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Riley

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Posts posted by Riley

  1. On 9/10/2023 at 5:45 AM, Shanethegriff said:

    I don't think we need the DBP but if it becomes cost neutral or better for us we'll go for it...so far, the prices we've been offered have not met that criteria as opposed to earlier this year.

    Something I've noticed is that when I've received the email from RC quoting their new offers in USD, when I log in to purchase, the price in Euro (we're in Ireland) is significantly more expensive than the dollar price. It's like they price it different for our market...

    I'll 100% use a US travel agent next time like we did on our first cruise so that we get the US prices.

    Heh - as someone who has drinking experience in Ireland, I'd price it higher too... 

  2. 3 hours ago, BrianB said:

    I’m also leaving Bayonne on Thursday…heading north to Canada and Greenland. Hopefully. Most of the spaghetti models currently show Lee right on our course track up the coast.

    Been on enough sailings to pretty much expect anything. Royal will decide what to do when the time comes.

    It can be anything from a complete change of itinerary…such as two weeks in the Caribbean instead of Greenland (I’ll pack accordingly), or even an adjustment in scheduling ports. Also, two ports in Greenland are tender ports and waves/swells may prevent us from disembarking. 

    We could also board and they may decide to keep us tied up in port for a day. Had that happen before.

    Such is the risk of sailing during hurricane season. The priority is safety. 

    Yep - see you on board. I will add a pair of shorts to my packing just in case.... 

  3. As someone else noted, there is a difference between St. John New Brunswick and St. John's Newfoundland.  Depending on which cruise you're going on, you may be going to one, the other, or both.  Each has their high and low points.

    Halifax is a very walkable harbor area with a lot of fun shops, the Museum of the Atlantic, Keith's Brewery, and some terrific seafood very close by (a few blocks inland is The Split Crow, which is one of my favorite pubs in the world). Peggy's Cove is gorgeous though if you're there on a weekend it might be a madhouse. Later in the season or on a weekday it may not be as busy and the site is impressive.

    Enjoy!

     

     

  4. We tip $1 per drink. I give the room attendant $50 at the end of a 7-day cruise (more for longer).  Our waiter gets $40, the assistant/busser gets $20, the headwaiter if he or she has been terrific gets another $20, and we've been known to also tip in the Windjammer... I have even slipped the "washy washy" kids $5 each for fun. 

  5. If I may suggest, there is always soft-serve ice cream (vanilla and chocolate) on or near the pool deck and milk is available at least at breakfast (look near the cereal area). If you have a fridge in your room - and with Ovation you should - I'd consider grabbing a bunch of little cartons of milk and then carrying a plastic drink glass to the soft serve dispenser, then stir your own milk in.  I make up ginger beer floats this way and it works like a charm...

  6. Windjammer is a good option for breakfast and lunch - in addition to fruits and boiled eggs there is plain oatmeal, grits, congee and other options, including an omelet station.  For lunch there is usually a stir fry or pasta saute station: pasta and veggies stir-fried with olive oil is low-sodium and as bland or spicy as you'd like it. 

    If you eat in the main dining room alert your wait staff that you need a low-sodium and/or bland diet. The kitchen can adjust many items, especially if you order your meal the night before. I have eaten a lot of unseasoned salmon/steak/chicken breasts with baked potato and steamed or roasted veggies as my dinner.  You'll have to avoid soups, stews and other "made in big pots" items but many appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts can be made without salt. Talk with your waiters or the headwaiter - they are used to helping with this.

    Have a good cruise!

     

     

  7. A small plug-in night light is really helpful - the bathroom lighting has a "nightlight" effect but a little extra light in the cabin at night might be helpful and they take up zero space.  Also a refillable water bottle (whereas you can't refill directly from the water spigot in the buffets and restaurants for health code reasons, pouring from a glass to the bottle works really well and your ports are going to be HOT) plus a travel umbrella... portable shade for when you're in port can be a major consideration, especially if you do any of the ruins tours.

     

  8. Another vote for leaving the passports in the safe though note: some ports you are supposed to carry your passport with you - the cruise compass for the next day's port information will include this if needed.  I have photos of our passports on my phone and carry my driver's license for photo ID.  (Second note: both the DB and I have expired licenses and ordinarily use those. No one at the dock has ever noted the license is expired, and if I lose the expired license I'm not concerned.  

