sparks1093

What is your source for saying they are out? I know that they were paused during the return from the pandemic but I've seen nothing to suggest that they are permanently gone from a CD's repertoire. I find these events easy enough to avoid, that way I can do what I want and if someone wants to be "classless" than they can be.

I don't have too many problems with it. I can call room service the night before and place our order if needed. Other food will be available from Pizza Pirate late night, if needed (and hopefully pre-prepared to minimize the line). They aren't changing the name of the Pizza place of course, Pizza Plus just means "pizza, plus other food".

Sorry, the only visa I've ever had experience with is the plastic one in my wallet, so I can't add any insight.

From a cruise ship we've seen mostly flying fish. We've had 1 dolphin sighting (mid-ship). I may have seen a whale but it was too far away and I didn't have binoculars with me. Obviously the closer you are to the water the better your chances are. While in the Navy I saw a whale in the Bay of Naples, dolphins leading the ship out to sea departing Norfolk, VA and a school of golden rays somewhere in the Caribbean (we were doing a towing exercise so we were going very slow and the school flew by underneath us). These sightings were a rarity for me because I was a radioman and spent 95% of my time at sea below decks when we were at sea.

That's my understanding as well. When we were there they had babies swimming around the cove as well, but said we might not see them since they have more places to hide. I found the excursion to be quite educational and enjoyable, even though I passed on the snorkeling part.

Yes, we've done this. And of course when we did it the amount was due in full right then (just as it would be for an excursion or anything else purchased online).

As I understand it if a cruise line receives notification from the Canadian authorities that a passenger is persona non grata then the cruise line would not let that passenger go ashore. If the passenger in the future tried to book a cruise with a Canadian itinerary would the cruise line then not allow the booking unless the passenger showed documentation that the issue had been resolved?

Exactly.

As post 61 shows you can express all of the thanks you want to privately but any cash is going to be shared if it is required to be shared.

That is my understanding as well, but that doesn't mean that those tips aren't pooled either with or without management's knowledge, and it doesn't address my point that some people may choose to tip the team instead of just one person (which is usually how we handle it). In any event, as I've said, we don't have any control of what happens to it after we've left it so I don't worry about it.

It can also be used to recognize the team. In any case once you've left it you have no control over it, so even if you mean it for one individual they may still have to share it with the team depending of course on the custom of the cruise line.

My obligation ends when I leave the tip. What happens to it after that is not my concern.

That's the thing, we might want to give special individual recognition but if custom or rule means that the person shares whatever they get then that is out of our control (even in land based establishments). We certainly can't tell them sotto voce "this is just for you, don't share it with anyone". They would still get their share of what we gave and would know that we recognized their superior service. Of course if we mention them by name on a comment card or in a survey that can't be taken away from them.

My son was mad at the name change because it ruins the National Anthem before games when the students would sing "oh say can UC...". I am definitely not one that lives without the creature comforts but yes, Utica in my eyes is most definitely "urban", especially since our village only has about 1700 people. I did love the drive from here to Utica, upstate has its beauty for sure.

My oldest son graduated from Utica College (now University, I believe) and another son attended before settling in Hoffmeister.

I have seen the "don't leave it on the table" comment numerous times in numerous threads so I'm not singling you out, but it does raise a question. When we at a land based restaurant we always leave the tip on the table and presumably many others do as well. Why the hesitation to do so on a ship?

Exactly this, especially mentioning them by name in your comments.

We normally book the cruise line with the lowest fare going on the itinerary we want from our departure port. In the future we will be flying to the port versus driving so that opens up more possibilities for us. When I priced Princess compared to Carnival I was pleased to find out that when I added in the things to the Carnival fare that were included in the Princess fare (drink package, wifi, gratuities) they really weren't that far apart in price. Of course, if you don't routinely buy the drink package you wouldn't add that in but if you are spending that money anyway it should be considered. Which is all a long way of saying that Princess might not be that much more than Carnival when you factor everything in.

I've been able to see the stars well from our balcony as long as our neighbors don't have their balcony lights on. I would think that any place on the ship where you can get away from the lights would be okay as well (upper decks especially when passengers are asnooze).

Well, the 15 drink limit applies to all alcohol, not just Cheers. I have seen bartenders override this on the computer so I believe it's a "soft" limit, so as long as you don't appear too drunk they can still serve you. Other than what I've witnessed I have no evidence that this is so, but I would think if the limit were a hard and fast one they wouldn't be able to override the system at all. Anyway, for us the main reason to have the bottle in the cabin is so we can have a few drinks before turning in usually while sitting on the balcony.

The answers are probably going to vary by company but I would think as a general rule the premium would not be refunded. Whether or not the fare paid will be transferred to another booking is also subject to each company's policies. If you cancel for any reason and all of your money isn't refunded by the cruise line you should be reimbursed to the maximum allowed under the policy. (All of these statements are general in nature and while I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once I am not an expert.)

I would check out www.insuremytrip.com for insurance. You can usually get more robust insurance for less than what the cruise line charges. Insurance generally covers from when you leave home until you return home, but if you have to cancel for a covered reason it would pay anything that wasn't reimbursed. If you get your insurance from a third party you might be able to transfer the insurance to a different trip if you have to cancel, but reimbursement of the premium is unlikely to happen. I buy insurance as soon as we book a trip and that can save money over buying it just before the trip, but that is the only savings that I am aware of.

I'm the same way but DW has got to have her balcony. She gets to deal with a grumpy me if I don't get enough sleep so she can only blame herself.

And it doesn't count against your 15 drinks a day.🙂

It's a small sample size but they've always looked at what we were bringing on in the carry-on.