chengkp75

Not quite correct. They can only sell alcohol that has had the Texas state liquor tax paid on it, while in Texas waters (out to 3 miles, not the 12 mile international limit). The liquor that is sold at all other times, on all ships, has no state liquor tax paid, nor any import duty paid to the US. It is up to the municipality where the ship calls as to whether they collect the sales tax or not. Most Florida ports do, NYC does, Hawaii does, Texas has their own rule, as above. Alaska does not have a state sales tax, but some municipalities do. However, I don't believe any that have a tax actually collect it from the cruise ships.

The last post is closer to the point than others. It is a "risk/reward" consideration. The reward is having more passengers pleased by having a coffee maker in the cabin. The risk is the cost of the machines, and the cost of having the crew take the machines out of service regularly (and having bought extra machines to cover these inspections) and the man/hours involved in testing and inspecting the machines for defects (which is done by those lines that provide coffee makers and hair dryers). Add in the insurance cost to cover the fire hazard of the coffee makers (the insurance clubs already accept the cost and risk of allowing hair care appliances that are brought by passengers). Carnival's demographic research has shown that there is not enough reward to counter the risk, while other lines feel differently. The idea that adding coffee makers would impact fuel consumption in any meaningful way, or that the electrical system could not handle, or was not designed for coffee makers in every cabin is not right. When I was working for NCL, we added coffee makers to every cabin, and as the Chief Engineer, I can say that there was no noticeable change in fuel consumption, or electrical problems. The coffee makers were removed after a few months due to cost to inspect/maintain them. The fire hazard that coffee makers present is a failure of the "auto-off" temperature switch, that shuts the heating element off when the water is all boiled from the reservoir. This is the most common failure mode for a coffee maker, and the plastic reservoir is perfect fuel for a fire. This failure almost sent Mr. Coffee into bankruptcy back in the 1980's. As for sanitizing a coffee maker, the CDC VSP only recommends cleaning/sanitizing "as per manufacturer's instructions", which is typically every 6-12 months.

When I look at the Downeaster schedule, for a cruise port of call, the only train from Portland to Freeport leaves Portland at 11:25, arriving in Freeport at 11:55. The only train that you could take back, unless the ship leaves late in the evening, leaves Freeport at 1:08pm, arriving Portland at 1:43. So, you would be on the train for 30 minutes each way, to spend about an hour in Freeport. If Beans is your destination, that is nowhere near enough time to see all that is there.

Correct. Not really. Not as much as the ship's working hours. Corporate has much less traffic going to the ship compared to what comes to them from the ship. Sometimes, even third party vendors have access to systems onboard, one example was the manufacturer of the advanced waste water treatment plant, who could access the program for the plant, and monitor data and change parameters and settings.

0800-1700 ship's time will be the busiest, along with around midnight as the accounts update. The slowest times would be 0300-0600, typically.

Virtually none requires internet connection. What the Captain was complaining about is his corporate internet connection (e-mail), and the system is set up so that the ship's server prioritizes corporate communication over passenger communication. Much of the ship's operation is "real time" with corporate, meaning that the maintenance and supply programs are connected to, and communicating with, the corporate office 24/7. Accounting (including all passenger portfolios) are continually updated at corporate after each POS sale. This is why the passenger service is spotty, and varies with time of day (passengers get better service when there is little activity on the corporate net), the passengers get whatever is left over of the contracted bandwidth, after ship's usage. And, "wi-fi" is merely the network on the ship that allows your device to wirelessly connect to a server. That server provides the connection to the internet, whether wired (on land) or via satellite (at sea). All of the ship's devices are wired to the ship's network, so don't rely on "wi-fi". If you go to the ship's "internet cafe" in the old days, you plugged your computer into the ethernet connection, and used the internet without using "wi-fi". Nearly everything on the bridge uses satellite connectivity, but not to the internet, they are various (weather, notices to mariners, emergency position, GPS, security alerts) special purpose satellites and services, not through the internet, much as that would be considered heresy by most folks these days. Some things like chart updates (sent by NOAA) for updating electronic charts comes by internet, but those are low priority communications. As noted, there will be dedicated satellite phones and various radios that can be used in emergencies.

"Wifi" is likely about as good as it's going to get. "Internet" will get better, but will never compare to land based internet, just because of the physics involved (with the corresponding cost).

I think one of the best things about cruising into Portland is to get up early, and get some nice photos of Portland Head Light from the sea, a perspective that is rarely seen in photos of the light. As for intown things to see. There is the Museum of Art (with a nice Wyeth collection), the Victoria Mansion, Longfellow House, Portland Observatory for views out over Casco Bay, the Narrow Gauge Railway, shops and incredible restaurants (a nationally known top 10 "foodie" town), breweries and distilleries with their tasting rooms. Then there are schooner cruises and the Mailboat Run on the Casco Bay Ferry to see the islands of the Bay. The East End beach in town isn't much, but there are Crescent Beach State Park, and Kettle Cove (right next door), that are about a 20 minute drive from the airport. I would recommend the Grill Room, the Oyster Room at Boone's, Street & Co, Scales, Petite Jacqueline and Fore Street for dinners. Duckfat, Nosh, and Kings Head for lunch. Becky's Diner and Miss Portland Diner for breakfast/brunch. Luke's for lobster, or Portland Lobster Co for lobster "in the rough" (picnic tables).

This is correct. Since the combined cruise is Vancouver to Hawaii, on the same ship, it is considered to be a cruise that starts in a foreign country, and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the PVSA. I am assuming it is the same ship, and there are no breaks in the voyage (i.e. days off between legs). Though reading the OP's post again, it sounds like the final leg goes beyond Hawaii, which then makes it a cruise both beginning and ending in foreign countries, so definitely outside the PVSA.

