rtread

2 hours ago, HeWhoWaits said:

 all instead of Cris Collinsworth. 

Never can avoid a good CC bashing. If he left SNF and Al was on his own, the ratings would double instantly. There.....

The $52.00 price on our Liberty Christmas cruise hasn't changed in the 3 months I've been watching it. My plan is to hold off until Black Friday then move on it. Besides our two packages, I'll be paying for two others so I'm looking hard for a bargain!

1 hour ago, Pima1988 said:

Everytime I have sailed during the football season they played NFL games on the outdoor pool screen, and in the pubs too

Good. Do they throw you in the brig for throwing things? (that's what I do at home)

I guess I invited that.....

We have a cruise booked late in August on NCL. Flying to Honolulu two days before the cruise, doing the Oahu Pearl Harbor/Circle tour the day before (I did this same tour 50 years ago in the USN), then the 7 day Islands cruise....Maui, Hilo, Kona, Kauai, Napali Coast drive-by.

I've been watching the webcam on POA and the seas are remarkably calm right now. They can get rough in foul weather, but normally pretty calm.

We have some great excursions booked.....going to the crater rim of Kīlauea, a luau on Kauai, Maui tour, and a self-guided excursion to the Kona Brewery 

When I saw Oahu 50 years ago, didn't make the other islands. (Thanks to Primo beer, didn't see a whole lot of Oahu). So....when my wife suggested going to Hawaii I was all in. Can't wait!

We'll be on Liberty this next NFL season when the Cowboys play at the Eagles. If I were at home I wouldn't miss it. Are any NFL games available on the ship's TV? What about in the bars?

17 hours ago, Yo2slick said:

Thank you all.  Looks like we are going to do the 7 night on the Liberty and the Balcony wasnt much more on the Liberty so we are going balcony as well.  

We have an open mindset going on this cruise.  Im sure there will be a shore excursion or two we will do but for the most part just going to take in the experience and see what happens.  I kind of like the idea of having my own private balcony to use whenever we want.  Guess we will see if we utilize it or not.

I think you made a good decision even though we haven't been on Liberty YET. We will be on the Christmas Cruise this December and I have worn my computer out researching everything Liberty. I never find any complaints, always positive. Good luck on your cruise! Can't wait for ours!

12 minutes ago, Vanessa77 said:

Hi Guys,

I'm pretty bummed right now. I've been anticipating my upcoming first cruise this December since about September last year. My Mum is treating my whole family to a Christmas cruise (11 of us in total, 8 adults & 3 kids), however a spanner has been thrown into the works as my partner can no longer come!

He's been accepted into the police academy, which is super, but they've advised that no leave is granted while attending, and therefore he will have to forfeit this leave. This worst part is that he would literally only need one day of leave as the cruise leaves on Friday the 20th, and that is the last Academy day before it closes for Christmas.

So now we're left with a few options:

- It's just me that goes. Not too bad, but as the rest of my family will have their partners & children, I'm going to totally feel like a third wheel.

- Fill his spot with someone. This is possible, though not probable. It's not easy to get people to leave their families at Christmas, and how would we even go about changing the name?

- He flys to meet us at our first port, Noumea. Expensive and time consuming, but certainly something to think about.

 

Can any one explain how we'd going about changing the name on the booking if we go with option 2? Has anyone had experience with option 3 and how to organise that with Royal?

I've heard Matt mention that if I go with option 1, you just don't do anything and just rock up to the port alone, but we have booked the drinks package, so how would I deal with this situation, because I still want to keep my package. Or if we end up going with Option 3, would Royal comp us for the 3 night of drink package we don't use because he isn't even there, even if it's on OBC?

Any advice is much appreciated. Sorry for the long post. 

P.s. Also sad because I wanted to use this as a test to see if we liked cruises and could book more

 

Quite a dilemma! But it's really a matter of accepting the fact that your partner is making a career move which will impact your future also....and he is sacrificing big time by being in the academy at Christmas time.. You are booked on a pleasure cruise which is a moment in time that you will enjoy, but it has nothing to do with your future. I would think you should enjoy being with the rest of  your family and be appreciative of the fact your partner is pursuing an honorable profession. Enjoy the cruise and thank your partner for his sacrifices and future public service.

