Riley

24 minutes ago, Morganno said:

Unvaccinated people pose no risk to those vaccinated apart from an increased chance of having to turn the ship around due to a medical emergency. This is why cruise lines have the policy in place. 

Oh, not true.

Palma de Mallorca (once you actually get out of the terminal - longest walk EVER) has a hop on/hop off stop directly out the terminal exit doors. Look for the red "pillar" at the bus stop, pretty much straight ahead. 

Chocolate is always popular since they can eat it or trade it or give it away.

21 minutes ago, EmersonNZ said:

Wow! I can't believe it takes that long to get a passport renewed in the US. Last time I got mine renewed in new Zealand I had it back in less than 10 days and that was npt paying for the expediated service (I believe they garantee 5 days for that). It use dto take a lot longer here but they moved to the enw online renewal process about 10 years ago and it really has made a big difference in turn around time.

It doesn't ordinarily take this long -another effect of the pandemic and service slowdowns.  I live in Chicago, which has a full-service passport office, and got my previous one done in a day. 

Would you be flying out of Barcelona? The terminal is not at all far to the airport and it's not a large airport so I would think so.  Plan to self-disembark with your luggage so you're off early and maybe just take a cab to the terminal. The Barcelona cruise port is tiny and the last time we disembarked (mid-May) it got really chaotic with workers overwhelmed.  Despite the confusion we still made it to the airport in ample time for our noon flight.

Sent my passport renewal in around 6/10 and got it back last week. I paid for expedited as I needed it by 9/1 but 6 months should be plenty of time even under regular processing.

I always ask for the entire can when ordering a Dark & Stormy and have never had an issue getting it.

Adding in - we often order at least one option from the Vegan menu in the MDR because there are some really nice options. The Chickpea "omelet" was surprisingly good, and all the soups are terrific. 

Way to go!

Exhibits A through Z as to why we never check bags!

Whereas around the world won't work (unless I really do win the Mega Millions), we are currently fantasizing about blowing two years' travel budget on one of the legs. Two months at sea!

Fairbanks the town is really unimpressive (think really big strip mall) but the scenery anywhere in Alaska is terrific. The drive between Anchorage and Seward is a great one though, and Seward is gorgeous.

Adding to the "have your Mom speak with them" list. I was on a Grand Jury for 22 months and there were excused absences for things like pre-planned trips. There are 24 jurists and so long as 16 are there testimony can be taken that day. She will be fine with the scheduled absences.

On 5/5/2022 at 3:29 AM, KenCP said:

Boarding in Barcelona is very easy as the cruise port is in the city $20 Euro cab ride from most hotels. Leaving from Rome you have to go the port city of Civitavecchia.  I have not left from Rome yet so I can not comment on that but I am sure it is not difficult.

It's not if you are either willing to spend money or feel confident taking the train. A cab from Rome to Civi is about 120 Euros and expect 60 to 90 minutes transit time, depending on traffic.

The train is awesome and inexpensive (we spent about 35 Euro each for tickets) and takes about 45 minutes but Termini Station where you catch the train can be chaotic.  That said, once on the train it's a nice ride and exiting at the port is simple (you do have to go under the tracks themselves to exit on the correct side so head to the small elevator) - you can either take a taxi for the few minutes' ride or cross the street and wait for the proper bus (3 Euro each, cash only) to come along.

58 minutes ago, foxrunner said:

My wife and I are in our 50's and are very active, we are hiking in Juneau and biking down Whites Pass in Skagway as well as hiking and rafting. We have been to most of the lower 48 National Parks, but haven't been to Alaska. 

1) Thoughts on our 10 hour stop in Victoria. Again never have been and the gardens look great, but open to other ideas. 

2) Our flight out of Seattle is at 10:00PM. We will have checked luggage and are looking for ideas of what to do both for the day and if you know of anywhere to safely store our luggage while we visit Seattle.

The Butchart Gardens are a must-do and Victoria also has a very good natural history museum. We love walking along the waterfront downtown (which I don't think is near the cruise port so check a map) and there are a lot of whale watching adventure tours to consider as one walks along... check the times they go off and which killer whale pods they are focused on. 

19 hours ago, WAYNO said:

I dunno... Is PDX a small airport?  Or Kansas City, or Lauderdale?

As someone who flies from Chicago O'Hare?  Yes. Yes they are...

Other than drink as much Gosling's as you can stand?

Don't bother with a sunset cruise of the harbor - take the water taxi back and forth around the same time for the same effect.

Locals offer impromptu taxi service and we have used them... ended up with a nice impromptu tour from it.

I'm a big fan of Travelocity - found a terrific snorkeling tour some years back this way that aligned with the ship's time in port.

21 hours ago, Imflyinghi said:

Hello all!! Was wondering if someone can help with this? I am spending one additional night in Rome after my arrival. My hotel is adjacent to the main Train Station in central Rome. Does Royal offer any transfers that are suitable for me?

Echoing what everyone else is saying - look into taking the train to Civi.  The Termini station in Rome is a bit chaotic but once you locate the train to Civi it's a pleasant one-hour ride to the port station at the end of the line. 

Aim for the latest flight you can as getting off the ship and to the airport is over an hour plus a couple hours to get through the airport etc. Good luck!

2 hours ago, steverk said:

Like everyone else here, the only advice I'm offering is never, ever invest more than you can afford to lose.

That said, I can't help but think the shareholder benefit makes the stock attractive.  If you're lucky enough to be retired and cruise 7 days per month,  then the benefit would be $1200 per year.

At $35 per share ($3500 for 100 shares to get the benefit), you would have your investment back in just 3 years.

Btw carnival would be less than 1 year!

Agreed - I look at it for the shareholder credit for now under the assumption the company will remain.

20 hours ago, CYCO1631 said:

When I was growing up, I got to see many Broadway productions.  A few on Broadway (Les Mis, Lion King, Beauty & the Beast), most at Proctors Theater (Albany NY's 'Off Broadway' stage), where I saw most of Loyd Webber's work, including Cats.  Webber is all over the map with his shows and is mostly fantastic, especially the historically based shows... Miss Saigon, Evita, even Phantom of the Opera.  Cats... suffers from coherence, and the plot is lost on all but the most dedicated to understanding it.  Why I think it should stay, is it's appeal to the kids the Oasis draws.  Excluding Disney and Loyd Webber's Christian shows (Joseph & TATDC or JC Superstar... & not even that fits), what other Broadway shows would even be appropriate for a demographic under the age of 12?  Not many I remember.

Dusting off my Theater Nerd hat... Miss Saigon is not by Lloyd Webber. 

They are okay - a little dry but meaty and you can ask for two slabs, as each is about 4 bones.

Hi there- status is automatically updated (usually it takes about 7 to 10 days post-cruise for update online) so you don't have to do anything. The only time it would be helpful top rebook is when you're a high enough tier that you would get a discount on, say a balcony or a solo traveler.

Yep my reluctant fallback is an Oilcan of Foster's (because it's essentially two beers for one drink ticket) but I was very excited to see our "Wonder" trips this Fall may have Redhook's Longhammer IPA available.