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Asphodel

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Everything posted by Asphodel

  1. This is true. They are also required to have a notarized letter from the parents saying they have permission to take them out of the country and are required to present it with the passports. If not and if they get caught, they'll probably get detained and possibly get tossed in a Federal prison. Don't mess with the Feds. Edit: I wanted to add a couple things to this. We're talking about cruising, you're travelling on a closed loop, in my case Galveston to Galveston. So you have to satisfy Royal Caribbean's requirements for children traveling with guardians other than their parents and/or custodial entities. The other thing is upon re-entering the country, you have to fill out that declaration. One of the things you're supposed to declare is if you're traveling with immediate family or not. Lying on the declaration is not recommended. Another experience I had - and this was when we found out about the "you have to have a letter from the absent parent" thing. My Australian in-laws would often come to the US and we would often go visit them where they chose to vacation, sometimes in Hawaii, other times in Florida. The last time they blew through I decided I didn't want to go so my husband took our kids and on that particular trip they decided to go to the Bahamas. Just a short hop out of the US. But boy, did they get grilled over me not being there and them oh so innocently trying to take my kids out of the country. When they got back my husband made noises about getting the kids Australian passports, tho he never got around to it.
  2. Well, yeah. But as someone who has traveled with small children that were holding passports; and when your name and their names on all the passports all match, even if the husband's passport is not a US passport, I can assure you the customs/immigration agents are going to assume you are the parents and not question you about it.
  3. A passport is proof of citizenship, so it is essentially the same thing as a birth certificate.
  4. Giovanni's. I haven't eaten at Chops but Giovanni's was decent.
  5. I looked and my cruise Feb 2017 is sold out in my category. :blink:
  6. A few years ago on Adventure out of PR, we were at the top tier event where a whole bunch of D+ members got recognized. At least 4 couples, I want to say there were more. All of them were doing multiple back to backs. At least one couple was doing 8 back to backs. There are also cruise ships where you buy the rooms (like condos) and live on the ship full time. I've also heard some of these are set up like time shares so you can purchase a couple weeks or a month tho I can't see the practicality of doing that.
  7. There was a table of 14 that had been recently seated and I suspect they were the reason our guacamole got rushed. Still, I don't think great table side guacamole is worth the $60 (for 2) they charge for dinner at Sabor.
  8. Do you know this for a fact or are you just surmising? I have never seen anything like this in all the decades I've been dining in any of the countries I've been to, US or other. I've been web searching and haven't turned up anything suggesting such is normal table etiquette in Latin countries (or European or Asian). My best guess as to what happened is these waiters were given a crash course in US table/dining etiquette and someone got confused over whose seat he was supposed to be holding.
  9. This made me think of something else I found curious at the time. When we were seated at our table, the person seating us went and held my BF's chair and helped him sit down but not me. Isn't that the opposite of how it's suppose to go?
  10. Table side would be debatable. The cart was there, it was about 10 feet behind our table. We got asked do you want it mild, medium, spicy? And that was right before it got placed on our table. My BF dipped in a chip and was like "WTH is this?" It was runny (for guac) and not blended well. It was not "crafted" to order. Not like Escalante's where they bring the cart right up to your table. Show you all the ingredients, do you want this, this, this? A little more, a little less? I'm not sure they're trying to appeal to a wider palate so much as an ignorant one. Don't understand why they solicit for people to eat there. It was hopping and busy. filled up fast at soon as they opened. I dined at Izumi once a couple years ago. The food was competent but it was very expensive. I could see running up a $150+ bill easily. I got like one appetizer, one sushi roll, and cut out.
  11. Well. I think it's sensible to be up-to-date on all your recommended vaccinations. Including: influenza pneumococcal Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) shingles meningococcal Did you mean anything special? Only if you're travelling to some country that has a prevalent nasty disease like malaria. On the ship, your biggest concern is norovirus. Pack a strong anti-diarrhea drug like Immodium.