Also, the fact that he was unable to go gives you a really good reason to book more cruises as you mentioned in your P.s.

My $.02 worth 

2 hours ago, KristiZ said:

Is it hard or soft sided? If hard, it won't fit so don't try. If soft, it *might* be ok. The sticking point will be the 23" side, and it will depend on the aircraft or at least how recently the cabin has been updated.

It's soft sided (kinda sorta), definitely not the new kind of hard plastic.

9 hours ago, Andrew72681 said:

Like twangster said you’ll probably be ok. Those Delta rules are written for the time you end up on one of the MD-88s and get stuck having to put the bag on the short side of the plane (the overheads on the two seat side aren’t as long)

  The four flights I will be on (Delta) involve Airbus 321s, MD-90 and MD-88.

We by no means are frequent flyers but we are going to be taking a couple of lengthy flights in the coming months. I know that Delta and United stipulate carry-on bag size limits of 22" x 14" x 9" or not more than 45 linear inches.  I have a Samsonite bag that I want to carry-on but my measuring tape says it is 23" x 14.5" x 8" or 45.5 linear inches. Trying to head off difficulties...will this bag pass the test? How strict are they. I know they have a test hole they use....do they really try to make it go through that hole (I could!) or not?

I'm very pleased with the door sign I ordered from Custom Cruise Wear.  Angela was super to work with and very customer oriented. I highly recommend them for door signs and they have a lot more than signs. My wife's sign:

On ‎4‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 11:49 AM, VinceC said:

Is it really necessary to buy Travel Insurance?

I pondered this not long ago and reasoned it out this way:

When I was young I was invincible. Nothing would happen to me. It always happened to someone else. And if by some fluke, it did happen to me I'd deal with it.

Now that I'm not so young, I've realized it can and does happen to me. And with each passing year, the probability increases.

We will probably go for the insurance on future cruises, also.

Interesting! Thanks for posting. Good to see my next ride got a 98....

4 hours ago, twangster said:

The scam appears to be related to signing people up to insurance contracts they don't want or need.  Perhaps I escape that as a business traveler.  

My take away is triple check your paperwork and don't be in a hurry or appear to be in a hurry.  Print out your confirmation and don't leave until you are satisfied the printed contract matches.

Thanks! Good advice.....as usual. This was rather old news and I wasn't able to find anything more recent so maybe Hertz cleaned it up. I don't see Hertz wanting anything to do with this kind of mess.

2 hours ago, twangster said:

As a frequent business traveler we have business insurance that includes coverage for rental cars.  I decline the rental car company coverage.  My credit card also provides some coverage. 

There are different types of rental car insurance just like there are different kinds of car insurance.  The trick is knowing what you are covered for and this varies by policy and state.

I have no experience with Dollar but they are owned by Hertz who I do use.  They acquired Dollar in 2012.   Dollar operated under a franchise system where individual "stores" were independent but operated under the Dollar name.  When was the article written?  It wasn't unusual many years ago for some less ethical business owners to use tactics and methods to increase profits, often advertising super cheap rates and making up for low rates through other means.  

I'd be surprised if that practice was continuing under the Hertz family.  Stuff still happens and you are responsible for the car while it is in your possession.  If someone keys the car, the windshield cracks from a rock or if someone hits you while it's parked overnight at a hotel you don't get to simply return the car and walk away.    The expectation is that you will return the car in the same condition it was in when your took possession minus any normal wear and tear.  

The benefit of taking their expensive insurance is that if any things happens, you can simply return the car and walk away (after completing some paperwork depending on the damage).  If you don't take their insurance and there is damage, you need to file a claim with your insurance and there is a lot of information the car rental outfit will want from you.  They may place a damage charge on your credit card and it's your job to file that with your insurance company for reimbursement.  That damage charge could be in the thousands if the damage is severe.  This isn't unethical or unfair, they rented you a car in one condition and you are returning it in a damaged condition.  

