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Well, I guess paying off all my cruises in advance didn't work in my favor for the Bahamas, huh? 😉

That would be her daily sugar coma break? Good on her!!

Belgium chocolate is soooooo good.

Another opportunity to build my ignore list. And....I see that two of my other ignore favs reacted to your post. It's like a tiny club.

I went on a "chocolate farm" tour in Kauai in 2021. They gave us samples to eat from 24 different countries so we could taste the difference. Truly educational (hint: it's the soil). Anyway, yes, US chocolate is not made the same, but most people just taste the chocolate flavor. Kind of wine connoisseur vs just somebody that wants a good tasting wine to drink. But, if I was working somewhere I had little access to chocolate, ANY chocolate would taste great to me! IMO, Ghirardelli chocolate is one of the best US made chocolates, but I'm a local and prejudiced. Godiva is next IMO. If you want THE best, order online some from Lydgate Chocolate Farms in Kauai. Also, if Coralc is anywhere on this board, she can tell you what she thinks, too. I brought her a bag of it home with me.

I say give them both so they don't have to spend the tip to buy the candy. Win-win.

I agree. Add the candy to the cash tip. Make it chocolate: like get a bag of the pre-wrapped Godiva chocolate/caramel balls. Little bits of heaven.

Not your question, OP, but flying into Long Beach (LGB) on Southwest is soooooo much nicer than LAX. Small airport, but a great sitting area outside between the terminals. 20 minute drive to San Pedro dock. I Uber to a Long Beach hotel, and then Uber to the dock in the morning.

Excellent suggestion. Also, RCCL will transfer you to the new ship's dock at no charge. In FL, they will transfer you to/from POM and PE.

Speaking of which, I just reserved the UDP on the Grandeur for this September. On sale right now.

It's worth the extra expense, IMO. Depends on the ship and whether I'm with others.

I gave up on MTD last year on the Grandeur. I sailed as a "bridge" cruise between cruising with friends before and after the Grandeur. I went to the MTD entrance early, saw about 250 people waiting in line, and said, "Nope, not for me" in my head. Immediately went to fixed dining, asked to be switched, and have stayed with fixed dining, the WJ, or CK, ever since. This is after some very difficult experiences since 2019 getting tables, overcrowding, and SUPER noisy dining rooms. About 10 different ships, with and without family and friends, over 4 years now. I watch the UDP prices carefully if I'm cruising by myself.

Aware of this. I have no clue about Astoria, except it's beautiful countryside.

My son went to college in SB, living there for 5 years. I texted him and said, "what would a cruise passenger do in SB". His reply was cryptic, but succinct: "State Street; Channel Islands Nat'l Park; go up to SB City College for the view".

This thread reminds of the "should I take my passport with me off the ship" discussions. Everyone's got an opinion, and they are absolutely right; until their not. I like my "sense of security" to be as real as I can get it, rather than a "false one". Each person has to decide their own comfort zone. (And, regarding the idiotic posts....................thanks for reinforcing my need for my ignore list. Every so often I take a look at a post, but it's always, "Yep, they are still reinforcing my decision".)

My Surface Pro is updated daily with my personal data, and I don't want to recreate that when I get home depending on when I last backed it up. So, it gets put away when I leave the cabin. And, no, I'm not into cloud back-ups, either.

I use a Surface Pro X, and it fits in almost all shallow and wide drawer in the cabins' "desk" areas. If not, I store it inside the cabinets on top of the safe, packed in a plain gray zippered case, or in my KYSS bag. The little padlock that comes with the bag fits through the zipper pulls on the bag, so it cannot be opened or easily taken. Most crew will not touch a laptop sitting out: they want to keep their jobs. Many passengers walking by WILL take it. That bag is also fabulous for traveling solo. I chain my luggage and the bag to a table when I get food in airports. No more juggling it all while I get carryout food.

She didn't realize until halfway through the meal that there was a problem, as there was such a small amount of sauce. It was probably the thickener that did it. From what I watched I would NOT want to see her ingest more than she did. She did talk to the head waiter about her pre-ordering and how important it was. But, the waiters didn't cook her food: the kitchen did. There was no way to visually see what had been done, so changing tables wasn't really necessary. The entrée looked sauceless. By the time she realized and stopped eating it, the reaction had already started.

I was including the pre-order information because the OP didn't specify how severe the reaction was to salt-included foods and/or sauces. I spent a cruise having dinner with someone who must eat gluten-free. Even though she pre-ordered every night for the next night, they forgot one night and scraped sauce off the top. I sat there and literally watched her abdomen balloon out within 10 minutes. It was very hard to watch her discomfort. So, I err on the side of over-cautious replies now.

If you are concerned about salt, ask for the sauces on the side. But, it might be better to order a day ahead. Just ask your waiter for the next day's menu, and order accordingly. No, the water on the ship is not salty: urban cruise myth. It's the salt and sugar in the FOOD that puffs us all up like big blowfish! 😄

I've been in St. Croix either 2 or 3 times in the last year. (Too lazy to look it up.) I love the walk around the docking area. There's a lovely path along the sea with trees, shrubs, flowers, and benches. It's a great place to relax and watch the ocean. Plus, small shops and cafes are nearby, too.

I agree. Before the show, we used to go to the Windjammer: cookies for my husband; fruit and cheese for me. Mine went in the little cabin fridge.

Well said. 😉

I am able to make reservations for my March 2024 cruise, so you should be able to soon, if not already available.

This web site has a list of college Spring breaks for 2024. The latest ends on 4/6/24. https://www.ststravel.com/college-spring-break-dates Most schools in the US have one week for Easter/Spring break.