  9. Ephesus docks directly and is terrific. We took the longest tour we could find (under the theory we'd only get there once) and had a spectacular time. In Mykonos we took a tour of Delos and also enjoyed it.  You didn't say when you're traveling but we were there in May and it. was. hot.  Like ridiculously hot so prepare. Umbrellas for shade, plenty of water, sunscreen, think "blazing sun" and be ready.

    As a note in case you're still planning, the Rome cruise port is about an hour away from Rome itself and you can taxi but it's expensive. You can also take a private car or do like we did and take the train, which was inexpensive and easy.

    Have fun!

  10. Hey folks - we are on a few individual legs of the World Cruise next year and I did some research... some of the ports visited in Asia and the Middle East (like Viet Nam and Oman) require U.S. passengers to have tourist visas. None seem to be hard to arrange - it seems every country required except possibly China does e-Visas nowadays - but take a look as you're all planning for next year. 

  11. On 6/10/2023 at 9:10 AM, steverk said:

    I've never cruised anywhere that exchanging currency would be necessary. 

    iHow much is everyone planning to exchange? How are you planning to do it?

    As I'm not planning on anyone accepting credit cards, I'm going to exchange more than usual - most banks with advance notice can get foreign money (Denmark doesn't use the Euro so you'll need to order Danish Kroner) at whatever exchange rate is going plus their fee. Also Guest Services can usually change money but only a small amount (when we cruised to Europe it was, like, $50 per cabin) and the exchange rate isn't good.

    Since we are doing prepaid excursions I'm only looking at $$$ for snacks, souvenirs and tips (remember your tour guide, people!) so maybe $250 US. Also: just as with almost any other place in the world, you can use U.S. currency but at who knows what kind of rate. 

    Keep in mind we're also hitting several places in Canada but credit cards won't be a problem there and banks can easily track down Canadian currency.

     

  12. Just got off Quantum so I'm adding in a tiny bit of nuance...

    1. The paper straws aren't what you think of - they last forever and "feel" just like plastic straws.

    2. Cans of soda, yes. But soda from the bars out of a gun (coke products) are included, as are sodas at the main dining room and other areas around the ship.

    3. Can't help on this one.

    4. How is the ice tea on the ship? AWFUL but you can request a pot to heat water and brew your own, plus your cabin should have a mini-fridge so I just take regular tea and chill it.  Do they have splenda equal? YES.

    5. Do they have sausage gravy and chip beef gravy on the ship? Sausage gravy at breakfast in the Windjammer sometimes. 

    6. Can't help.

    7. The lumberjack show is directly off the ship (you can see the small arena from the ship itself) but I don't know how often it sells out.  Maybe check and see if you can reserve online?

    8.  There are two plugs plus two usb ports in the cabin.  There's also a plug in the bathroom (for the hair dryer) if you need it.

     

  13. Researching this for a land tour - I read that the loose-leaf visa is applied for ahead of time (online) and at the end of the application/fee process you get a printable page that says you have successfully applied, which is what you print out, bring with you, and produce for their customs officials. You do it ahead of time (not sure how far ahead as I haven't gotten that far yet), not at the port of entry.

  14. My two cents? Yes, you can get king crab legs while in port (there's going to be a line halfway up the dock to get into Tracey's in Juneau) but it's not "fresh" as everything is off-season. It's essentially the same flash-frozen as you can get at CostCo, only a whole lot more expensive.

    It will be good quality (bigger and not freezer-burned like you'd get at a general grocery store) but the prices are sky-high. Again, CostCo...

    Salmon in port may be worth it (though May isn't really in-season either) but rather than one of the big sit-down restaurants check out the food trucks.  There are a few near port (one serves fish tacos, another serves Pilipino or Malaysian seafood I don't remember which but my GOLLY it was good) and they are serving the fresh stuff, since they buy whatever is pulled off the boats that morning and serve it up. Samon, halibut, char, whatever. 

    FYI salmon in the MDR is actually pretty good, and they will serve it on the rare side if you ask.

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