About time for me to get back online!
I know it has been a long time since I last posted. I am thinking it is about time for me to get back to it. We have not been idle. I have taken two river cruises and four ocean cruises since Covid and we have five more scheduled. I am going to try to find time to make more posts, so please stay posted.
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Cruise Cancelled? What Should you do?
Your cruise has been cancelled? What to do now? Take credits or get a refund. Here are some ideas to consider.
Exciting Gadgets
Magnetic Hooks – Helpful But Use With Caution
I cannot believe I have not tried magnetic hooks previously. They are wonderful and really do help keep your cruise cabin organized.
Ramblings
How a Great Cruise Fell Apart – Getting Home and Beyond (March 15-19 and Beyond)
As the world descended into the COVID-19, we realized we needed to figure out how to get home with the constantly changing travel arrangement. With cruise ports sending us away and airlines canceling flights, we had no Idea how we were to get home. But, in the end, we made it.
Cruise Cut Short by COVID-19
All started well, but COVID-19 caught up with us, turning an exciting South American cruise on the Coral Princess into a hectic scramble to get home. We were lucky to get back, but most of our fellow passengers did not fare so well. Learn how you can protect yourself when you cruise.
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How I Plan a Cruise
A cruise is like any other vacation. You get more out of it when you plan and prepare properly. Many folks which whom I speak think a cruise vacation is simply “book, pay, and go” and that everything is handled for you. While you can book a cruise this way, you will get more out of a cruise by planning your experience. In this post, I describe the six steps I follow while planning for a cruise.
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How a Cruise Line Should Treat Passengers When the Unforeseen Happens
Anyone cruising knows that bad weather, technical problems, or even political uncertainty can cause changes to the itinerary. It is a risk we take when booking the cruise. I am sure that everyone who has cruised any extent has encountered at least on instance where an itinerary has changed. The key to customer satisfaction is how the cruise line handles the situation.
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Build an Electronics Support Kit
In a previous post, I recommend creating electronics inventory. This is important to provide a basis to determine what should be in your Electronics Support Kit. I have laid out all the items I generally include in my kit. The list below identifies some of the items in my kit. The first four items are discussed in my Power at Sea article.
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8 Essential Documents and 6 Related Essentials to take on every cruise
Anyone who has traveled knows how important it is to have your documents organized and easy to access. However, in the midst of all the frantic last-minute preparations, it is easy to forget something. This is my list of documents and related items I carry on all my cruises.
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What I learned about river cruises
I have watched YouTube videos and read many articles about river cruising. They all seem to repeat the same advice, which is okay, but don’t really help a lot. So, based on having taken several river cruises, I thought I would share some of the lessons I have learned while cruising. Some are obvious, others not so much. I definitely recommend including river cruises in you vacation options. You will not regret the decision.
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Getting Good Seats at the Theater
One of the biggest hassles on the larger cruise ships is getting good seats for the show, whether in the main theaters or other venues. On nearly all cruise ships, theaters and other venues assign seats on a first-come basis – there are no reserved seats. Some of the larger ships require reservations, but they still do not guarantee good seats. All ships discourage the holding of seats for large groups, but you will always see someone doing this. The reality is that not all members of a party will get to the theater at the same time, so there will always be someone saving seats.
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Do you really want to pack only carry-on?
Recently, I have reviewed a lot of articles and videos from travelers who pack using only carry on...
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Why I chose Avalon for my River Cruises
River cruising has expanded greatly in recent years. There are many alternatives which provide...
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Protecting Your Phone while Traveling
When traveling, I notice that a lot of people have their cell phones out to take pictures, text messages, read maps, or whatever. My biggest fear, since I have bad hands, is that I will drop my phone overboard since I like to take photos over the edge and will type from the guardrail. I notice many others with similar behaviors. To this end, I have explored gadgets to help me protect my phone while I travel. Check out some of these gadgets.
