homeschoolmama

I am a lawyer and whoever told your sister she would pay estate taxes on 13, 500$ is not giving the whole picture or there is more than you are reporting. It is correct that amount can be gifted without fed tax. There may be state tax as it varies by state. Same is true for passing it at death. If that is the whole value of her estate then no fed tax but again state law varies on whether it would be taxable or subject to probate. Taxation is dependent on total value, what kind of property it is, how it is titled and many other things. I say all this to make the point that a cruise critic thread is not the place to practice law. Every state is different, and every situation is different. Find a good estate planning lawyer and get the full truth as to your specific situation. Using this board is dangerous place to get legal advice.

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Thanks for the Casey threads. Hope he lives up to FOS which is such a great ship

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Ok whoever suggested I go back a "few" pages to get reviews of Casey Pelter on fos.....I went back 32 pages of threads and saw one comment about when he was coming onboard. Nothing reviewing him. Would someone please be kind enough to give any reviews/experiences of him they may have, so I do not need to read 188 pages! I really, really would appreciate it.

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Another, less crowded alternative to windjammer is the cafe promenade where there are light sandwiches and dessert. Also, there is a pizza place on promenade. If you are not among the first on the ship windjammer will be crazy. MDR only open to b2b cruisers and even that is not always done.

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Usually 10:30am is latest for everyone off, though they aim for 10am. Might I suggest taking a ship excursion to kennedy space center or the everglades? They will drop you at the airport after the excursion. Usually your flight needs to be 2pm or later, though it varies by ship, port and excursion. The excursion description will give details. If you are flying out of Orlando the cost of the excursion is not much more than the transportation transfer fee. We always do this and find it a nice way to extend the vacation a bit.

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You will love b2b, but beware, it may be hard to ever do a 7 nighter again......just our experience :) we are b2b on fos starting Nov 2. Cannot wait!!!!

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What has been the feedback/experience with Casey Peltier? We had been looking forward to Rivhard Spacey on fos but see Casey is now there.

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79 for FOS b2b!

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Day stops are all at the old sj pier. If you can get off relatively quickly, run across the street and catch either the free trolley (signs mark the trolley stops), or catch a cb and you will for sure be there by 4:30 at the latest, but probably sooner. Head straight up to the entrance and do the inside of the fort while open, then after closing spend time walking the grounds and outside of the fort as there is alot to see outside too. An hour to an hour and a half inside will be a good amount of time to take in most of what there is to see. You will get a very good experience in the time you have. After, depending on when the ship leaves, take a leisurely stroll back down to the port. It is all downhill so easy walking and there is much in terms of culture and ambience to take in. Plazas, restaurants, music, shopping, architecture. .......all fun to experience. Very easy to navigate old san juan. Have fun!

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Thank you for being balanced and fair in relaying the positive efforts of Viking and not just the bad. I hope their efforts allay some of your negative experience.

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Kind of surprised at the original post. If you are so experienced why would rain bother you so much. No different than a hurricane in the Caribbean and having to chage ports unexpectedly. Both are unfortunate happenings but neither are the fault of the cruiseline. Why tear the cruiseline down because they could not give you sun every day. I just do not understand this from someone "experienced". Don't ever cruise to Alaska, good chance it will rain. Don't cruise the caribbean in the summer, it rains every afternoon and don't cruise caribbean May to Dec as it is hurricane season. Oh it rains in London alot too so be careful about Southhampton. Or maybe instead go anywhere you want, expecting there will always be hiccups in the best laid plans and enjoy yourself anyway, meeting new people, reading, or seeing the sights in a different sort of beauty.

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We wear our bathing suits under our clothes and head straight to the pool. Once it starts to get crowded we drop our carry ons in the cabin, get all our mail and brochures and head to cafe promenade for a light bite and reading through everything. If we still need to make a reservation we get to the applicable place after the pool, but before our first cabin visit, to again avoid crowds. Usually this is done online before leaving though. After our lunch and reading time we go back to our cabin. If luggage has arrived we unpack before the lifeboat drill, otherwise we just sit and take in the sights from the balcony until the drill. After the drill we dress and head to dining room. Let the fun begin!!!!

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Ships will be the cleanest they ever will be on the first cruise after a noro outbreak because everything will go under extra scrubbing. That does not assure staff is without symptoms thatcould spread though so wash, wash, wash your hands with soap and water.....and not just for 2 seconds, but more like 20 seconds.

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Immigration depends on port but the ship does have to clear to zero. Usually you,get your next week' s sea pass the night before, then all b2b cruisers meet in a lounge and are all taken off the ship together, show passport and come right back on. Then you can do what you want. They do not open boarding to new passengers until that is done. you can leave ship on your own, but will not be allowed back on until general boarding starts.

