sparks1093

They have lactose free milk alternatives, such as Almond milk. You generally have to ask for it but I've seen it available in the lido.

It's the confluence of circumstances that is causing the angst and the same confluence could present itself regardless of documentation used.

Possibly, but I have read many accounts of passports being lost so not a good reason in my mind to get one (unless of course it is actually needed for the travel one is doing).

Passports are immune to getting lost?

I have definitely read of the paper license with picture working.

One advantage to the lido I guess is not having to pay extra for a third entrée.

We were going to eat at the lido once on our last cruise and they did have some of the entrees available. We ended up going to the MDR instead (the entrees that are always on the menu weren't available on lido, as I recall).

I consider myself at the mercy of the cruise line for the trip, so being at their mercy for a few hours on a shore excursion isn't a big deal. They've researched the tour provider so I don't have to and I don't have to waste time trying to find something that works and be at the mercy of the internet and all of it's 100% accurate information 😉. Everyone does what works for them and there is nothing wrong with that.

In our experience we've only been able to book one shore excursion while in any given port and that is generally enough.

A live example is happening with Carnival right now. They are raising the cost of the gratuities and Wifi so purchasing either prior to April 1st would save money by not having to pay the increase.

Most states only allow you to have one ID, either a driver's license or a regular ID. If one lives in a state that allows two then it's an option for sure. If someone works for a government entity then their employee ID would work as long as it has a picture on it. OP, crossing my fingers that your new license does come in before the cruise. If your means of getting to the port have been paid for or cost little then if it were me I'd probably show up with what I have since the only people that can tell you for sure if that would work are in the terminal itself. If boarding is denied you are in no worse shape than you are now and best case is you still get to cruise so you can relax from all this tension. As mentioned any pre-paid items other than the fare would still be refunded.

When I am out and about (anywhere) I don't like carrying things with me that I don't need to be carrying. The vast majority of the time that includes my passport- if I don't need to carry it with me then I don't want to. That's what it all simply boils down to. I'm not afraid of missing my ship (if on a cruise), nor am I afraid of losing my passport.

It doesn't need to be a country, it could very well just be the hotel itself by it's own policy. Cruise lines often impose a stricter standard then that required by law, I can see hotels doing the same.

Yep and I believe airlines do the same thing with frequent flier miles- each traveler gets the miles, not the person paying for the flights.

The VIFP points go to the passenger that is sailing, not the passenger that is paying. Every passenger gets their own VIFP number.

Very likely. Although the database can be searched by name CBP probably doesn't want to search that database unless the passenger is actually in it since that takes time. If someone is in the pre-check database then CBP knows that they've been previously vetted and it might reduce the number of other databases they need to check for that passenger.

I was addressing the contention that a uniform looking baked good had to be mass produced but yes, it does make sense to use frozen in a banquet type setting.

We just became shareholders a few weeks ago and applied for the credit for our upcoming cruise in April. We received a canned acknowledgement and then a week or so later an email confirming that the credit had been applied. The credit has already been used to help pay for our shore excursions.

Of course not (she wishes) but the fact is that any experienced baker can produce a product that is consistent in appearance. So can any cook, look at all of the dishes that come out of the kitchen and how similar the same items look. It's what they are trained to do.

Passengers are screened by a private security firm and checked in by folks employed by the cruise line. At the end of the cruise CBP will be checking documents and may have dogs going up and down the disembarkation line and/or checking bags. TSA is not involved at any point in port security. I also doubt that I would have asked about this further at the point of encounter because most of the time they won't tell you what the issue was anyway and it would just cause further delay.

I believe most cruise lines have a Frequently Asked Question section on their website and since the questions are asked frequently it's probably a good place to start. The answers provided are in conformance with the cruise line's policies and procedures.

You beat me to it. My daughter in law runs a bakery, a one person operation, and her products are fairly consistent in size and shape.

Ah, yes, there could be a contract there as well and likely is given the marketability of the Guy Freiri (sp) name.

True enough, I did a faux booking and they just show the total of everything. Other cruise lines that I've been on break it down by passenger. (and the faux booking did show the total taxes and fees going from $235 for two people to $470 for four).

Very true, I started noticing a sharp decline in the quality of a lot of things shortly after COVID started.