sparky-elpaso

For me it would be the Panama Canal - having done a Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego one a couple of years ago. Going thru the canal is incredibly interesting. But it all depends on the rest of the travel involved, etc. A very personal decision.

I think what may be missing here is that the remaining payment amount they would have paid would have been increased by the difference between the "reduced deposit" and the normal deposit amount.

Sort of like this:

Total cruise price $3,000 $3,000

Reduced deposit 100 Normal deposit $900

Remaining balance $2,900 $2,100

I wouldn't expect that any business would have to try to figure out what kind of "deal" was made at the outset of thousands of transactions. The bookkeeping would be horrendous. They have to come up with a "normal" set of circumstances to use all of the time.

There's nothing wrong with chair clips, they are totally innocent of any wrongdoing. My chair clips wouldn't know how to offend you, especially as they have never been used to hog a chair. However, some other folks may have very badly behaved chair clips. Those are the ones who need to be punished by going to the naughty cupboard next to the pool attendant.

DH now thinks I've lost my mind since I'm sitting here laughing out loud.

We don't generally spend much time near the pool but we've seen stuff on chairs as we walked by with no one nearby. I'm sure some of the stuff has been there for a while. We need someone to invent a liquid to spray on stuff (that wouldn't damage anything) that would change color after half an hour in the sun. Then "I just put that book there" wouldn't work. :D

Just do a general search for each port. Most port cities will have a web site and quite often you can find a pdf map to print out.

Also check the port using Google Earth for a different type of view.

And a circumnavigation that folks have mentioned doesn't have to be one cruise - it can be a back to back. We did that on the Radiance of the Seas a few years ago. Sydney to Perth "over the top" and then Perth to Sydney with 3 ports and a day of cruising the fjords in New Zealand and then back to Sydney. 34 days total - an incredible trip.

There are several websites where one can purchase vest and documentation for about 65 dollars. As someone who works with children and amazing therapy dogs for epilepsy, POTTS ,diabetes...the abuse of the system chafes my hide.

 

My daughter had an awful allergic reaction to some lady who had her therapy CATS on an airplane, on her lap , stroking them. My kiddo is allergic and was having asthma attacks . I almost took the damned cats and flushed them.

 

I had a flight to Phoenix next to a lovely gal with her therapy Guinea pigs. Sh e fed them barbecue potatoe chips the whole flight. I flew from DC. They smelled like , well, Guinea pigs- adorable, but I doubt that they sense a change in blood pressure and safely guide that gal to the floor before she passes out like the dogs that I know.

 

Emotional support pets may be necessary for a very small percentage of the population . But when I see families that truly need the trained medical dogs go through hours of training for these dogs that have been trained to do things that we as humans cannot , struggling to afford a dog or applying for a grant to get one, and then I sit next to chip-chewing rodents on a 4 hour flight because their owner can't fly without them...when my daughter can't breathe because a selfish woman has to stroke her kitties instead of leaving them In the carrier where dander and saliva-covered hair is NOT flying thru the cabin...I become annoyed.

 

I am a strong advocate for the otherly abled and those with true psych issues.We have a dear friend with PTSD who has a dog who,helps him greatly. But as many pointed out there are guidelines for the behavior of an emotional support dog..His

dog is trained , doesn't growl, doesn't interact unless instructs, doesn't run around the pool deck as I have seen a little Pomeranian ES dog do...and knows when our friend is having difficulty. It is truly amazing.

But this country has gone nuts with the PC crap.

 

Thank you, OP for bringing this topic to CC

Well said. I used to have a co-worker who was the leader of a 4H group of young ladies who were "puppy raisers" for the leader dog school in Michigan. She said the day they had to take the pups back was always hard - you can say you won't become attached but that's just not going to happen. The girls would cry and then ask when they would be getting the next pup.

What service can a Chihuahua perform.

A Chihuahua or any other small dog could be a "hearing ear" dog for the deaf - size doesn't matter for that. There are also dogs that can sense if their person is about to have a seizure.

We're getting ready to renew ours in the next couple of months and the aggravating thing for us is that we no longer have any checks - we pay all of our bills on-line. So that means a trip to the bank to get money orders.

Travelon is another good brand - it's what I have now. Check the ebags . com website. I've gotten luggage, backpacks, packing cubes, purses, etc. through them and have been very satisfied with service, etc. I just checked and Travelon bags are on sale right now. :)

Very interesting article.

DH is a lefty and I'm right-handed. If we sit side-by-side we make sure he's on my left so our dominant hands are on the outside - that way we don't bump elbows and spill things all over the place. :D

I think a lot depends on what it's going to cost to get to the ship and back hom again. For us, anything shorter than a week or 10 days wouldn't be worth it because we have to travel a ways to get to any cruise port.

I see you're in the UK. If you live in Southampton and would be leaving from there it might be worth it.

The itinerary for your cruise will have the times listed - along with whether or not you're docked or tendered ashore.

Many thanks to all.

We actually reserved the hotel yesterday. Here is what I am seeing. If you are flying in, Dania beach seems preferred as you want to think about taxi cost. This also pushes up the cost in that area. Since we are driving and taxi cost is not an issue, we booked in Ft Lauderdale itself...near the beach for a much better price. To those that asked...we all have valid passports already, even the 4 yo. As for the cell phones, we do know to turn off international data..and go into plane mode near shore outside of the US...and I am guessing phone and text only works at sea if you have signed up for a package? If I am wrong on that, please let me know. As the phones will also be the cameras, I am thinking we will want them. But I should ask...is it a better to ha e no phone and take a dedicated camera?

