momofmeg

3 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Passports before 2021 are read electronically. Probably a code or extra number. After 2021 Passports have a chip. 

   there had to be a way in this day and age. People think they can get away and won't be recognized if they have a common name like Mary Davis or John Smith etc. but technology is too advanced now. The last time we went to England two years ago, (and the last time I left North America) they put us in this facial recognition thing I have no idea what you call it, but it reminded me of the dentist whole mouth ex-ray machine, lol!  Who would have dreamed they would have technology for that? Very Logan's Run.   I am guessing a person would not be able to steal my passport and get away with using it just because they looked like me. 

On 7/12/2024 at 9:25 AM, chengkp75 said:

US passport laws require the sex offender to self-identify themselves in order to get an identifier on the passport, as is noted in another post above.  The government can revoke the passport of a sex offender that does not have the identifier, but that requires the government to find out that a sex offender has obtained a passport without the identifier, which could be never.  That would require data sharing between State Department, CBP and Angel Watch both in Homeland.

 

This is not quite true.  The US has claimed "extra-territorial jurisdiction" over certain serious crimes that happen on a foreign flag cruise ship, in international waters, but only if it involves a US citizen, and isn't in the territorial waters of another country.  And, even then, not all US laws apply to incidents on the ship while in a US port.

  I don't and never have work in security, I have never studied law and I don't have a record, I indicated I was guessing. My point was, I was pretty sure the passport would be flagged. I knew there had to be some way they were kept track of to protect people across borders in other countries.  You say it is indicated directly on the passport? I did not know that, but I am glad to know. In my mind there is nothing worse than a child molester. It is good to know a person with a record can't go into another country and keep authorities in ignorance

Just now, momofmeg said:

 No, it doesn't but you can bet your bottom dollar the authorities in other countries know the person is a sex offender, I imagine their passport is flagged and they would be watching them like a hawk.  Many countries have much stiffer laws too than the USA.   A person can be thrown in prison for years on mere suspicion. Lol though I would not care in that case, I say good riddance for a sex offender. Let them keep them.

 and I do know a person accused of molesting a minor many years ago. He claims he was framed that he believed the girl to be 18 (he was 22 at the time) He actually served time. I have no idea if he was really fooled about the girl's age, but his wife believes him. she married him after meeting him a few years after he got out of prison. knowing this. anyway. she takes cruises without him because he can't go with his record.

On 7/9/2024 at 4:41 PM, chengkp75 said:

So, you're saying that if a registered sex offender goes to a foreign country, then the terms of their parole would apply?  I don't think that would be the case.  It is outside the jurisdiction of the paroling court.   US law does not carry over everywhere on Earth.

 No, it doesn't but you can bet your bottom dollar the authorities in other countries know the person is a sex offender, I imagine their passport is flagged and they would be watching them like a hawk.  Many countries have much stiffer laws too than the USA.   A person can be thrown in prison for years on mere suspicion. Lol though I would not care in that case, I say good riddance for a sex offender. Let them keep them.

On 7/7/2024 at 6:53 AM, MBP&O2/O said:

I cannot comment on American Law but, under UK legislation ......

 if the fight was onboard, dealt with onboard, and no criminal proceedings followed then the matter would be viewed as a Civil matter and nothing to do with the criminal courts. 

We are then looking at the old sign at many clubs saying "the management reserve the right to refuse admission"

Keeping a database of trouble makers? Almost certainly the parent company will have a list, but sharing those personal details outside of that domain might be viewed as illegal .... it would be under UK law.

US law does not affect cruise ships except when they are in US ports not in international waters. I assume that is true of all countries. I have read cruise ships have a "brig" where they can put people who are then turned over at the next port for something like murder. Otherwise disembarked and banned to find their way home.

 I read of one I found very sad years ago where the wife had dementia and the husband went on an excursion. He assumed it was okay to tell her to stay in their room until he returned as if the poor woman would remember. She left their stateroom confused and the crew had to care for her. When he returned, they were put off ship to find their way home. This happened on a Australian cruise but they were American.

another equally bad was a disabled wheelchair bound man who booked a suite thinking the butler could help him to the bathroom. He was disembarked pretty quickly too. I always wondered how in the world did he get to ship without assistance. I figured that must have been family's idea.

On 5/27/2024 at 12:06 PM, momofmeg said:

 thank you and we will do just that! we have already booked and paid for most of our excursions and it is still   over 6 months away.

 we already ordered 2.

 I found my answer. I can order a 6 pack of one-liter bottles for $30. I will do that. I am ordering 2.

On 6/17/2024 at 1:29 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

The average temps in August don’t appear to be all that hot, although I do live in Alabama. 
 

 

We were on a Western Caribbean cruise on the Edge back in Aug 2021 and the weather was warm but not overly oppressive. My Live From thread is at the bottom of my expanded signature covers that cruise. 

 That may be the average, but I have been there when it was miserably hot, 90F plus. More than once.

