donolog

someone in another thread confirm doing this

Apart from port infrastructure, the other big logistics issue with Alaska is that anything bigger than a Radiance class ship won't fit through the Panama Canal, which means they'd have to go around South America if they're coming from the Caribbean, or do a Transpacific if they're coming from Australia or Asia. Furthermore, these longer repositioning and Alaska cruises tend to cater to an older demographic that cares less about big ship amenities like flow-riders and slides. All of that is to say I suspect the economics won't add up for larger ships on Alaska any time in the near future. But don't get me wrong, I'd personally love to see more options on the West Coast. CORRECTION: I didn't realize that the Third Set of Locks Project was finally completed and opened a few months ago, which means all but Oasis class ships can make it through Panama now (Oasis class ships can also fit through the new locks but not under Bridge of the Americas).

Yes -- would love to hear how this cruise went. How was the itinerary? I'm a little cautious about the number of cruising days between Israel and Oman but on the other hand -- cool way to see that area.

Well there is always the Azamara Club Spa Suite.

Perhaps the first RCCL customer service rep you spoke to was pre-morning coffee too. :P Happy to hear things worked out. D

Personally I have always booked excursions through RCCL (or just walked around in port), but a few people I've shared a table with have simply gone ashore and hired a driver (taxi?) for the day to take them around and it seemed to work for them. On my cruise that included St. Lucia and Antigua I can't remember exactly what they paid, but I think it was somewhere in the $100-$125 range. I've debated whether or not this is an approach I'd want to take, and I'd be curious if anyone here has experience (good or bad) taking this approach. I tend to agree with rjac that renting a car isn't the best idea ... really easy for something to go wrong that could keep you from getting back on the ship on time.

This same thought occurred to me and the conclusion I arrived at was that you would do it if you want a particular bottle from the wine list that is not available by the glass through the package. Think wine connoisseurs that are happy to pay $100+ for that certain Bordeaux from that certain year. As you suggest, sharing wine with other people at the table who don't have a package would be another reason.

And for those that are happy with a good ol' regular brewed coffee (or tea) you can get those for free (i.e. without a beverage package) most of the day at places like Cafe Promenade, the MDR, Windjammer, etc.

Falmouth is one of those stops where we picked the simplest "go to a nearby beach and chill" excursion and we never regretted it. Of what's currently available, the Red Stripe Beach looks like about what we did, but it may have been different then. It's only a 10 minute drive from the ship. In Falmouth I think you want to make sure it's a private beach. I share the sentiment that Falmouth is a little sketchy outside of the "cruising world bubble", so I'd be hesitant about setting out to find something on your own.

The wristbands the kids get aren't just for Adventure Ocean, they can also be used by the crew to figure out where lost kids belong, and if there was an emergency on board, what muster station they should go to. As a general rule, I would say that if the kids can't be trusted with the SeaPass card, they probably shouldn't be roaming the ship by themselves, so the cards can stay with the responsible individual that is with them. On my last cruise, my just-about-10 year-old daughter (whom is very responsible and trustworthy for her age) was allowed for the first time to check herself out of Adventure and a few times we gave her the SeaPass so she could let herself in if she got back to the cabin before we did, but otherwise, we held on to the SeaPass.

@Jerel -- I like the plan of taking out a bit of USD every pay-day because it's averaging the exchange rates over time, rather than being at the mercy of where the rates are on one particular day or week. But the main point I was trying to make at the outset is that the 3% charged by RCCL isn't that bad when compared to the alternatives, it's just more transparent -- and may very well be better (or at least no worse) than having the CC do the conversion. @rjac -- regarding moving to the US ... you know, the Presidential debates are broadcast up here too ... I think I'll stick with the currency exchange issue for now thanks :P D

And of course you want to get on early enough so you can have lunch on board!

@monorailmedic The part that's not universal about your situation is the "no fee" visa. That type of visa is not common outside of the US, where most card companies continue to levy an additional 1%-3% on top of the 1% charged by visa itself. The going rate for Canadian bank visas seems to be 2.5% -- so if I were to plug that into the calculator you provided the US$13 would hit the visa at CA$17.74 (worse than what I estimated in my earlier post). The good news is other markets are beginning to introduce "no fee" visas ... Canadians looking for one should check out this article, but for now at least, "no fee" visas remain few and far between in Canada. For what it's worth, I just checked the rate to buy US$13 from Travelex in Canada and it came to $18.20 -- by far the worst rate I've seen anywhere (I should note it is currently a public holiday in Canada so it's possible some sources haven't updated their rates recently).