  12. I did not know that. To console myself, I'll walk approx 4 blocks down through my subdivision to find the Latino guy who sells food out of the back of a pickup truck and buy me a cup of Mexican street corn. Cut off the cob, with mayo, powdered cheese & chili pepper. The taco truck I mentioned above has the best lengua tacos I've ever had. Fiery green salsa. They also had voter's registration pamphlets last time I was there tho they're not on a corner. More in a parking lot by an H-E-B. My thoughts on Sabor. Our guacamole was not made to order, they just brought it. The guac they make on the pool deck is pretty good but ours was a sloppy mess. The salsas had no spice at all, totally flat. The waiter brought me some minced jalapenos which he stirred into the green salsa w/o asking where I wanted it, I put the rest in the pico de gallo which really needs serranos. I wanted to try everything so I ordered a lot of appetizers. My BF also ordered the tortilla soup which he seemed to like but he thought it was going to be something else he never made clear. I ordered: Gazpacho, it was really strange like ultra smooth tomato puree. Tasteless and flat. I like the chunky kind made with fresh tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, onion, oil and vinegar. Queso. Again very strange and where was the cheese? The tortillas didn't taste right. Ceviche. I realize there is more than one style of ceviche but I was expecting the kind marinated in citrus juice long enough that it firms up, mixed with tomatoes, onions, peppers, other things. Zesty. What I got was mushy tasteless bits of raw fish. The fried calamari was okay but everything tastes better fried. BF ordered sides of rice and beans, they were tiny portions! Like 1/4 cup each. At this point we were afraid to order any entrees (barbacoa tacos with BBQ sauce -SRSLY?) and we wanted to go to the show so we decided to cut our losses. The literature said it was $25pp but they charged us $30pp. Ironic they named it Sabor, everything was so tasteless. And Arizona the guy who convinced me to come to Sabor by telling me he'd be my waiter? Come to my house! he said, I will *craft* your tableside guacamole! He was waiting on another table and did not even acknowledge us. Not a dealbreaker, just another strange thing to add to the list.
  13. Our cruise last week there was a comedian we saw our cruise last Feb and yes. He did the same jokes, the same impressions. For that matter I think all the shows except one were repeats from last Feb.
  14. I walked into a plate glass door. Had surgery yesterday evening. It hurts. :( Foodwise, nothing really stands out. Things I can think of offhand - the sushi, chilaquiles, lambchops, congee - all in the Windjammer. Any plain steamed vegetable. My bf chowed down on the hamburgers and anything beef-stew-ish, especially if there was gravy to spoon over rice. The best thing I had all week was the wine tasting in Vintages. Forgot to mention how awesome the sommelier was.
  15. That's a sophistic argument.
  16. It varies by ship/itinerary. For the itineraries that interest me, in March /April. Tho a couple weeks (months?) ago they released itineraries for Vision in Galveston. It depends.
  17. No didn't even go up to the sports deck. I don't know if you recall a thread months ago where I opined that water slides are dangerous, I hate water slides. Watched the twin slides in action last Feb, saw a woman come out the bottom and slip under the water and flounder for several seconds while the crew member standing there did nothing to help her. I'm like absolutely no way. As far as the other slide goes. The death on the Kansas water slide this past summer reinforces my aversion to water slides.
  18. More things. (gee it's a pain typing with 1 1/2 hands) Since it was an impromptu cruise, I decided not to do any formal nights and somewhere in there we decided to eat dinner in the Windjammer. We were pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Sushi most nights, different foods from the dining room and same things too like lamb chops. Stations where they made up fresh things like stirfry, Asian style soup, pasta, fajitas. Not crowded at all, plus more flexible, we didn't have to schedule around a fixed time. Guess I burned out on the dining room after 14 cruises. This was my bf's first cruise as Emerald. We hit Vintages a couple/three times, one for a tasting. The tasting was excellent, well worth the price. Got positive comments on a couple of my tees. One my Hillary tee, the other my Flight Aware tee.
