ladysail2

On 9/16/2022 at 1:32 PM, Oceantides said:

Good day all Canadians.  
Can anyone tell me what customs is like when arriving back into the US from your cruise? How does the vaccine status come about? Before or after your cruise or both?   Thanks. 

A resident of Canada doesn’t have to deal with US Customs beyond showing your passport and answering a few questions.  Canadians deal with Canadian Customs upon re-entry to Canada.  If you are a Canadian, you have to complete ArriveCan. You will upload both your vaccination status and passport information into the app before entering Canada.

Your cruise ship policies will dictate how your vaccination information is revealed. Most cruise companies want to know your vaccination status.

Hope that helps somewhat.

On 9/8/2022 at 1:33 PM, PortSideCruzan said:

Mocha Chocolate Getaway...

Made with Irish cream; Dark rum; Butterscotch Schnapps; Kahlua; Ice cream & Chocolate syrup.

 

YUM!

 

 

 

🍹🍸🍷🍾🥂🍻🍹🍷🍸🍾🍹🍷🍻🍹

Very, Very Yum!   My absolute favourite!!

2 hours ago, grimpil said:

I think the issue may be we paid in CAD$ and gratuities are in USD

If your invoice is in CAD$, then the gratuities are converted to CAD as well. But as Wemjam says, you may be too close to sailing to add them yourself. Try phoning Carnival to see if they’ll take payment over the phone.  Enjoy your cruise!

5 hours ago, pe4all said:

Platinum gift picked up at Pixels.  Pin was left in my cabin on last 2 cruises.  Chocolate delight now has to be ordered from room service- they will ask when you want it.  Free waters picked up at any bar or dining room.  Laundry still the same - bags in drawer in room.  $25 slot tourney credit at casino cage.  Free brunch drink in dining room, though I have gotten it at a bar last 2 cruises.

Thank you for this information. I haven’t cruised on Carnival in a number of years. What constitutes the chocolate delight? Chocolate covered strawberries?  My favourite perk is the laundry perk, most handy. 😊

23 minutes ago, funinthesun1964 said:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

My sentiment exactly. I didn’t think the question was “do you care about the Platinum gift?”.  Some people just can’t read, or want to share feelings that no one cares about.  🙄

19 hours ago, Lane Hog said:

Now if only Canada could come to their senses...

 

I wouldn’t start going down that road….people in glass houses….

I’m from Canada, if that makes a difference.  My most favourite drink is Strawberry Frutopia which I buy at McDonalds. They supply a paper straw, and I do buy the large sized drink. That straw is as good at the end as it was at the beginning. I might go into the restaurant and pick up a few extra for my upcoming cruise, wink wink.  You might want to check them out as a comparison.

I won’t be buying the £400 bottle of wine, or the £4 bottle. Wouldn’t it be great if I can find my favourite..Clos du Bois…..and if not, I’ll just have to take a chance.  Thanks for the lively discussion! 😊

As IRMO12HD suggested, the purchase of a coffee card may be a good idea too. I’ve bought the cards and have enjoyed the coffees they make. My favourite is a Mochacchino (sp) with a half shot of expresso. Personally, I find a whole shot to be too strong for me. They’ll adjust things to make the coffee how you like it. A little extra chocolate syrup doesn’t hurt either..for my taste anyway.   Hope you find something you like.  😊

On 8/15/2022 at 11:26 PM, ldubs said:

 

I've heard people say they like the Starbucks Via instant, though I've never tried it.  

 

I hope you let us know what you find. 

 

Since we are talking coffee -- After a trip to Spain drinking their Americanos, I now think my Kcups are too weak.  I hoped to find k-cup Americanos. No luck so far.   

That’s what I tried, the Starbucks VIA. I thought it tasted fine. It all depends on the person.  I’m also in Canada so distribution may vary from your location.

2 hours ago, tweak89 said:

For those that bring their own instant coffee does anyone have any recommendations for a decent instant latte mix?  We don't drink enough soda or alcohol to justify the drink packages (my wife doesn't do coffee at all) so I was wanting to bring some instant latte packets or powder to have latte or two with breakfast. 

 

There are so many different brands and since I mostly drink foo-foo Starbucks iced/hot lattes (lol) I don't have a "go to" brand.  We have a ton of random k-kups at home, so we are not brand loyal, lol.

If you like the Starbucks lattes, why not buy their powdered latte mixes?  It probably won’t taste as good, but might be close if you add milk or cream.

