DragonMouse

Thanks so much for the info. Especially that SUV. That might be an interesting "option"...

Thanks too for the info on excursions...now to decide...hmmm :rolleyes:

...and once they arrived, we said GoodBye to Kent, and he went off to explore and finish playing tourist in Seattle -- and the four of us took an SUV limo to the pier!!!

 

Pier 91...

 

Tell me about this SUV limo? I'm not sure I understand? We'll be staying in Seattle...How much is an SUV limo to the pier? That sounds rather cool. They'll be 5 of us.

What were some of the "Excursion" tips from Stu? I was thinking about the Tracy Arm excursion and/or maybe the Mildenhall Wildlife and Whale Watching tour...We'll be going this July. I'm guessing it probably won't be as cold. Was the Tracy Arm limited because it was still so "icy" thus you couldn't get as close to shore or was it just new regulations? You seemed to love the train. I wasn't really clear...do you get to stop and walk around or is it a train all the way thru?

Loved your review...We've got an "Aft Wrap". I've never been in a suite before but our friends are on their first...they wanted a super balcony. The price for the Aft Wrap suite was strangely the same price as a regular balcony on any other cruise line...weird...stupid maybe but that's how we justified getting a suite.

Well that's the scary part because it was listing on one side I wonder if they could have launched all those boats on THAT side that's why so many showed up on the wrong side...but I dunno. I'm glad I wasn't there. I do feel sad for those that were.

I personally think the muster drills have gotten a bit too lax. I do support the no life jacket because YES it is awful hot in some areas. HOWEVER I don't agree with everybody meeting in the resturant/lounge. That is a really STUPID idea. Everybody has assigned stations where they're supposed to meet in case of emergency. My family is not always joined at the hip...sometimes I might want to go to the pool where as my husband wants to take a nap. My son being 16 will likely be involved in one of the teen activities.

Being able to meet at a specific number and place will keep everybody from running about in an emergency looking for one another...

The life vests are nice but...if you're on the top floor at the back of the ship and you have a cabin on the bottom floor in the front...are you going to run back and get a vest? Then meet at the halfway point? Some logistics just don't seem to be there. But there should also be considered an "alternate" location such as in the Concordia incident where the ship was listing to one side. Personnally I would consider improving this by providing life vests near the life boats and as well as the the cabins. Good life vests can be "compact".

Many people don't take their passports with them to get stamps. There is a little table that I saw where you could get them if you want them. HOWEVER...these days I'd probably blow that off because if you run out of room and you're someplace that NEEDS to stamp your passport....You'd have to BUY extra pages for your passport books now (it used to be free). It ridiculous.

My son was 13 last year and said it was the best vacation ever. He had a blast. The only "slow" time for him was on the first day till 10 pm. 10 pm was the evening "meet and greet" party. After that...he was GONNNNNEEE. Woke up and out the door by 9:00 am. I laid claim to him on port days so I don't know what all was available in Port. I believe the "O Club" (15-17) had some excursion activities.

We'd go on our excursion and then..."Mom I wanna get back...I'm meeting so-n-so"...I'd escort him back to the ship or he'd go back with hubby or one of my friends. Dinner...gotta eat fast Mom...there's a party...later...SIGH...He had a total blast...saw more shows and other things than I did. They had scavenger hunts, parties, arcade battles...just all sorts of stuff. He took a picture with 5 of his friends and oh my...what a fantastic picture. They started texting each other as soon as we pulled into port and they still are...they're facebook friends too.

His first night back he came in around 2 or 3 in the morning. I was nervous but my husband and the other gentleman in our party told me to loosen up a bit. He came in happy as a lark and babbled like crazy about all the people he met and the "crazy" party at the club. He really had a blast. He had perhaps only ONE day in which we found him in the room snoozing. He said they were ALL tired and he was just aching for a nap. Kinda funny coming from a 13 year old. He slept for a couple of hours then he was out the door again.

Tender Tickets? How do you get Tender Tickets???

We went on the Eastern this year and there were no Tenders. Next time it's going to be West. How do we get Tender Tickets? I want off early...I like to explore.

Oh and FYI...we REALLY liked our cabin 1273 on Rivera deck. You could watch everybody board. It wasn't as fine as the balcony but it was right next to the elevators which was nice. If I can't afford a balcony. I'll pick THAT room again.