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fa-li

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Everything posted by fa-li

  1. Rhapsody is such a great first-cruise ship! Don't miss the parties in the atrium in the evening. The Beatles night and the 70s night are some of my favorites of any RC ships. I also like the Park Cafe being in the Solarium. A great, quiet spot to grab a quick breakfast. (They also have lunch, just not as quiet) Enjoy your honeymoon!
  2. I've taken this exact gamble for my cruise in February. All previous FLL cruises, there was plenty of time so I'm hoping the same then. One thing that is making me feel ok about it is that I have status with my airline and there are more flights later in the day. I know if things are looking tight I can call them and they will switch me. If all goes well, and it most likely will, you will be absolutely fine. If there is some highly unusual situation where the ship can't dock on time, you'll want to at least know who to call at the airline and ask for help. And as others have said, walking off with your luggage will give you the most margin.
  3. You can email the special needs department, but then be prepared to really follow up onboard. They have a "medical cooler" they can put in your cabin that should keep the meds between 36 and 46 degrees. However, not a lot of crew know about them. So just requesting ahead of time may not be enough. If your cabin steward doesn't have the cooler for you, it might be helpful to escalate to guest services or even someone on the medical staff onboard. We had one cruise where the cooler never was found. We fortunately were traveling with a high quality insulated bag and plenty of strong zip locks, and our cabin steward was great about supplying ice several times a day. She also offered to take our medical grade gel packs to the freezer for us, which was helpful when we disembarked and still had travel ahead. Finally, if traveling with this kind of meds is a new thing, you may want to invest in a wireless indoor/outdoor thermometer that allows you to place a sensor with the meds and see the temp without opening the bag or the door. It saves a lot of angst over if the drugs have spoiled. Good luck!
  4. Definitely can drop your bags. And yes, several places within a quick walk. Also, Carib brewery is a mile and half away - about 5 minute cab ride. (I mention in case you are like my husband, who must visit any brewery within a ten mile radius wherever we happen to be lol.)
  5. I can't even with the full size iron! Who drags that around in their luggage?? I don't iron at home, let alone on vacation
  6. Just to throw another option at you: I take this on all trips https://www.amazon.com/NEWVANGA-International-Universal-Worldwide-Charging/dp/B01FO4W5W2/ref=sr_1_7?crid=1HZP6LU2BZSB9&keywords=power+adapter&qid=1665091000&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI2LjMwIiwicXNhIjoiNS45NCIsInFzcCI6IjUuNzMifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=power+adapter+%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-7 It has the advantage of being an adapter to many country's plugs. So while it will plug into a US plug, it will also plug into the Euro plugs on the ship, increasing your outlet capacity. The two usb ports are great for charging and you can still plug something else into it. It says surge protection, but has never been looked at twice for cruises.
  7. I had same thing happen this spring. It turned out, when I checked in, the Country of Birth somehow got dropped from the check in. I went back through on the web and added it back in, and all worked fine. Over on the cc boards, a bunch of people have complained about this glitch. I hope this fix works for you!
  8. Very much enjoying your blog and wonderful photos! Thank you for sharing!
  9. I'm so sorry - a phobia can be frustrating to deal with if it gets in the way of something we want to do! I'd start with breaking down what exactly you are nervous about. Is it the plane in the air? Is it the small spaces? Is it being out of control? Knocking yourself out completely once you're on the plane is only helpful if none of the pre-seat stuff bothers you. There are podcasts and you tube videos you can search that offer meditations for nervous flyers. Maybe you would find these helpful. If it's an information issue, you can watch videos of someone going through all the steps of boarding and sitting on a plane. If it's general nerves, maybe meds to take the edge off without actually rendering you insensible would be the answer. Of course, throwing money at the situation might help too. A flight across country is always going to be more pleasant in the front of the plane. I hope you are able to find something that works for you!
  10. I totally agree about tipping cabin steward on first day. They've worked hard to turn that room over in a short time. I always say "Thank you for having everything so perfect for me" and tip about $20. I think this lets them know their efforts are and will be appreciated over the rest of the cruise, which in turn seems to lead to wonderful service.
  11. Pretty good snorkeling around the little rocky outcrop in Chill Beach area in April 2022. Lots of colorful fish and even a small shark. Strong lifeguard presence so your littles should be fine. I assume with a home pool, they are extremely comfortable in the water. (unsolicited plus one on the swim team advice - it's a great sport that enhances a lifelong skill. And summer lifeguards jobs are great when they're teenagers)
  12. I noticed all the unbooked CLS for our April cruise on Harmony so had our TA check. She was able to switch us for under $300 total from a GS. Now I will never go back! We loved the two bathrooms, the spacious feel of the room, and that the bedroom is upstairs, so there is no hallway on that level. No one walking by to disturb sleep. Also, the location cannot be beat. We had a side view, which I chose for all the reasons above. Very quiet and lovely. We especially enjoyed the balcony at night, with beautiful views of the stars. I will say, it was shaded most of the day, so my visions of sunbathing there instead of on deck were dashed. But it's such an easy walk over to the suite sun deck, I got over myself very quickly. I think a lot of people just assume the CLS is much more expensive than the GS so don't look into booking it. I would definitely upgrade if I were you. The only downside is you will be spoiled for other cabins ever after!
