JennyJenny

That is just being a good parent! Good to know I don't have the only kid who knows the difference between cover and concealment! ?

State probably won't have advisories as Puerto Rico is a US Territory, I believe. And for the record, I agree. RC should have.... But as my grandmother would say, "Should have, would have, could have...." Sadly, I have given up expecting anyone (person or entity) to do what they SHOULD do. And, my post wasn't so much geared to you in particular, just to all those reading who don't travel often so might not be aware the resource exists. Part of my job involves giving travel briefs, so it's just something I do as a matter of habit. If an individual isn't used to doing that then it stands to reason they might be happy to IF they knew they could research it the same as they would research packing cubes or drink prices ? If you or anyone happens to be in an area where a demonstration is brewing or appearing to gather, the advice I give my people is to duck into a store or other building and try to go out the back then make your way AWAY from the nexus of the gathering as quickly as possible without drawing too much attention to yourself by behaving in a way that suggests you are frightened or in a panic. And, of course, avoiding areas of demonstration altogether is even better but it's not always easy to anticipate those. Even the State site isn't perfect and they can only report on trends or already publicized gatherings. Maybe when I retire, I can live on a nice ship and do safety, security, and travel briefs for my retirement job ? Side note: surprised they don't have those. They spend so much time doing a muster drill but don't prep you to be safe unless the ship is sinking or the deck is wet?

To all those reading who may not already, I highly recommend all those who travel do their own research on their destination(s) to see if there are any current travel advisories. The State Department is an excellent resource if you are going out of the country: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/ In addition, enroll in the STEP: Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) Create an account at STEP.state.gov and provide the details of your specific trip, including dates of arrival and departure for the countries you choose. We will email you new Travel Advisories and Alerts as soon as we issue them, so be sure to provide an email address that you can access during your trip. Finally, if you are traveling within the US or one of it's territories you can always google: Travel Advisory NAMEOFPLACEYOUAREGOING and see what comes up as often other countries (Canada for example) might go more into detail on US locations as they are not part of their own country. While I grasp the thought that RC maybe should have said something re demonstrations, I still see it as my responsibility to be aware of conditions or concerns wherever I am traveling to. But then, I have trust issues so I am not going to rely on a cruise company to have my back at the end of the day. No offense to RC but that's just how I roll. For example, I am going to Bermuda in 281 days (who's counting!?!?) and I am already checking their page on the State Department weekly just to make sure I am on top of things there. They list out: "Valuables left unattended in public areas, in unsecured hotel rooms, or on rental motorbikes are vulnerable to theft. Criminals have been known to target visitors on motorbikes and at popular tourist attractions, and purse snatchings (perpetrated by thieves riding motorbikes) and muggings have occurred in the past. The back streets of the City of Hamilton have been the setting for nighttime assaults, particularly at night after the bars close. Travelers should exercise caution when walking after dark or visiting out-of-the-way places on the island as they can be vulnerable to theft and assault, and because narrow and dark roadways can contribute to accidents. Travelers should note the presence of gangs and illegal drug activity in Bermuda. There have been no reports of gang violence targeted towards visitors to Bermuda, although gang-related shooting incidents have occurred and continue to occur throughout the island." Does this mean I have to panic and be scared? No. But it probably means I will exercise responsible precautions based on the intelligence I am compiling as I prepare for my trip. Educate yourself on beyond the drink packages and dining menus. Stay safe. Or don't. Your call. But that's what I'll be doing.

I was thinking this exactly and was about to mention it but saw that you already did! I love Reacher!

I saw a You Tuber do a video on it but only heard the name of the place spoken so didn't automatically connect with it when I read the word. That place was a wonder to behold when I watched the video!

I had to google that lol ?

Thank you! I promised my oncologist that I'd send him a post card from my cruise for his big bulletin board in the chemo room (past patients send him post cards for others to look at while they do chemo). I try to watch my sugar but I figure if I spent a few hours doing a triathlon, I can have a little cheat afterwards. Plus, it gives me something to look forward to!

