cruisingguy007

This happened to me, ironically, after I switched from Kaiser to another provider. I used to live a stones throw away from a Kaiser hospital and went there, was promptly admitted and paid nothing extra even though it was out of network. Happened another time (in-network and while covered with Kaiser) and I was promptly admitted and everything waived as well. I took myself but if you call emergency services, chest pain and shortness of breath will land you in the ER 100% of the time (liability) unless you refuse to go. It also gets you VIP service once there, something a lot of uninsured folks figured out after sitting in the ER for 8-10 hours using it as primary care. Things are better now with covered California but too many still use the ER as a primary care facility. That said, I doubt they did not cover anything, some plans have larger deductibles that must be met (group rates are different,depending on number of employees), though Kaiser is usually portion as you go vs no coverage until all deductibles are met (another reason it's so popular). I'm sure that story was misconstrued somehow as I doubt any member would not be covered somewhat, unless the deductible covered everything out of pocket. I think there is more to the story to be perfectly honest.

Easy solution there, remove Bermuda as a cruise stop until they play ball. The cruise lines aren't powerless anymore. They want the dollars, they fall in line like everyone else. They can probably get that BS "travel authorization" reduced to $4-$5 PP rolled into port fees and get testing requirements removed as well. Two birds, one stone. Some of these locations have tried to take advantage while the chips were down. Turnabout is fair play.

Nope, it's individual. Each person has their own VIFP numbers. We will all turn gold (kids included) after our next sailing (on subsequent sailing) but that's because we sail together. Other lines make it a bit easier with bonus points for onboard spend, suite bonuses and such but Carnival is only nights onboard and with large gaps after gold.

KFC and Chik-fil-a should not be mentioned in the same breath as Popeye's. Not even in the same league. Popeye's spicy chicken sandwich is king of the cluck! 😁

If you're admitted, they do. They won't if you use out of network ER as a urgent care/routine care (non emergency care). You can use ANY facility if a member has an emergency and is admitted. They will also waive the deductible if you are admitted to a Kaiser emergency facility. I've done it both ways but they won't waive anything if you use the emergency room for non-emergencies.

It's not bad at all, I've had it on and off for decades and it offers great coverage but it's not as good as Sutter Health/Palo Alto Medical if you're in the bay area. Kaiser has broader coverage and cheaper rates but Sutter/PA Medical is hands down my favorite for bay area local care vs Kaiser broad based. Sutter/PA Medical have more premier doctors, quicker/better services and top surgeons affiliated with the network. You do pay more but I think it's totally worth it. I had to leave behind my doctor when we switched to Kaiser but she ended up moving closer to me in Danville so I'm considering switching back but we are happy with the kids pediatrician with Kaiser now so it's a catch 22. Kaiser is worth a look though for sure, the international travel coverage is a nice feature to be sure.

Great review, looking to get one in on this ship in the near future. One question, is Big Chicken as good or better than the gold standard Popeye's spicy chicken sandwich?

Stabilization and getting you returned stateside, some even to your chosen geographic area is covered by many insurance plans. Kaiser does and they are a very large provider.

I look for a million. Travel insurance is mostly for medical and worst case scenarios for me, think major injury, hospitalization and medical evacuation by air, those can add up like you wouldn't believe. If it happens beyond the angels in the sky (US Coast guard) reach/jurisdiction, it'll all but certainly be many multiples of a 100K. Some insurance plans will cover you for catastrophic when traveling but if they don't a million is a nice round number.

Same, I was looking through the offers and there are some decent ones for 5 nights or less, many more for the 3 day/4 day cruises but nothing for 7 days or more. I already have a few things booked. Maybe that is why we aren't getting the deals? The best deals I've seen are for those who have nothing booked or haven't sailed in a while, well, besides casino deals.

Not kidding, color me shocked. I guess I just see Disney as a kids theme/place. Why would adults, especially those complaining about kids/families (the point of this thread), want to go on a kid themed cruise or even hang out at kids/family centric places? It seems strange to me. There are so many other offerings (cruises or otherwise) without kids/families. Even Disneyland without kids is weird. A few coasters are OK but there are much better coaster theme parks (like six flags) that aren't targeted specifically at small kids/families. Kinda seems like going to Chuck E. Cheeses because one likes their pizza but hates/dislikes kids. It's peculiar to say the least. Even all those things you mentioned at the end, there are much better alternatives, they only do everything better if you're wrapped up in the Disney fealty fan club lol (we have a few in the family). Disney "adults-only" seems like an oxymoron. When I think Disney, I think kids.

