lakelorain

We take a few zip lock bags and put cookies from the Windjammer in them and store them in our room for late night snacks. Sometimes we pick up a piece or 2 of whole fruit for our cabin too.

Thanks......I don't find anything on the AAA website for CA so guess what you purchased isn't offered here.

Contact your AAA travel group. I had to deal with a travel agent there to get the insurance.

I'm in California and can't find anything about an annual policy on the AAA site. Do you have a link you could share?

My link would be irrelevant because you are in a different state. I found it on my AAA site under insurance services.

Great thread, but I am more confused than ever. :eek:

 

One provider sounds promising after a recommendation (although no validated cases to report.) Someone buys this policy based on recommendation, and then someone else reports that all is not great about said policy. :rolleyes: :confused:

 

 

 

lake - Could you provide a link to you policy? We have AAA car service, but didn't know about trip insurance. Would like to know more about this policy, and what it includes, as we have two cruises and another trip booked for 2014. An annual policy may be the way for us to go.

Since insurance coverage varies from state to state etc. it would be best if you go to your AAA web page and click on the insurance link to see what coverage is available for you. Your AAA travel dept may be able to help but I liked the comparison charts on the website.

I'm doing a little digging into this, and I am now confused about coverage.

 

Examples:

 

• AAA(CAA in Canada) emergency travel insurance only covers $5,000 for emergency evacuation.. hardly adequate
  
• AirMed (a suggestion from an earlier post) only uses fixed wing aircraft, and does not reimburse you if you use another service - it's not an insurance policy, but it's a plan to cover usage of their own aircraft. Helicopters are not fixed wing.
  

 

Why does insurance have to be so cryptic and confusing...

 

I have insurance through gov't and private sources, but I want a little extra for emergency evacuation.

My annual travel insurance through AAA covers $100,000 medical evacuation. When I purchased it(in October) there were 3 levels of coverage you could choose from. I took the mid-level coverage as we have some coverage through our health insurance company.

Another note. There was no link for our Cruise Docs. I printed mine off the On-line check in.

Printed my luggage tags this afternoon with no problem.

We have Allianz for $100,000 med evac plus some other things. Costs about the same as insurance for 2 cruises.

Have you met with a travel agent? A good agent can advise you as to what cruise line and what ship would be best for you. They can also answer all your questions regarding cabins and entertainment. It doesn't cost you anything to book with an agent.

I'd estimate 75 to 200 yards. Actual terminal entrance and exit is more towards the far end of the building from the parking lot.

We get around this by finding a porter and giving him a generous tip. He takes our stuff to the other end of the terminal and we walk in the entrance closest to our vehicle.

There are multiple parking areas. If you pass the luggage drop off and go left and left into the main parking lot gate, you can park right across the street from the terminal. As soon as you pay go as close as you can to the fence on your left. There is a walk through there and a crosswalk. We do it all the time. Most people go to the lot closest to the ship but I think this is easier.

We usually add about $1/drink to the receipt. We also bring singles to tip the staff at free drink venues such as the Diamond Lounge and the Welcome Back Parties. Also, as the end of the cruise we walk around and give an extra $10 or $20 to bartenders who we felt were top notch.

Our WOW card came in at 5:07am. Much more environmentally friendly than a paper card.

Since you all seem so knowledgeable regarding this program, do you know if you are eliminated if you have a metal implant? I can't find it on the TSA website.

Thanks! I'm glad to hear you're planning to take your granddaughter on a cruise next year.

 

We did make use of the fisher price program that is available for toddlers under 3 years. On the Explorer, it was basically a small area set up with toys for the kids to play. While it did occupy my son, I found the toys to be more appropriate for under 2 years.

 

There is a toy lending program where you can sign out a bag of toys. The bag can be exchanged for another one as often as you like.

 

We didn't do any excursions. We generally like to walk around and do some shopping in the stores near to the ports and spend a few hours at the beach. My son loved collecting sea shells.