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Keeping Cool – Travel Fans
It seems like every couple I know has the same problem. One likes the room hot, the other cool. My wife sleeps under multiple blankets, while I have at least two fans on. My home is full of fans of all sizes and speeds. Not only do I like it cooler, but I like moving air. For this reason, I have found that traveling with small portable fans makes my life more comfortable. Whether on an airplane with poor circulation, on a hot bus, or in my cabin, the breeze from a fan helps me enjoy the setting. As you could guess, not all fans are created equal. I have some good ones and some bad ones. Here are some tips that I hope help you select the right fan.
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Comfort En Route – Pillows and Blankets
Long flights can be rough on your body. I have tried a number of items to help me be more comfortable. In the end, I have found that there are some essential items: neck pillow, foot pillow, and a blanket. If you have a bad back, you might also want to consider a lumbar pillow.
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Getting Ready – Last Minute Preparations
Now it is the day before your head out on your big cruise vacation. You are excited and a little nervous. What have you forgotten? Are you taking too much? Is everything packed in the right place? Here are some pointers and lists to remembers as you prepare to leave your house.
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Getting ready – 2 weeks before
It is now 2 weeks before your cruise and time to start preparing. There are a number of items you can tackle at this time to avoid the last minute panics. Since many of us have other activities (such as work) that will consume our time prior to heading out on our cruise, it is important to do as much as possible ahead of time. I have found that the 2-week mark is a good time to begin packing and preparing for the trip.
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Take Your Own Coffee Mugs and Water Bottles
Cruise ship coffee mugs and water bottle policies are a hassle. Taking large coffee mugs and reusable water bottles enables you to enjoy the refreshments. No more 6-ounce coffee mugs that get cold in 15 minutes or expensive bottled water.
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Celebrity Edge – First Impressions – Part 2
In Celebrity Edge – First Impressions -Part 1 I talked primarily about the cabin, which was well thought out with only a few minor issues. In Part 2 I will discuss our impression of the rest of the ship. For the most part, the Edge is a fantastic ship. It has some great features, such as the Rooftop Garden, Magic Carpet, and Eden. There is something for everyone, although not everyone will like everything.
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Getting There and Back – Insuring Your Airfare
The decision on whether to pay extra to insure your airline costs is not a simple one. A lot depends on how you booked and paid for it. You may not be at risk, but you need to know when to insure.
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Take a Nightlight – Save a Toe
Cabins are dark at night – inside cabins are always dark. Like many other older cruisers, I need to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom or get a drink of water (in my case, I also have a pill to take in the middle of the night). The bathrooms on cruise ships are raised a few inches, so it is easy to stub your toe when you enter or while walking around the small cabin to get to the bathroom (I know this from experience). It has always amazed me that cruise cabins do not have nightlights in the bathrooms.
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Getting There and Back – Flight Planning
Getting to and from your cruise ports can be expensive and stressful. Air fare can be a significant part of your overall vacation cost. Take the effort to find deals that will make your travel time more enjoyable.
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8 Often Overlooked Essentials
Over the course of my cruises, I have created a checklist of items to pack for my cruises. It includes a number of often overlooked items. Much depends on your personal preferences, but here are some of the most common items I forget and my fellow passengers have commented that they also forget.
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Celebrity Edge – First Impressions – Part 1
We have finally arrived for our long-awaited cruise on the Celebrity Edge. Will the ship live up to the hype? Upon arriving at the port, we could see many differences from the outside. The flat surface of the Infinity Balconies and the shape of the bow, as well as the the obvious attachment of the Magic Carpet, which can move up and down the height of the ship. This is a high-tech ship, which enhances the experience in some ways and detracts in others.
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6 Reasons to Use an Agent
With the exception on one cruise, which I booked through my timeshare service, I have booked all my cruises through The Cruise Web (www.cruiseweb.com). A good agent is there to help you, not to try to upsell you to a more expensive (or higher commission) trip. My agent, Kevin Sweigard, is one of those exceptional agents. Based on my experience and conversations with other cruisers, I would recommend that you use an agent even if you are an experienced cruiser.
