Blondilu

On the trip to the airport for my very first cruise I must have checked and rechecked that I had my passport at least 2 dozen times. Can't say that I've ever forgotten anything of great importance though I have forgotten underwear on 2 different occaisions (not a cruise). Easy enough to buy. If I had to give advice it would be: passport/ID, credit cards and/or money. Print out or screenshot any email confirmations. I hate standing at the airport trying to prove I prepaid something and not being able to easily access my email. Chargers or batteries for your camera. And 2nd most important to your documents would be comfortable shoes.

I usually start thinking about it a couple of months out. Whenever I have an idle moment I think about my clothes, the weather and specific events and activities and just imagine what I might need. I call it Zen packing; intuitive, meditative and contemplative. LOL. The real packing starts a week or so before when I start trying to put all that mental imaging into practical use. I leave the suitcase out and things go in and out of the plan until I get it right and it all fits. Toiletries and personal items are usually already packed and left in my bag from the trip before. Same for charger cords and all the other "stuff" I usually take with me. I keep telling myself I need a list. Never happens.

I've cruised to Alaska 5 times, I think. It's a no-brainer itinerary when you live on the West Coast. I've seen at least 5 or 6 other ships in some of the ports (Juneau and Ketchikan specifically) at the same time on most of my cruises. So, whether it's Princess or other lines there is clearly a market. Seems likely they can fill those ships.

One of my favorite things is hanging out on the promenade deck above the gangway and watching people return to the ship. Sometimes local musicians will be on the dock giving a farewell concert. I have seen at least one couple run to catch the ship. They were actually late by quite a bit (and lucky we could wait) and got a good talking to by the officer at the gangway. Funny from my vantage point but not something I ever want to personally experience.

On the Princess website it states you should not have a flight sooner than 7 hours after debarkation in Southhampton. In your case that would be 1:00pm. The thing is you never know what could happen until it happens. Personally, I wouldn't chance it. The drive there is only a part of the plan. After that you have to get throught the airport. I was not impressed by Heathrow. Crazy, convoluted, too noisy on the concourse to hear departure info. The check-in did not go well. The security line had it's own problems. We had all kinds of trouble. To me it's a hot mess of an airport. LOL, most of them are but Heathrow takes the prize, IMO.

In 2018 I was on a ship that had a medical evacuation. A number of people did not get off their balconies when told to do so (more than once) and this angered the captain quite a bit. Later that day he called a "meeting" in the theater. He explained the procedure and then presented a slide show. Several of the photos were of the misbehaving passengers standing on their balconies. Yes, they know who the guilty parties were and had photo evidence. But several photos were of the aftermath of various crashes where jet fuel was involved. Frightening. This, he said, is why I ordered those cabins in most danger be vacated and instructed everyone else to stay inside. He explained how there are fire teams deployed to the upper decks in the event of a crash. And, as we all know, how very, very dangerous fire is to a ship. During the Q&A that followed the presentation one guy asked the Captain why they didn't just inclued this kind of info during the safety (muster) drill. The captain's response: "Or you could just do what your captain asked you to do."

Most of my cruises have been out of SF or LA. The first is 2 hours from my house but I consider anything in California my backyard. I have lived in this state all my life and there were still some places I hadn't been to. San Diego, Santa Catalina island, Santa Barbara. In 2009 my cruise to Mexico got diverted due to a virus. Imagine that. All the cruise lines switched up their Mexico itineraries and we got to go to......San Diego, Santa Catalina island and Santa Barbara. Never mind I could drive to those places in a day (something I have done often though never to those cities for some reason) and never mind half the passengers got off early in a snit cuz their vacations were "ruined". It was awesome.

