rtread

Congrats! My wife's birthday is 2 days before Christmas. I learned a long time ago not to try to combine the two. So we are going on a BIRTHDAY cruise.?

I ran into a problem trying to do just what you are doing. Started with Galvez, it was full. Found a list of hotels on line that offer cruise parking and shuttle....there are 5 or 6 but they were all full. Turns out there was a marathon race that had everything booked up (Christmas, 2019) so I found a hotel just off the freeway for the night before and prepaid Port Parking. Next time I'll try earlier. (I've tried 3 times over the years to book Galvez....always full. They need to add on!!)

Mike Lindell thinks that everyone who cruises on any cruise ship needs to take 2 My Pillows with them.....I know he does. ?

Hope y'all have a great cruise! Ours is Christmas (and wife's birthday) so I hope you reply after your cruise with an assessment of this.....just for curiosity?

Exactly! We are proud Key holders for our future Liberty cruise....wonder how many others are too?

At Walmart where all of the small travel containers are sold (toiletries, etc.) I bought some small empty plastic bottles that I am intending to put laundry detergent in. Then I got to thinking about airline regulations. What would the airlines do or say about several unmarked bottles of detergent? Anybody?

What are some of the underrated benefits of smaller ships? To me, the biggest benefit (granted this is coming from a senior citizen) is less traffic, fewer lines, less obnoxious noise....less of everything which invites the chance of a more pleasurable and relaxing cruise. I'm going to ask the question, "What are some of the overrated benefits of larger ships?" This is something that has mystified me. You read comments about the newest and largest ships in the fleet like they are the most desirable. Not to ME! Same with flying. I remember when a plane load of 100 people was huge! Why is 300 better? (I'm talking about for the passengers, not the money grubbing airlines). In some situations, bigger is not better.....and I think pleasure cruising is one of them. I admit I will be in the minority, so be it. Sorry I got a little off track. Too many Clint Eastwood movies I think.

This is our plan. Besides being necessary in foreign travel, from what I am hearing and reading, if you are asked for your ID anywhere and you produce a passport, it is preferred over other forms of ID. Like....if you have a passport, you have been checked out and vetted, a world traveler, and you are somebody.?

Our cruise on Rhapsody was like 2003, so it wasn't recent enough to be of relevance, but I do have fond memories of the ship, the cruise, and especially the casino! I won enough at blackjack to pay for my cruise....the cards were hot! The dealers were friendly and the beer was cold! I'm hoping for the same kind of luck on Liberty soon! Have a great cruise!

Just a bit of advice.....allow PLENTY of time for processing or pay the extra fee for expedited processing. We are getting passports, my wife's is a renewal....no problem. Mine is a new one and they didn't like the birth certificate I sent them. They want the LONG FORM that Texas Bureau of Vital Statistics provides for a fee and 20 to 25 working days plus the time the State Dept. takes to process and send out. It looks like mine will take between 2 and 3 months, start to finish. Luckily our cruise isn't till Christmas but we will be doing some traveling before that so would like to have it for ID purposes.

I have learned to expect poor customer service, not just on pleasure cruises, but practically any retail business or service. Over my lifetime I have seen a decay in the attitude of the merchant or service provider from "A happy customer will come back" to "If the y don't buy it, somebody else will." You see it just about everywhere. When I evidence GOOD customer service, I stop what I'm doing and hunt up the person's manager, owner, boss, whatever and give the person a commendation. I can't explain why this has happened over the years, but Mike Rowe can.

Ahhhh c'mon. Let it fly. ?

Yeah..... Jeff. Foxworthy nailed it years ago. LOL

From what I’m hearing, there are “sometimes” games available, “sometimes” not. Sounds kinda wishy washy to me. My wife just told me....”No football on my birthday cruise!”. We are about to solve the issue of what happens when an unstoppable force hits an immovable object.......?

Have a great cruise!?

I believe that's the USS New York in the foreground. Steel from the World Trade Center went into building her. Nice picture!

Evidently we are talking about different facilities. The one we have reservations in is https://www.portparking.com/

I've hesitated to dive into this but would really like to hear from more experienced cruisers on what you have observed on past cruises. First, I like cold beer....sometimes I like several. But I think I do pretty well drawing the line and shutting it down. My wife likes a mixed drink, sometimes a second or third. She knows when to shut it down. The cruises look like a good opportunity for someone to overdo it.....to the point of being a problem for others. With the drinks packages, numerous bars, party atmosphere, I'm sure the cruise staff, bartenders, security, etc. have procedures in dealing with these folks. What do they look for? What are the limits? What are the repercussions? I'm not trying to be the party pooper but just wondering how it's handled. Thanks.

If it's PORT PARKING, they advertise a shuttle. From what I could tell it would be a long hike with luggage!

I'm in the same boat (no pun intended). We will be on Liberty, have AT&T, and have exactly the same concerns except we don't have teenagers anymore. I'll be watching response. thx

Good thinking! I've already been instructed by my Activity Director to quit fretting and enjoy. I told her it's a DNA issue.....she just rolled her eyes. So I think we'll go for it when the price comes down. There I go again.....

We are booked on a late August Hawaii cruise on Pride of America. I've been lustfully watching the web cam mounted on her bridge..... http://www.cruisin.me/cruise-ship-webcams/norwegian-cruise-line/pride-of-america.php

We are on Liberty in December and the drinks package is still $52. I guess it's based on how far out your cruise is. I think Black Friday might be my best opportunity. Think I'll pop a top on another Corona and check it again......

I've been kicking around the deluxe drinks package dilemma for several months now...leaning towards going for it even though I'll have to include my roommate and two others traveling with us. I know there are pros and cons but one question I've had is if, to get your "money's worth", you end up drinking more than you normally would? Like one day on the cruise you realize you've only had two drinks so you down 6 more right quick to "justify". LOL maybe I just need to "chill" as my kids say.

This site is amazing. I'd never heard of an "RFID Sleeve" until I read this thread. Thanks to that and Mr. Google I now am up to speed and the proud owner of 2. Thanks!