bbwex

What can you do if someone's ability to post messages is blocked for some reason?

So differences of opinon: We had a balcony because I really enjoy sitting out on the balcony, but it was too cold every single day, including the day we got back to Vancouver to ever sit out there and enjoy it. I concur with the earlier suggestion to do a tour, and I would suggest a good land tour before your cruise, particularly if you can start your cruise in Alaska -- so you finish your tour and then get on board. We did six days starting in Fairbanks, going to Denali, and then on to Anchorage. Denali is a must, and though people often suggest one of the other tours there, the standard, all-day bus tour is great -- you will see more bears than you can believe, and they stop to let you photograph them and the other wildlife as you drive 51 miles in. We boarded our ship in Seward, and we took the five hour boat tour there before we boarded, and it was the second best thing we did on the entire cruise -- the up close and personal trip to a glacier was amazing. Spend time on the Ports of Call section and read a lot to find the best tours in each port, and then book them early as private tours. DW and I both felt that the tour up to the Yukon was only fair, but the whale watch and walk on a glacier in Juneau were fantastic, and a float plane trip in Ketchikan was excellent. Have a great time.

I heartily agree that this topic has been discussed a lot. At the same time, I don't see that asking people to wear a minimum of a collared shirt and slacks is so much to ask. To wear less is really insulting to the rest of the passengers and shows a lack of concern about the feelings of others. Just because people wear jeans and T-shirts does not make it appropriate. Dressing inappropriately is classy -- it is just low class(y).

I have not compared Viking's prices recently, but look at Oceania. Their ships are small -- 672 pax to 1250 pax -- give excellent service and the food is great. The cruises are port intensive and though we have rarely used a ship's tour, we have never had a problem finding a space. That being said, you might want to consider looking at private tours on your next cruise. There are several companies that operate tours in many cities worldwide, and there are small operators as well. I sometimes get some personal recommendations or spend a good bit of time on the Ports of Call section of Cruise Critic and read lots of comments to get a real sense of how well some tour operators do. Do not go by a single recommendation. Reputable private tour operators depend on their being reliable, and I have never heard of a single case where they got their customers back late -- that tends to be a problem when people go out without any guide. Private tours are usually cheaper (if you get four or six other people on your roll call to join you), are much more intimate, cover more ground, and can be customized if you read about some place on the Ports of Call section that was not going to be included.

I would think that if you have breakfasts and dinners together and tour together, they will naturally grow more comfortable and open with each other. I doubt that you would have to do much beyond that to "force" things. DW and I are, likely, more outgoing, but we have made fast friends when we have toured together, even though they were people we did not know at all before the cruise. Some pre-planning together might be useful, but I would think that private tours that kept your group intimate would be very helpful.

You can actually check the Department of State website to get a current gauge of the turnaround time.

Number one thing is to not skip the Muster Drill. I know it seems as boring as the seat belt demo on an airplane, but a) they will track you down if you miss it, and b) it could be cause for your being unceremoniously kicked off the ship with no refund. Number two: you can bring a plugging strip to help plug in the myriad devices you need to charge, but make sure that it is not a surge protected power strip -- that might cause it to be confiscated. Number three: if you are taking a lot of photographs, take extra memory cards, and switch them part way through the cruise. If one gets corrupted, as will sometimes happen, you won't lose everything. Number four: bring luggage that is pretty flat when empty, i.e. a duffel bag, etc., and when unpacked, put the suitcases or duffels under the bed to save space.

When you enter a foreign port, the local authorities will come on board, and clear the ship and passengers. This can be fairly quick, or can take up to an hour. Once that is finished, you can start to disembark for that port. In most ports, they will ask that you be back aboard an hour before sailaway time. If you are on a ship's tour, they might cut that closer, but if you are on a private tour they will likely be back an hour before departure time. If you are on you own, make very sure that you are back on time, and aim for at least an hour before just in case. The ship will wait for ship's tours, private tours guarantee that they will get you back (and I have never heard of a reputable private tour company that was late, but passengers that decide to do things on their own run a chance of making a timing mistake. There are ample YouTube videos of passengers getting back after it is too late!