Hey now, Virgin voyages has made a business out of freaky-deaky perv cruises. There must be a market for it. Who doesn't want to see a bunch of middle aged folks trying to relive their glory days? 😆

Then cruise with Disney. Who goes on a Disney cruise without kids anyway? I doubt many, it's kind of strange. Besides, they've solved nothing, still a bunch of grown folk people soup standing around peeing in the water. The only way to solve a limiting space issue is to add more space. It's the same on all the cruise lines, there is simply not enough pool space for anything but standing in the water. I guess it cuts down on the complainers about others splashing (you know using the pool as a pool) water into their booze while they stand in the water, drink and urinate. 😁

Yes, possible, optimal, not so much. You could stick to the buffet for lunch and dinner and there are tables just outside the back doors that lead to the tides pool area (near pizza place) with plenty of seating. It's actually a great spot in the mornings because you can see the port stops with great views. They also have coffee/water stations out there as well. Pizza/Seafood shack is another option back there. Lunch, you can eat on lido outside or also back in that same area. Very possible to avoid dining inside. That said, I don't think dining is the most risky thing and you'll miss sea day brunch and also elegant nights that have nice options. I'd do those at least once. Avoiding the shows, night club, comedies and enclosed bars (piano bar) would yield better results. The dining room is large enough to make the risk minimal. I ate in the dining rooms several times, did excursions (the bus rides on excursions is another area where a good fitting N95 would yield dividends) hung out on lido in open air and even ate inside at buffet and did all those without a mask and was fine. I did avoid the shows, comedy and other enclosed spaces as much as I could. Have a great trip! She's a great ship!

You'll probably have better luck on bookface, but you'll have to join each of the roll calls to gather info. Most participants are reporting back if they popped positive. Even there, though much more participation than CC, it's still a small sample of actual cruisers, probably single digit representation so I'm not sure how much it would help or the value of any data compiled. Nearly all my extended family had/have covid recently, one part from international travel and another two groups from general community transfer. These are folks that avoided covid since the beginning, even with one working mainline healthcare. Now three sub groups all have it and all members of these groups have it. It's much more transmissible and I'm seeing (anecdotally anyway) that it's not a person or two getting it, whole families are getting it. There is a LOT of covid out there. Assume it's everywhere. Alaska is a covid hot spot as well. Any travel by plane, train, bus, ship etc or crowded conditions like theme parks will put anyone at a higher chance. It's not only a cruise thing. It's a traveling anywhere thing and a get together 4th of July party thing right now.

Gotta agree with this. We have two more on the books but are hesitant to book anymore until this is done away with. It's nerve racking and really sucks they joy and anticipation out of pre-cruise jolliness. I was stressed up to the point that everyone cleared their test. Usually, we are pumping ourselves up pre-cruise but it's hard to feel spirited when it could all be dashed at the last min. Hope it's gone by the end of the year.

Masks are a deal breaker for me. I also agree with @1kaper that price can be a deal breaker as well and it certainly matters. I read what some pay on other lines and I would never consider paying anything close to what some are willing to pay for a cruise, yes, even if I got spoon fed caviar, lobster and champagne every day. Anything approaching an AI or resort land based trip would be a deal breaker. I cruise for value and because the kids are now hooked, love it and choose it over comparably priced options. In fact, I think they actually have more fun than I do lol.

Hopefully, no diapers are allowed in those pools either. User name checks out, there will certainly be pee for all in any pool onboard. Especially, the adult pools. Ever watch those folks in the hot tubs and pools sit there and drink for hours, yet never leave for the bathroom. 😁 I always find these threads interesting. Most use the pool to cool off or stand in while drinking. Just as easy to quickly cool off in the nearby showers and much cleaner to boot. The only time you can actually swim is on port days when most are off the ship and pools are all but empty, sea days are always human soup. It's usually way more adults than kids. Then again, I don't cruise in summer but do for spring break. Adding adult only pools would only further concentrate guests. This is the problem with ship within a ship, it simply amplifies the problem by reducing space for all. Look at vista class ships, the havana pool/area is usually empty and the other areas jam packed. If adults need more pool space, everyone needs more pool space. I'm sure plenty of kids wish they had their own pool without drunken visually unappealing old folks standing around ruining their fun. 😆

