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If the tour is in a public place there is little anyone can do about it. In Sofia a few years ago, I came upon a walking tour and listened in for a few minutes. I did not follow when they moved on but certainly could have. 

It's up to the guide to decide how to manage "interlopers." In the situation described in the original post I wouldn't have cared unless the interlopers decided to start asking the guide questions or otherwise occupy his or her time. 

I'm sure the cruise lines have more advanced "spread sheets" than anyone here. If the drink packages weren't advantageous to them they wouldn't be offered. 

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Yes, that is their underlying premise but if I can use the drink package to my advantage then I will. But there are a considerable number of people that will blindly buy it, just because it will save them money.

The way to make the most advantage of a drinks package is to drink more perhaps more than you might normally even when on vacation. The daily limit on the package for some cruisers becomes a goal to reach to maximize their "savings" meaning more drunk passengers on a cruise than if drinks were paid ala carte. 

If the difference between an okay holiday and a great one is a spa visit or a bottle of premium wine when measured against the entire cost of the trip it's a small price to pay. Spending a cruise fixated on what things cost is a sad way to go on vacation. 

11 hours ago, 3Shelaghs said:

Might seem odd, but I assure you ALL is true. The captain was very explicit re how they were going to retrieve her bag out of the bins underneath plane where her carry on was gate checked. The last 6 triple 7's I've been on ALL had gate checking carry on bags. Which now days seems to be the norm for the flights I've taken.

And yes, we all were worried crew were going to time out. 

Can confirm. Most of the AC flights I've been on recently asked for volunteers to gate check and in a couple of cases the overhead bins were not full when the flight took off. I've never volunteered to gate check and my carry-ons are slightly undersized so I have always been waved through even if gate checking was mandatory for some passengers. 

They aren't for me. I prefer to drink what I want when I want it and not have to think about whether what I've ordered is in the "package." There are also times when I don't wish to drink but the packages can be an incentive to drink more than you might otherwise. YMMV. 

On 4/13/2024 at 10:12 PM, Fouremco said:

The removal of baggage when a passenger doesn't fly dates back to the 80's and was originally introduced to prevent terrorists from checking in a bag containing explosives and then not boarding the plane.

They take that rule pretty seriously. I was on a AC regional flight several years ago that 15 minutes after take-off did a 180 and returned to the airport. Apparently a passenger had a last minute issue, didn't board and his bag wasn't removed so back we went to drop it off. 

Passengers who laugh at or yell disparaging comments at pier runners or post videos of them on YouTube are ones who deserve to be held in contempt. It is quite possible the passengers were delayed for reasons beyond their control and should not be the subject of ridicule from anyone .   

One of the less appealing aspects of cruising is the need for constant clock watching while you are ashore. Land based accommodation never sails away without you. There is never a need to cut an enjoyable moment short or guzzle down your drinks because the boat is leaving soon. 

21 hours ago, Hlitner said:

For those who have not recently used Global Entry, the CBP folks have changed the entry procedures to make it nearly "painless."  They have now implemented facial ID (in many places) which get folks thought the entry process in less than a minute.  Just this week, we flew into JFK, stopped at the Global Entry kiosk, and within 15 seconds (after posing for a photo scan) were on our way through the CBP booth.  The CBP officer greeted us by name and simply waved us through without even a glance at our Passport.

A similar system is in place for NEXUS users going into the U.S. at Pearson Airport in Toronto. It is awesome. Just look in the camera, show your card to the agent and welcome to the U.S.A.! 

On 5/11/2024 at 9:56 PM, jeromep said:

Any of the above will be just fine.  Formal night isn't quite as formal as it used to be.  Don't stress about it as enforcement of the official line on the Princess site and in all their materials isn't done by ships staff.  Lots of threads here about formal nights, take most with a grain of salt, especially those that want everyone dressed up like they were on the "Love Boat"

The fancy pants crowd were aghast that passengers who did not meet their approved standards of sartorial elegance were permitted in the MDR. The fancy dressers then began cajoling passengers online with moral suasion, belligerence and insults. Recently however they seem to be in decline and may have accepted the inevitable. 

It's very easy to bemoan the loss of a "tradition" when it's somebody else who does the dying. It's idiotic to expect the captain to commit suicide simply because his ship sinks. 

Formal nights are not rigidly adhered to on Princess. Treat them like any other night. Pack what you need for the trip then, if there is room remaining, pack your fancy garb. If there isn't room don't worry about it. 

Princess is quite accommodating to those who are not interested in reliving their high school prom while on vacation. Collared shirt, casual trousers and hiking boots were accepted on fancy pants night in the MDR on our Alaskan cruise with them.

As long I get off the boat safely I could not care less when or if the captain does. 