If you are trying to text to someone ashore, you will use the ship's data tower for text messages, and as has been noted, it is an add on charge. A few texts won't cost you all that much, but there will be additional fees.

It has been noted before, cost of a nuclear plant is really high. Not to correct chengkp75, but the nuclear plant replaces the boilers, so you do not have to have boilers, and though the turbines to run the screws as well as the turbines to generate electricity are there, they might not be larger than the gas turbine system and generators that makes electricity on today's cruise ships. I would presume that a nuclear-powered ship would run on steam, and no, a nuclear-powered ship does not need any other propulsion system for fast response. Then too, much of the Navy's nuclear plant systems are classified, so you would have to find some company to make an initial design, get it approved, etc., etc., etc. Without that, the initial cost is prohibitive, and the pool of people qualified to run a nuclear system is small. The cruise industry does want to reduce emissions, but this is not a solution for them. I do not know whether nuclear-powered ships are prohibited anyplace, but security would be an issue. I suspect that the NIMITZ anchored out in San Fran was because NAS Alameda is no longer operational and the NIMITZ is a very large ship. They nuclear-powered ships go right up to the wharves in San Diego, but at a secure Navy base, and they do the same at Navy bases on the East Coast. The Japanese government does not allow U.S. Navy ships to make port calls with nuclear weapons on board, but I never heard that that applied to the propulsion plants and the ENTERPRISE was serving at the same time we were in WestPac. Someone from a nuclear-powered ship might be able to better answer that part of the question.

If you are not really prone to seasickness and Bonine handles it, there are, as noted, ginger options and I have posted elsewhere how to handle seasickness in general. However, you mentioned sea bands and patches. The sea bands work for some people, and others don't get any benefit. The patches are really a last resort medication, have all kinds of side effects for some people, and are a powerful medication. Not something for someone who has it handled with something as mild as Bonine.

While I have to admit to a preference for private tours, a couple of thoughts: I spent a lot of time perusing the Ports of Call section prior to our trip to get a feel for which tour operators to use at the various ports in Alaska. Not relying on just one or two comments, but rather reading through and getting many opinions, I was able to narrow it down to sometimes just one in a port and sometimes a couple, but we found excellent tour operators and had a fantastic time. There really is no worry about using a reputable private tour company as far as getting back to the ship on time. These people's livelihoods depend on their not being late, and I have never heard of a private tour operator's being late. Even if they are, they guarantee that they will get you to the next port to catch up with the ship. Stories about people missing the ship are essentially invariably about people who went off on their own. Private tours are usually cheaper than ship tours if you get six or eight people to go in together. That is a great advantage of using your Roll Call here on CC -- you can let other passengers on your cruise know that you have a tour set up, and it is usually easy to get others to join you. That is a little bit more difficult on Alaskan trips because so many families are together, but it is still very doable.

No need to take bottled water on board. The water on the ship will be more pure than anything you are likely to buy, you don't have to lug heavy cases of water with you, and all you need to do is take a refillable water bottle. As for the alcohol questions, I leave that to other responders and people on your cruise line board.

While there are stories and even videos of people getting back to their ships late, you will find that those people tended to be totally on their own, and were not careful. While the stops in the Caribbean don't all offer lots of day-long tours, if you work with reputable tour operators, their whole livelihoods depend on getting their passengers back on time, and I have not read a single report that a reputable tour operator ever got back late. One thing to do is to go on the Ports of Call section of Cruise Critic, read a lot of the postings about a given port and get the overall picture of who is good and who is not in terms of tour offerings. Do not go by a single report, but rather read lots of get a reliable sample. Again, though it is not as important in some ports in the Caribbean, we have found that private tours are cheaper if you get a small group of six or eight, and you can do that on the roll call for your cruise, and you get to see more of the port, and can even add in things that you or someone in your group hears about. Bus tours operated by the ships are slower, and don't leave each stop until the slowest member of the group manages to get back on the bus.

We have frequently used shoretrips.com with great success, though that domain now leads to Venture Ashore, so I don't know if they were bought out or what. We use almost exclusively private vendors, and have had great success looking on the Ports of Call section of CC, and reading a lot about each port. You cannot put too much faith in a single post, but if you read a lot of posts about a port, you will get a good feel for which companies provide the best services. I, for one, would appreciate hearing how your experience with sidetrips works out.