For us, it is dependent on what port we are in whether we get off or not. Most times we stay on. As has been said, it is the most quiet and peaceful you will have it all week. You can go to and from your cabin also, which new passengers cannot do until the call for cabins ready is made. We have had b2b lunches sometimes, but not on every ship,so that part is not a sure thing. One thing is for certain though! B2b is the best and once you do it, it is hard to go back to just a week cruise. Even with that b2b starts to feel short so you start looking at b2b2b :) Have Fun!!!!!

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Marriott Courtyard Isla Verde is directly on the nicest beach in San Juan. It hasbeach chairs and umbrellas, 3 pools, hot tub, hammocks, restaurant, casino, snack and ice cream bar all on site and great service, all completely renovated. Can walk to other things close by. 5 min from airport and approx 15 min to ship. We stay there every time we go to sj. And Love it! Taxi to ship is 21$ plus 1$ per bag (not carryons). All taxi rates are fixed rates in sj. If you want to arrange a tour somewhere there is a concierge to help and front desk staff will help too.

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As far as 2x points, never arrange things to move a kid for that reason. Kids automatically accumulate the same points the parents do until age 18. If you reach diamond level or above before they turn 18 the kids will automatically get the same level. At 18 they take the number of points you have on that day and from that point on they need to accumulate their own points under their own sailings. Therefore, if the two of you get 2x pts for gs the kids will get the same even if in an interior room.

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If more of us cancelled the automatic charge and started paying for how actual service is provided could it be that service would improve. Over the years as ships have adopted automatically charging gratuities, service has become mediocre at best, though there are always those exceptions who are wonderful!

I love giving extra to those who provide exceptional service. When they go above and beyond they deserve recognition....and WOW cards just don't cut it as far as I am concerned. In fact my last cruise when I tried to get extra WOW carss I was told there was a limit of one per cabin. What?

I know one can always do automatic charge and still give more on top of that......but I am just saying, if more and more of us did this it may have a long term impact. On the other hand there will always be those who would take optional tipping as an out to not tip at all. I guess when all is said and done it assures some monetary acknowledgement to each worker with automatic gratuities. If there happens to be horrible service, cancel them off your account. If there is exceptional service keep giving more out of pocket.

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Beware, if you splurge for a suite there is no going back. :) we learned the hard way. Not complaining mind you, but it is like moving from a 7 day cruise to b2b. It is toooooo short going back to 7 days. :cool:

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We always take our drinks with to dinner. Dl is better view but depending on number of diamond and above on board can be much more crowded. Either lounge is great for the amenities.

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Depends on what you like to do in ports. St Kitts and Dominica have scenery unlike most other islands. We love both islands. Snorkeling is very unique in Dominica if you like that sort of thing. It is over volcanoes and quite interesting. Likewise Granada is very interesting with good snorkeling and beaches. The main difference in the islands of option b versus optiona is the B has unique topography and less commercialized. That being said, st lucia has beautiful scenery, Barbados has unique sights depending on which coast you go to, and the snorkeling at the national park trail on St John's is also great and St Maarten beaches are lovely. When it is all said and done you will enjoy either. The final deciding point for me would be that less ships port at option b islands so if you think you may cruise again you would be more likely to have a chance at the option a ports on the next cruise. Especially St kitts and Dominica do not have as many ships stopping there. Either way you will love the ports. Two great itineraries.

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PS there are flight attendants who can be rude and threatening. Are they taken off the flight? Kind of an extreme reaction. The worst of his tweet was "most rude gate agent ever". Is that threatening?

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He is from my area and he was travelling alone with his two kids under 10. What is missed in this discussion is just before this happened he tweeted about another agent who had done a terrific job. He named her and thanked her. His tweet about the rude agent was not threatening in any way, but rather his opinion as to her rudeness. Yes he could have waited to board, but what gave her the right to be rude about it. Also, last I checked there is still a constitutional right to freedom of speech. He in no way threatened anything! I saw the tweet as they showed them on our local news. If you are in customer service then be prepared for people to have opinions about your interaction with them......which is all this tweet was....and all the positive tweet he sent was.

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Both months can have good deals and the dates you are looking at would be those times. Also as has been said, children are less in numbers during the off times. I agree with the possibility of flights and post cruise hotels being possibly more expensive and crowded at the end of the Dec. dates

One other consideration if you are water people is that with northern or western Caribbean ports, water is generally at its coldest in January and February. If there is a warm fall with low rainfalls in these areas, the waters can be warmer in Dec. That is dependent on fall weather factors but it has generally been our experience. We love both months for cruising because of the exact reasons you are choosing. I am sure you weill enjoy either date!

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My first was Epirotiki in the Mediterranean in 1984. Cruised from Israel, up to Turkey, then Greek Islands and disembarked in Egypt. Had about 6 decks, 1 TINY pool, I tiny restaurant and 6 slot machines in a hallway that took only Greek Drachma.......but what a wonderful trip.

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Sadly I do not think so. You can try negotiating with a customer rep but chances are slim. It might help if you can make a sizeable deposit and then pay remainder within a few days. Good luck!

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