sanger727

If you are a US citizen; you will get back to the US no matter what. I’ve ever heard of situations in Europe where someone left their passport on the ship, missed it; and received fly to the next port without a passport. It’s not the disaster people make it out to be.

I agree that the passport cost is in line with insurance cost. I’ve insured one trip with comprehensive insurance; and made out like crazy because we needed trip interruption coverage. Other than that, we get medical only. It’s significantly cheaper; I’ve def saved enough by not getting cancellation insurance to pay for a trip at this point. There’s always the people that say ‘always get travel insurance’…. because they needed it once. I’m not sure they track how much they pay for that insurance over several years.

I have a passport because I travel internationally. But you could save a lot of money not getting one for your first cruise or two. Especially if you have kids where they only last 5 years.

Yes. If you need to use your phone on the ship and/or in port, it’s best to decide how to do that ahead of time. Ship only, can use wifi. In port only you can use international day pass. Using both will cost quite a bit. Roaming is outrageous, don’t do that. But it’s important to know what you plan to use; if you want to use an international plan you have to turn on roaming to connect. If you don’t want to constantly worry about roaming; use wifi

On 12/30/2023 at 3:59 PM, wahooker said:

Same last name, same address. However, they never even looked at the Driver's license that my daughter tried to show them. Once we said she was Adopted, they wouldn't look at anything except to demand the original adoption paperwork.

Wow. I work at a church where there are many multi-racial adopted families. If there was no connection showing that a minor didn’t have a parent on board - but same last name and address shouldn’t have gotten a second look. Also, presumably she confirmed that you were her parents 🙄.

On 12/29/2023 at 11:15 PM, lrk said:

Thank you all for the input.  To be more specific, I am only looking at cruises that keep me from having to fly....so sailing out of Galveston or New Orleans.  This limits me to the Western or Eastern Caribbean.  I have cruised out of Miami and San Juan and been to Caribbean islands which are wonderful.  However, I cannot get there sailing from Texas.  So, that limits me to Mexico, Honduras

(Love it) Belize, Cayman, and Jamaica.  The only place I haven't been is the Eastern Caribbean ie, the Bahamas, which led to my original post.  The exact cruise I am thinking of goes to Key West ( been there...meh!). Freeport, Half Moon Cay, and Nassau.  Snorkeling is what I enjoy while in the Caribbean so Honduras, Cozumel, and Cayman, are my favorites.  

 

well, in that case you are limited enough in itinerary that you may as well due the Bahamas. But if you can get to st Martin and/or st Thomas, I would do that first. Curious what the issue is with flying? I live in Ohio so can’t go on any cruise without flying.

1 hour ago, JudyD0114 said:

I am grateful to see this topic on cruise critic. Up until now, when I would talk about my anxiety concerning seasickness, everyone would poo poo it, or tell me to just not think about it. It is a huge concern for me. We are leaving in 1 month on a Panama Canal cruise from Ft. Lauderdale. I will have the patches. Another big concern is getting sick during the cruise. We read all the time about illnesses going through cruise ships like wildfire, since everyone is in close proximity. Does anyone know if the patches also work for the noroviris? (Stomach flu) Thank you for not laughing at my questions/concerns. 

so I think what you are asking is if the patches prevent nausea from illness. And the answer is no, it’s not an anti-nausea medication. It’s specific to motion sickness 

On 12/29/2023 at 10:35 PM, GeezerCouple said:

 

My goodness.

 

I making the assumption that the person IS going to take a cruise.  If no cruise, then... no problem!

 

Not sure if they know yet how they'll be on a large ship at sea, and of course, a lot depends upon conditions during that cruise...

 

But *IF* they go on one, then why not have the best chance of making a go of it?
So selecting a cabin with the best chance of having relative calm in their cabin, why not do that?

 

GC

just saying; as someone who gets severe motion sickness; the absolute best place to be is on deck looking at the horizon. If I’m ever sick enough to hide out in my cabin due to nausea I’ll never cruise again. Motion sickness medications and other precautions like being on deck often and keeping you stomach full work very well.

Assume you will get a sky suite. They consider the ‘retreat team’ the same as a butler. Presumably you got a good deal. Not sure why you would wait until you booked to ask if a ‘private’ butler was important 

Did you originally pay for a guarantee or to pick your cabin? That’s the only way I could see a difference. If you didn’t pay to pick your cabin you may not be able to now. 

1 hour ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

If someone is dreadfully ill with motion sickness, it only seems logical to me to hope that wherever one is sleeping or spending "down time" is going to have any additional/ongoing effect that is as minimal as possible.

🙄

 

How does having a cabin location that makes things worse than they might have been in a cabin located elsewhere (e.g., midship, low) make sense IF one could select the better location to start with?

 

GC

Sure, it’s not worse. But those cabins cost more. And in the realm of things; if I’m miserable outside of my cabin, I’d prefer not to cruise. 
 

what exactly is the point of choosing a cruise vacation if you are sick outside of sleeping. I’m only going to choose a cruise if I can be well enough to enjoy my trip. And it can be done; it doesn’t sound like the OP is more motion sick prone than me. I get sick watching movies with point of view cameras.

1 hour ago, momof3cruisers said:

I had commented that we probably could have gotten her to go lower but he decided that even if it was expensive that paying too much for something in Mexico was part of the tourist experience. He’s funny. 

yeah, probably. But I’m guessing he wanted the sunglasses. I just assume that everything there has no value so it just comes down to how much I want it. My friend and I got into a jewelry store in Cozumel that wanted $200 for a ‘silver bracelet’. We walked out w the bracelet and earrings for like $30. 

