jsn55

I'd just wear a robe of any sort. Could hardly be considered inappropriate. Assuming it covers you up, of course!

I've always dreamed of sailing out of NYC in the evening, picking up one of the Cunard girls for a TA might be really cool. Not been on Mary, but loved Victoria.

It's beyond me why 'they' can't just name something one name and stick to it. It's almost like a conspiracy to be sure a traveller never gets too comfortable and thinks s/he knows what's going on. Pier 12, Brooklyn CT, Red Hook ... 'everybody' calls the same place a different name. It's the cruiseline's responsibility to inform the pax, not confuse him. What a great explanation, BklynBoy8! How did we ever travel without the internet and forums on which to ask questions like this that shouldn't even be a question in the first place.

So true! It's always better to see the costs clearly before signing up for such things. Same concept as comparing actual per-night costs of a cruise to clearly see your best value.

Funny but true! NCL, I've heard, does a good job with solo cruisers, but those solos are probably older. I'd also read reviews of each of the ships with a similar itinerary. I always find reviews a good window into reality. Just skip the ones who are furious because one person in guest services treated them rudely and other weird things like that. When you board your ship, get involved in all the sports stuff (as well as all the bars & lounges of course). Smile and be friendly with EVERYONE ... you never know who else they're travelling with that you might be very happy to meet.

Just in case you're also looking at European River Cruises, Avalon still stands out for solid value. They're part of Globus and fortunately weathered the last few years very well. Avalon knows how to run a cruise ... they always did, and they've not changed a bit. Some crew are a bit 'untested' but they get with the program quickly. No faux luxury, just solid excellent cruises.

"What you think you need vs reality" ... oh how true! I'm a definite clothes horse and I'll never aspire to travelling with a carryon. But I've cut my checked bag weight by about 65% over the years. I have also discovered something as I get older and my strength diminishes. Non-spinner bags are now much easier to use. The spinners need a steady hand to stay rolling true. With a 2-wheeler, you just pull it easily along over all kinds of terrain.

I've travelled with non-packable hats with shaped brims forever. I put them in a large paper shopping bag and put the bag in the overhead after everyone's stuff is stowed. They've never suffered permanent disfiguration even when I have to wedge the bag up there. I just hang the shopping bag on my carryon to roll through the airport. If your hat doesn't have a distinctive brim shape, stuffing the crown and laying it flat in your suitcase would probably work great. I know you'll be careful in the sun, but be EXTRA careful. My first visit to the Caribbean gave me a nasty sunburn after a 15min walk. And I tan easily. Something about the equator, eh?

Exactly! Fun to watch but once is enough.

Glad to know there will be 'offerings' to solos on a Princess ship. I joined the roll call for my cruise when it was first formed but there's little activity. The only M&G roll call I've ever attended was a huge number of people in a bar/lounge, all sitting at tables while the crew was introduced, etc. People just talked to their own people. Which is normal, of course! This will be an interesting adventure on Crown Princess. Thanks for all the information.

Sailing in August to Alaska on Crown Princess. I'm a new solo cruiser and have been reading about how the various cruiselines offer opportunities for solos to meet others on the ship. I cruised France with Avalon in April; six or eight of us became a little posse very quickly, it was great fun. But its easy to get to know people on a river cruise, I'm wondering if any opportunities are offered for solos on a Princess ocean cruise. I've read that NCL organizes informal events so people can get to know each other. Any advice on how I can gather some info about Princess would be greatly appreciated.

I figured out a tipping formula years ago so I wouldn't go mad when travelling. Makes no difference to me where I'm travelling. I've never met a human anywhere that didn't appreciate a tip. I base the tip on the total cost. For superior, over-the-top experience 20%. For just-fine experience 10%. For an awful tour, zilch. I never penalize the person for things that are out of their control, and I always reward for going above and beyond the expected. Makes life a little simpler.