We've taken a British Isles Cruise twice (very similar, but no Portland) and I found most of the ports were easy to DIY with a little advanced research. "On your own" can mean a lot of things. For us it can mean walking, taking taxis, taking buses, taking trains, taking the Hop On Hop off. Or even booking a local tour which we've done a few times. When I start planning tours I mostly do "on our own" using one of the above mentioned modes of transportation. But, sometimes a ship's tour is equally good, IMO. Just depends. Two ship's excursions that were memorable was the one to Chester on the border of Wales (from Liverpool) and the one we took from LaHavre to the beaches of Normandy. I liked them becuase the guides plied us with all kinds of great info on the ride there but then let us go off on our own. And since it was all day lunch was included. It really depends on what you want to see. If your cruise stops at Belfast, for instance, it's a little too far to the center of town to walk. Princess had a shuttle which we used and then got on the Hop On, Hop off bus. Dublin, once you get to the middle of town you can pretty much walk anywhere, Princess offered a shuttle there, too. Of course, if you want to go out into the countryside, say The Giant's Causeway, you definitely need some kind of an excursion, either cruise line or private, or rent a car, I guess. Our cruise stopped at Orkney Islands and the archeological sites are clear on the other side of the island so we took a ship's excursion there. St. Peters Port in Guernsey is pretty much a walker's paradise, though there are some things that will require transportation of some kind. Greenock we took a train, Invergordon we had a private tour the first time and a ship's tour the next. The town is quite a way from the port as I recall. In Cork we took a taxi to the Blarney castle the first time and a ship's excursion the second time. But, the little town of Cobh is right there and an easy walk. In Edinburgh you just need to get to town and then walk everywhere. I think we took some excursion out into the country the first time and the second time we took a taxi. Sorry for the long answer. The short answer is yes, I found them easy to do on your own though it may require some advanced thought regarding transportation as some of the ports are a ways out. One other note; I ditto the advice about LaHavre. I think it was at least an hour and a half to the beaches of Normandy. So, not much chance of doing it on your own unless you rent a car.

Sometimes a lower price is for new customers only. Sometimes there are sales or promotions for past cruisers only. It gets pretty crazy.

I could honestly say this has been me on a number of cruises. My number one reason to cruise would be to get to so many different places so effortlessly. Number two is being on the ocean. I could sit on deck and stare at the ocean all day. I also like talking to people from around the world, or sometimes just sitting in a public space, drink in hand, just watching the world go by. I also like watching the pilot come on board, sailaway from the promenade (guess that will be a thing of the past soon) sunrises, sunsets. Way down on the list are production shows, the MDR in the evening (or anything that promotes "fine cuisine" and/or wine pairing, sooo overated) and I've only ever used a pool twice, I think. Like someone else said, different strokes. Happy cruising to all.

I hate having to do laundry on the cruise. There is always a line at the self-service and I'm afraid to turn my clothes over to a laundry service. Most of my clothes have never been in a dryer. I only ever take my 24 inch suitcase and a small duffle or tote as a carry-on. Between what I have on while traveling to the cruise and the extra outfit I put in my carry-on I have a lot of room in my suitcase and honestly think I could do 15 days without laundry.

Depends on where you are traveling to, I guess. My understanding when I had Sirius was that you could only receive in North America and you had to have an unobstructed southern line of sight. If, in your case, both those things are true I don't see why you couldn't get at least some reception. Can't comment on if it would be good reception. Even in my house (which wasn't made out of metal and wasn't constantly moving) I sometimes had difficulty.

I like the bagpipes. On the day he played it was overcast and gloomy and it was starting to rain as we were coming back to the ship exhausted from a long day in port. Hearing the pipes out of the drizzling mist was indeed magical to me. I guess if you don't it would not seem so magical.

I have cruised several times with 3 people in one room. Insides and oceanviews, mostly. Don't let anyone tell you it can't be done. It does take a little cooperation, especially regarding the bathroom. And patience. Fortunately the 2 other people I usually cruise with are my sisters. Growing up we never lived in a house that had more than 1 bathroom and no one had their own rooms. So, I guess that prepared us, LOL.

Ditto to what JimmyVWine said. Promos go away so make sure the net difference is what you're looking for. Once I tried to refare and they wouldn't let me cuz my cabin category was sold out. So, I cancelled that cabin and booked another category (same cabin style just a different location) and saved quite a bit.

