LindaD22

Alaska, for sure! The Balkans, especially Montenegro, are just stunning from the ship.

From RCI website, on The Key Priority access will not be offered in Vancouver, Canada, or at any ports in Australia. There is no priority queue in the ART test area, for Singapore. ** Carry-on luggage drop-off service is limited to two pieces per guest and can weigh no more than 25 pounds per carry-on. *** Welcome lunch is open from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm. **** Reservations are required for shows on Quantum and Oasis class ships

We are on Mariner. Tomorrow is a sea day and they are offering breakfast and lunch in the MDR.

Thank you for that explanation, we will do the same.

We are doing a NZ cruise from Sydney next month. I know that tipping is just not part of the culture in either country, but I’m surprised to hear that this extends to the cruise itself. We also prepay gratuities, but will give extra to our cabin steward and wait staff, along with the deserving bartender who gives us excellent service. But, if I’m understanding you correctly, tipping is not done as well on board? I guess I assumed that since the ship’s staff is international and being compensated in line with other RCI ships outside of Australia (I assume), then it would be the same as if we were on a Caribbean cruise.

I wasn’t surprised by the idea of questioning upon entry, of course. I just had never given thought to the condition of my shoes and the necessity to clean them properly in order to comply. I think I’ll pack an old toothbrush, as suggested, and give our shoes a good once-over.

I have never packed a scrubbing brush when cruising but there’s a first for everything!

Ok, good to know. On one excursion we will be visiting a sheep farm, so we’ll make sure to clean our shoes and have them handy for inspection.

On another site pertaining to air travel, it was brought up that all travelers from NZ will be screened upon entry to AUS for soil, seeds, etc that might be brought in. Specific mention was made to shoes worn in NZ, especially if one has visited a farm or other such excursion. It was said that travelers need to declare their activity and the shoes worn could be inspected and even steam cleaned, if needed. How is this handled for cruise passengers? We leave in a couple of weeks for a NZ cruise from SYD and this is the first I’ve heard about this, so looking for more info.

Question on this .. my two sisters and I are cruising together, reservations are not linked. We each choose MTD at 6:45. Should we stop in at the MDR on the first day to request a table together, or do this at our dinner that evening? When I cruise with my husband, we always do traditional early dinner, so this is my first experience with MTD.

For Stavanger we booked with Rodne Fjord Cruise (link below). I recommend joining the roll call for your specific cruise to see what others are booking. https://rodne.no/en/fjordcruise/lysefjord-preikestolen/#anchorDeskdepartures

I ordered a merino wool hoodie in black (shown below) from Smartwool on a Black Friday sale. They do have some fun patterns too. This hoodie is lightweight but warm and, I think, can be versatile for travel by dressing it up or down. https://www.smartwool.com/shop/thermal-merino-hoodie-sw016779

The dress is beautiful! The hat looks like outdoors wear and not something to be worn inside, especially for a special occasion such as this. Maybe skip a hat since you don’t usually wear one and instead pick a fabulous pair of earrings

You would need to check whether cannabis/CBD is legal in each of the countries visited on this cruise. If it is not, even in just one of the countries, then you would not be permitted to bring the CBD oil on board. Allowing you to do so would put the ship and RCI in violation of a country’s laws, something they take very seriously. A woman was banned for life from Carnival for trying to bring onboard CBD gummies. They are legal in the US but not in all countries/ports on the itinerary. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2023/11/16/cbd-gummies-carnival-cruise-lifetime-ban/71611590007/

Thank you for updating! What was the cost to get to the airport?

Why can you not then take the JS, since the upgrade was paid for by you, and allow the other couple to take the second cabin?

I truly appreciate your apology. Your posts here on CC are always ones that I read for your valuable expertise and knowledge.

Of course, one can certainly get along just fine without them. I am particular about my skincare products and many aren’t available in travel sizes. These containers will allow me to transfer my favorite products and forego the larger sizes. Value is subjective, and I’m sure your comments weren’t meant to be rude or offensive. I shared a product that others might find useful; if you are not interested, you could simply scroll by without judgmental comments.

Yes I am sharing another discount code 🥰 I have seen these little containers with just rave reviews. Especially with the ability to organize these within a ship’s cabin due to the steel walls (the containers are magnetic), they seem very handy for cruising, but the price was more than I wanted to spend. I don’t mind “investing” in quality clothes, accessories or other travel paraphernalia that I know will serve me well for years to come. So I decided to purchase a starter set of the Cadence containers at this Black Friday discount. In case anyone else has been considering these, here’s the code for 30% off. No I do not get any kind of compensation for sharing. Code: BFCM30 https://keepyourcadence.com/pages/neutrals-collection

It is oversized, but I would wear it just over my bathing suit to/from the pool or on beach excursions. That and a big old sun hat and sunglasses. So, definitely function over form lol

I have about 4 skirts, 3 sun hoodies and 2 sun scarves from RipSkirt Hawaii. They are very packable, resistant to wrinkling, dry quickly and are very comfortable. I bring them on every cruise. Their Black Friday sale just started with 30% off! I ordered the Beach Cozy shown below plus the bucket hat and an undershort. This is a great sale and I wanted to share! https://ripskirthawaii.com/?syclid=62cbb058-5f1a-400b-8a15-42d7afa500b9

For our Brilliance 12-Nt sailing in January, the Key is on sale at $18.99 pp/pd. This makes it a good decision for us as we like the Chop’s lunch on boarding day with drop off of our luggage, plus internet for each. The other benefits are nice but not a deciding factor on this cruise.

You would cancel your current Key order and then add it at the lower price. Do this on the website, not in the app.

Thanks for sharing! I’ll definitely look for savings and cancel/reorder accordingly

Please do share your experience, that would be most helpful. I’ve made a note to do a taxi from the cruise terminal, but your real-life experience in December would be very helpful as well.