Thank you for all that information!  Majestic Wines looks like it might be worth a look too. I’ll be in Southampton for a few days.

On 8/11/2022 at 4:05 PM, ajtraveler66 said:

When I was there, we didn't take an excursion....we just walked around.  It was time well spent.  

 

The one thing that stands out in my mind is that huge cathedral that is there.  Absolutely beautiful.  I wouldn't miss that.

There is a small gift shop around the side of the cathedral that sold alot of Mallorca pearl necklaces, they were very pretty. Close by across a street was a Zara Home store where I bought the loveliest big bath towel, still use it to this day.  I also enjoyed looking at all the flowers and green spaces.  It certainly was a nice visit. 

I believe the Marks & Spencers in Southampton sells wine in their store at the mall. That’s where I’ll pick up a bottle. 

Was looking at travel insurance for my upcoming trip and thought of you. How are you doing? Maybe no news is good news!

Have travelled alot, usually cruising, in the 6 years I’ve had a PM. Have never had a Dr’s note…although I do keep the PM’s information card in my purse. Have gone through scanners without a problem unless the scanner says it’s not safe for PMs. Go every year for a PM check and all is fine.  I go through the airport scanners and ship scanners without incident. 

57 minutes ago, mz-s said:

Yes, there are no open container laws on a Carnival ship.

It’s a good thing!

18 hours ago, Ashland said:

No not at all....I'm saying the Banks Mansion location was just perfect as compared to where the Movenpick was which was right next to the port and am so glad I didn't opt for that hotel.

Okay, thank you!  😊

9 hours ago, Ine said:

No not walkable to the port, but walkable along some canals and also to many shops, restaurants etc. More central location

Okay, thank you!

On 8/4/2022 at 10:37 AM, Ashland said:

Best of luck with that.....However now that I saw the location of this hotel as we arrived at the port I'm so glad we opted for Banks Mansion....walking distance to so much !!!

Are you saying that you could walk from the port to the Banks Mansion?  I don’t quite understand the last part of your sentence. I will be in Amsterdam next year and looked at the Banks Mansion as a hotel stay.

Thanks!

On 8/4/2022 at 10:50 AM, MAVIP said:

Perfect "instructions"..  And Nord has that "d", but is pronounced as Noor.

And just as an extra tip…..when I’m in a country where I don’t speak the language….I bring a picture of where I’m going with the name of the place written above.  It is immensely helpful to the person trying to help. Also, I always learn how to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. A nice smile helps too.

I’m glad I saw this message. My cruise out of Copenhagen was cancelled for September 2023….so I chose a cruise leaving from Amsterdam. This problem with the drought may resolve itself by next year, but it may not. Now I’m aware of changes that could be made. It’s been a couple of years now of ‘pivoting’ to suit the circumstances….and yes, we love cruising, so we accept the changes and carry on!  I’ll pop in once in a while to check on the situation.

6 hours ago, MAVIP said:

You are quite welcome. I can imagine you go back to that shop, Elsbeth is a very kind lady in my opinion and she really did her utmost to understand what was written. And I copy  @Dutch_Travelgirlby saying: good luck with your quilting project. 

I was in email contact with Elsbeth, and she actually remembered the day I was there. I hope to meet her again next year to show her the finished quilt top. I remembered that she was quite lovely and patient with me. I’m looking forward to my visit next year already!  Thank you for the good luck!

23 hours ago, Dutch_Travelgirl said:

You’re welcome! I’m glad I could be of help. Even though I’m still not a 100% sure what “blokmaat” and “stripmaat” really mean…. 🙂

Good luck with your quilting and enjoy your weekend!

I can give you a short, or long, detailed, or surface, introduction to quilting, LOL.  Most quilts are composed of ‘blocks’, some plain, some intricate….and the ‘strips’ are the long pieces of fabric in between the blocks, or as a border around the blocks.  There, basic layouts!  
Thank you again for your help, and all weekends are good ones!  Enjoy your’s as well.

1 hour ago, kdr69 said:

Went to Carnival. com to check my bookings and saw a little fingerprint box beside the boxes for your name and password to login.  Checked it out on my mobile phone and set up in like 10 seconds. So now I can login to the website on my mobile phone quickly and easily.  Nice to see cause i hate typing on my mobile phone lol.

I saw that a few days ago too. Does one need a cell phone with data to set it up? I have a cell phone but no data (well maybe a teeny bit)…I don’t think I can log into CC on my phone.  Can one set it up on an iPad, do you think?