3Sisters

@kefthecruiser Itineraries are beginning to shift and cruise guests sailing out of Baltimore are starting to get a little uneasy about their upcoming itineraries. Vision of the Seas cruises out this Thursday, September 14th, but it's not looking very promising. Let's just hope Hurricane Lee veers east! New England needs to keep a close eye on this hurricane.

@Kathleen Did you receive any updates on this itinerary? I believe @Lucy Lou may be cruising on this same itinerary. I really hope you are both able to get onboard and cruise away from Hurricane Lee!

@Lucy Lou I beleive another user posted about this same itinerary; I will tag you in the thread. The Vision of the Seas itinerary before will be delayed, but I don't know much more than that. Your cruise is right around the corner; I hope you hear an update soon. I expect you will be cruising out of Baltimore. Hurricane Lee will be pretty close by. Let's be positive and pray its current trajectory doesn't shift west! Please keep us posted with updates. Will you be flying into Baltimore? https://www.cruisehive.com/hurricane-forces-multiple-royal-caribbean-itinerary-changes/110426

@euroguy I'm glad you are back! Your experience in Skagway looks absolutely breathtaking. I love all of these photos of waterfalls, lakes, and nature. You really got to experience so much in such a short amount of time! The last photo you posted even has a mini rainbow caught in the waterfall. I would imagine not many people adventure to drive 70 miles into Canada during a cruise stop, but after seeing all of these photos, I'm not sure I could miss it! Were you able to get into any of the bodies of water? They may have been a bit chilly. How was the weather in Skagway? It looked so lush and green with no snow in sight.

@SMartin Thanks for sharing your perspective! It's easy for negative experiences and comments to surface, but it's not always common to see positive outlooks. I love this advice. It is so much easier to resolve your issues onboard, even if you have to wait in a longer-than-usual customer service line. I always carry receipts with me of everything I prepurchased, and then I also opt out of linking my credit card, checking my daily statements onboard to ensure all of the expenditures are accurate. I also agree about saving and booking a cruise when you feel financially able. It's worth it to wait to book a cruise when you are going to comfortably afford it and not feel stressed about limiting yourself on your cruise vacation. Vacation is a time to relax and unwind, not to feel unable to enjoy the on-ship amenities because you weren't financially comfortable with it. I also find it necessary to comfortably tip extra. I tip generously, and I enjoy being able to do that.

@maddogesq How awesome is that? It's unfortunate these things take longer than one would like, but at least all the refunds came in and you were even able to donate a portion. Give it some time, I'm sure there will be excursion options for Hilo! Although you could likely have a grand time exploring the area on your own, a special excursion could be nice too. I wonder if this one will become available to you! It sounds like a great excursion option. https://www.princess.com/ports-excursions/hilo-hawaii-excursions/hilos-waterfalls-and-gardens-experience/

@Bonnie Hutsell I completely agree with that idea! I prefer to be outdoors in shaded areas. You can only be in the sun for so long without feeling the burn. Sun decks were initially for sun tanning, but now people are more aware of the dangers of baking in the sun. It's a wasted space, I agree. People prefer to eat outdoors in the shaded spaces. If the tables are directly in the sun, they are likely not occupied. I wouldn't be surprised if cruise lines start redesigning those sun decks for better use.

@FJB I really hope that doesn't become a thing! The towel animals are a signature. Why cruise CCL without them? You never know, a structure like this honestly wouldn't surprise me. Cruise lines are trying to charge for pizza and cookies too! I'm sorry, but I think charging for super basic services is pretty petty.

@kefthecruiser I'm so glad I could amuse you! I mean it; I wouldn't want to be waiting in line at the buffet once I get older. I'm still middle-aged but once I'm retired, I want ease and convenience. If I barely care about the arcade and VR now, I can't imagine what my older adult years will bring. You can catch me with the Medallion service, having unlimited drinks and food brought to me at any area of the ship. Now that's the way to cruise in style!

@Sullanciri I have yet to explore Venice, but I too am curious to hear the responses about this area. This transfer process does sound accurate, but I wouldn't be too overwhelmed. I would prepare myself for this bus shuttle. It's likely a courtesy shuttle anyway, instead of having to taxi and find your own way from the port. I would view this as a little blessing in disguise. The bus system will eliminate the headache of finding alternate transportation once off-ship!

@FJB I see your daughter is a big help to facilitating some much-needed time off! This vacation must have taken tons of planning for forethought. I'm so glad you opted to get travel insurance for that one. After spending, I'm sure, plenty of money on this epic adventure, solidifying the "what ifs" by purchasing travel insurance was certainly wise!