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Power at Sea – four gadgets to keep you charged
We all carry many devices that require charging on a frequent basis. Some of these devices, such as our smart phones, may need to be charged multiple times during the day. When traveling, it is common to get into situations where it is not convenient the charge your devices. This is especially true for camera batteries and phones. I have discovered four gadgets that are essential for my traveling.
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Take an Electronics Inventory
It seems like it is impossible for us to go anywhere without our electronics. I suggest that you conduct an Electronics inventory not just for you, but for your entire group. I will share my electronics inventory later in this article, but one thing I’ve discovered over the years of cruising is that I seldom use all the electronics they take. In particular, I have no reason to carry a laptop computer with me as the only purpose it serves is to store my photographs. I do carry an iPad on which I can do basically anything that I need to do on my laptop, albeit not as conveniently at times but it is effective. Eliminating my laptop has saved me 6-8 pounds of weight.
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Why do you cruise?
Most likely your first cruise was experimental to see if you would enjoy cruising. Like me, you probably made many mistakes that you plan to correct on future cruises. One of the first questions I always ask people I meet is why they cruise. As you can imagine, there are a number of responses. This post discusses some of the categories that I have defined.
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Pre- and Post-Cruise Extensions: Are they worth it?
It is always smart to plan in an extra day at the beginning of a cruise to account for potential delays based on flight schedules or potential weather. Whenever we travel during winter, we always plan to arrive in the departure port a day early. We either stay close to the airport so we can take advantage of the cruise line transfers or stay close to the port at a hotel with a cruise line shuttle. We are fortunate that we live near a major airport with direct flights to many locations. At most, we plan for only one layover and choose our airports carefully. If you don’t plan extra time at your embarkation and debarkation port, you may not experience the the location at any level.
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Traveling as a Diabetic
Since cruising is popular with older adults, I suspect many are diabetic, as am I. As a diabetic, it is important to understand your body’s reaction to changes in schedule, new foods, weather conditions, and exercise patterns. I believe it is up to each individual to know their own body. In speaking with diabetics, I have found that no two seem to be on the same reaction to similar situations. Cruising as a diabetic has its own challenges. You must take control of your health. Here are some tips.
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7 Ways to Book Your Cruise
As the popularity of cruises has increased, so have the choices you have for booking your cruise. I have categorized the seven most common booking alternatives. At the end, I will identify which is my preferred method.
It should be noted that the cruise industry has pretty much leveled the pricing. When determining the best price, make sure you include taxes, port fees, and seller fees. I have found out that the bottom line pricing from nearly any source is nearly the same. The deciding factors are convenience and your comfort levels.
Overweight Bags – Cruiser’s Bain
Yes, I know there have been many articles written about how to reduce the weight in your baggage. As airlines strive to reduce their fares, they have created a labyrinth of rules regarding baggage. For the most part, this is not a problem unless you are cruising for multiple weeks or, even worse, on a cruise line that has frequent formal nights. And, don’t forget the need to save some space for souvenirs you might collect along the way. Here are some suggestions for planning with baggage weight in mind.
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Wear Hearing Aids? What’s in Your Hearing Aid Kit?
I, like many of my fellow cruisers who are up in our years, where hearing aids. I have discovered that this does impact both how I pack and my activities on board. For example, a number of excursions provide receivers to hear the tour guide, along with a cheap earbud to put in your ear. Since I wear hearing aids, I need to consider how I can best use these devices. Likewise, anyone uses hearing aids knows that they must carry extra supplies with them. Over the course of many cruises I have put together my “hearing aid kit”. This is nothing fancy – I use a box that I received with my hearing aids to store everything. It does make my life easier to have what I need in a single location. The items you carry will depend on the type of hearing aids you use.
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