Illyria

We bought a GoPro to use in the Galapagos, on our June cruise which I fully expect to be canceled soon. It's obviously not "useless" per se, but we don't have much use for it until we resume traveling. I was going to try it out when skiing, but I was waiting for a sunny spring day, and by then the ski resorts in Colorado suspended operations, so I couldn't finish my ski season.

We have a June 2020 Galapagos cruise on the Xpedition - booked back in 2018. It hasn't been canceled yet, but I'm sure it will be. Ecuador is a mess right now. We considered taking 125% FCC but will probably take a cash refund, since Galapagos prices are already skyrocketing for next year, and that's too much FCC to spend on a different cruise. I was so excited: we were upgraded to a suite on this one 😞 

On 3/20/2020 at 1:06 PM, az_tchr said:

Mike. RCCL changed their rules last year.  Really clear and simple now!  All we need is cruising!

Thanks, maybe they finally take a page out of Carnival's book and actually make the benefit usable. I never bothered with their shareholder OBC in the past because it seemed to NEVER apply (who books a cruise with no perks or offers whatsoever??)

Agree with the previous poster about never having a problem with Carnival's shareholder OBC on Princess.

What about when they have the 2 for one drink specials?

2 for 1 drink special is irrelevant when you have your prepaid drink package and are not paying "retail" for the 1st drink.

I think it depends on countries visited (different immigration requirements) - and, by extension, the nationality of the passport-holder.

If we port at 8am in LA, not sure of exact port (Norwegian) does a 315pm flight out of LAX sound doable?

That is the latest flight we can get out and want to make sure that we can make that flight :)

TIA

Yes, it should be fine. I think LAX is less than an hour's drive from the harbor.

When I inquired, I was told that during the "Cruise Hubbard" day, one skirts Glacier Bay and gets to see some of it. Is this correct?

I'm assuming that you see the Hubbard Glacier on the 'Cruise Hubbard' day...which is not part of Glacier Bay.

I really see no reason why Uber can't be used .Since many people pick up and drop off passengers for the cruise in the parking lot all the time.

Well, since Uber isn't allowed in Florida ports...it's a reasonable question to ask (I was wondering about that myself, I have a couple of free rides from Uber as part of a credit card promotion).

Does the ticket machine accept US credit card?

Yes.

Because traveling by land, staying in 4+ star hotels and eating in 4+ star restaurants - to see the same number of places as a cruise, would probably cost at least 5 times as much as a cruise, which already has all those accommodations included.

Edit: I misread the original post - Miami port to FLL airport would have been doable (1hr drive), not Port Canaveral to Miami airport, it's a 3.5 hour drive. I don't think you can make the 12:15 flight.

Southwest has some pretty good airfares plus you save money on checked bags. It's doubtful that booking air through the cruise line would have saved you much money; it's not a very long or complicated flight.

Speaking of which...are you flying in the same day as the cruise?

Edit: never mind, I saw in your other post that you're flying in the evening before.

Milkshakes are not included in any beverage package, since they are only available at for-fee venues (Johnny Rockets and Ben & Jerry's).

I guess I will not try my new stand up material on you guys. Clearly you don't find anything funny.

 

I don't really want to have a party in my room, but we will be having our beloved guests visiting our room often. During their visit which we will truly cherish and be honored with their presence, they will probably swipe some of our snacks. As we love them so we do not want to have to say hands off my cookies. That is why I wanted to inquire with my most skilled butler about maybe having more snacks.

Just keep telling them about the awesome food at the buffet and O'Sheehan's...make sure they're too full to swipe your snacks! (seriously, it's not like anyone ever lacks free food on board a cruise ship...)

Forget the HAL shuttle, just get a cab. With the HAL transportation, you will be sitting on the bus waiting for it to fill up - not an option when you have a fairly early flight. The cab will also run you cheaper (it's very close from Port Everglades to FLL).

We have been talking about this very thing in conjunction with our scheduled Alaska cruisetour next year. Although it is probably expensive to spend an extra night in Fairbanks we will probably fly in a day early just to "be sure".

We flew in the same day for our cruisetour but we had 2 overnights scheduled in Fairbanks, so we figured that even if worst came to worst, we could still catch up with the tour the next day (miss out on the day's excursions but still much more doable than trying to catch up with a ship!)