@FJB From what it sounds like the mini-suite is not worth the extra money. @Onboard I would rather just spend less on a standard balcony suite and spend extra on some awesome excursions! Unless I'm on a romantic getaway, I don't really spend that much time in my stateroom. I definitely don't spend enough time to really appreciate the extra 10 sq. ft. of space! What additional amenities come with the Celebrity suites?

@David Chavez Many of the mainstream cruise lines are definitely geared towards family fun and all-age activities. I second what @kefthecruiser says, NCL and Princess Cruises could be better options for an older adult lifestyle. These cruise lines have more excursion options that are geared toward an adult crowd. Have you cruised with Princess Cruises before? I think you may really enjoy the style of cruising and excursion options available, catering to less physically intensive crowds. The smaller ships also offer a more peaceful atmosphere for older guests who don't care to wait in line at the buffet or arcade.

Disney Cruise Line's Disney Fantasy already had to adjust its itinerary due to Hurricane Lee. The ship will cruise a Western Caribbean itinerary instead of Bermuda. To be honest, I think that itinerary is even better than the original one. I bet there will be more itinerary changes from other cruise lines trying to dodge Lee!

@SpaceCowboy9 You are going to love cruising with Windstar! I have heard great things about this luxury line, and you will also have access to Starlink onboard if you care for it. This is a great way to celebrate #30, onboard a smaller, more intimate ship! How long is your cruise itinerary? Will you be visiting any new destinations?

You should take a look. Franklin (post-tropical cyclone) and Jose (tropical storm) seem to be neck and neck with one another! Now there is a new tropical storm out in the Atlantic, Gert. Hurricane season is in full swing now. These storms are popping up every day!

@kefthecruiser Yes, this is in fact a true story that happened to me this year. It seems you know the Miami demographic very well! The folks who were confused, and almost appalled I was questioning them while they entered MY Uber, seemed to be from out of the country, possibly European. I could tell they didn't realize Jose was a more common name for this area than they would expect.

@FJB It's probable and could potentially benefit in terms of water level, but I hope a strong hurricane doesn't strike that area! @Volcanomom You still have some time before December. Things could change by then so keep a close eye on the news for that region. Hopefully, the water levels rise, and cruising will resume back to normal in the coming months for Panama. I'm sure all of the portside regions want the levels to rise too. Tourism generates lots of income for these costal regions!

@kefthecruiser At first I didn't expect Idalia to become so strong but it did make it all the way to a Category 4! Thankfully this hurricane wasn't as disastrous as most. After reading up on all of the natural disasters lately, I'm glad Idalia didn't wreak too much havoc. Everyone needed a little bad news break. Idalia is now a post-tropical cyclone trending north in the Atlantic.

@kefthecruiser This is such a clear shot! Those were the days of cruising. I miss those days of cruising. In fact, I think I sailed onboard Jubilee as a child. I remember the fruit carvings and unlimited, 24-7 ice cream. I miss those days.

@kefthecruiser I totally agree with you. Even when trying your very best, a 10 am flight is pretty far-fetched. By the time you just get into a taxi, with all of your things, you are looking at 11 am. The last time I cruised out of Port Miami I had to ask the family that got into my Uber to leave because it wasn't theirs. They claimed it was a black Suburban and the driver was named Jose. They were right, it was the same-looking black SUV behind us but with another driver named Jose. I had them check the license plates to confirm and this other family had to unload all of their things out of this vehicle. That process alone cost us at least 15 minutes. All that being said, it's just better to give yourself extra time.

@kefthecruiserThanks for solving this mystery! It's impressive how you were able to figure it out. I had trouble differentiating the Holiday-class ships. Carnival Holiday sailed for many years, from 1985-2020, and was sold for scrap after the shutdown. I wonder if the pandemic never happened if the ship would still be cruising on today.

@Grieving Mom I'm sorry you had to endure such heartache. This sounds like a tremendously overwhelming circumstance for you. Normally RCL does really well for its guests, and I'm sad to read you had such a horrible cruise experience! I will be thinking of you during this time of grief.

There are enough non-accidental overboard happenings; there is no need for a silly mistake due to sitting on the balcony railings! RCL's Wonder of the Seas just had an overboard incident!

@Rayk I see the value in not forgetting it at home, but as @Oldgirl50 mentioned, you are paying for the medallion's free shipping. It's not fair that the U.S. gets to utilize this system but Canadians don't get the medallion ahead of time like others. For the price medallion guests are paying, the services should be provided universally.