Shorex

No I think that they should not need to be. I think that employers should be paying them more. But not that is not the point.

You are correct. That is not the point. I really don't know what your point is. But for proclaiming it was not your intention to "start an argument," you sure did. If you don't understand the situation by now, you never will. Time to move on to acceptance. Peace.

So my question is why is it considered socially necessary to overpay cruise staff but be not think twice about a travel agent?

Do I overpay my hairdresser because I tip? Do I overpay the hotel porter who carries my bags because I tip? Do I overpay a taxi driver because I tip? Should I tip the bank manager who is always so helpful? Should I tip the real estate agent who is listing our house? Is her commission not sufficient? Oh, and by the way, the last time we bought a house, the agent sent us a lovely crystal decanter as a thank you gift. So I guess you could say she was "tipping" us (and hoping for further referrals). Just good business on her part.

No one needs to justify not tipping a travel agent. It is the travel agent who provides extras to her clients, not the other way around. Just good business. Perhaps you should seek a position on a cruise ship if you believe the crew is "overpaid." Then you can be "overpaid" too!

For all trains around the world, the go-to resource is Seat61. Click here for Amtrak Silver Service New York to Florida.

Hover over the "facilities on board" and discover that there are links to photos of the reclining seats, sleeper cars, and heritage dining car. "Tip: Take the civilised Silver Meteor with dining-car if you can. The Silver Star has one overworked cafe car and no dining-car." Also hover over "luggage arrangements" for more details. Plenty of information there, but only if you follow the links.

Well, no one really knows. It depends on your itinerary, whether the rescue helicopter is from the US Coast Guard (which to the best of my incomplete knowledge, no charge) or from Canada (which is to reported to charge non-Canadians), or from Japan or Russia, or Saudi Arabia or Antarctica.....etc. If you are in the Falklands and have a heart attack, you would be transported to Chile. Well, maybe not unless you are a citizen of the UK. Also consider your age and health which can increase the likelihood of needing an evac. If you are doing the typical closed loop cruise, half a million should be sufficient.

Just checked my last policy, we had $1,000,000 in evacuation/repatriation. The marginal cost of moving from half a million to a million in coverage is very small. It's your choice based on your evaluation of risk factors. There is no "one size fits all" answer.

Depends on how many adults are in the family, how many kids and the ages of the kids. It's not cut and dry for the entire family. From the Southwest FAQ on boarding:

Note the terminology "an adult" and "a child". In practice, anyone other than one adult and one qualifying kiddo boarding during family boarding will be at the discretion of the gate agent. I have seen a group of about 10 adults with 3 kids trying to board together as a family. That's usually a no-no.

What is general consensus for an amount to tip a very helpful Head Waiter ?

With almost 3,500 posts, I would assume you have enough cruising experience to know what amount of tipping is right for you and that a "consensus" does not exist.

Well....okay. Personally I'm with Trucker Dave. Don't care what anyone else does. I understand some people prefer to keep all these documents for sentimental reasons. The excellent part of OP's practice is that the documents are saved electronically.

But airfares, cruise fares, and hotel prices from 2012 have zero relevance to 2018 prices.

This is a very good reminder for infrequent flyers who may assume that schedules are locked far in advance. Delta's schedule changes happen routinely every Saturday. Of the flights that are changed, most are only by a few minutes here or there. However, some changes majorly affect itineraries. My practice with DL is to check proactively for changes on Sunday evening, starting when the flight is a month or so out. I do get email change notifications (even for the little ones) a few days after they are made, (hint: supply your email in your DL profile) but I like to get a head start on protecting my flights.

Please stay on topic. Here's the initiating post.

Host Walt, I sympathize. I am sorry your efforts are, for the most part, ignored. But I promise, I shall never, ever, wish for a passport that matches my nail polish. Happy New Year! :)

Huh? We are flying from Nashville to London on the same airline with a connecting flight in Chicago. Why three hours?

Security in Nashville, and london only? No additional security at ORD?

That is an excellent question. Until recently I flew over 125,000 miles annually (both domestic and international) with Delta and partners. (Although the analysis applies to any airline.) Most of the connections went relatively smoothly. However, enough of the connections went upside down for a variety of reasons that I am very aware of the consequences of a missed flight. The greater the consequences of a missed connect the longer time I plan for the connection. It's a risk/reward analysis.

Not long ago I had a TUS-PHX-SEA itinerary on AA. Knowingly, eyes wide open, I scheduled a connect in PHX for about 50 minutes. Oops. The flight out of TUS was delayed several hours because the inbound flight was late. Everyone who had a connect in PHX (no matter how long it was) missed their ongoing flight. Some of those people were booked internationally. No big deal to me, I was rerouted and arrived at SEA six hours or so after anticipated. The consequences TO ME (this time) were small, the consequences to some others were significant.

So the question becomes: how serious are the consequences to YOU if you miss the London flight? If the consequences of a negative outcome are small to you, then go for the minimum connection.

My personal preference is to have at least three hours for a domestic to international connect. Usually that is more than sufficient. Usually. Even if your originating flight lands on time, your international flight will be boarding when you rush over to the gate. It may be a "legal" connection, but it is certainly not a secure one. I would never book it.

I thought that was an odd post also. I wonder if the poster realizes they are on a RCI forum here....the purser does not ask for your passport on RCI. ;)

Oops. Perhaps this thread started on the RCI forum, but it is now on the very generalized "Ask a Cruise Question" forum, so all cruise line policies are open for discussion. Even on RCI, if the cruise is, for example, from Hong Kong to the Philippines or Vietnam, yes, the designated officer will collect all passports at embarkation. I'm sure everyone booked on those cruises will peacefully comply.