The CC almost certainly charges more than 3% to convert (probably in the 4% to 5% range). Most Canadian credit cards will charge their "buy rate" plus an additional 2.5%. As I write this post, the Bloomberg market rate is 1.3156, so US$13 = CA$17.10, but that's just the spot rate, regardless of whom you're trading with, the "buy rate" will be more, and the "sell rate" will be less (the spread in between is how currency traders make money). So right now, if RCCL was to convert the US$13 would be CA$17.49. If I went to my local Canadian bank, I would pay CA$17.53. If I charged it to my CAD visa it would probably come in about $17.69. The best rate would be from my local private currency exchange office which would charge $17.40 Of course it all gets tricky to track because exchange rates are always changing. It might take a couple of days before visa processes the transaction, and the rate might be higher or lower then. Personally, I have my onboard charges charged in USD to a Canadian bank visa I have that is denominated in USD, which I'll later pay from a USD bank account.

I purchased art at onboard Park West Auctions twenty years ago, and again about twelve years ago. I usually go to the auctions on every cruise, but have only purchased those two times. Of the pieces I purchased, I eventually framed most of them, I've given some away, some are in storage, and some hang on the wall to this day and will likely be prized family heirlooms for years to come. The auctions on my first cruise were my first purchases of original artwork. At the time, those purchases inspired me to learn more about collecting art, and over the years I have purchased other art through alternate means, although I wouldn't call myself an "art collector" and I have never sold any of my purchases. I would compare the art auctions to the ice rinks onboard. If you're a serious skater, or you want to learn to ice skate, then I wouldn't go on a cruise for the ice skating. And while your cruise likely won't be any less complete if you don't go skating onboard, that doesn't mean that you can't or shouldn't enjoy the novelty of skating on a ship, especially if you don't get the chance to go skating in your normal life. Likewise, the onboard auctions likely aren't the best fit for serious, or aspiring art collectors (although if there are serious art collectors out there who disagree please chime in). That said, the auctions can be a fun experience to check out some art, witness or even participate in an auction, have some champagne, and maybe even pick up something to hang on your wall at home. If you picked up a piece of art that you can afford and you'd like to see hanging on your wall at home, I wouldn't second-guess it by giving credence to online reviews -- just enjoy the art. I suspect the negative reviews you've read are from folks that had misguided expectations (possibly from the art auction staff) that the art was an investment that would be worth a lot more in the future (or now) and reality has since fallen short of those expectations. Maybe you could have spent less for something you like just as much at a local gallery, but if you're asking the question then you probably haven't done a lot of that, so take it for what it is, and enjoy what you have. From my experience, here are a few pointers to avoid art auction disappointments: only buy art that you like enough to hang on a wall in your home for the next ten or more years; don't buy something with the intent of selling it to make money -- if you're not already an educated art collector, a cruise probably isn't the place to start; similarly, don't buy something just because it's a good deal -- who cares if it's appraised at $1,000 and you can get it for $50 ... if it doesn't follow point #1 above, it's a bad deal; remember that in most cases you're going to be purchasing only the print, and you will have to pay to have it framed once you get home -- proper framing to preserve the art may cost hundreds of dollars; if you see art displayed that you're interested in purchasing, wait until the auction's VIP night on the cruise where they might have some big discounts; they might also have a silent auction (where you write in your bid on a sheet of paper), but if you're making a silent auction bid be sure to note if there's a minimum bid (those people writing in $1 bids on everything aren't actually that smart); if you think collecting art is something you'd like to get into, do some reading and research about it before (or after) going on the cruise and then decide how an onboard auction fits in with your ambitions.

As Dirk mentions, you can order a bottle of wine (or two if you want red and white) and if you don't finish the bottle, the dining staff will store it for you so that you can finish it the following night. Also, each evening they will have a different special where featured wines are offered at a reduced price. It's too bad they discontinued the dinner wine packages. I enjoyed them on my earlier cruises, but don't drink enough to justify the full-on drink packages. Don

I was also on Liberty for its last run before dry dock a couple of weeks ago, and I have a couple of additional points. It is a VERY long tender from the ship to the shore in Belize. Expect twenty minutes from the time it leaves the ship until it arrives at the dock, and then add to that loading and unloading time, and finding your excursion guide once at the dock. That's assuming everything goes smoothly ... when we were returning to the ship, the waves were too big so safely pull alongside, and they had to rotate the entire cruise ship to shelter the gangway; in total it took 45 minutes from the time we left the dock until we were back on the ship. So by all means try to be on the first tender.