Insurance is there for the unexpected.  No one expects to have an accident.  No one expects an uninsured driver with no driver's license to run into their rental car but it happens.  If it does, are you sure your auto policy covers that or do they just cover your liability if you cause an accident in a rental car?  

If you choose to self insure using credit cards and personal auto insurance make sure you understand the coverage you have and what exposure you might have in any possible accident or damage scenario.  

It's tempting to save $60 on rental car insurance but while sleeping in your hotel if the rental car is stolen and destroyed by a hit and run driver you may be thinking it was the best $60 you ever spent.  

Thanks for all the good info! This is one of the articles about the scam....looks like 2014 was the date   https://www.autoblog.com/2014/08/19/dollar-rent-car-insurance-scam-video/

So I can count on one hand the times we've rented a car on a pleasure trip. And none lately. Admittedly I'm behind the curve on this compared to frequent travelers. So I've laid the groundwork for my ignorance....here is my question:

 We will be traveling this summer to a reunion, flying then renting a car at airport, returning it 4 days later to same airport. The airport is Milwaukee and the car rental is Dollar Rental Car. At the time I made reservations, I was asked about insurance and I declined assuming our auto policies (complete coverage on two vehicles) would take care of us. Then by accident I ran across a news item on Dollar being involved in a scam in the past where they created a lot of confusion at the counter on whether or not you should get, or did get, their insurance. There were language barriers involved in the confusion, poor lighting, hurry-up tactics, and poor attitudes by the attendants. Bottom line is the customers got hosed for exorbitant rates and fees when they came to turn the car in and get on the plane.

Being aware of the scam I will head it off, not worried about that.

Just wanting to hear from experienced travelers if they think rental car add-on insurance is wise, necessary, or bad $ spent. What do you do?

6 hours ago, pepperandchips said:

I know many people have said the ship’s blow dryer is fine but if you care enough about your routine to have a particular diffuser I’d bring your own dryer if you can possibly squeeze it in. The dryer in our stateroom was... ahhh... rinky dink? That’s the most polite way I can describe it. And don’t get me started on the unspeakable pump of 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner mounted on the wall! Egads! 

I understand rinky-dink. That tells the whole story....

I have to admit I'm a little confused with tipping on these cruises. I don't want to appear the cheapskate nor do I want to throw money away. I see a lot of comments on here about prepaid gratuities....then I see comments about tipping other than the prepaid gratuities.

What is a good rule of thumb on when to tip and when not? What is appropriate....$1, $2, $5, $10??

Thanks!

We will be on a Christmas cruise.....does the dress seem more or less formal on these cruises?

On ‎4‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 8:34 AM, Jolly Ogre said:

Ok here is my take on this.

I served and I have received discounts here and there, however I have never ever "asked" for them.

I did not serve to get discounts later on in life. If others get discounts and I don't, so be it. I will not ask my "share".

My freedom and that of my family and fellow countrymen is good enough for me.

Thank you sir for your service. Many, many veterans have a wonderful life after their service. Some don't.

If you are driving, as I will be, you will come into Galveston on I45. Pretty quick you will hang a left on Harborside Dr. Stay on it right to the terminals.

Welcome to the message boards!

14 minutes ago, packercruising said:

No. I usually have a few beers in the mini-frig. Even if you don't buy it by the bucket. A good bartender will give you two beers and leave one capped. Those are the ones that get extra tips.  

THAT'S what I'm looking for.....thx

10 hours ago, princevaliantus said:

Would you go on this adventure?? And why??

 

No.

Because I would be the only one on the ship not smoking pot.

9 minutes ago, klc317 said:

Ive never ordered one but I'd think they give you the same type of screw on top aluminum bottles if you are getting main stream beer brands

OK....trying to find a way to take a few cold ones back to the stateroom. The idea of having a few on the balcony appeals to me....

 

When you buy a "bucket of beer" at the pool bar, do they pop the tops or not?