Lastly. ..what suggestions does anybody have for what to do in Ft Lauderdale the night before the cruise?

Being an avid photographer I would go for the camera. :D We actually will be taking 3 on our next cruise - my good camera and a back-up older model in case something were to happen to the good one and a little pocket camera to use at meals (yes, I'm one of those crazy gals who takes photos of food), etc. I tend to average 150 to 300 photos on a port day.

We are a family of 4.

Along with my wife, we have a 4 y/o and a 13 y/o.

We originally looked at a Disney cruise...and will likely take a Disney cruise in the next year or so. We had no idea you need to book so far in advance.

What has also stunned us is the comments about 2-3 months to prepare and people feeling rushed.

We decided that we wanted to get our feet wet and see what cruises are all about this year so we signed up for RCL Independence..going to Cozumel, leaving out March 31. we signed up at the end of January.

I am seriously wondering if I am missing something huge that I should be prepping for.

 

We have the excursions planned. We did it through the line since this is our first cruise. Good idea.

We are driving to FL and have the parking reserved.

We do still need to get a hotel room as we are going down a day or two early. Good decision. No sense in starting out your vacation stressed worrying about getting there in time. Especially in March.

 

Drink packages....check.

Sunscreen...check.

Bug Spray....check.

New sunglasses...check

Passports...check

Binoculars...check

Luggage...check

Snorkels and mask...check

Waterproof cases for Seapass and ID cards...check

22v-110v adapter...check.....(I do know a device has to be able to handle 220v)

Not sure what you mean by adapter. Cruise ships generally have one American plug and one European type (round pins). Most, if not all, electronics are 110v-220v so you can plug them in anywhere.

 

We have to do the papers for boarding still..but I a, planning to handle that a couple of weeks out.

We are simply not paying those rates for a weak internet connect.

I am curious as to if anybody here has opted for the new At&t plan on the ship. It just seems pricey...but perhaps if we went with the 50 min voice plan only per ph. This would allow us to call when we need to reach another family member on the ship. I am guessing a min call would be enough at a time. Can't help you there - DH and I are generally together all of the time.

Of course this would have to mean that the ship has some repeaters to allow access from any port and deck for this to work.

I have been trying to determine the best way to keep in touch on the ship. I have looked at 2 way radios but keep seeing feedback indicating they will not be a good option on this size ship. Of course if anybody had a brand work well..or had another idea, I would be interested.

I also looked at goTenna but I am not sure how much better it would do with the steel walls. Most folks leave notes in the cabin for each other. You're right, walkie-talkies don't work on the ship. Actually, the public areas on the ships aren't that big. Just make plans ahead of time where to meet for lunch, etc. I'm assuming the 4 year old would be with you anyway. We've never cruised with kids so not sure on that sort of stuff.

 

I have gotten some idea of the tipping rate....but if I am sitting by the pool and want drinks...what is the etiquette if I have the drink package? Are tips built into the package as well? I plan to have a few...daily..am I tipping each time? Tips are included in the package. And added on to the price of any drink purchased separately.

 

So any seasoned cruiser...if there is something that I am just missing, please let me know.

 

Many Thanks

Sounds like you've got it all together. And welcome to the great world at sea. You're gonna love it.

We have done three turnaround days in Barcelona. Each time there were a generous number of turnaround passengers (in 2013 there were just over 300 B2B passengers) and each time Celebrity had special excursions for B2B passengers available for purchase. We generally do B2B or B2B2B series of cruises, and have noticed that Celebrity does indeed offer turnaround day excursions for their B2B passengers if there are a number of B2B passengers.

 

For those interested in an easy turnaround day the Barcelona Maritime Museum (Museu Maritim) is close to the cruise port and well worth a visit.

Thanks for the info. The Maritime Museum is something we hope to do during our 2 days before the cruise.

Thanks everyone. So I guess it's wait and see. We'll be in Barcelona for 2 days before the first cruise so I've got some things planned for those 2 days. I was looking for some further away things like Montserrat, etc. for a tour.

We'll be ending one cruise and beginning the next in Barcelona. So far the only excursions shown for that day begin or end at the airport for folks ending or beginning their cruise on that day.

On our last b2b on Princess we found a list of excursions for turnaround day in our cabin and could sign up for them onboard. Just wondering if Celebrity does the same thing.

Thanks.

We have a little Coleman backpacking light that we put in the bathroom. It's about 5 inches high so it doesn't take up much room in our bags.

Also, once you have your flights booked, keep an eye on them for any changes. We have our flights booked for Oct. and Nov. and already both have been changed. Return flights have a longer layover so that wasn't a problem. But one of the outgoing flights was changed so we had a shorter layover - not acceptable. So I had to call and get the 2nd flight changed - no problem and no extra charge for the change (American Airlines).

For me it would be anything with more than one zero before the decimal point in the price. :D

For customs I would imagine there would be some kind of a price point and maybe things like real gems, higher quality gold or silver, etc.

Of course lying about the situation is such a great example to set for the kids.

Thanks for all the replies. Sounds like I'll have to take some notes during any announcements to get some info and make up my own "log".

Great. Thanks. Not one of those "necessary" things but kind of nice to have.

On our last cruise on Princess at the end of the cruise we got a printed "Captain's Log" with info on each day like our position, weather, sunrise and sunset times, how far we traveled, speed, etc. with a description of things like when the pilot came on board, when we docked, etc.

Just wondering if Celebrity does anything like that. The info came in really handy when I was making my photo books.

Thanks.

Book me on the first trip, please. Something tells me it would be mega expensive to build.