trivia addict

History lesson. The state of Florida did not convince Northern schools to change the date of Spring Break. The shift to giving a break in February instead of April was made during the oil crisis during the Presidency of Jimmy Carter.

Schools closed during this cold winter week in Northern states in order to save on oil heating. 

8 hours ago, FitchburgWIFamily said:

So this thread has gone all over … and I am late to the party…but:  I know the cruise line can’t control the weather, but I do think they could do more to make the passenger experience better when the weather is bad.  
 

My last cruise had some bad weather days, and when nobody can be on the deck the entire ship feels way too crowded.  You feel claustrophobic and you get bored.

 

I think the ship could have some back up dailies that they could circulate if the weather is bad enough to keep people off the decks.

 

What about running rainy day movies in the ships theater?  Doing more activities in some of the restaurants or lounges that provided both entertainment and a place for people to be?  Like extra trivia games or more crafts.  

IMO, if it is too rainy to be on deck, I think they should try a little harder to create diversions.

 

 

In February 2023 we were on the Joy on a cruise from LA to Mexico. The weather was horrible. Heavy rain and winds.
The entertainment staff did alter their daily activities. No alternate Daily was given out, but announcements on the PA system were given to inform passengers of new activities being held around the ship. It wasn’t a perfect solution, since with every passenger now inside every venue was very crowded, but at least the staff was trying.

Don’t understand the gripes of those who have to wait to board their ship. Waiting in lines is a fact of life,

Nearly 50 cruises and I’ve done my share of waiting at cruise terminals in various parts of the world. Some have been easy some have been longer than I would have liked, A memory of a particular line in July trying to get through Customs in  Vancouver is notable and gives me shudders.

But don’t we all wait in lines every day?

Supermarket, airports, Disney World, sports events, restaurants, tourist attractions, etc, and for some like myself, even ferries! But no one complains to them.

Face it, it’s a crowded world and blaming a cruise line for too many people trying to get onboard is not fair.

The workers, who are trying to deal with all types of people and problems are doing their best. And to blame a particular cruise line for a terminal that is operated by a municipal entity is unfair. 
I can only think that waiting to embark bothers so many is because they know what a fabulous vacation is ahead of them and they are very anxious to begin it!
 

1 hour ago, The Traveling Man said:

Or chair hogs?

Dare I mention door decorations?

1 hour ago, 9tee2Sea said:

Hater is a very strong word.  I find it to be a silly game, that I don't partake in.  But like in life, to each their own.  I can do what I want, without hurting anyone in the process.  

Calm down. A little hyperbole was used for humor. We are talking about plastic ducks here, not people!

When is your POA date?

we will be on it in Sept.

On 4/22/2024 at 5:27 PM, MrsTocko said:

I have organized pub crawls, and poker/pub crawls.  I personally found the poker ones not fun for me running it…as I was alone in the process…I was stressed. But I think everyone else had fun.  I have a cheat sheet that can be filled out, as well as winning hands (not a poker player here-so I needed the help).  Happy to share if interested.

 

i still enjoy doing the pub crawl part.  I do it about 2 on a sea day.  Will pick 5  bars, start at the bottom and work our way up. I also try to give the heads up to the bars before hand, and ensuring they will be open. So my planned route is always up to change.  I also encourage everyone to go, even if they don’t imbibe in adult beverages.  It is an opportunity to socialize.  I don’t care if you drink or not. Just arrive with the intent to have fun and enjoy. DH isn’t always feeling social, but he likes this.

 

trying to figure out a pub crawl on POA with no sea days.

You have opened the proverbial can of worms with this. People on these boards either hate these ducks or find it an amusing game to take part in.

For the haters, I will save you the trouble…

Ducks are….

A nuisance that prove no purpose

The crew hates them because they are a hassle for the crew to pick up and throw away

Bad for the environment

Are a silly thing that takes up too much space in your luggage

i happen to find them a fun tradition of cruising. There are so many different varieties and many clever notes that people attach to them that 

they make me smile.
It is especially nice to find one when our preschool granddaughter is with us or when an adult who has found one comes up to her and gives it to her.

When I find one, I re hide it or pass it along to a child I see.

Has anyone recently used the Roberts Hawaii shore excursion to Waimea Canyon?

If costs are somewhat comparable then probably the taxi would be the better choice.

In many ways that would save a lot of travel time to Clearwater from Hamilton.

21 hours ago, Jim and Monika said:

Any idea how much a Taxi would be from Hamilton to Clearwater?

Don’t know the answer to this, but you can take a ferry or a bus to St George from Hamilton and then a taxi to the beach, which would cost less.