  13. When we had this happen for our Caribbean cruise in April, it turned out to be because they were consolidating excursions. Smaller excursions we booked got canceled twice, and the only ones left were cattle calls with over 100 people crammed on a boat (this was for a snorkel). We didn't understand this dynamic until it was too late and really hated the experience. Not saying this is what is happening in Alaska, but it might be worth confirming group size if you rebook, and considering doing something with a private tour if you don't want to be in a crowd.
  14. For what you want to do in Curacao, I highly recommend reaching out to Edo at VIP Curacao. http://www.viptourscuracao.com/ He will customize a tour for you that can include all three, and your guide will drive you everywhere. We have done this twice now, and had two completely different tour days, both amazing. We happened to have Bernice training as a guide on our first tour, and she was so good we requested her again when we went back. She took us to local lunch spots with great food both times. We didn't want to shop, but it was an option and she did show us around the shopping area in case we wanted to go back. In addition to all the usual tour stops - the plantation, a snorkel one trip at the turtle spot and the other at the tug boat, scenic overlooks, the bat cave, etc - she also was willing to hike to the top of Mt. Cristobal with us and on our second visit she walked us through a neighborhood that has engaged in a mural painting revitalization project, where we saw some beautiful paintings and learned a lot about local culture. Basically, anything that you are interested in, this tour will cater to. All of their guides are very good and Edo's communication is superb. Just tell him what you are thinking and he will make it happen. Or, if you have no idea, ask him to curate a best day for you.
  15. If you like to snorkel at all, do not miss Woodwind drift snorkel in Bonaire. Totally awesome experience
  16. The Leupold I bought for my Alaska cruise in 2013 are wonderful. And they have, indeed, held up well. A nice thing about more expensive binoculars (these were in the $300 range back then) is the stability control they provide. When the view isn't shaking, it's much easier to zoom in.
  17. Following! We loved our Baltic cruise. Be sure to stop in Hell Hunt Pub in Tallinn. Great beer and food!
  18. We have had more noise from connecting rooms in the middle of ships than forward or aft for some reason. Aft cabins are my very favorite and I'd put up with a lot of noise before wanting to move. But I suspect you will not hear much anyway. Enjoy your cruise!
  19. I think it varies not just by ship but also by cruise/passenger makeup on same ship. Voom was fairly good on Harmony last week. A couple on second leg of b2b said awful the week before bc there were so many teens onboard for spring break.
  20. Same for us in 2013. Just remember that part of that land is Canada!
  21. Last week on Harmony, we felt the day one lunch was better than the night one dinner. The filet was not the best steak I've ever had, but the short rib thing at lunch was definitely up there. To your earlier question, we did make a standing CK dinner reservation ahead of time, but ended up on several nights asking the maître d' to adjust it and it was not an issue. One thing I wish I'd known, for our first time Oasis class sailing, is how much later entertainment skews than on smaller ships. You may already know this if you've done this class before. But I felt a 6 pm dinner would be as late as I could go, and I was so wrong. We ended up with very little to do until after 9. After a few nights of this, we adjusted to a later dining time and were much happier. Finally, you will adore that CLS! I don't think I can ever go back to a single bathroom, or to not being right by CK. Plus, the room was so blissfully quiet!
  22. Apparently test results name must match passport name. My husband is a junior but created his emed account with just his name. When he logged in to do the test, the proctor caught the mismatch, and had him log off and make a new account. I don’t know if it would have been a problem for boarding, but it was for verifying identity to take the test.
  23. Yes, have done this with no issue. We regularly walk around the ship with a glass of wine, most often that we have bought onboard but there is no way to differentiate.
  24. Just got back from our Harmony sailing. I stressed about the tests, too, and now feel silly. It was so easy to do the at-home proctored test! I played around with my phone and laptop cameras the day before and discovered it was easier for me to use my lap top. I set it a little more than arm's length away so that I did not have to angle the top down very far to see the test on the table. The instructions from the proctor were very easy to follow. The second proctor who came back to read the test was harder for me to understand because he was a native Spanish speaker and spoke veryveryfast. I told him I couldn't follow him and he (adorably) chanted to himself "slow down, slow down" and then he was very easy to understand. So it's ok to just talk to the people you are working with, which set me at ease. The test itself is exactly like many others I have done at home before going to a party or visiting vulnerable people, so that part was easy. I could see if you are not someone who has tested yourself much, it could be slightly more difficult, but honestly the proctor instructions combined with the images on the screen make it pretty easy. Anyway, OP, I think the overall message you are getting in this thread is that it will be ok whichever you choose. Happy cruising!
  25. Oh, Pooch, I'm so sorry! That is crazy!
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