dread_pirate

how do you know if your cruise will be Halloween theme? we are cruising on the Wonder Sept 27, 2015 and still have not received a packet or any info?

Here are the dates for the Halloween on the High Seas cruises, 2015:

Disney Magic: October 4 - October 28, 2015

Disney Wonder: October 1 - October 23, 2015

Disney Dream: September 7 - October 30, 2015

Disney Fantasy: September 5 - October 31, 2015

Your cruise on the Wonder is not one.

I expect a server to automatically pour a more expensive drink, unless I ask for something cheap.

My experience has been the opposite - I believe I usually get the well liquor unless I ask for a higher name.

Funny thing is, I don't think I've ever had a piece of beef cooked to less than medium, usually medium well (even when I order medium rare!). Also never received undercooked poultry; usually it's dry.

Do you have a third berth in your cabin? If so, and they won't let you move into daughter's cabin if the others don't show, you could be able to move your daughter into your cabin. Unlikely you'd get a refund for the difference between 3rd person and 2nd person in a cabin, but at least you all can sail.

So I suppose you are saying that there is no need to change the menu onboard ever?.....If I was in charge of planning I would not be concerned about a few people that like the less popular items.....if only 20% like the items than you are saying it is better to cater to the 20% than the 80%. You need all your items to be pleasing to the most possible. ideally I would say you want a pretty balanced ordering pattern. With the obvious exceptions such as if you choose to offer vegitarian items etc. Also, some things go out of style....there are dishes that were popular in my grandparents day that are not now......Basically there are MANY reasons to change the menu regularly

No, that's not what I'm saying, and I think my post was clear. What I WAS saying is that you are assuming that there are items on the menu that appeal only to 20% of the guests; I make no such assumption. Even if true, however, I would also assume that only a small portion of the menu appeals to that 20%, while most of the menu appeals to the 80%.

They will also change the menus as food supplies and food costs warrant.

So are YOU saying that the MDR menu should not have items that appeal to the unadventurous or the picky eaters? That they should not appeal to people who dislike chicken, or can't eat steak, or don't like pork?

Besides, how do you know that you are in the 80% rather than the 20?

Like any smart business...if is is not selling well....replace it with something that will....

You're assuming that there are things on the menu that are not "selling well." Or that are not selling well enough to maintain the inventory. I have a feeling that, with the number of people rotating through the MDRs every year, there are very few of those items.

When Princess changed some menu items on their ships a couple of years ago, the hew and cry that went up on these boards was deafening. There are always going to be people who love the "less popular" items.

It's $50 pp on the US site.

If you belong to AAA, they'll take your photo for free. I assume that my passport picture will look like my driver's license photo, and I'm OK with that.

OK, so I'm still confused!

We are getting $300 OBC from the Go Best promotion (please no debates about whether that's a good deal - I've read the posts and done the math). We are also getting the premium drink package, pre-paid gratuities and unlimited internet, so there are 3 things we won't be using it for!

If any of that $300 is left at the end of the cruise (if we don't buy excursions, or spa services, or specialty dining), is it refundable or not?

JMO -- but I would never buy any type of jewelry in any foreign country -- Caribbean -- Europe, etc. I have read here too many times about people getting home and have their items re-appraised only to find they weren't worth what they paid for them.

Not quite on point to the OP, since I've never been to Turkey, but I would like to give a slightly opposing situation. We were told about a jewelry store on St. Thomas (not one recommended by the ship), and bought several pieces that seemed a fair price to us. Once we got home, I had them appraised by an independent appraiser. Each piece appraised for 25%-150% more than we had paid. (And no, I am not a shill for the place - I have no connection to it other than being a happy patron.)

Just like everywhere, you have to be smart when shopping. And again, just like everywhere, there are good merchants and bad ones.

The other thing to remember is that this is the first HOTHS cruise of the season. They will have between debarkation of arriving passengers and our embarkation to start on the decorations (while they do the normal cleaning & prepping for new passengers). When we get there, the decorations will be relatively sparse, and they'll continue to decorate as the cruise progresses. So your kids may get used to it during the course of the trip.

Thank you everyone! Based on a number of criteria, we're on the Reflection again. Can someone explain Luminae? It's only for suite passengers, correct? How is it located in the MDR, with non-suite guests?

Thanks again!

We were on the Reflection and loved it; not so much on the Millenium class ships.

How do the other Solstice class ships (Eclipse, Solstice, Equinox) compare to the Reflection? I understand that the Silhouette is pretty much identical - is that correct?

Or should we just stick to the Reflection?

Thanks.

I wouldn't risk it. No matter how early you disembark, you're dealing with Boston's Friday morning rush hour traffic. In fact, the earlier you disembark, the worse the traffic is likely to be.

So can the Disney gift cards purchased at Target also be used to cover purchases on board? Alcohol, gratuities, etc.

Yes. You go to guest services and have them credited to your onboard account.

If you can sail one of Norwegian's larger ships (Breakaway, Getaway, and I believe Epic), there are solo studio cabins, with a solo lounge and a staff member who arranges activities for those traveling solo - not just singles. I met a lot of great people in the solo lounge.

I agree that assigned dining tables make it easier to meet people if there is no solo lounge.

Turn 21 several months prior to sailing. Although we're yet to even decide what cruise we're doing, but I turn 21 in January and the trip wouldn't be until next summer. Of course the option is there just to wait until my birthday to book the trip, but I'd prefer to settle it sooner than later. I was just hoping that the companies won't care that I'm only 20 at the time of booking, given that I'll be 21 by sailing day.

 

Another option could just be to have my roommates(s) book the trip online and just include me as one of the passengers, and wire them the money.

If you're sailing with someone else in the same cabin, you don't make two bookings. If that person is over 21, let them be the "lead guest" and make the booking, and then each of you can pay for your portion with your own credit cards. Who books the cabin doesn't affect who pays for it.

About the databases - yes, it is likely that the consulate can find you with only your name and not a copy of your passport. However, the processing time required to go through the entire database (even indexed) to find one particular "Nancy Louise Smith" is a lot greater than it is to find Passport Number 12309752. And that's assuming that the consulate has the infrastructure, including bandwidth, to run the name search during business hours. The number search - probably.

Note 2 - I went down to the java bar one day to see if I could get a 20 ounce coffee to walk around with but from what I could see their menu only listed pay for coffees like espresso and cappuccino. There was a line so I never asked the staff if they had regular (free) coffee there.

They do have brewed coffee at the Java Cafe, but it is not free. All drinks there are extra. The coffee cost me $2 and change in May.

In the stores there are only $50 cards. At Target.com, you can order $100 gift cards, and there's no shipping charge if you use the Red Card.

Thanks. I didn't intend to use an ATM; I figured I'd just change some money before leaving home.

I just did this in May. It's only offered once. We were given a choice of roast chicken (dark meat only) or salmon. It was in La Cucina, but it wasn't La Cucina's food. The same drinks as in the dining room were included; the UPB was honored.

It was fun.

Do cabs in Cozumel still accept US dollars for their fares, or should I get pesos? Or do they accept credit cards?

TIA!

The other thing to remember is that you'll be stopping at various island ports, where lots of swimming will be available. They'll have the opportunity to swim even if not on the ship.

Remember that the Dawn docks on a weekday (Friday) and, while the pier is close to the airport, you still have to deal with Boston's notorious rush hour traffic. Later is better than earlier.