1. Thanks ? I will say that if you have a way to pack that works for you, I think you can make the cubes adjust to it so don't automatically dismiss the notion of using them if the videos you see have folks packing differently. (Not to you in particular, just for those reading who are still on the fence about cubes). 2. I have not yet done an Iron Man. I'd like to try some day but I have to work up to it (I went through chemo and a double mastectomy for breast cancer a few years back so had to start back at zero). Currently, I do sprints (800-1,000 yard swim, 15-20k bike, 5k run) and if someone needs a third for a relay I will volunteer to grab that leg. I "compete" as in I enter and get a shirt and medal and do not feel any guilt over eating a nice juicy burger with a fried egg on it or indulging in a Starbucks frappacino as I drive home. I have placed twice, once I got a third place for my division and another time the relay team I was with won second place. I'm never going to be Olympic caliber but it keeps me active and gives me something to do. I have recently started to look into what it would entail to train others from a coaching perspective. I do some gratis coaching for some friends who are trying to be more active (walking, yoga, weightlifting) but nothing professional. I am considering when I am forced to retire from my current job, that I will be bored out of my mind in about a month so I'd like to get my certification(s) and become a personal trainer then. They have a nice program with US Masters Swimming that I have looked at getting certified through them (I am a member of US Masters Swimming and USA Triathlon). Who knows? I figure it would be fun to work with folks and train them to make a little side cash and give me something to do when I am retired!

I thought cubes were a complete waste of money but bought some recently and have to confess was pretty stunned with how well they worked. I went on a trip without cubes and it took one large suitcase for my daughter and I together. I got cubes and managed to fit the SAME amount of clothes for the same number of days into the next size down suitcase for our recent trip. It's magic. I used to use plastic Ziploc bags and "smoosh" the air out so I could put my dirty clothes back inside them and not "taint" my clean stuff. I have been trying to be more environmentally aware though so the cubes allow me to do the same thing but then I can wash and re-use them if they get funky (I train for triathlons so "funk" is often a friend). I did try to pack like I'd seen folks back online with all similar items in the same cube but that doesn't work for me. I have a cube for each day and once I am done, the dirty clothes go back into that cube and the new cube is on deck (no pun intended) for the next morning. It works for me and I admit I thought cubes were a stupid waste of money until.... I used them for the first time. I'm definitely a convert. One other thing I do recommend is a wet bag. Container Store sells a nice one but I have also seen them at the baby stores. I like to take one of these so if I wear a bathing suit on the last night and it doesn't dry by morning, I can pop it in the wet bag and not worry about a wet suit in my luggage. They also work well if you have really sweaty or dirty clothes (like if you run a mudder or something similar).

1. AT&T has a cruise plan that covers specific ships and ports from what I have seen. I am still a bit far out to have gotten to this on my "to do" list but: We have packages on over 170 cruise ships with no extra charge on land in Mexico, Canada, and these Caribbean islands. This gives you plenty of places to post photos, text, and stay connected while cruising. These islands are: Anguilla Antigua & Barbuda Aruba Bahamas Barbados Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curacao Dominica Dominican Republic Grenada Guadeloupe Haiti Jamaica Martinique Montserrat Saba St. Barthelemy St. Eustatius St. Kitts & Nevis St. Lucia St. Maarten St. Martin St. Vincent & Grenadines Trinidad & Tobago Turks & Caicos The particular RC ships it includes are: Adventure of the Seas®, Allure of the Seas®, Anthem of the Seas®, Brilliance of the Seas®, Empress of the Seas®, Enchantment of the Seas®, Explorer of the Seas®, Freedom of the Seas®, Grandeur of the Seas®, Harmony of the Seas®, Independence of the Seas®, Jewel of the Seas®, Liberty of the Seas®, Majesty of the Seas®, Mariner of the Seas®, Navigator of the Seas®, Oasis of the Seas®, Ovation of the Seas®, Quantum of the Seas®, Radiance of the Seas®, Rhapsody of the Seas®, Serenade of the Seas®, Spectrum of the Seas®, Symphony of the Seas®, Vision of the Seas®, Voyager of the Seas® I was figuring to use the AT&T to talk/text and the Vroom for photo uploads or sending picture texts. Of course, I am still trying to parse all this out but the good news is that I can expense the AT&T for work so there's that. 2. Good to know about the stream difference. I might go ahead with that one instead.

