WAYNO

I have not used a Travel Agent in many years. Buying the transfer directly while on the ship has always been quick and easy, but even easier now that my wife buys some of our excursions on her phone app.

I have found LAX transportation options to be somewhat user unfriendly. We have reservations with an outfit called Execucar. We are not an Uber/Lyft user in any way, and when we tried to find a shuttle to the ship from LAX, they all had limitations on luggage. We each carry a carry-on as well as a full size suitcase, and the shuttles would not allow two pieces per person. We found our only choice to be Execucar. Very expensive, $140 for the two of us, but it is what it is. At the end of the cruise, we'll buy transportation from Guest Services back to LAX, which has become our go-to standard. That option always works very well and has always been a relative bargain.

We're from Oregon City. 39 Days! Woo Hoo!

I really didn't know so many people were disgusted with others wearing their C&A pins. I just may have to find mine and wear it on my next cruise.

My wife sometimes cruises with friends and/or family. When we made Diamond, her pin was waiting for her in the room. I was not there, so there was not a pin for me. On the next cruise, I went to the Diamond Lounge to obtain mine. And right now, I don't have a clue where it's at.

We are very near D+. I've never wore a pin and likely never will, but if a person wants to wear theirs, I wont worry about it.

We've sailed from New York in the Fall, and even then there were plenty of kids onboard.

Phobias... They can be tough to deal with, and even tougher to explain. Since I don't play a TV Doctor, I will not prescribe any cures, but, I have seen first-hand the effects of some phobias. One in particular, claustrophobia. A fellow worker had an aversion to close spaces. He thought he could handle working inside a confined space vessel, until he couldn't. When he decided to escape, had anybody been in his way they would have been hurt. My point... When a feller thinks he has his phobia under control, but he really doesn't, it can be disastrous. A person better know for sure he's able to handle being in an airplane. There can be very little experimenting. Once the plane is away from the gate, it would be very difficult to escape. Another thing. Folks that can't imagine a phobia of any given thing can be very detrimental to phobic folks around them. A close relative to remain nameless, has a couple phobias. It's sad how many people thru the years have ridiculed this person, and even attempted pushing this person towards the things this person fears.

We buy a lot of t-shirts as gifts to take home. The choices are dwindling. Most are bought in the ports we're visiting. We used to buy refrigerator magnets of the ship we're on. Haven't seen them for sale for quite a while. Our option now is to buy a ships logo key chain, and glue a magnet on it when we get home. I broke my watch while on a cruise. Tried to buy one from the promenade hawkers. They wouldn't sell me one because it wasn't watch day. Bought one in port. Otherwise, I buy almost nothing from the vendors. I would like to, but the merchants and their offerings are often out of touch. And they are often as rude as the hawkers in the ports. But... I love the promenade for relaxing and people-watching.

It's workin' now.

Living on the West Coast, and fishing my whole life in the very rough Pacific Ocean, I know something about seasickness. I know there is not one cure that works for everybody, so a person has to try them all. I also know, every time you take a seasick remedy, or put on a patch, or wear a band, you're reminding yourself about being seasick, and the mind takes over. The more you are reminded, the better chance you'll be sick. So for me, and only for me, as I'm not a TV Doctor, I no longer take any medication or use any device to prevent being seasick. If I feel it coming on, I get a sandwich. And that cures me.

Seems as every port is disliked by somebody, and every port is also loved by somebody. Must mean they're all pretty much the same.

Stateside, I cringe at the thought of sailing from Seattle or Bayonne, or New Orleans. Seattle has become a cesspool, and Bayonne is, well, just, New York City! And New Orleans, lives on a no longer deserved legacy. I can't wait to get out of these ports and sailing, leaving the ports behind me. They all need to take lessons from any of the Florida Ports. During our cruises, our expectations are pretty mild. Usually we get on a bus or taxi, or trolley, or tram, and see the sights. An unfriendly or rude driver or server goes a long way in giving a poor experience to the tourists in his care. The three unfriendliest stops for us have been Puerto Rico, US Virgin Isles, and Nassau. I felt these places just didn't want me there.

We have 3 cruises upcoming from Los Angeles. (Gotta spell it out, as originally I thought you were asking about Louisiana.) We have discovered Los Angeles is not very shuttle friendly to and from the airport to the cruise terminal. We decided to standardize on LAX airport for all three cruises, as flight choices involving the smaller airports are scarce or inconvenient from PDX. And returning to LAX from the ship, we're just gonna book a shuttle directly from the ship. That has turned out to be the best and easiest option for us, no matter what port we're at.

I get that too. I assumed, same room, only how it has applied to us. I have further edited my original post, as my example was unfairly confusing.