Come on. Does anyone really believe that massages are included? How do you spell "naive" or "doesn't do their homework"? Truly "all inclusive" would require buying your own yacht. Go buy and staff the "Eclipse" and then everything is "included."

If you have to ask, be afraid, be very afraid. Take a land based vacation. Unless there is a possibility of volcanic eruption within a hundred miles. Or someone has been mugged within, oh, five years or so, at your destination. Or there has been a tornado. Or there has been a hurricane. Or there has been an earthquake.

Seriously, if the ship sinking is a real fear of yours, get some cognitive therapy, and take a chance. Live a little.

The relevant term is "deployment." The more ships on a particular line, the more complex the planning schedule of how ships will be deployed around the world. I would wager that Royal Caribbean has a larger deployment staff than Crystal. Titles can vary, but someone is in charge of Deployment.

Consider if your favorite line has announced itineraries through the end of 2019. Management has already worked on how to deploy the ships from their last port in 2019 to the next ports of 2020 and have tentative itineraries scheduled for 2021.

By now OP knows he screwed up, can't pass the buck, and has to eat the cost of the cruise and associated expenses. Can we now just give the guy a break? If I were he, I would wait at least six years for post #2.

This thread is from February 2017. It was bumped up for some reason by Travelergirler12, who asked a totally unrelated question.

I heard a rumor that there's a "free" cruise to the Bahamas for only $65 that goes to anyone who notices the OP is long gone. ;)

No. No one "knows." While your question will generate many anecdotal experiences, the weather on your crossing can range anywhere from a few sunny warm days/hours to chilly rainy, snowy days. The seas can be calm, very rough, or anything in between. Just be prepared for a spectrum of possibilities. And be ready for winter weather when you disembark.

BTW, by southern crossing I assume you mean Florida to Europe. We've actually done a Brazil to Europe crossing where the chances are better of having a few more pleasant days.

For the retired military and their families, I will add a thank you for your service. You deserve every retirement benefit the government allows, and more.

Military ID != Passport.

 

The ! indicates DOES NOT EQUAL, I assume. If so, then correct.

 

Rules for US Citizens for a round trip cruise (which this is not) require either a passport OR (Drivers Licence + Birth Certificate)... Therefore the sentence following is moot.

 

This one is 100% on you, not the cruise line as it is a Customs/Border rule, NOT a cruise line rule. Cruise lines can make and break their own rules, they cannot touch government ones.

 

Very true. Keep in mind the relevant agency is Immigration (applies to people entering/leaving a country) not Customs (applies to things entering/leaving a country). Although conflating the two is usually, but not always, harmless.

 

And since this cruise was going from one US port to another, is a passport required for US Citzens on this? I'm Canadian, so I always need my passport just to get to the port anyway.

 

Yes and yes. This Panama Canal cruise stops in Columbia (per the roll call), where a passport is always required.

 

As a side note, retired military (and their spouses/dependents) are issued NEW ID's indicating their retired military status. This gives them access to post/base exchanges, military medical benefits, etc. So many conclusions erroneously leapt to.

When my son was on active duty, he needed a passport for leisure or personal travel to a foreign country. However, when he was in transit, on travel orders, his military ID and his orders were sufficient IF, and only IF, the US had a host-nation agreement with the foreign country. Most friendly nations have such an agreement. ( Of course, rules for wartime or hostilities are different. )

To sum up, three conditions needed to be met to travel to a foreign nation without a passport:

1. active duty military ID

2. on travel orders (carried on his person)

3. host nation agreement with US

Those were the conditions as of 15 years ago.

It's a "hot topic" because people are emotionally invested in their own point of view and CANNOT IMAGINE how on this earth any rational person could POSSIBLY come to any other conclusion.

On the other hand, a few people are able to express their opinion, give the salient points of their reasoning, and then not give a fig about what anyone else does. I'm in the "no figs" camp.

Do you think you could wait a few more months (or years) before once again starting virtually the same thread? Have you not elicited sufficient responses? I suggest you try starting a new thread on tipping, passports, or chair hogs next time. You'll have more fun.

Can a 19 year old enlist in the U.S. Military without parent's approval?

 

If a 19 year old is not a full time student, does a non- cusstodial parent's court ordered child support obligation end?

In general, even an 18 year old can enlist in the military without parental approval. Perhaps even younger if emancipation has occurred. The is easily googled from many official sources.

Your second question is best answered by a family law attorney in the relevant state and having access to all the relevant documents. I would give zero weight to responses from strangers on a cruise board (yes, a random response might be correct, but should you rely on it? No. Blind squirrels, etc.)

Hi :D

Heading out on The 29 day Spice Trade Route Cruise

for my husband’s 70th next Spring. Itinerary includes Indonesia, India, Thailand shore excursions. It is not clear what vaccinations we MUST have to enter these countries.

We are from Canada. Can someone who has actually been on this cruise advise us.

Thank you so much

Let's talk about the definition of "MUST". If "must" means that you either provide proof of specific vaccination/s (or valid letter of exemption) or you are denied boarding/denied entry, then the answer is NONE. The only cruise-related situation where that is the case involves some (but not all) itineraries that include Brazil (or perhaps some other countries where yellow fever is endemic.)

However, as previously mentioned, it is always a good idea to confer with your own doctor to be sure that your routine immunizations are up to date. Our CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) gives these guidelines for India. Click around the site for other countries. Note the recommendation for all travelers is to "Make sure you are up-to-date on routine vaccines before every trip. These vaccines include measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, polio vaccine, and your yearly flu shot." Beyond that, the recommendations depend on other factors.

In general, don't eat or drink anything from street vendors. This includes bottled water - there are places in the world where vendors pick up empty water bottles, fill them from a hose, and resell them. However, if you are going for lunch at the Four Seasons in Mumbai, you'll probably be okay.