  19. We usually cruise once a year in Feb. Earlier this year my bf whined he needed a break so I booked the cheapest cruise I could find. Interior deck 3 (normally we're in a balcony). We were underneath the Schooner Bar (yes we could hear it and the Theatre). Most memorable thing? I broke a finger. Serious break, surgery is tomorrow. Other than my finger, I'm fine. We won a lot at trivia. (hehe) Finally scored something better than the ubiquitous highliters and keychains. A baseball hat!! :D What was the deal with the bacon? A couple mornings they kept running out. They'd put out a fresh batch, 'twould be gone in 7 nanoseconds. I took to standing in line with the other hopefuls. The first time some 10-12 year old kid cut in front of me, proceeded to take 2 huge tongs full of bacon. At that point I snapped at him to leave some but he had taken approx half the bacon (not exaggerating). Another time a woman again cut right in front of me. "There's a line for the bacon." She ignored me. "Ma'am see the people behind me? That's the line for the bacon." She made some non-committal remark about the line coming from the other side but from the way she refused to look at me or speak I knew she knew she was in the wrong. People are getting so rude. We tried to sit in some "saved" seats (2 guys holding half of row 2 - about 8 seats) but the 2 guys got belligerent with us, one of them going so far as to shove my bf. My boyfriend has Bipolar Disorder and it took all his restraint not to slug the jerk back. All around us people were commenting how *we* were the rude ones to try to steal these people's seats. What happened to Royal's policy of no saving seats? At the cashier redeeming a paltry 75 cent voucher, was behind a woman redeeming a handful of vouchers. One got rejected as already redeemed, I snuck a peek it, was for $80. Whoa, I'd like to know the story behind that. Missed Grand Cayman due to bad weather, our second cruise in a row to do so. In Jamaica we did the Red Stripe Beach excursion. I wasn't expecting much but it was better than anticipated. It was obvious they had trucked in a lot of sand as the surrounding area was swampy. However, the beach was nice, the water pleasant, a DJ providing music. They had all the usual accoutrements for a fee - food, beer, lawn chairs. The only glitch was not enough buses going back. The bus would fill up leaving a whole bunch of grumpy people to wait 20 to 40 minutes for the next one. At the embarkation point was a guy soliciting for Sabor. Arizona his name was. Against my better judgement I said okay. (I live in Houston where there's great authentic Mexican food {street taco trucks to higher end fare}) as well as Tex-Mex. Oh man, it sucked. We hated it. And we didn't hide our displeasure so the waiters picked up on it and got edgy around us. Waiter brings the bill gives it to my bf. "Why not me? I protested. "Because he is the gentleman," was the response as I pulled out my Seapass card and handed it to him. He brings back the bill and again hands it to my BF. I was offended at this crass display of sexism. First cultural crossup: In Cozumel in a shop, there were some wooden snakes. My bf (I wish he wouldn't) told the shop ladies I have snakes as pets. "Oh?" they say. They were more curious than repulsed. "What do you feed them? "Mice," I said. "oooooh, maize", she responded. No, no, no not corn. (amused and chuckling facepalm) They did understand rat and mouse. Second cultural crossup: They had congee at breakfast!! I love congee! (major Chinatown near to where I live) But. The congee in the Windjammer is not exactly what I'm used to. I asked a Chinese waitress about it, she said she didn't eat rice. Where she came from they ate noodles. Strike one. Another time there was a blond lady with an accent I couldn't place dishing some up. "Oh, it's chicken soup," she said. She tried it first day and really liked it. Chicken soup. Strike two. Saturday night 2:20 am they made an announcement so-and-so please come to Guest Services deck 5. Twice they announced! WTF? If you wake me up at 2am I'm going to have trouble getting back to sleep and I'll likely oversleep the following morning. We were debarking and right behind us they refused debarkation to some woman, turning her back. We were like, hmmmm, someone trying to skip out on their gambling debt..... And finally in the car trying to leave and a man and a woman greeted each other with great fanfare, then began smooching. Standing in the middle of the road, right in front of us, blocking egress. I tried to honk but my bf kept knocking my hand away. We rolled down the window and yelled at them; they were oblivious. Finally I got in a honk. They turned around with an indignant EXCUUUUUUSE-ME!!!!! look, but moved to the sidewalk where they continued smooching. A true (facepalm) moment.
  20. Passport came yesterday. I mailed it on March 16th sooooo 17 days to get it back. Exactly 2 weeks to get it back from the day they received it.
