Z'Loth

My January 18th 11:30 AM flight from FLL to DFW was a full flight (naturally). However, as DFW is a American Airlines hub, most of the people had connecting flights, so there was only eight of us actually waiting for bags at DFW. The couple that I sat next to were connecting to Denver.

The closeness between Port Everglades and FLL makes you wonder why they just don't set up a train that runs between the two destinations, but then again, I can see the security concerns.

About 24 hours before my last cruise (January, 2024), I was able to view the safety videos and fill out the health questionnaire. When I boarded the ship, the first stop I made was at the muster station... which was also where I could get Internet assistance... for the minor issue of getting my account number to log into the ship basic WiFi.

If the cruise involves a stop at the French West Indies, including Martinique, then a US passport book is required due to "French immigration laws". You have to carry it while visiting that island, and a US password card is not acceptable. In my viewpoint, a United States Passport is a "super identification" as it serves both as a form of government-issued identification as well as proof of citizenship. If you don't have a "Real ID" compliant drivers license, this is an allowed substitute.

Always have a passport book when you take a cruise. Accept no substitutes!

It may be that those passengers are applying the rules for other transportation systems (trains, light rail, mass transit, and public busses) to airlines and cruises. As we all know, there are additional levels of security that apply to cruises and airlines. Spirit Airlines tends to appeal to the budget conscious traveler, and, as the article noted, some of those passengers rarely fly.

I saw this from "View From The Wing" and could not resist sharing.... Spirit Airlines Passenger Melts Down, Pounds Gate Door: Showing Up ‘Two Minutes Early’ Not Enough Summary: The Sprit Airline passenger (and possibly two other passengers) shows up to the gate at 12:10 PM for a flight that has a 12:12 PM departure time. Problem is, the gate is already closed. Passenger is pounding on the gate door to be let in, but there is probably no one on the other side. FULL ARTICLE HERE

YEOWCH! I never applied for Global Entry while in California because the nearest interview center was at SFO which would have been a all-day affair from Sacramento. When I moved to DFW, my mother and I had the interview at DFW which was 35 minutes away... in September, 2019.

Hey, whatever works. The food police won't put out a warrant for your arrest. 😜 Also, it wasn't your first choice, it was after three weeks. I wish I had the same luxury of being at the same vacation location for three weeks that I desire a "taste of home."

Solo cruiser? Welcome to the club. I just completed my second solo cruise with Celebrity as well as my second ten-day cruise. Don't worry about being a solo cruiser. Just take part in the Single/Solo travelers group that meets on board ship as well as ask for the "solo travelers" table in the MDR. (Don't say "single table" as the staff may think you are looking for a table for one.) Also take part in the trivia and game show contests.

I actually did that on my own along with visiting the Barbados Museum & Historical Society. It was a short walk between the two locations.

Shrug. It's their money and digestive system.

As the original poster, I stated "I didn't visit any of them (my rule is to avoid chain restaurants if they exist in my home area), but still find it curious." If I'm traveling to another region, I prefer to avoid chain restaurants that I can patronize locally, and am attracted to the local restaurants. Having said that, I can still observe some of the local chain restaurants and make observations.

Just make sure you update your trusted traveler number on your airline profile.

For anyone who is traveling through DFW airport, all but one of the TSA checkpoints have TSA Pre-Check. The lone exception: D22. Guess where I TSA checkpoint I went through? The good part is that when I checked in at that TSA, I was given a blue card stating that I didn't have to go through the normal TSA procedures, but I did have to unpack my laptop. My belt triggered the metal detector though. 😞

As far as I can determine, CLEAR is $189 per year. Global Entry is $100 for five years ($20 per year), while TSA PreCheck is $78 for five years ($15.60 per year). Thanks, but no thanks to CLEAR.

One thing that I noticed in my two cruises to the Carribean in 2018 and 2024 is that it felt like every island had a Burger King and a KFC, and most had a Subway, but when it came to the golden arches, only Martinique had one. I didn't visit any of them (my rule is to avoid chain restaurants if they exist in my home area), but still find it curious.

That is completely understandable, and I did say "local restaurants", not "local cuisine". And, you did state that you were there for a while. What bothers me is when someone travels to a different region and beelines it to a MickeyDees. (I might make an exception if I ever travel to Maine). In my two cruises to the Carribean, I did notice multiple Burger Kings and KFCs, but rarely a McDonalds. Haven't been in one though.

As a general rule when traveling, I avoid the chain restaurants that are readily available in my area such as McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Carl's Jr/Hardees. or Taco Bell, and prefer the local restaurants. I broke this rule when in FLL when I wanted to try the local PDQ Chicken in Fort Lauderdale, but the dining room was closed, so I ended up at a Panda Express where I haven't gone to in years. Same with the MDR. I will try some meals that I normally would not choose because of the expense or rarity such as duck or some preparations of the chicken.

The Hilton Garden Inn Ft. Lauderdale Airport-Cruise Port has a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel. The bus from the hotel to the port runs at 10:30 AM, Noon, and 1:30 PM, and is $20. Celebrity charged $18.95 for the bus from the port back to the FLL airport.

My viewpoint on this... between 2019 and now, there have been some... controversies... that have occurred involving the social media sites that have many of my friends to become less active, if not go entirely "radio silent" on the social media sites. This also affected the web forums as people went less active. I personally deleted my Facebook and Twitter accounts during this time as well, and set up a new, minimal presence on Twitter.

As someone who does not drink alcohol, one of the things that draws me to the Celebrity Cruises is the extensive selection of non-alcoholic drinks as part of their zero-proof drink package. Is there anything similar offered on other cruise lines? I'm looking for something better than a soda package.

As you will be flying in the day before, may I suggest the Hilton Garden Inn Ft. Lauderdale Airport-Cruise Port or one of the hotels in that area? Per my "review", this is a decent hotel if you are flying in the day before, and they have an agreement for a bus that departs at 10:30 AM, noon, or 1:30 PM to the cruise port for $20. This is extremely close to the FLL airport as well.

Please note that the French West Indies, which includes the islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Saint Martin, and Saint Barthélemy is part of France, and per French immigration law, if you aren't part of the EU, you need a passport book, not a US passport card. Martinique stopped recognizing the passport card around January, 2020. See https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/FrenchWestIndies.html.html?wcmmode=disabled I would look at a expedited passport which will include: $35 execution fee made out to the acceptance facility $130 passport fee $60 expedite fee $19.53 1-2 day delivery fee Plus express sending of the application When the Equinox docked in Martinique on Sunday, January 14th, the excursion ticket stated "Passport is required", and the daily newsletter stated that a passport is required. You need a passport book in your possession, although it was not asked during that day.

Since I hate standing in line, I have Global Entry which includes TSA Pre-Check. So far, used for two trips and I was through TSA Pre-Check in less than five minutes. The plans to travel internationally have been scuttled because of Covid and Adult Caregiver, but at $20 per year, it's worth it. I was able to get it in September 2019, so it was easier back then to get it. TSA Pre-Check is easier to get than Global Entry, but the unused portion of TSA Pre-Check can't be applied to Global Entry.