karl_nj

I had a big issues with getting a refund for an excursion that was auto-cancelled after a lift-and-shift. I just figure that my best bet going forward is to manually cancel items in cruise planner proactively once I know a cruise is going to be cancelled (or shifted).

The "if" may be to cover "Simply Sail" bookings: Q. #27: What is Simply Sail? When is it available? A: Simply Sail will offer a cruise-only rate for select sailings within 90 days of departure. Simply Sail will replace Exciting Deals with a new creative look and feel but maintain the same offering parameters. This may be similar to something that NCL seems to offer for last minute bookings. At least for NCL, you can get a discount for declining booking a cruise with an "included" drink package, because gratuity isn't included in the "free drink package". With Celeb

Bummer. I had always wanted to visit Key West, but never got around to it. I figured visiting via cruise ship would have been my best bet; i don't really envision myself flying to Florida, renting a car, and driving all the way down to Key West. Oh well, plenty of other places to visit and spend money.

Is this really any different then airlines asking their passengers to wear masks? There have been a few news reports of people being banned from flying due to not wearing masks, but it seems like most people are following the guidelines.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/from-other-countries.html Kinda crazy that China is still on the "no entry list", since they are one of the few countries that have managed to control the virus. Reminds me of when NY/NJ was still on the quarantine list for Florida, even though the north-east had better COVID-19 numbers (at the time).

My understanding is that Canadians can fly to the US for any reason, including tourism, but American's are only permitted to fly to Canada for "Essential Travel", and not tourism: Essential refers to travel for reasons that are non-discretionary and non-optional. The emergency orders under the Quarantine Act do not allow people to travel to Canada for optional or discretionary reasons, such as for tourism, recreation or entertainment. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/travel-restrictions-exemptions.html

I've cut and pasted the top of the page I linked to. Note the bit in red: COVID-19 Notification FOR POLICIES PURCHASED ON OR AFTER MARCH 11 Travel Insurance, at least in the United States, usually covers 2 things. Trip Cancellation/Interruption and Emergency Medical coverage (though some annual policies only cover medical.) Trip Cancellation/Interruption almost never covers a "known event" For example, once a storm becomes a named hurricane, it's too late to buy coverage that will cover t

In the US it likely depends on the insurance company. Here is an example of a vendor that would still cover you if you caught COVID-19: https://www.travelguard.com/o/covid19notification On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic... However, this does not affect any Medical Benefits available under the insurance policy.

Yes, another vote for the Kimpton Epic. We stayed there August 2019, before our cruise on Symphony. The room had a small balcony with a fun view of the Miami River; I enjoyed watching all the traffic on the river. Whenever a drawbridge opened, it causes chaos on the roads. We got upgraded to a junior suite, so we had a nice sitting area to relax. If you have an Amex Platinum card, they do participate in the FHR program, so we also got breakfast included and a $100 F&B credit.

I think you bring up some great points, but Holland America already does this, so it’s not completely unheard of. 10 years ago most cruise line loyalty programs were based on cruises sailed (or sometimes either or cruises or nights.) Moving towards nights only is fairly recent, and still limited to the major brands. I wouldn’t be surprised if a move to onboard spend being a factor was more widespread in the future.

Thanks for the heads up on this. Due to the pandemic, my commute to work now just involves walking to my basement, so I'm a bit behind on my podcast queue. But when I saw the alert on this one being released, I knew to make sure to check it out immediately. I really enjoyed the episode! I totally agree that the staff on Anthem really go our of their way to make sure any issues are rectified. Before one of my Anthem cruises I was a little annoyed because the pub beer menu looked like it changed for the worse. Out of all the mass market lines RCL tends to have the worst selection o

@ryman1980 It can't hurt to call and ask. But keep in mind, it can't be combined with the C&A balcony discount. Also, you have to pay both the deposit and the final payment with an american express card. If you already paid the deposit with a different card, you are probably out of luck.

No, it's only for the Amex Platinum Charge Card, with the $550 annual fee, not their credit cards.

The CityMD urgent care center in Teterboro offers the antibody test. My wife and I got tested last week.

You can't sail Oasis class out of NJ in the middle of winter. You would kill all the plants in Central Park.