alcohol with our dinner as their religion forbade them from consuming alcohol of any kind and did not want it on their table. We were shocked at their rude attempt to dictate what we could or could not order with our dinner. Of course, after careful consideration on our part, we increased our consumption by ordering two bottles of wine instead of the usual one. And we proceeded to thoroughly enjoy our wine with our dinners. We enjoyed dinner even more the next night when they apparently asked to be moved to another table, probably to get away from the blasphemous heathens they were stuck with the night before.

 

If they could not deal with people ordering drinks at their table, they should have had the common sense to request a table for four and saved everyone the discomfort of their wholly inappropriate requests. 

 We had table mates do  similar to us. They did not request we not drink but made it clear they did NOT. We are not big drinkers, although sometimes we do like wine with dinner but we decided we wouldn't; save our drinks for the shows after dinner or a lounge visit.   We assumed maybe one of them was  an alcoholic since the  men would always leave mid dinner to smoke, we  figured it was not religious reasons. Anyway as the daughter of an alcoholic I felt our abstaining was  a kindness on our part.

This was on one of  the RCI whopper ships that had the skating rink. One night during the week you get tickets to a show there. Well the night of the show we saw them several rows behind us,  waved politely and ordered our drinks as usual. The next night  (last night of cruise)they said accusingly that they saw us drinking. Lol!

11 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Our last Mediterranean cruise was in 2012. And there were definitely on your own tours for both Rome and Florence from the ship (NCL Epic).

 

We did the ship's Florence on your own. For Rome we just went, no ship tour or private tour. It was extremely hot that summer. The ship's bus to Florence was air conditioned. Coming back from Rome, we took the next to last train to give us a cushion to get back. It was packed, and extremely hot. And that was before  the fight broke out on the train.

 

When we got back from Florence, DW commented that maybe we should have paid the extra and taken the Rome on Your Own also.

 

 

 that was not offered in 2012 on our cruise

2 hours ago, ontheweb said:

IIRC, there are tours to Rome that are Rome on your own. You would not have to go to the Vatican. There are plenty of other things to see in Rome.

 Not sponsered by the ship  back in 2012 and I was NOT doing  an unsponsered ship tour. No way did I want to miss boarding the ship  before it sailed. Rome is an hour from the ship port.  My Italian was not (still isn't) good enough, lol!  Now I would have been willing to do that in Venice since we overnighted there,  but we didn't need to as everything was easy to get to with a water bus pass. 

23 hours ago, Cruzaholic41 said:

Having cruised both Princess and NCL numerous times, I generally prefer Princess. However, for a mid 30s single, Princess is one of the last lines I would recommend, and NCL is one of the first. The atmosphere is more vibrant and social on NCL, especially during the evening parties. 

 

Not saying you wouldn’t enjoy Princess but  I would do NCL in this case. 

 Agreed ! However the OP needs to realize Alaska attracts  an older crowd. A younger crowd would be cruises in  the Caribbean.

4 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

A non-American who booked a cruise to Cuba departing from a U.S. port should have considered the risk given the long standing enmity between the two countries and the capricious nature of the President.  

 

 Lol you got me there.  But I know in our case, as Americans,  we thought we were safe. Hubby said we  better go it this year because Trump was threatening to put back the Cuba ban. Oh well. I was not that hopped up on going, I thought they were overpriced especially when only old small ships would fit  their docks, and it seems to me one Caribbean port is not much different from another; but I am disappointed for him.