Scam FOR SURE. My friend Michelle, who runs Consumer Rescue, just did an article on this latest little trick. These guys are very persuasive and very successful, so of course it's proliferated through the travel providers like wildfire. I've said for years that 'the internet is not your friend' and it's just getting worse every month. Twelve years ago I got led down a path with "Yahoo" about some issue my husband was having and I'm here to tell you that these guys are really GOOD. It wasn't until the first guy put the second guy on the line that I even began to be suspicious. We all need to go back to our 'address books' made of paper and keep the correct numbers for every entity we deal with. No more searching for a phone number online. The creepy crooks can ruin anything.

I couldn't bear the thought of ugly paper luggage tags to start off my cruise! I bought clear plastic tag holders from Amazon.

I haven't needed a converter in Europe for years. Adapters are small, light and cheap. I always take at least 2 for each country, in case one disappears along the way. I also throw in a USB plug with two slots. UK ones are usually fairly robust and work well; of course there's always the challenge of 'turning on the outlet' from a switch somewhere. Often, in Western Europe, you need to use two adapters, the socket may be 'too deep' or loose. I've been known to prop the whole shebang up on books so the weight of the adapter(s) doesn't keep loosening the connection. A live outlet is the first thing I check when arriving at the room and usually plug in my toys immediately. Be sure to verify that your device is indeed being charged and not just sitting there plugged in. I never leave anything plugged in while I'm out. When you're ready to depart, remove the adapter from the outlet first so you don't inadvertently leave it behind.

While it's amusing to make jokes about Carnival, it's beyond naive to think a cruiseline will take care of you in an emergency. You hope to be given adequate medical care on the ship and a safe evacuation if necessary. I'm sure some ships do, some don't ... but a pax certainly cannot count on it. Nobody should be travelling anywhere without personal insurance to take care of emergencies of every kind. Same concept as travelling with one credit card that is maxed out halfway through your trip. We have to take responsibility for ourselves in this cold, cruel world.

My first thought!

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. OK one trip, not OK on another. Virgin is the only source for a definitive answer on your specific flights. I believe that the cruiselines are able to book air highly discounted, so FF points are probably not given by the airline. Might also depend on your status level with Virgin. You might check FlyerTalk forums to read about others' experiences.

I'm happy to know I can go have a cigarette in the casino if it's raining outside. Thanks.

If you're incapacitated, you won't care. Seriously, I keep a little card in my bag with my emergency contact person's details. He has all my information and knows exactly what to do. He can take care of all the formalities while I'm out cold. Might not work, but it's the best solution I can think of when I'm travelling solo.

And here I thought the original post was supposed to be amusing, albeit in poor taste.

Might be a good idea to review all the amenities on the ship's website. Some 18yr olds can spend hours by the pool, reading a book, using a device and having pizza for lunch. Others want more active things to do. Some want sports. You know your kids, so discuss what's available on the ship with them.

It's amazing how many thousands of people have developed great sensitivity to smoking over the years since the media decided that's what needed to happen. I happen to be very sensitive to the smell of garbage and sewage but nobody wants to discuss that.

It depends on the person doing the service. One bag, cheerful demeanor, careful, $5. A good example is the shuttle bus driver who unloads my bag, places it upright on the sidewalk and pulls up the handle.

Trip insurance is usually not refundable. The providers were very lenient during the virus disaster, so there's always a chance. When I'm faced with an issue like yours, I make up a spreadsheet of all the features that are important to me so I can compare easily. Careful study will probably show you that the cost of most mainstream cruises are about the same. Most cruiselines run on 'tipping', so it's usually just part of the total cost. But let's NOT discuss 'automatic tipping' here. I'm still not sure how the cruiselines get away with it. If you booked with a real travel agent or directly with NCL, I would expect some monetary consideration when you book your next cruise. That's a rather serious error on the agent's part. If you booked by phone, it would be difficult to prove that you weren't informed. If you used an online booking service, there's little recourse. Always scrutinize your confirmation immediately so you're not sideswiped by this kind of thing in the future.