Z'Loth

I think the challenge with Muster Drills is that they take place just prior to the ship sailing away. The problem is that it occurs after most passengers waiting an hour to check in and board the ship, and even some of the passengers decided to ignore the advice and wake up at o-gawd thirty to catch that early flight that was delayed. But, then, these are the passengers who also ignore the pre-flight safety briefing, so.... Also, it is the crew job to ensure safety so that "nothing" happens on board. Unless your name is Francesco Schettino....

Whenever possible, I fly American Airlines (warts and all) followed by Southwest Airlines. It's not out of particular love for those airlines, but rather that American Airlines and Southwest have their headquarters here in DFW, thus DWF International and Dallas Love Field are hubs for those respective major airlines. If I lived in Houston, it would be United Airlines, as IAH is a United hub. If I lived in Atlanta, then it would be Delta. I'm also no longer playing games when it comes to airfares. Whenever possible, it's non-stop, followed by itinerary, followed by pricing based upon departure time.

My tips from a United States perspective (yes, it's a re-post): Travel insurance... I get it for one big key reason: Emergency medical evacuation back to the states which can easily cost $100k and upward. Also, your medical coverage may not be available outside the United States. The rest, like trip interruption and lost luggage, are plain gravy to me. Always fly in at least the day prior to the cruise. Yes, that means paying for a hotel stay, but it's better than waking up at o'gawd thirty to catch a 6 AM flight which you hope doesn't get delayed, only to be dog-tired on the first night of the cruise. If you are staying a few days prior to the cruise, spend a little extra money so that your hotel is within walking or public transit distance of the local attractions instead of renting a car. In addition to putting your contact information on the tag on your luggage (and instead of using that string, plastic zip ties), also include the contact information and hotel you are staying at inside your luggage. Also, since every piece of luggage looks the same. A luggage handle wrap on both handles comes in very handy. Know how to put your phone in airplane mode, then enable the WiFi mode. Know how to use the offline maps function of Google Maps so that you can pre-download the port areas or islands of the ports of call. Know how to use the parking function of Google Maps. You may not be renting a car, but once you disembark the ship at each port, you want to set where it is "parked" to make it easier to re-board. This is especially great when multiple ships are at the same port-of-call. Noise canceling Bluetooth headsets and charger. A USB battery pack is also very handy. Know how to use the offline download mode of your favorite entertainment apps so that you can listen to your favorite audiobooks or music and watch your favorite movies or TV shows while on the flight and/or lounging at the pool on sea days. If you have a password app like 1Password, you can store scans of your driver's license, passport card and book, global entry, and health insurance cards as secure documents for viewing on your mobile device. For those of us who stopped wearing a watch over ten years ago and rely on their mobile phones, know how to manually set the time zone on your phone in case the local time is one hour off ship time. Always take along a small umbrella that can fit into your day bag. Not only for rain purposes, but it's also portable shade. Have fun!

From my United States perspective....I have not done any cruise shorter than 7 days. One of the reasons is that the shorter United States cruises have the reputation of being booze cruises filled with younger adults who are partying. I can't imagine taking a cruise without a sea day to relax, unwind, and mentally switch over from work mode to tourist mode.

Before or after the government takes it's share?

Are you talking about these adapters?

There are about 15 international airport (9 Canadian, 3 Carribean, 2 Ireland, and 1 UAE) that are designated as where US Customs does a pre-clearance prior to boarding the flight. Heathrow and Manchester are not part of those airports at this time.

Gee, I thought I was pushing it with a 11:37AM return flight for my upcoming cruise in January as the common advice is to not book a flight home before noon local time, especially since one is on vacation, not an episode of The Amazing Race. The other options for flying nonstop from FLL to DFW are 7:10 AM, 9:15 AM, 1:29 PM, 3:44 PM, and 7:22 PM.

Meh... I treat muster drills and airline briefings the same way I treat being prepared for a possible tornado in north Dallas suburb. I consider being hit by a tornado, although fairly low, is still significant enough for me to ensure that I have a working SAME weather radio, a safe room, and a emergency kit including water. Same thing when traveling. I always have a small but powerful LED flashlight in my day pack as well as my luggage. I pay attention to the airline briefings, and muster drills have my full attention. Why? Well, I have a healthy respect for Chaos Theory, Murphy's Law, and that fortune favors the prepared. While I have full trust in the pilots, ships crew, and the mechanics in ensuring that "nothing" happens, I have a nagging feeling that if I don't pay attention to the briefings, something bad happens. And, remember, bad things happen. Anyone remember the Concordia or Viking Sky? So, I take a little offense when someone says "cattle call muster procedures".

Unless you are otherwise directed, you keep your passport in your safe. Just scan a copy of the identification information and store it in your phone.

Which US airport? Yakima, WA (YKM) Yakutat, AK (YAK) Yellowstone/Cody, WY (COD) Youngstown, OH (YNG) Yuma, AZ (YUM)

Please see this detailed post that I wrote in November, 2021 that I wrote in the Cruising Technology board. Online conference services are very bandwidth hungry especially when it comes to audio and video, and the ship may implement network policies to limit how much traffic can be sent/received to a device, especially considering the connection to the Internet is via satellite.

When I was in Miami, I stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Miami Brickell Downtown. This hotel is extremely close to the station to both the free Metromover service as well as Metrorail Orange line from the Miami airport.

I don't recall the cruise at the moment as the brochure isn't readily, but it was a one-off classical music history music tour. I think the flight was going to Amsterdam, but please don't hold me to it. At that point, I wasn't really booking because I have an upcoming cruise coming up in January.

I was tempted by a themed European river cruise, and the cost of the flight (again, from DFW) was still chin-dropping.

Looks like a water bottle, some flavored drink packs, and a little bit of cola will be coming with me on board when I take my cruise in January. Does Celebrity have some Keurig coffee makers on board?

When I went on my last cruise, I purchased this sign and applied some magnetic tape. Surprisingly, there were only three door decorations, and one of them was mine.

Yikes! I thought I was cutting it close with a 11:37 AM flight, but the alternatives of 1:29 PM, 3:44 PM, and 7:22 PM are less desired the later in the afternoon they are.

My mother. 😭 Since my 81yo German-born mother lives with me, she prefers to pack my suitcase despite my protests.

When I book a cruise through the travel agency offered through my auto club, I always book the travel insurance right there and then through the insurance provider offered which is NOT through the cruise line. The biggest concern for me, however unlikely it is, is the medical evacuation back to the United States which can easily run into the six figures, followed by medical coverage while overseas. The other items covered in a travel policy would be "damn annoying", and would hurt slightly financially.

At least I have flexibility built into my schedule when flying from DFW to FLL and back. I'm flying in on a Friday afternoon for a Monday cruise departure, so unless they change my 12:20 PM to a 7:10 AM flight or 8:35 PM to make me cranky, I should be OK. I have less flexibility on my return trip as my 11:37 AM flight is the earliest that I can utilize, but later flights aren't that much of a problem. Some travelers, however, wish they had my flexibility.

I just checked the fare for my flight in January, 2023, and the base fare has increased from $396 when I booked to $522. Is that a indication that my flights are safe?

three hundred.

I found this video by UK's Channel 4 and posted December 6th, 2022 to YouTube to be quite interesting. "With the summer holidays in full swing, reporter Jane Moore goes undercover in one of Britain's busiest airports, with the truth about delays, cancellations and baggage chaos." There is also undercover reporter with behind-the-scenes video at Manchester airport at the challenges with baggage handling with reduced staffing.

I found this video by Wendover Productions on YouTube quite interesting. Some of the underlying technology is decades old, although some of Southwest's IT problems are glossed over.