CoW mAn

10 minutes ago, techteach said:

@CoW mAn At no time have I suggested canceling the hotel booking. Our car was stolen, our car was broken into multiple times, I have not been physically harmed, but have avoided many situations where I could have been.  We have had a couple of creepy experiences at the market over the years. I appreciate @SCX22 ‘s comment about waiting for something to happen. I avoid areas where I know there may be a problem. I look ahead and cross to the other side of the street if necessary. I don’t go places late at night or hang out where problems occur. The OP will be fine for 2 days if they use their heads and eyes. But, the area where they are staying is not the best location downtown. I answered the OP’s question. I hope you continue to safely visit Seattle.

I never said you suggested that. Wow people keep putting words in my mouth on this post for some reason. I was just answering the OP's original question and people keep saying I'm doing something else. I have no problem with you or SCX22. Y'all can think whatever you want about Seattle and do whatever you think you need to do to keep yourself safe, I really don't care and I never told or suggested you do otherwise. I just think the OP should keep their hotel booking, that's ALL I'm saying, and that's all I'm going to say despite some people's efforts to the contrary.

I'm sorry about your car, I didn't know, but frankly that's not enough to keep me away from Seattle, Portland, or anywhere else; that's my personal choice but y'all are free to make completely different choices. Avoid places, keep crossing the street, stay in at night - it's cool with me. I'm just recommending the OP not be afraid to travel. Beyond that, I really have nothing to say on the subject. I think the issues you and SCX22 have aren't with anything I ACTUALLY said

5 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

Why wait for something to happen?  Just because you personally haven’t experienced it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a problem.  The first step to solving a problem is admitting that there is one.

 

Don’t mean to pick on you, but many of the metro cities on both coast (SF, LA, Portland, Seattle, Denver, NYC) are having increasing safety problems.  Now a days you don’t know who has a gun and the strangers who surround you’s mental state that could incite violence.  Thieves will randomly mug people or clean out a store.  You have to be cautious of your surroudings.

Why wait for something to happen? could be used to justify pretty much anything. I share your concern about the proliferation of guns and if you want to repeal the second amendment I'm with you but that wasn't quite where I was going

I'm not saying don't be cautious, I'm saying don't cancel your hotel booking

If nothing happened to a resident in 35 years and a frequent visitor like me, I think a tourist has high probability of being fine for 2 days, statistically speaking

6 hours ago, techteach said:

@CoW mAn I’m glad you’ve never felt unsafe in Seattle. I live very very near downtown, and have done my grocery shopping at the Market, ie. Pike, every weekend for 35 years. I have felt unsafe, specifically on 3rd. I wouldn’t recommend walking anyway near James and 3rd. They closed the 3rd street entrance to the court due to safety at this intersection and the park next to it. There was another shooting in Belltown this past week. People need to not be looking down at their phones, even if using a mapping app to find their way around. If they’re at a tourist site they’re safe.

I'm sorry to hear that but I have to ask, in 35 years has anything ever happened to you there?

22 hours ago, gregma60 said:

IF business class isn't sold out. 😞   Ask me how I know 🙂

 

-gregma

The cost of it being cheap I guess. Also pent up demand as that line was shut down for a couple years during the pandemic and only somewhat recently re-opened

I go to Seattle all the time, never feel unsafe and never seen or heard a shooting

The train is lovely and you can upgrade to business class for cheap

The Amtrak train is a lovely trip and spacious smooth ride but doesn't run frequently but that would be my choice

Make sure you're aware of the difference between an adapter and a converter and when you need which

My friend had a really rough time of it on our first transatlantic back in November but thankfully we brought along something that made him feel fine in less than 2 minutes

Drop off the car in Paris, take the Chunnel to London, spend some time in London before going to Southampton

For Alaska I strongly recommend a full zip fleece...

I sailed on the Venezia and there was none of that

In my experience it depends on the time of year and departure port

For example Spring Break is a VERY different crowd from pretty much the entire rest of the year

And sailing out of Texas there seems to be a very different crowd from any other departure port in my experience

On 9/21/2021 at 3:43 PM, mommysoncruiser said:

Lucky you! I turn gold halfway through my cruise and they still have me listed as red. 🤷🏾‍♀️

On your boarding pass? Your boarding pass after online checkin should be Gold but on the rest of the website it will show you as Red until after your Gold cruise. If the boarding pass or your S&S card are wrong go to Guest Services and they can sort it out pretty quick

Since you're getting your phone ready may I also recommend downloading offline maps of the ports you're headed to? You never know when you might need it 😉

I did 27 days in Europe with only carryon, I didn't even find it challenging

From the cruising experience I recently did a 15 day transatlantic cruise and it was no issue

It sounds like you may be over-packing on the cold weather clothes a little. In August a full-zip fleece will probably be sufficient most of the time

My friend gets really bad sea sickness. We tried everything, ideal room placement in terms of midships and deck, all the things they tell you to eat, all the patches and in the end none of it made much of a difference until he found this TENS device, now it doesn't matter where on the ship we book. If there's any chance it offers relief it could be worth a try, they say it works for 85% of people...

My friend tried everything and nothing gave him relief until he discovered this TENS wristband...

11 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 If you buy a power extender make sure that it is NOT surge protected or it may be confiscated.

 

DON

The one I review in the video is cruise compliant, I've taken it on tons of cruises so it's safe option

Uber is cheaper than a cab/taxi but the real trick to save even more is to book it in advance if you can

Here's a breakdown of the costs I encountered in December

The train from Seattle to Vancouver is lovely and relatively inexpensive, it just doesn't run very frequently but if the times work for you it could be a good option

"Inexpensive" means different things to different people

A full zip fleece would come in very handy if you know their sizes and it's within your budget

Alternatively an outlet extender could be a lifesaver...

If the crowds get to be too much a visit to the hidden decks or the hot tubs on Deck 5 might offer a nice reprieve that isn't just going back to your stateroom

3 hours ago, pinto18 said:

We were there last week...no flag! Also...the water shut off on the fountains...

Man, that flag is almost always out for repairs these days