  21. I came back to this thread to make a different comment and saw this and guess I misread Visa as passport but anyhow I boggled. Why do you need a Visa? Okay I'm speaking from an American POV probably stranded in the Caribbean somewhere since that is what most people have been talking about. The US is one of the countries that has the most countries their citizens can visit with no Visa requirement - something like 160+. So there's a good chance the country you're in doesn't even require you have a Visa. We're talking a visitor Visa here. Second one cannot obtain a Visa without a passport. This is going on the assumption that one is traveling with their picture ID and birth certificate in lieu of a passport. So if you find your way to the Embassy, it will be with the purpose of getting a passport with which you will use to fly back to the US since you must have a passport for International air travel. I suppose if you're in Cozumel it would be feasible to find a bus to take you back to the US border where you'll probably sit for a few days while they process the red tape to allow you back in the US with no documentation (unless you're carrying your birth certif with you). At any rate since your main concern is leaving the country you're stranded in, again, you're not going to want to waste time obtaining a Visa. Now if it's the current procedure for the ship personnel to go into the passenger's rooms (which it appears to be going by another article I just read) you'll have your passport and you have 2 options. Fly to the next port to try to catch the ship or fly back to the US. But going back to no passport. My last cruise I went to Montego Bay, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. The US Embassy in Jamaica is in Kingston, that's doable. In Grand Cayman, it's in Georgetown. That's doable. If you're in Cozumel, the US Embassy is in Mexico City. That's problematic. Which leads me to the afterthought I wanted to add. One way to tell that people are not back on the ship is close to departure time, they will call over the PA the names of people who have not made it back on the ship. If you know this, it gives you an indication how often people are late coming back to the ship. They were calling people my last cruise around 5pm in Cozumel. Cozumel is notorious for that from people going to the bars and getting drunk and is a good place for going out on deck and watching the pier for latecomers. Anyhow, I tried to snag the URL of the article I just read but it locked up my browser so I'm not going to do that.
  22. It was. Accommodating. Remember I said it was run by Howard Johnson. Not a lot of amenities but they apparently get a lot of cruise ship passengers checking through. We also arrived at the airport around 2:30 in the morning. I thought that would be a problem, but it wasn't. It was more of a problem getting up in the morning after only 4-5 hours sleep. The $20 cab fare was par a year ago, as it was 12 years ago last time I was in Puerto Rico. So were the $400 to $500 hotel rooms, last year as well as 12 years ago. Your inflated Hilton prices seem to be because you were at the Hilton. Tho I remember a $200 meal at a really cool raw bar (Aguaviva) but I figured that was cause it was seafood and a trendy place and oddly they flew in a lot of their seafood. This last time we were there, we walked down the street, found a Walgreen's and some local food type establishments (one open 24 hour) as well as more American fare like a Subway. I remember feeding the three of us lunch for about 12 bucks at one of the local places. Anyhow. Puerto Rico has always been expensive, at least to my knowledge.
  23. Due to Real Life intrusions* I didn't get around to mailing off the passport renewal until yesterday. Sent it certified. Haven't looked at the tracking but the slip of paper says it's due to be delivered on Saturday. *I wasn't feeling well. There was Weather.** My husband got laid off.*** I'm still not feeling well. **They predicted flooding so I stayed home but it didn't flood, at least not here. ***My husband asked me to cancel my cruise. I told him I was pretty sure he'd have a job by the time final payment came around.**** ****I haven't told him about the second cruise.
  24. I wonder how much "wiggle room" they have for delaying ship departure. I remember one cruise where we were waiting and I went down to deck 4 with a lot of other people hanging over the railing waiting for the last passengers. When they showed up, they weren't running, they just sauntered casually in, while a couple hundred people were yelling and booing at them. Do people like this get taken aside for a little "talk" telling them the importance of being back on time, I wonder? My last cruise 4 of my tablemates were first time cruisers and one of them early in the week piped up "You don't have to be back on time, the ship will wait for you." I strongly corrected him on that, to his chagrin. Then again these were the people who thought it okay to be half hour late to dinner cause they hadn't finished gambling in the casino.
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