Actually, what I believe @BirdTravels was referring to is the "wall wart" or block that comes with your device to charge it (little white cube), that they in many cases sell as an "extra" these days. He is saying that an unknown USB port could be a malicious data port and not a power port.

The only time Oasis came close to failing was in 2017, with an 87 (still passing). Allure had a couple of low, but still passing scores in 2017 as well. Even if a ship fails a USPH inspection, it usually doesn't result in the inspection taking longer, and it doesn't affect embarkation, as the USPH wants to see a meal service as part of the inspection. Found only one RCI failing score, Adventure in 2015.

Again, what if the owner of the service dog did not want a cabin with the roll-in shower and all the grab bars that accessible cabins have? Does Viking have accessible cabins in every category? I think the easiest thing would be to designate a portion of each cabin category as "dog free", and have that as a special request, than to limit the cabins available to non-mobility challenged service dog owners.

I wasn't going to return to this thread, but some "solutions" mentioned are just not right. My comments, again, are in regard to service animals, not fake ones, and again I reiterate my belief that if a "code of conduct" was adopted, and enforced, via disembarkation, that most of the fake dogs would be eliminated. What stateroom category would this one cabin be in? What if the person with a service animal did not want to sail in that category, but wanted a better one? What if the cabin was in an upper category, and the person could not afford that category? Just like how most cruise ships have more berths than they can sell, based on lifeboat capacity, that is done so that those who wish to book more than two people in a cabin, can have a choice of category. So, at the very least there should be one "dog" cabin in each category. While, as I have mentioned that the ship's "internal policies and procedures" are not subject to the ADA, I don't believe that a "one dog at a time" policy would be found to be legal under the ADA, or based on Spector v NCL, as they would be denying accommodation based on the disability, since the presence of one dog does not "substantially interfere with the nature of the business", then how do two dogs?

Even with a change to Starlink service, the vast majority of the oceans are not supported yet by the Starlink satellite constellation. It currently is primarily in coastal waters.

As noted in the photo of the outlet, it is restricted to 20va (volt-amps, or watts), so if your nightlight is less than 20 watts, it should work.

Whether or not a dog was trained to sit on the couch or sleep on a bed, these acts are technically in contravention of the ADA code of conduct, and while completely acceptable in private, it could be challenged while in public. But, yes, whether the dog is a true service dog, or a fake, it has to meet the code of conduct.

Sorry, Jim, going to disagree with you; No, as I've said, if you see an animal that is misbehaving as per Viking's policies, then a complaint can be made about that specific behavior. One thing that you "can do" is to ask Congress to amend the ADA regarding documentation, certification, and identification. Never said we should feel sorry for them, or that they are victims, but whether you or I like it, they do have rights, just like you have rights, but topping that, those "rights" you feel you have do not necessarily follow you up the gangway of a foreign flag ship.

With regards to documentation that the dog is a service animal, yes, it would be illegal. They can request an "attestation" by the owner that the dog is a service animal, and describing the "work or tasks" that the dog performs for the owner's benefit. If you look at the Viking FAQ that curlerrob posted a few posts after Viking's response, you will see that the mention of documentation is for entry into the countries visited. It also mentions the "Service Animal Request Form", which may be the "documentation" that is required.

Virtually every cruise line has the same ban on appliances with heating elements, all with the exception for hair care appliances.

I have no knowledge of what criteria, or why, NCL has used to justify banning fans, so no comparison can be made. As for hair care appliances, the insurers have accepted the risk of allowing them to be brought onboard, balanced against the objections that would be made if they were banned as well, and built the risk into the premiums, just like all insurers do. I am assuming that the fan restriction is based on a risk determination balanced by a cost (premium increase) determination. If it was about electricity demand, they could really save money by turning the AC temps up a couple of degrees and allowing fans.

Don't really care if you've reported my post, but just so you know, this is what they said, and I think it says "I don't care" that the ADA doesn't require identification. Please show me the "gratuitous" comments about the poster.

No cruise line, nor any hotel in the US, can ask you to prove that you have a disability that requires an accessible room. All they can do is ask the customer to "attest" that they require an accessible room.

That would be fine, and that addresses the issues I mention, of the "code of conduct", but the poster I was responding to, implied that everyone onboard should be notified that any dogs seen onboard are "certified" service animals.

I don't know the exact physics of a diabetic alert dog, but I do know that the ADA specifically spells out that a service animal can be carried in the owner's arms.

If you go into a store or restaurant at home, and there is a dog sitting under the table, are you entitled to know whether the dog is a service animal or not? That is between the dog's owner and the business owner, not you. If you have a legitimate concern about the dog, such as an allergy or fear, then that is between you and the business owner, not between you and the dog's owner. How would you suggest that the "other pax" on the cruise get to "know" if the dog is a service animal or not? First you want the dog to be a service animal according to the ADA definition, but then you "don't care" about the ADA's requirement for privacy of the disabled person so that the dog has to wear a scarlet letter, just to please you? Sorry, but having been an ADA compliance officer on cruise ships, I don't like the fake animals any more than folks here, but I also respect the privacy of the disabled, and their right to live as normal a life as possible, without having to meet your requirements. Should everyone need to know if you have a colostomy bag, and can have odors around you from this disability? Should everyone know that you have Asperger's syndrome, and may frequently yell out obscenities, and are not just some drunk? It is the business owner's decision as to whether a service animal affects the essential nature of their business, but they don't have to advertise when a service animal is present in the business.