jsn55

You're right about shoe recommendations, but that's not a problem ... it's a positive. Like you, I can only order shoes online if I already have a pair. Occasionally a catalogue company will offer free shipping and returns. Last time I ordered 9 pairs of shoes that looked possible (forget name of the company) and was able to keep six of them, a really helpful sale. I walk around in them for a few days at home, using shower caps to protect the soles. Reading all the excellent suggestions on this topic gives us even more ammunition as we constantly seek footwear that fits our own personal 'rules'. Love it!

Might try to find a local hotel that offers a parking package ... a room and parking while on the cruise. Prevalent here in the US, stress-free and very convenient. Take a taxi to the pier, or maybe the hotel has a shuttle.

HILARIOUS!

I always just read the CC reviews of a specific ship ... then you can come back with any specific questions.

The most accurate answer to your question is: you never know exactly where smoking will be allowed until you board and explore the ship. Today it's 'there', tomorrow it's 'over here'. But there will always be a section to enjoy a cigarette somewhere unless a ship has banned smoking altogether. You just go find it after you board.

I agree about using a TA for other kinds of travel beyond cruises. I had a good one 30 years ago, but she ran off with a Frenchman and I was never able to replace her. I went through exactly the kinds of garbage you experienced. It was so bad that I wondered if people who failed at everything else became travel agents. I'll always book my cruises through my TA, and I'll always book everything else myself.

I can comment on a couple of your queries. I've booked all our travel for years and years. Through an online travel forum I participated in, I got to know a TA in South Carolina and she offered to book a cruise for us. She's a 'cruise expert' TA. I had gotten to know her fairly well and knew that she was savvy and very detail oriented. It would be almost impossible for me to 'give my trip' to a TA unless they were 'nearly perfect'! The deal she put together for us on Holland America to Alaska was phenomenal. She has now booked what seems like hundreds of cruises (most of them cancelled during the virus hysteria) and she functions flawlessly. I would never book with a cruise line agent or an online booking service. I do all my own research and figure out all the details, so all she really does is book the cruise. But she adds great value with her expertise and experience with so many cruise lines. She knows our priorities ... no cabins under or over any public areas, aft-facing balcony, smaller ships ... that kind of thing. In order to determine which cruise we want, I often make up a spreadsheet with all the attributes of the cruises we are considering. It's really helpful and the best choice usually pops right up. Up until then, the only advice I had been given on finding a TA was "ask your friends and family" ... totally useless. There is a professional association (maybe more than one) called ASTA which might be a good source of a good TA. I wish I had a magic wand for you.

Top marks for creativity!

First the easy one, never purchase insurance through a travel provider. It's easy ... and buying insurance is hard work, so many people just take the easy way out and live to regret it. I have full coverage with my credit card, but during the virus disaster I was concerned about all those credits out there. Corporate insolvency was a possibility. I contacted a travel insurance broker and bought coverage for all the cruises we had booked. It was necessary to use up my credits so I had something to cover first, of course. We're cruising Quebec-Boston in September ... for the 'fourth time'. This year I think it's a go. Every time a cruise got cancelled, I just moved the insurance coverage to the new trip. I used a broker in Omaha, but the agent bordered on incompetent. It was like pulling teeth to get him to do anything and I'm glad I no longer feel the need for insolvency coverage. Lots of people use online brokers, so perhaps there will be some advice coming up for you. I would also urge you to purchase an annual emergency medical evacuation policy. I've had one for years, don't know if I'm allowed to recommend the company here on CC. We had a chance to use it six years ago when my husband broke his hip in Paris, and they literally saved the day. I don't scare easily, but that was a terrifying experience. You're wise to get going on this now ... I always advise everyone to insure any non-ref cash spent on travel. It's the only way you can emerge financially unscathed if something awful happens.

So true! I remember when this 'suite baloney' started with hotels years ago. A suite is TWO rooms at minimum. I guess they think that adding 'mini' to it will alert frequent travellers, but most pax will think they're getting an actual suite. Not a chance. It's just a cabin with more square footage. Fortunately with the internet, we can see photos and diagrams and everything else so we know exactly what we're booking. I have never known what the 'curtain' is supposed to accomplish. If the DH husband is watching TV in the sitting area, a curtain helps not a jot for keeping the sound down. A wall with a door, now, that's what is effective. But most people are too smart to waste money on a full suite, so we just bring earplugs and/or sound machines. cr8tiv1, I thought I was the only one who gets completely distracted by punctuation and grammar! I always wonder why on earth people don't proof their posts ... but they don't and I try hard to get the gist of instead of being annoyed.

I always do a 'generic search' and read everything that comes up about a cruise I'm interested in. Reading the ship reviews here at CC should be very helpful in obtaining the 'big picture'. Please come back on the Princess forum with specific questions.