I keep hearing mid ship cabins are best. That assumes you either get motion sick while in bed or face motion sickness by going to bed. I get TERRIBLE motion sickness. Bed is the least of my worries. 90% of the time you are outside your cabin. I’m a huge fan of meds. But I do agree w trying them ahead of time. Bonine is my favorite. Twice a day works well for me w no side effects. I’ve done the patch, for me it doesn’t have side effects other than dry mouth; but many more people have side effects from the patch.

I think they do wait lists

The age old question of whether you ‘should’ get a passport when it’s not required. I’ve heard enough stories of people who find themselves passport-less to stress about it. You will get where you need to go. I have a passport, but I enjoy traveling. The first cruise I took my husband on was his first time out of the country and he had no idea if he would ever do it again. He didn’t have a passport and I didn’t stress. He has one now and hasn’t been out of the county for years due to medical issues. 🤷‍♀️

4 minutes ago, kirtihk said:

Silly or not, my cruise mantra is "On the cruise every minute counts"; so, typically on cruises I sleep between 1 am and 6:30 am and don't spend any other time in the cabin besides changing my clothes (I take shower in the spa area after going to sauna every day).  So, I don't want to seat in my cabin waiting for anything (a few times I had such "painful" experience, when I was told to wait for calling me back in a few minutes, but in reality, it was close to half an hour).

If you aren't there when they call, they leave a message. I've never felt like I had to "wait" in my room for anything. And that's with no Butler.

I'm not much of a haggler. I'm sure I don't usually get the best deals but what I typically do in Mexico is scoff at the price and walk away. They always call you back with a better deal. I do 2-3 rounds of this depending on how badly I want the item. 

2 hours ago, riredsox said:

The point is people didn’t get what they paid for.  They might not need it but they did pay for it and should receive it.  

Complaining that they will be chained the inside of their cabin and/or toilet because they don't get a butler is a silly argument. It deserves a silly response. 

I've done Nassau once and wouldn't get off the ship if I had another cruise with a stop there. But there's alot more Caribbean than Western. Tortola and St Martin are great if you haven't been there. I haven't made it to the ABC islands yet but have good things. 

Have you tried any seasickness meds? I get extremely motion sick but can handle most any cruise in a large ship with meds. The only time it really got the best of me was a tiny ship in the Galapagos. But yes a med cruise will have less motion than a transatlantic or even a long trek through the Caribbean. I would always bring meds though.

15 hours ago, Cap_D said:

Just FYI - The current face of the butler team is the housekeeper that cleans and has no method to communicate or coordinate with the rest of the team... that's not a butler and a lot closer to every sky suite passenger is on their own, schedule dependent, to interface with any other service or product on the ship, e.g., by waiting in lines, waiting on hold, retrieving VM messages, having to use a corded phone and not being on the balcony, retreat sundeck or anywhere except bedside or in the toilet room (but the retreat team attendant may be available to keep it clean). 

 

Setting aside the fired butler and their services, also missing seems to be the "Luminae room service breakfast menu" that is promoted with the Retreat as a stateroom amenity at time of booking a sky suite (including for the Xcel sailings in 2025-26).  Breakfast may be worth around $25-40 / per passenger, per day if it's a Luminae multi course and dish meal made to order. 

Wow. Too bad there isn't a retreat concierge - to help passengers with reservations so they don't have to see on their toilet all day waiting for a call back.

Did they remove RS breakfast from suites?? Or is it just upsetting to have that delivered by room service instead of a butler. 

Nice try. To have a "business" write off, you have to have a business first. Not a hobby that you hope will make money someday. Create content, build a following, get sponsorship, get profitable... Then you can go back and talk to an accountant about write offs. 

11 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

I wash my longer thick hair every 3 to 4 days, it’s not greasy or smelly at all. It takes my colorist an hour to put foils in, and the girl who cuts it has to thin it out after she trims it.

then you don’t sweat much. Which is great. 
 

I have very thick hair also and used to wear it long. I couldn’t ever get it dry between washes, it took so long to dry. 

1 hour ago, Elaine5715 said:

Long hair doesn't need to be shampooed frequently, better for it to wait longer between shampoos.  You can't tell if it has been one day or 6 days since mine was done last.  

I’ve had long hair. I exercise ever day and in the summer can’t walk 10 minutes outside without my hair being soaked. You would know 6 days. I can easily wash my hair 2-3 times a day just to make it not stink.

18 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

 

I have long hair that needs good product, a professional blow dryer and flat iron to keep my locks lush.  All that takes up alot of suitcase space.  A good salon blowout lasts me a week, I look fabulous and my cabin neighbors aren't treated to an hour listening to the blow dryer.   

never understood blow outs. If I got more than 24 hours without washing my hair I feel disgusting. One shampoo and blow dry lasting a week makes me feel sick. No one would want to be around me past day 2. 🤢

2 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Pardon the cynic in me, but of course if the OP posts any further updates it will be to acknowledge the overwhelming success of the lawsuit and the large awarded damages that were received as a result. Given the tenor of the overall thread do you really expect otherwise or any confirmation of a failed lawsuit attempt?

 

No. I'm looking more for the entertainment value of a creative writing assignment. 

5 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

 

After reading the above, I wonder if the filing of this lawsuit puts them on some kind of no sail list? Which would really suck for them.

I would think that this is absolutely true. What business in their right mind wants to do business with a customer that sues them? Even if it gets dismissed as frivolous, it will cost the business time and money with their attorneys.

There is a program called Dialysis at Sea. They seem to be affiliated with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. Maybe it's worth trying to book a cruise using this service. 

 Dialysis at Sea