Fouremco

According to the CATSA website, the full range of perks are only available when flying out of YUL (T-1) and YYZ (T-1, T-3). https://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/en/verified-travellers

RCI's cancellation policy is quite clear on the conditions under which a deposit refund will be made. There are many different reasons passengers choose to or need to cancel, some very sad, but the policy conditions must be met. This is one of the reasons that cruise lines and insurance companies sell travel insurance, to cover off these unforeseen circumstances.

Bring your baggies. Ice from a bar is your best bet.

There's no need to be concerned about ship cameras peeking in your cabin. Here's a typical camera angle (in this case taken from my balcony on the Nieuw Statendam) showing a range of balconies with no view of the cabins at all.

Yes, it's truly sad to see the number of people, particularly with the elderly, who fall prey to these scams. While there is a marked difference between the illegal scams we see on the evening news and the hustle operated by such companies as the NEXUS renewal website, they exploit a similar segment of society.

Ah, now I understand. I was well aware of the 3rd party websites selling visas and the like, but I didn't realize that they existed for NEXUS. For the fun of it, I googled "nexus renewal" and the very first link was to a site that will charge you a total of $175.99 USD! That's $50 for the actual renewal fee, plus the website's service charge of $125.99. Wow, the unmitigated gall of some people.

Lucky you. Our renewal acceptance letters were dated September 13, and we have yet to see our new cards. IIRC, as your renewal application has been approved, you can continue to use your old card while waiting for the arrival of your new one.

Could you elaborate? We have renewed our NEXUS membership twice, and we've never had to pay any "extra money", just the standard fee. As that set fee is in USD, currency exchange fluctuations might result in a different credit card charge when converted to CAD, but the USD fee has been consistent.

All of the ships I've sailed on, both HAL's and other lines', had locks on the balcony doors. I see no liability issues for HAL should someone be able to first break their way onto a balcony and then break their way into the cabin.

There are four broad categories of shore excursions. 1. Those booked with the cruise line 2. Those booked with excursion companies such as Shore Excursions Group and Viator 3. Those booked directly with local tour providers 4. DIY tours, varying from a simple walk around the port to renting a car to visit more distant locations I've listed these in reverse order to our actual practise. We almost never do 1 or 2, and most frequently do 4. While there are pros and cons with each approach, 4 offers the ability to design an outing that you can tailor to your specific interests. As I have both the time and interest in conducting extensive research, the planning process is part of the enjoyment of the excursions.

There are multiple factors involved in determining the ports to be visited and the order in which they are visited. For example, while Aruba and Curaçao can accommodate multiple cruise ships on a given day, Bonaire has a single berth, so the itinerary has to take into consideration port availability. As the ABC's are a popular destination, multiple cruise lines will be vying for spots, so it's not always possible to visit in your preferred order. Another factor is the itinerary prior to reaching the ABC's. For example, a cruise that works its way down the eastern Caribbean before swinging west would reach Bonaire first. If it's available, it would make more sense to stop there for day 1, then move on to Curaçao and Aruba for the following days. It reduces operating hours for the ship with a resulting saving in fuel costs. Of course, if Bonaire isn't available, for day 1, then the ship might well have to juggle the order.

You might want to check the listing provided by the Curaçao Port Authority: https://hms.curports.com/webx/dashb.ashx?db=curps.public&MENU_ID=WEBX-TB-PUBLIC-CRUISE While it only provides a 3-month window, making it too early to check for April or May of next year, you'll get a pretty good idea of which cruise lines regularly stay late, then check them for April and May. As many of the ships that visit Curaçao during the winter move to Europe or elsewhere in the Spring, you might be very limited if you stick with April and May. As an example, Celebrity has no ships staying beyond 8:00PM for those months, but does in February and March. They even have overnight stays in Curaçao, giving you ample time to discover Willemstad and the rest of the island. But... You may have to dig deep to find a cruise that not only stays late, but also does so on a Thursday night. We've visited Curaçao many times, and will be returning on an RCI cruise in January. We've stayed late, but never on a Thursday, so we've never experienced the Punda Vibes, but there is so much to see and do that I wouldn't expend a whole lot of energy trying to find the perfect cruise itinerary. As for late nights in Bonaire, they stay late if they are going on to Curaçao the following day, a short, leisurely sailing. But if Bonaire is the last of the ABC's on the itinerary, they'll sail in the late afternoon.

I wonder if they'll target the March break, Monday, March 11 to Friday, March 15.

Details can be found here: https://www.westjet.com/en-ca/news/2023/updates-to-westjet-s-baggage-and-pre-reserved-seat-fees0?i_cid=wj:wj-hp:banner1:brand:ancillary-update

If you mean an FCC for the cruise, that wasn't an option for her. As her Porter Airlines ticket is only a Basic Fare, she can't make any changes or cancel for a refund.

We have a family cruise in January, and one member has had to cancel. Her basic tickets are non-refundable, but I'm wondering if there is any benefit in not advising Porter that she is cancelling. Although the chances are slim, I'm thinking that if the outbound flight is cancelled at the last minute due to weather, mechanical issues or for some other reason, she might get a refund at that point. Any thoughts?

Not just Indian citizens, according to CTV. The entry visas are restricted to "persons of Indian origin," or spouses or children of such persons or of Indian citizens https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/india-resuming-some-visa-services-at-high-commission-consulates-in-canada-1.6616259

Too bad RCI doesn't have a similar policy.

We have an upcoming family cruise comprising 4 separate bookings made through 4 different TAs. I had no difficulty linking the bookings once the others provided me with their booking numbers.

Interesting. We booked early on the first morning that they opened up for appointments and the first day offered for Sir Wilfred Laurier HS was November 1st, in spite of the fact that we are both well over 65 and were eligible for the XBB as soon as it became available at the clinics. Ah well, a few more days won't hurt. We decided to go on the weekend to avoid issues with parking at the school. If things work out with Shoppers, it won't matter anyway.

Dare I mention that these are the same passengers that wear the biggest winter parkas that they stuff in the bin beside their items rather than on top of them.

DW and I are booked for the XBB shot on November 4 at one of the city clinics. We also have flu shot appointment with Shoppers before then, and if they too have the XBB shot, will get it at the same time and cancel the city clinic appointment.

If Porter was charging a fee for carry-on bags, it couldn't have been very successful, as they no longer offer this option. For Standard fares and up, a free carry-on is included. For the Basic fare passengers, no carry-on is included and they can't pay extra to bring a carry-on aboard.

A Standard fare entitles you to a free Personal item and a free Standard carry-on. A Basic fare entitles you to a free Personal item only, and you must check all other baggage, including any "carry-on". No one pays a separate fee to board with a carry-on.

I doubt that would solve the problem of a lack of overhead bin space within the cabin, and would simply serve to punish those of us who adhere to the rules. A better solution would be to simply enforce the existing rules.