The Alaskan Fudge Co. - Juneau Alaska, one of my favorite places. I always buy a bunch and bring it back onboard with the intention of bringing it home. It never lasts that long, LOL. But, no one even bothers to check what's in the bag. Same with other snacks and treats I've purchased in other locations.

Thank you. I didn't think of the card being canceled and therefore unusable going forward.

I should have also mentioned the smaller, older ships have full wrap-around promenades. Wide, teak decking and old-style lounges. This is, to me, one of the best places on a ship. The newer, bigger ones have done away with most of this outside deck in favor of more interior "hot spots", places to meet and have drinks. The only fully open decks are on the top decks and is generally set up for a jogging track and similar activities. It is also on these decks you will find the adults only areas. These areas are very nice but but are restricted to those who pay extra for them.

The Grand is the oldest built in 1998, the Sapphire was built in 2004 and the Majestic in 2017. The Grand is also the smallest (1301 cabins with 17 decks), with the Sapphire only a little bigger (1339 cabins, 17 decks) and the Majestic has over 400 more cabins than either and 19 decks. I am also a senior and I'm not sure that matters, but I like the smaller ships. They seem more classic to me. But, obviously they're not as pretty anymore. Like me. LOL.

Thank you for the explanation, but apparently I am not being very clear. So let me try one more time. This thread is not about "the aunt". That may be where it has gone but the orignial question was a hypothetical query as to whether or not a cruise line can hold you on board if you owe them money and you don't have enough credit to pay. That was the subject to which I was responding and the subject of my question. I thought I read somewhere that in a case like this they will (with your permission) take as much from your credit card balance as possible. Say you only have a balance of $500 at that time. So, they take $500 now and $500 (or whatever amount you agree to) every month until the amount owed is paid. This assumes, of course, that you are making regular payments of a sufficient amount to cover that payment. This basically amounts to a lien on your credit card. My question is, based on a passenger having agreed to pay any charges they incur is the cruise line not able to put a lien on your card even without your permission? They have your card on file. I have no idea what the procedure would be or if it's even legal and am genuinely curious. Certainly any company should should have some ability to get the money owed them with out resorting to holding a person captive. Maybe it's in the fine print somewhere.

Well, I was responding to this thread. Regardless, the question remains the same: if there is a card and it's reached it's limit don't they just keep charging it until they get their money? Or is that not allowed without the card holder's authorization? I guess I don't get the issue. They have your credit card info and you agreed to a contract to pay for all charges.

Doesn't every passenger have to provide a credit card upon boarding? It was my understanding that they just charge that card for any outstanding debt and if there isn't enough credit at that time, they try again the next month and then the next month until the amount owed them is paid in full. Or is that not legal? I suppose that wouldn't work if you put down cash or used a debit card.

We always bring snacks. And there was a guy on one cruise who had his bagpipes. He only played them while in port (with permission from the crew) and hearing him play as we walked back to the ship after a long day in port was kind of magical. What NOT to bring: all the little worries of your everyday life.

My 2 sisters and I are about that same age and on the lower side of middle income. We have met many, many people from all walks of life. People from all over the world, some who were crazy well-travelled and at least one woman who had big bucks if her jewelry was any indication. We once sat at a table with a couple of red-necks, a couple from India who now live in Texas and a very classy seemingly well-off lady from the East Coast. I was amazed at how much such a diverse group had in common. And the lady with the expensive jewelry was so cute and so, so friendly. Both she and her husband were such fun. Another time we got seated with agroup of 3 sisters just like us. We weren't really alike in any other way, but we talked and talked. Just be yourselves, be nice. If you're too shy to talk, then listen. Ask a couple of questions. And if you'd rather be alone that works, too. I can pretty much guarantee you will fit right in.

Longest drive to a port was 12 hours. Longest flight was to the UK, which was also about 12 hours. Longest day was getting home from Quebec. There are no direct flight to my home airport of San Francisco, so 3 flights plus layovers = a 19 hour day. I have mostly sailed out of North American ports, in part because they are closer and therefore less expensive for me, but have been on a cruise out of the UK twice.