 

We were able to go to the late shows. My son loved the shows that involved singing and dancing. He was bored when they were comedians so we put him to sleep in his stroller first and covered the stroller with a towel or blanket to muffle the sound a bit.

 

The Explorer has a kids swim area that includes a slide. My son made a friend who was the same age as him and luckily they were both potty trained and able to use the pools and hot tubs. If your granddaughter isn't potty trained by the time you go, you can look into ships that have an area for kids in swim diapers.

 

The staff are so friendly and accommodating and will help you out with whatever you may need.

 

Let me know if you have anymore questions :)

Thanks, so much, for the information. Sounds like we are making future cruise addicts out of the kids. Great idea to put your son in a stroller for the shows.

We did the b2b in October. RC offered several excursions but as the previous poster said you can do them on your own. I'd take a taxi into Old San Juan and use their free trolley system to go to El Murro, the Governor's Mansion, the Cathedral and walk around the old city. Be sure to stop at Barranchina's on Forteleza, home of the original Pina Colada. Or if you are a beach person, there are beautiful beaches there.

We did not get off between cruises because we have been to San Juan many times. RC held a very nice luncheon for those that stayed on the ship.

Congratulations on a successful cruise with a toddler. That is a real accomplishment.

We are planning to take our granddaughter on a cruise next year. She will be about the same age. What did you do to keep your son busy? Did you attend the RC program? Did you go on excursions with him? Any info would be appreciated.

We are happy to see the drinks when we arrive as we are usually thirsty and not ready to hit the bars yet. The cookies are for the trip home. The fruit gets left behind as it is just too sweet. The box is used to keep all our important things in during the cruise such as sea passes, invitations, cash for tips etc. The ribbons go home with us. While it's not the perfect gift, some of the items are welcome and we appreciate the gesture.

Thanks for taking the time to do this extensive review. We were on the Jewel b2b in October in the cabin next to yours. Sean was our room steward. He was excellent. Always cheerful and always helpful.

I book through the cruise line if it is a cross-country or out of country flight. I research the flights myself and then give them my top choices via my travel agent. Have always been on my first choice.

Our first cruise, we booked with the cruise line. Our plane was held up in a work slowdown by the pilots. RC took very good care of us. Treated us like we were their best passengers. They went over and above what we expected.

Obviously Celebrity did not use this on our last cruise - extended trip through the Panama Canal. It was several years ago and quite expensive, but something we really wanted to do. Everyone at our table of 8 "appeared" to be extremely wealthy. An international attorney, a gem broker, a commercial real estate owner, a cardiac surgeon and a successful model(originally thought she was with her father). Anyway, we struggled through 3 nights of dinner but just had nothing in common.

 

Conversation: "Where do you winter?" Our reply: At our house

"Where do you summer?" Our reply: At our house

"Do you have any retreats?" Our reply: Nope, just one house

"Where is your nanny from?" Our reply: No nanny

"How can you find a good gardener?" etc, etc.

I assume these are all great conversation starters - but not for us. We are blessed, but not wealthy. We did not feel inferior - I think people impose those feelings upon themselves. Rather, we just felt as if we had very little to talk about. I thought one of the ladies was going to have a heart attach when my husband took his tie off at the table on formal night(I gave him credit for wearing it at all). She said she wouldn't have allowed it.

Sounds like your table mates should have checked off the "Snob" category.

Baily.s Banana Colada Try it you'll like it :)

Another vote for a BBC.

Enjoying your review. We love b2b's.

Forecast is for rain/snow mix with temps in upper 30's for Baltimore tomorrow. Makes you even happier that you are staying on the ship.

Thanks for inviting us along again. Radiance Class is our favorite. Looking forward to seeing the upgrades. Hope RC didn't ruin a beautiful ship.

Have a great trip!

Mexican Cooking Class in Cozumel(RC excursion) was a ton of fun and we actually learned something. Free drinks included.