My DH and I will be taking a Western Med cruise in 8 days. We will be on the HAL, Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

We are from Canada (Canadian colourful dollars!), so we will be "buying" Euros from our bank to bring along for shopping while on shore. Should we also bring US dollars to put in the tip envelopes for the end of the cruise, or does the tip come from a credit card?

 

What is normally expected in the envelopes, Euros, US Currency or have it all put on a credit card?

 

Thanks, and we are very much looking forward to our cruise!!!!

Envelopes are mostly a thing of the past. If you look under FAQ on Holland America site, they explain that the gratuity will be automatically charged to your account:

The daily Hotel Service Charge for suites is US$12.00 per guest per day, and US$11.50 per guest per day for other staterooms. (The charges are subject to change without notice)

If our service exceeds or fails to meet your expectations, you are free to adjust this amount at the end of each segment and/or voyage. The Hotel Service Charge is paid to Holland America Line crew members, and represents an important part of their compensation. A 15% Bar Service Charge is automatically added to bar charges and Dining Room wine purchases.

So you can tip for room service or tip your steward extra (in whatever currency you want) - but you DON'T have to. It will be automatically charged to your shipboard account, to be settled at the end of the cruise. If you are using a credit card to settle your shipboard account, do not allow the ship to do the currency conversion (their exchange rate is horrible) - check the box to bill you in US$ and let your credit card convert it.

Sounds like by the time they're ready for an estimate, you'll already be back anyway. No reason to skip the vacation, the damage will still be there when you get back...

I hope they kill it all but only time will tell.

leaving Barcelona for a two week cruise......

anyone ever experience a cruise right after an outbreak?

You'll be boarding the cleanest ship in the fleet that week...they go above and beyond to sanitize after an outbreak. They'll kill it all but there's always likelihood that sick passengers disembarking passed the virus onto people in the terminal (that's how virus manages to "persist" on the same ship between sailings). That's why they do the "no buffet, no salt shakers, etc." thing for 2 days, to see if new passengers develop symptoms.

You can close the door but it'll be noisy anyway, the door doesn't isolate the sounds nearly as well as the wall. You'll just have to ask them to talk quietly.

I'm assuming you're talking about the bus out of Skagway and over White Pass? You'll want to sit on the right side of the bus on the way there and on the left side on the way back.

What discount sites? I always book straight thru carnival...I figure thats easiest.

We can't list them here...just google "discount cruises" and look at the first 2-3 links on the page.

I also wonder if there's a price premium because it's part of "live concert series" cruises.

According to the discount cruise sites, that's pretty much the price for that cruise...you wouldn't be able to find it for less, if that's what you're concerned about.

* I get sea sick. I started getting nauseous immediately after boarding, while the boat was still docked. I was promised that it couldn't happen on modern cruise lines since the boats are so large and have stabilizers, but that was not at all my experience. I know there are drugs, but I don't really like to take medication.

I don't like taking medication either (you wouldn't even find Tylenol in my house). but taking OTC stuff for a couple of days is not a big deal. The key is to start taking it the day BEFORE the cruise. And then see how it goes once you're on board. Also, when you board the ship while it's still docked - there's no way you would even feel any different than from walking into a building. You can feel motion when the ship is in open waters but once it hits Inside Passage, the waters are very calm.

* I'm mildly claustrophobic. This is very rarely a problem for me, but it was on the cruise ship. Our cabin was tiny and had no windows (low and in middle of ship as I was told that experiences the least rockiness). So it wasn't at all a relaxing place to retreat to. It was also very loud with constant engine noise. I also didn't like ever being in a location on the ship that didn't at least have a window.

Sounds like you need an oceanview room or higher (balcony, mini-suite, whatever you can afford - but inside rooms are out).

* I'm not into the "night life" -- clubs, gambling, shows, etc.

You don't have to do any of it. Alaskan cruises are not party cruises anyway.

* I don't like to dress up and won't attend formal nights. I don't even own a suit.

There's always the buffet.

* I don't like hectic vacations where I'm "doing something" every single day. I like to relax when on vacation, put up my feet, read a book, sip an espresso, etc.

You'll have sea days when you can do that.

We bring crisps/chocolates/sweets from the country we embark at as we love snacky stuff thats not British.

I love chocolate that's not American :) Any time I'm in Canada or anywhere in Europe, I buy random chocolate bars to bring back onboard with me. The formula is different than even the same brands in the U.S., tastes so much better.