I have friends that do a ton of river cruises on Tauck but that's a little more than I am looking to spend solo. I hadn't seriously looked at river cruises as it seemed there wasn't much in my region and they were more for Europe.

Oh good. I was considering the surf package so I could share pics with some friends and family but also the AT&T package so I can call home each evening to check on my family (elderly parents and teenage daughter, none of whom want to go with me for this particular trip). Sounds like both would be redundant. But I don't need to stream movies. I just want to be able to text, post some pics, and call home to check on fam. I thought I needed the AT&T package if I was off the ship and needed to/wanted to use my phone (I am technically on vacation but at the same time on call to make decisions if necessary in my role).

After my divorce, I took a deep breath and went to London. All by myself. I was terrified as I'd never done anything alone before but OMG. It. Was. Amazing. I started to do all sorts of things by myself. Concerts. Boxing matches. At one point I was parking for a concert and realized no one in the car was complaining about where I was parking... ? I do have good friends whom I do stuff with but I like that at the end of the day I don't have to wait for anyone to have a good time or adventure. I can just go do it myself!

I just got back from a week long vacation with my elderly parents (love them to pieces but...) At one point, my daughter said, "This is not a vacation... this is going somewhere else to fuss about everything!" (My mother is much like Hyacinth from those who have seen Keeping Up Appearances lol) ?

1. Good to know for the documentation! 2. Not a big drinker so no worries with the Deluxe package. I haven't drank that much in my entire life let alone cramming it into a week! 3. Agree with doing the apples to apples comparison. 4. I am going to look more into the Empress since I can Amtrak down for a good price. Maybe even bring my daughter on that one as it will be my bday month and she hopefully won't have any practices around the holidays (she's a figure skater). Thanks!

I've seen some B2B on You Tube which look fun to try. And the Empress! I love little ships. I have a friend who watches the videos with me long distance at night and after watching one on a Carnival Cruise I was saying to him that my idea of a cruise was more along the lines of "Hercule Poirot" vs "Fast Times at Ridgemont High". Don't get me wrong, I don't hate "fun" but for me, a vacation is to get away from all the crazy busy-ness of life. I go to conferences for work and they are full of drunk people hollering and team building events with zip lines and.... I just want to decompress. It may sound silly but I don't want to do things on a cruise that I can do here at home. I have a mall down the road and after looking at some of the larger ships they just seem like a floating shopping mall..... I just looked and the Empress is darling. And I can grab an Amtrak down to that area for $92 ! I should make this my profile pic lol

Thank you. My daughter has shown some interest in coming with me so I might have a buddy occasionally but I also am quite fine just going solo and relaxing. I know she's going to want to go do her own thing without me when she's all grown up and that's fine so I have my list of things to do to keep me busy and not sit there alone missing my baby. I deal with so many people all day that I have to manage or direct that the idea of sitting by myself and not having to say a word to anyone or have anyone ask me a question (where are we going for dinner, where are my socks, what time is it, etc etc) is something I am looking forward. I suppose I have spoiled myself with my already solo vacations and quite like being able to pick all the stuff I want when I want and how I want ? I am positive I will have a good time. I am so counting the days! (287 to go!!!!!) I may do a solo blog about it as I have been watching the blog section and finding it helpful yet not many folks on the ship I am going on have posted about it. The last one is about 2 or 3 years ago (2017).