We did a canal cruise and really enjoyed it. As others have said, the canal, its construction and operation are amazing to see. Most cruises embark people to explain the operation of the canal before you actually go through it, so you will understand how it all works. As for the ports, I had little idea of what we would see in Cartagena and some of the others, but though they are warm, they are really interesting. All-in-all, it was a great cruise besides the canal, and the canal is truly fascinating.

I have to agree that there are passengers that like small ships, ones that like medium-sized ships, those that like large ships, and those that like the mega-ships. Those larger than about 1200 passengers are not my first choice, but, as has been stated, the RCL ships in the 6K passenger size are popular. Some people go for the entertainment at sea, some people go for the solitude at sea, and some go for the ports. Some say "to-may-to" some say "to-mah-to." While I prefer small ships, DW and I have taken our grandkids on Disney cruises, and though there were about 2,500 passengers on those cruises, we had a great time on both.

I haven't met the nap I didn't enjoy!

I obviously agree with what others have said -- it could be calm, it could be rough, it could be somewhere in between. While it is during part of hurricane season, I would not add that to my worries if I were you, as the ship will avoid the hurricane. That being said, seas can be and are created by storms that could be a long ways away, so even though you stay out of the hurricane, you could experience heavy seas as the result of one that you missed. The heaviest seas I ever saw were on a beautiful, bright, sunny day. The seas were about 50'. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. That's about all you can do.

So, let's talk a bit about seasickness. Most people don't get it, or get just a little as they get their "sea legs." For most people who do have any kind of problem, this does pass in a day, two at the most. (Yes, I know, some people have it for longer, but the vast majority get over it fairly quickly.) There are some things that you can do to minimize the sensation. First of all, and this is counter-intuitive, you should eat normal meals, i.e. you should eat at normal times. You want to avoid greasy foods perhaps, but you are better off with something in your stomach. Secondly, until you get your sea legs, you should try to stay somewhere where you can see the horizon. The current thought is that seasickness is caused by a conflict between the eyes and the inner ear, so that when you are inside a ship, your eye does not see motion, but your inner ear is trying to say you are moving. Avoid the conflict by being somewhere outside or by a window where you can see the motion. Once again, the vast majority of cruisers get their sea legs -- some immediately, some over the course of the first day or two at the most. As to remedies: there are the over-the-counter pills: dramamine, bromine, and others that work for many people. You can also use ginger, either in ginger pills, cookies, or ginger ale (if it really has giner in it). Some people swear by sea-bands, others see not benefit, so they work for some people but not all people. Then, of course, there is the scopolamine patch --- "the patch." While this has seemed to become some people's first option, it really is a last option. It is a powerful drug, some people have adverse reactions including hallucinations, blurred vision, confusion and others. If you are insistent on using the patch, I would strongly recommend doing it at home for several days to see how you tolerate it. There are some other things you can do -- minimize the motion by staying towards the center of the ship, though that gets complicated. If you are trying to minimize the pitching (bow and stern going up and down), then you want a cabin near the center (amidships). This is best in the real center, which used to have people suggest staying as low as possible, but as ships have changed in design, the center is now somewhat higher than the lowest cabin deck, but pretty complicated to calculate. Try to stay in what appears to be the center up and down and fore and aft. As for the ship's rolling (side-to-side) motion, you would want to be in the center going from one side to the other, but that puts you in an inside cabin with no windows, and remember what I started out by saying --- be able to see the horizon. An inside cabin is not for someone who is seasick. Part of the issue is anxiety. People get afraid that they are going to get seasick, and they essentially talk themselves into it. I often think a prescription for Valium would be more helpful than anything else! I have seen a sailor get seasick as we were leaving port, and frankly we were on an aircraft carrier in the harbor going maybe 5 knots, and if you did not look out the window you would never have known that we were moving! He convinced himself that he was going to get seasick, and sure enough he did. Yes, I know that some people really do suffer from seasickness, but the vast majority, and I mean the vast majority get over it in a day or less. Millions of people wouldn't cruise if they all got seasick, but a very large number take a little time to get their sea legs. Large cruise ships do move -- the ocean is really, really big folks -- but they don't move like a car or a small boat. The motion is usually fairly gentle. Usually doesn't mean always, the seas can and do get heavy and it can get rough out there, but generally it is not bad. I hope this helps.