On 6/19/2024 at 9:17 AM, Ken the cruiser said:

We have to agree with you, cruising up north during the summer months is much more enjoyable. You may have noticed our cruise to the western Caribbean was on the Edge in Aug 2021, just after cruising started back up. What can I say, we're cruiseaholics and that 18 months between cruises was tough and the Caribbean was the only option back then. 😂

 I get you and we have done summer in the Carribean in the past too because my family wanted to go. I only got off to go to the shops in the mornings and did no excursions unless it was something inside and air conditioning. there are a few of those but not many and not often.   For example, Cozumel has a submarine ride you can take, and it has air conditioning.

On 6/17/2024 at 1:29 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

The average temps in August don’t appear to be all that hot, although I do live in Alabama. 
 

 

We were on a Western Caribbean cruise on the Edge back in Aug 2021 and the weather was warm but not overly oppressive. My Live From thread is at the bottom of my expanded signature covers that cruise. 

 That is just it. we have it that miserable right at home so why go anywhere like home. Just like the cruise we took to Italy and Croatia in June in 2012. It was very hot and humid most of the ports. I about died in Venice. It was beautiful there, but I felt I could not enjoy it much and I may as well be at home in Georgia. At least at home I could avoid the heat and stay in the air conditioning.  

 contrast that to northern Scotland in July 2022. I about froze to death there but still, after the heat at home it was a welcome change. So, guess what. If I had a choice between cruising Italy and the British Isles in summer, I would pick British Isles. 

22 hours ago, SoloAlaska said:

Haha we are expecting up to 116 with humidex in Canada this week. I hate the heat so I am hiding inside with the air conditioning 24/7.

 

In August I’m much happier in Alaska but that’s just me hating the heat.

 OMG I am so sorry. We have had some miserable 95F days this past week or so and I am dreading July here in GA. I have never felt 115 F. That must be godawful.

On 6/17/2024 at 12:46 PM, Tedferg said:

I was looking at a Western Caribbean cruise in August and compared with Holland America. HAL only does Oct, Nov, Dec in Caribbean. Made me wonder if they avoid August etc.

It would be very hot like 95F. We have done it before in July and it was pretty miserable. Autumn, winter, and spring much better although it can still be pretty hot in autumn and spring. Canada or Bermuda would be better for August.

On 5/7/2024 at 3:43 PM, QuattroRomeo said:

If you are interested in a coffee/non-alcoholic drink package, this might help you; this pricing is for a 14 day cruise: 

 

 No, I would not be interested. I would not drink 10 coffees and waters a day I don't think. I don't drink colas and rarely juice because of the high sugar content in both. I prefer to eat fruit as it has fiber so healthier for me with my diabetes.

On 5/9/2024 at 9:48 AM, ghstudio said:

The price of distilled water is $2.95 IF you buy pre-cruise.  If you buy on board, it's $6.95.

 thank you and we will do just that! we have already booked and paid for most of our excursions and it is still   over 6 months away.

15 hours ago, QuattroRomeo said:

If you are interested in a coffee/non-alcoholic drink package, this might help you; this pricing is for a 14 day cruise: 

 

 Lol so I should spend $300 just for water? No Thanks. I will buy the 12 packs for less

20 hours ago, POA1 said:

You can get distilled water for $2.95/gallon if you want water with nothing whatsoever in it. It is intended for CPAP users, but it's on the beverage preorder list. Take a reusable cup or bottle and you are all set.

 Hubby has a Cpap and lol he won't use a whole gallon for sure. Thank you.

I would like info on nonalcoholic drink packages. Specifically, bottled water and specialty coffees. We don't drink colas. My daughter has kidney disease, and she needs to drink a lot of water. Her doctor recommends she not drink too much of the treated water. Coffees are more for me.

On 3/18/2024 at 7:29 AM, CruiserBruce said:

Its not a fee, its a fine. The PVSA requires a stop in a foreign port for a roundtrip, a stop in a distant foreign port for a one way cruise from one US port to another US port. If those don't happen, it is a fine, per passenger. I have heard it is $750 each, but not sure if that is correct.

 

The NCL ship doing Hawaii is a US flagged ship, with US citizen employees and has to pay US wages. According to the law, that means the foreign port requirements don't apply.

 Thankyou. That is the word I was looking for fine. I knew fee was not the correct term, but my 70-year-old brain could not think what it was called.

On 3/18/2024 at 1:20 PM, chengkp75 said:

No, its not a fee.  Foreign flag ships must have a foreign port call.  US flag ships can cruise to US ports without a foreign port call.  What the savings for the foreign ships is;  US taxes (they pay none), labor costs (they pay well below US minimum wage, with no social security payroll tax), inspection fees (they don't have to pay for USCG inspections, nor have as many, or any, compared to US flag ships), insurance (most foreign seafarers have minimal insurance coverage (and none while off the ship), as opposed to US seafarers, customs duty (all ship's supplies brought into the US from overseas that end up on the ship are brought in with no customs duty, since it is merely in transit from a foreign country to a foreign ship, while US ships have to pay duty for the same parts and supplies if they are manufactured overseas).