That's not entirely true. Alaska had a big spike in covid positivity very recently and is still very high, only behind Hawaii recently and now #1 per 100K people, this information isn't really hard to find if one were to look. That is only "reported" mind you, extrapolate that by 2X/3X for likely numbers, some even suggest 10X is the likely real number (I'm not convinced myself it's that high). Expecting the cruise industry to act as public health officiants isn't really practical. They are a business, a business that is trying to survive no less. The onus is on individuals to keep abreast of the current covid climate and their own risk tolerance. It's well known Alaska is a covid hot spot. The good news is that the vast majority are reporting only minor symptoms. Hopefully, this summer surge pays dividends come fall/winter and we don't see a new curve-ball variant. So many are getting infected now, it may lead to some form of herd benefit.

I've been seeing Alaska deals for a while now, even on other lines as well. Like less than 7 day cruises. Crazy good deals. Me thinks it's because the Alaska cruises are starting to be viewed as covid cruises. Too many reporting catching covid from spending more time inside on these colder cruises. Been reading some negative feedback from Alaska natives blaming the cruise ships on various news/social feeds and comment sections. Not sure if there is, in fact, a higher propensity for covid on an Alaska cruise but there seems to be some negative connotations connected anyhow, maybe that is what is leading to these deals. That and summer is also winding down, some may not want to do a longer 10 day and some may prefer warmer locals, though heat and humidity is unappealing to me. Who knows? On the upside, this will be a great opportunity for those looking to sail on Alaska cruises though.

For market share, possibly, for the end user/consumer, terrible! Competition breeds innovation, improves customer service and helps keep prices lower/competitive. A good example of that is when Google encroached on Comcast (now called Xfinity) and wanted to lay fiber lines all over to get Gigabit speeds out to large swaths of the country for a low price. Comcast nearly shyt their pants and spent a crap-ton of cash to improve speeds to peoples homes, while at the same time, doing all they could to crush Google's efforts. They eventually prevailed but customers ultimately won with faster speeds from all the upgrades. Sure enough, as soon as they re-secured their monopoly, they cut all the improvements/upgrades substantially. No need when you have a monopoly and only one/two competitors who only offer sub-par service options. Competition is a good thing, ney a great thing for consumers.

This! I just looked for a last min cruise as availability opened up for me but the prices are not super discounted at all. In fact, the only deals are well after summer break ends for most areas, mine included. They are well over 50% more right now for last min bookings. Was hoping to jump on Radiance as a second choice but all the available times are at a premium. Panorama has zero availability for this entire time. We certainly aren't seeing those prices out west. Ships are booked up! Only deal is Princess 10-days to Alaska but too long of a commitment. Carnival booked solid through summer.

7/8 is fine, Joe is right though, lower is better but it will not make that much of a difference IMO. They will only feel it when fighting the current, so only one way and usually for only a day tops. Having to take the elevator constantly would be a drag IMO. I think your advice is sound. I even think lido is fine, they'd definitely want to avoid the spa cabins though and any extreme forward cabins. Most new cruisers have no idea how big cruise ships really are and will be pleasantly surprised once onboard. Just have them bring a bottle of draminate or meclizine, whatever they prefer or even both is better, meclizine does nothing for me though, so it varies from person to person. Most folks who haven't cruised will only have a rocky personal water craft or ferry type boat to compare. A floating city block is a different story. Much more stable and the technology is much better these days with stabilizers.

Not surprised, considering it's impossible to make a burger without beef. It's not a burger without beef, it's a veggie sandwich. You could already get a grilled cheese and then top it with veggies/other toppings from the self-serve toppings bar. Soy does not a burger make.

Someone asked about flying into foreign ports for cruises and a lot of folks weren't interested. This is precisely why. No thanks, I'm only looking to cruise from a US port and back to a US port. Imagine the jurisdictional hurdles from other countries and all the delays, not to mention, many have weak protection policies for even their own citizens. Plus, the angels in the sky are usually within range (God bless the US Coast Guard!) if the worst case happens and the gun boat escorts make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. 😁🇺🇸