Aha, Thank you very much. I thought there was something I was missing.

I have many times submitted new topics, and on a couple of occasions I have started a new roll call. I have never been able to make the original posting for a roll call bold whereas most other ones are bold. How do you do that?? Thanks.

I realize that this is a bit redundant, but Old Bear's advice is very solid. Go on the "Ports of Call" section, and spend a lot of time reading about the ports you are going to. You will get a sense of what tours and tour operators are good, but you have to read a bunch, as one or two reviews can be deceiving. Also Rick Steves books are useful. We were going to Monaco and the French Riviera, and he gave the name of an excellent tourguide, who was not busy when we were going to be there, so it was great advice. You will find that this is not all that daunting after you start following these steps. Previous cruisers really do tell you what they know.

Weather in Alaska can be tricky anytime. We went in early June, and while we had great weather on a tour from Fairbanks down to Anchorage, and then on ship's departure day out of Seward, it rained part of most of the other days, and was never very warm --- we never could use our balcony. In any weather, Alaska is amazing though.

Well, anxiety can be a big part of the problem, but let's talk a little bit about seasickness. For most people, this does pass in a day, two at the most. (Yes, I know, some people have it for longer, but the vast majority get over it fairly quickly.) There are some things that you can do to minimize the sensation. First of all, and this is counter-intuitive, you should eat normal meals, i.e. you should eat at normal times. You want to avoid greasy foods perhaps, but you are better off with something in your stomach. Secondly, until you get your sea legs, you should try to stay somewhere where you can see the horizon. The current thought is that seasickness is caused by a conflict between the eyes and the inner ear, so that when you are inside a ship, your eye does not see motion, but your inner ear is trying to say you are moving. Avoid the conflict by being somewhere outside or by a window where you can see the motion. Once again, the vast majority of cruisers get their sea legs -- some immediately, some over the course of the first day or two at the most. As to remedies: there are the over-the-counter pills: dramamine, bromine, and others that work for many people. You can also use ginger, either in ginger pills, cookies, or ginger ale (if it really has giner in it). Some people swear by sea-bands, others see not benefit, so they work for some people but not all people. Then, of course, there is the scopolamine patch --- "the patch." While this has seemed to become some people's first option, it really is a last option. It is a powerful drug, some people have adverse reactions including hallucinations, blurred vision, confusion and others. If you are insistent on using the patch, I would strongly recommend doing it at home for several days to see how you tolerate it. There are some other things you can do -- minimize the motion by staying towards the center of the ship, though that gets complicated. If you are trying to minimize the pitching (bow and stern going up and down), then you want a cabin near the center (amidships). This is best in the real center, which used to have people suggest staying as low as possible, but as ships have changed in design, the center is now somewhat higher than the lowest cabin deck, but pretty complicated to calculate. Try to stay in what appears to be the center up and down and fore and aft. As for the ship's rolling (side-to-side) motion, you would want to be in the center going from one side to the other, but that puts you in an inside cabin with no windows, and remember what I started out by saying --- be able to see the horizon. An inside cabin is not for someone who is seasick. Part of the issue, as I mentioned at the outset, is anxiety. People get afraid that they are going to get seasick, and they essentially talk themselves into it. I often think a prescription for Valium would be more helpful than anything else! I have seen a sailor get seasick as we were leaving port, and frankly we were on an aircraft carrier in the harbor going maybe 5 knots, and if you did not look out the window you would never have known that we were moving! He convinced himself that he was going to get seasick, and sure enough he did. Yes, I know that some people really do suffer from seasickness, but the vast majority, and I mean the vast majority get over it in a day or less. Millions of people wouldn't cruise if they all got seasick, but a very large number take a little time to get their sea legs. Large cruise ships do move -- the ocean is really, really big folks -- but they don't move like a car or a small boat. The motion is usually fairly gentle. Usually doesn't mean always, the seas can and do get heavy and it can get rough out there, but generally it is not bad. I hope this helps.