 

However, smaller cruise ships will charge a higher fare, even if foreign flag, because they can not generate the "economies of scale" that large ships get.  As a very small example, a cruise ship that carries 3000 passengers only has one Captain, drawing $150k/year.  But, 5 ships carrying 600 pax, need 5 Captains drawing $150k/year.  And, that Captain's salary on the larger ship is spread over 3000 passengers, while the smaller ship Captain's salary, while the same amount, is spread out over only 600 passengers.

  I am not contradicting you and yes, I understand a smaller ship has less passengers to generate income, so they cost more for that reason. I get that, we all do. It is the same reason Amazon can beat out Mom and Pop stores on prices. I meant it is more than that. For example, we did a California coastal cruise (On Ruby Princess I think, it was Princess anyway) about 10 years ago. We left from San Francisco and went to Santa Barbara, Long Beach, San Diego, with our last port being Ensenada. One couple on the Princess board posted (they were not on our cruise but doing the same itinerary a different week) they wanted to disembark in San Diego, spend a few days there and fly home from there. They looked into it and found out the fine was more than their cruise fare.  They decided against it and spent a few says in San Francisco instead. that was the type of scenario I was referring to, there is a fine on the mass market lines if the cruise has a scheduled foreign port you skip. that is why I compared NCL cruises that are round trip Hawaii.

On 3/4/2024 at 8:39 PM, CruiserBruce said:

If you are sailing roundtrip from a US port, you MUST stop in a foreign port. So there has to be a stop in Canada.

 

The only exception would be a US flagged ship, which there are very few. In Alaska, I think there are just a couple 100-200 pax ships that MIGHT meet your needs.

They cost more too and not just because they are a smaller ship.   I don't understand exactly why but cruise ships save a big fee if they do at least one foreign port.  For example, NCL offers a Hawaii only cruise from Hawaii. It is more expensive because it does not do a foreign port. You can do a 2-week round trip cruise to Hawaii from California with a stop in Ensenada Mexico for less than the one-week trip staying in only Hawaii.

On 3/2/2024 at 10:34 AM, 9tee2Sea said:

It's been awhile, but I have stayed at The Tower Hotel, London.  It is just across The Tower Of London.  Nice stroll along the Themes (spelling) to the historical sights.  Hop On Hop Off is just across the street.  Close to a tube station.  Nice restaurants in the harbor behind the establishment.  Easy to get an uber/lyft to the airport.  And if you need Starbucks, there is one right outside the door

 My husband loved the old Roman wall by the tube station. He seemed more intrigued by that than our visit to the Tower of London.

On 2/28/2024 at 10:21 AM, navybankerteacher said:

True - but at least there are plenty of sights to see. And the fact that it is crowded is evidence that there is a reason to be there.

Every big city is overcrowded. I may love seeing the sites and the history there, but I don't like the traffic.  At least London has the tube, and it will get you to most of those historic sites.

7 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Well, maybe you Durhamites can sense things unnoticed by real 

out-of-towners, but Glasgow “…nicer than London…”?   Perhaps the next time you are in the US you should spend your time in Bridgeport, CT rather than New York City.

Lol New York city, Brooklyn, etc.  holds no fascination for me. I have cruised from there a couple of times though. Once to Bermuda, once to Canada.  Traffic was horrific, worse than Atlanta and Atlanta traffic is terrible and holds no fascination for me either. I did like visiting upstate New York out in the countryside.  I have still never been to Maine and would love to go there one day.

On 2/25/2024 at 7:11 PM, davisleel said:

Planning to spend 2 nights in London after a cruise in mid-May. We want to see the sights around Buckingham Palace and go to the Tower of London. Any advice on where to stay and transportation would be appreciated.

 This last cruise we stayed near Heathrow at a Hampton Inn that had a tube stop a block away, but London was over an hour by tube. Our first trip we stayed in Earl court and the next time near Victoria station. Victoria Station is both a tube and train station so you can take the train to get there and use the tube the next day to get around London. The tube is very easy to navigate. That is your best transportation for getting around London. if you find a hotel near a tube station it is easier to take the train from the airport to make the connections to get you to the tube station. However, maybe from the train station take a taxi or Uber. It is worth the expense not to navigate the tube with luggage. Lol! Oh, the trains have luggage racks. Needless to say, Victoria Sation is a better place to get a hotel than Earl's court. Expect Victoria Station hotels to cost more than Earl's Court and needless to say by the airport the hotels are less than half the price, they are much more expensive in London. So, whichever way, it is a tradeoff. Save money or spend more time on the tube getting into London. For more convenience obliviously, you pay more. I guess that is true anywhere.

On 2/24/2024 at 3:07 PM, lenquixote66 said:

We cruised to Canada in the Fall .There is nothing negative about the country for us.

Nor to me either. I found through doing genealogy I have many distant cousins there.  I have a pair of second great grandparents who were French Canadian.  Both of their parents relocated to New York in the 1850's.