On 4/6/2024 at 9:28 PM, karatemom2 said:

When we had a similar long time frame before our flight, we rented a car at port that we used for the day and then dropped off at the airport. It was way more reasonable then the Princess excursion, we were able to easily able to keep our luggage with us stowed in the trunk, and we had full freedom to do whatever we wanted to do. At the airport we returned the car and took the shuttle from the rental return to our terminal. It was great!

This is such a great idea! I wish we would have done this last year when we were in the same situation. We did it all wrong! We took a suggestion to use a company that advertised locations to drop off bags at various retail spots in the city, then took buses to various places we thought we wanted to visit. Big waste of time and effort!

With a car and google maps, we would have done much better!

Have done the HOHO bus in Vancouver on a previous trip. We did get a thorough look at the city with it, but remember with the HOHO you are at the mercy of the timing of the bus schedule at each stop. A car is the way to go!

There is a Total Wine store not far from the Pier

Thank you.

This is interesting. It is early in the season so maybe different. I’ll watch the Cruise Critic Bermuda board to see if anyone else has any more info and will be there in June to see for myself.

You mention that Clearwater Beach has a small store that sells premade sandwiches, drinks and snacks. When we there last year, there was an actual beach bar serving drinks and a food truck with hot food. Have these been replaced with this small store?

I did a Resort for a Day at Cocoa Reef years ago. The pool was beautiful, the lunch was very good and everyone was very friendly. What I did not like was the many steps one had to navigate to go to the beach. 

Just to be clear, yes you will fly into Basel, but it might not be a direct flight. As I said, we first had to fly to Frankfort for our connection and I know that some on our ship first flew into Paris before coming into Basel.

The Silver beverage works for us because my husband enjoys craft cocktails and I like the fact that I have a wider choice of wines than those that are included in the price of the cruise. We feel that the $25 per night is worth it for us.

We did do the Viking Air but we paid the extra fee for air plus  to choose our own flights. ( I think it was $100 pp for this service)

We had to fly into Frankfurt and from there flew into Basel.

Viking gives you free beer and wine for lunch and dinner, but cocktails are extra. The drink package gives you all bar drinks, and beer, and wine whenever you want. The wine selection is much larger with the package giving you the chance to try all of the local wines. And we take advantage of that! 

i believe it is called the Silver Spirits package and you can buy it at the bar when you first board. Probably can buy it ahead of time but we have twice done it onboard.

I can’t remember the exact price but pretty sure it’s well under $200 for the entire week. I’m sure you can call Viking to get the price.

A lot different than what we pay on the cruise lines here!

Thank you. I stand corrected!

Yes, O positive is the universal donor.

1 hour ago, Mark_K said:

Who it is no one else’s business.  There isn’t really any privacy concern about what happened, other than the ship not wanting people to know.

 

And it’s not that unusual for them to make some sort of announcement in cases where it disrupts ship operations.  

I don’t think that those who were asking why a male as opposed to a female were trying to interfere in someone else’s business. No one asked for names, circumstances, or medical issues. 
I think, like me, they were just wondering as to the science of why the gender is important.

Thank you  to those who gave us the scientific answer.  I think we all know a little bit more about medicine which may or may not be useful to us someday. Knowledge is good.

We always go to Clearwater Beach. Far, but quiet, uncrowded and has amenities.

1 hour ago, Catchum said:

If you use a TA I would make sure they have travelled to Rome and understand the differences in accommodation vs the US. Also watch out for pickpockets not something to fret over but never put valuables in your backpack.

Yes, you will  need a TA who is familiar with the countries you are visiting. Very different experiences.

And do watch out for pickpockets. Despite its reputation, I never had a problem in Rome, but a I’m sure a family trying to corral 3 children would be a good target.

i have had two problems in Barcelona. Once had a camera stolen and once my daughter and I were definitely being followed.

BTW, if in Barcelona, I recommend the HopOnHopOff bus. And of course, the Gaudi works of LaPedera and Sagrada Familia are not to be missed.

Maybe no coffee makers in rooms but many of the smaller European hotels  have amazing European style included breakfasts. Cheeses, meats, breads, yogurt, pastries, etc. 

My adult children now probably remember those more than some of our excursions!

If you can book one of those you will save quite a bit of time and money in the mornings.

Smilegirl07, have you thought about using a travel agent for your stays in Europe before and after the cruise?

i, too, am very hands on when it comes to cruises and travel within the U.S., but when it comes to booking hotels, cars, trains and museum tickets in Europe I find that a good TA knows a lot more than I do about these things.