Thank you for explaining this. Optimally I am looking for a 100% (which is not common) but 150% is not bad? I think I saw a few in my roamings last night on various sites so now what I saw makes much more sense. Having to learn a whole new vocabulary and environment! Thank you!

Thank you. I fully acknowledge that someone more experienced (a TA) is definitely going to be able to work wonders for me. Let me see how this one I have does (she seems nice but not sure how .....organized she is). If she does a mediocre job at best than I will definitely look into recommendations!

That's a nice resource. It looks to be for Crown and Anchor folks so I assume I can have access to that after my first cruise. Does that show up in the cruise planner area or elsewhere?

Okay. So when you say "single supplement" does that mean: 1. They tack on more if you are single. 2. They "supplement" the cost so you don't have to pay exorbitantly more. The net net is: do I look for a cruise to HAVE a single supplement or to NOT have a single supplement?

I am not used to working with one (didn't realize it was still a thing) so I am going to work on using this resource to it's full potential!

>>I have travelled "solo" a cpl times......yes, Royal will charge you at least double in most cases. They used to offer single supplement at 150% on some ships, but I have no idea if that's the case any longer...prob not, as they lose $$ that way...and Royal is ALL about making that $$ once ur on the ship. << After doing some research, I am finding that when you really eyeball across all ships, with the exception of the ridiculous luxury ships, for the most parts, I was finding what I'd call reasonable rates in line with each other for similar voyages. I did look at Celebrity, Norwegian, Cunard, Holland, Seabourn, etc. A few of those ships also had studios or single person supplements as well. I have no problem with anyone trying to make their coin but at a certain point, I do tend to go out of my way to avoid those that are TOO obnoxious about it. >>Booking solo you do get double points which for some ppl can be some incentive, but you don't get double points if you book a solo cabin. I had looked once and the solo cabins were MORE than me booking a regular cabin solo and paying double....go figure!!!!<< Yes. I was seeing that in some cases and in others they were trying to even that out to get the solo traveler business. I'm kind of looking at it like this: I am a single woman (ten year single anniversary THIS year) who is also a Chief Officer of a company. I work long crazy hours and am a single mom with a teenage kid (who is amazing). I don't date and don't have a large group of single pals to cruise with. This does not bother me in the least. My one pal who I could probably talk into vacationing with me HATES crowds of ANY kind and the idea of being on a cruise ship makes them turn pale and shake their head violently NO. I am used to being solo and quite enjoy it so have no qualms packing up and going on an adventure. And, I think there are starting to be more women and men like me. Whether not wanting to get back into another relationship or due to being a widow, there are plenty of us older single folks with money and we are happy to spend it but I'd rather plonk it down on extra excursions or a bottle of Champagne for my table at dinner to share then to pay for empty space "just because". The cost difference for what I was looking at was negligible at that. I pay more for nice pair of shoes or a Kate Spade bag. It just rankled me that it seemed like I was being punished for not running out and attaching myself to someone like a limpet just so I can get everyone's approval that I have a "person". But I think there are some sly marketers and companies out there that are realizing this and starting to cater to us. I am on the lookout now. >>Best advice is to get a good TA..or just check multiple sites as pricing can vary greatly from site to site as well as perks included.<< I have never used a TA until now. When I was a kid, I would see them in strip malls and remember how you would GO to the travel agent to book a trip then suddenly they disappeared and everyone had to DIY with the internet. Honestly? I did not realize they were still a "thing". But this upcoming cruise is through a TA through the group I am going with so I guess I have one now so I can start to work with that. She is local and also part of the group so I can sit down with her occasionally and talk (call me old fashioned but I like that). This board is invaluable with advice and tips and I greedily read everyone's questions and am learning. I am thinking if I tell my TA: I am looking for X in the Y price range, can you let me know when it pops up? Then just be ready to rock and roll if it does is going to be the best approach... ?

I think I have a friend that also tends to have to reschedule last minute ? Good to know that won't be a problem from someone with more experience.

Just checking, can you do this with the lower surf package or do you have to purchase the surf AND stream one?