1 hour ago, CDNPolar said:

 

I have used the word "Mandatory" as others have for dinner, but don't take the word as literally as the dictionary definition from my perspective.

 

All that is meant by that is you do what you want to do during the day and we will meet at dinner to catch up.

 

There have been many times that we have booked a specialty restaurant for TWO only and let them know just before we would meet that we would not be seeing them at dinner.

 

We have also decided just before dinner that we would prefer the buffet and they still wanted the menu in the restaurant.

 

In these cases we see them in the lounge after dinner.

A traveling companion who said something was "mandatory" or even "we will meet at dinner" would never be a traveling companion again. 

We've travelled with other couples. Sometimes it was great, other times not so much and the fast track to the second category is attempting to make anything "mandatory" or trying to tell us what we "will" do.   

19 hours ago, cruisinfly said:

While I'm glad these binoculars are working out for someone, I honestly do not recommend buying no name, or off name binoculars. I've tried it to save money and it does not work out very well. The name brands are a better product, more reliable, with a warranty. No names will have problem with the focus, alignment, and lower quality lenses. As well as moisture and dirt intrusion.

Buy quality pay once. The cheap optics will let you down when it matters most. The once in a lifetime sight that you can't see because the optics are fogged. The amazing animals you can't see at dusk because the light gathering qualities are crap. The eye strain from looking through misaligned cheap lenses that won't focus and make your head hurt. 

Those cheap optics from China will end up in the trash or at a flea market. There is however a robust market in high-quality used optics going to new owners that appreciate quality. 

It's a bad practice to travel with credit cards at or near the limit. Credit isn't hard to get and I always travel with at least two high-limit cards to cover most eventualities.

For cruising and travel go small but don't go cheap. The big Steiners shown above are great until you want to take them on a shore excursion. Try a few in the store. I prefer 7x-8x because 10 and above tends to amplify any unsteadiness you have in your hands.  

My binoculars for travel are a now-discontinued pair of Bausch and Lomb (now Bushnell) Elite 7X36. Were I to need to replace them I'd be looking at Zeiss, Leica or Swarovski in the $1,000-$2,000 range. Expensive but good optics are worth it. 

Panic is the result of poor preparation and not paying attention. I've been on two flights during which the oxygen masks dropped. A few of us put them on immediately but most people just stared at them wondering what to do next. How many flight safety demonstrations had they been through? Every single one tells you what to do when the mask falls. 

46 minutes ago, ldubs said:

I'm not surprised at the disagreement, but would like to see more info why or what is superior.  So far the only reasons I've seen is people are deluded into thinking a one day port visit is meaningful and ports with large ships are crowded.  I agree with the potential for crowds.  For the other, I guess it depends what someone enjoys.  

 

Your comment also made me realize as I have achieved some age advantaged status, cruises are just physically easier.  For people with mobility issues or even just the normal aches and pains that come with advanced years, a cruise is a pretty good option.  

The manner in which the question is asked makes the automatic assumption that cruising is the best type of vacation. The are reasons cruises are desirable and reasons they are not but they are not automatically the "best." It depends on personal tastes and what you prefer to do on vacation. 

It isn't.

$24USD per year is worth every Lincoln cent. With NEXUS/Global Entry I avoid the imbecile line at airport security, go through YYZ pre-clearance in minutes, breeze through at land crossings and avoid the horror show of customs and immigration when entering the U.S. from another country. 

The people who would do that are cruisers who know nothing about what they are buying and fail to realize that when they step off the big boat they are marks, walking ATM machines, who are there to be fleeced in every possibly manner. You don't find many reputable art dealers at dockside. Caveat emptor. 

13 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Many, many years ago when I was in grade school, it was popular to have a penpal in a foreign country.  I acquired one who lived in Japan.  He/she sent me a box of traditional Japanese things.  I wanted to return the gesture,  but back in the 1950’s it was nearly impossible to find small item that represented American culture that were not ‘made in Japan’.  EM

It's one thing if you know what you are buying is made elsewhere. No doubt there are cruisers in for a shock should they try and sell what they believed was genuine indigenous art from the Arctic and for which they paid full price. 

Might want to check the name on the bottom. You may have bought a fake. 

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-alaska-philippines-made-indigenous-art/

"The stone carving depicted a bear grasping a fish in its mouth, its supposed authenticity sealed with the engraved name of its Tlingit artist, Kilit. It was sold at a shop in Ketchikan that catered to the millions of cruise ship tourists who pass through this coastal town eager to bring home a piece of coastal Alaska. The price: US$3,200.

But Kilit did not exist, and the carving did not originate in Alaska. It was made in the Philippines, as part of a sophisticated operation that, for many years, stocked two shops in Ketchikan with humpbacks, bears, dolphins and eagles sculpted 10,000 kilometres away."