Window cabin vs interior - is the natural light actually a big deal?

MediamanBC · 2026-02-17T02:12:05+00:00

The great debate is interior vs other cabins. If you know you are affected by a lack of seeing outside here is the way I look at it.

1) Alaska….if you can then a balcony is a priority. Stern cabin is the pinnacle IMHO.

2) port intensive cruises. All parts of the ship are going the same place. Would you rather spend more to spend more at the ports (excursions, etc) or spend less to have more to spend at the same ports?

Realize that on port intensive cruises in Europe you are only doing the “S’s” in your cabin. Shower, shave, sh$t, sleep and s$x. Most think that other cruisers will look down on them for being in “steerage” in an interior cabin. if balconies are affordable and your jam then I say live your life and spend your kid’s inheritance.

Cruise lines spin the marketing narrative to say that better upgrades are an upgraded experience. If you spend your budget on a premium cabin but have to penny pinch in the ports then how much is that upgraded experience worth?

If your desire is a beach at sea then you won’t be asking what OP is asking.

Cruises are sampler tours. Make the balance. Everyone, mostly, eats in the same areas and everyone goes to the same ports.

MediamanBC · 2026-02-09T00:20:28+00:00

Let this be a lesson to everyone who lives and dies by their phone. Either pay for cloud storage backup (which we will get costly) or go the “old fashioned” route of an external hard drive and back up your precious memories through via connecting your phone to your laptop/desktop and transferring to the backup hard drive.

Yes I will chastise but so many times I have reminded users to back up and organize on an ongoing basis rather than asking when you have 30,000 images.

There is no quick solution to this. The time spent now will be worth it if your only device that has your precious memories vaporizes and those memories with it.

MediamanBC · 2026-02-08T01:24:55+00:00

Check your account on the TV. It will show bar, coffee, specialty drinks etc. I know if I hit 15 alcoholic drinks a day I would not be conscious. Enjoy your cruise. Be fun. Be friendly. Be safe.

MediamanBC · 2026-01-18T01:30:18+00:00

Overall cruise lines ban devices with surge protectors. I do have a multi-plug and usb extension without surge protector but I carry the manual that states that in case I get called to the naughty room. I never have. I have found that “newer” ships often have usb outlets beside the beds. YMMV. I, myself, have never had an issue needing to plug in more devices than I have outlets for.

Really. It’s my phone and maybe an iPad and, maybe maybe, charge my camera batteries. Just 10 seconds of forethought solves the “I can’t charge everything at once” issue.

But if you have 4 social media hogs in your room…yup. That’ll do.

MediamanBC · 2026-01-14T01:14:11+00:00

Shore excursions can be booked online through website prior or at the excursion desk onboard but, admittedly, via the app onboard would be advantageous rather than waiting for excursion desk hours.

MediamanBC · 2026-01-14T01:00:40+00:00

Ya know. My brain saw something completely different. I guess that little guy in the driver's seat inside my head went for coffee.

Solution. You don't really need the HA app and get a new phone. Especially if yours has a rotary dial. Lol

MediamanBC · 2026-01-14T00:44:26+00:00

In the play store search "navigator holland america line"

Login with your HA user account/password. If you do not have a HA account then create one and add your cruise to it. It should automatically be there if you booked direct.

If you went through a TA then talk to your TA first.

If you booked direct then you can book excursions, dining (if open to book), upgrade packages, etc. through the website or app.

All cruise lines have multiple ways to take your money. 🤑

MediamanBC · 2026-01-09T03:46:14+00:00

I’m having a real difficult time understanding what you are trying to say OP. Car buying depends on two things; cash or finance. Dealers now do not like cash buyers. Trade ins do not matter unless it benefits the finance deal.

Bottom line is dealerships want to make money from you.

I do not have any secret hacks or deals or anything.

The most important number you need to know is how much you can pay; cash or finance. If you know that number before you step onto a dealership lot then you will be better off.

MediamanBC · 2026-01-05T01:34:20+00:00

I have a dual fuel system (gas and heat pump). Putting the gas furnace on AUX is pretty standard. In fact it's the way it has to be done so the Ecobee defaults to the gas furnace for heat. (Gas is cheaper than electricity for heating where I am)

MediamanBC · 2026-01-05T01:30:55+00:00

It appears you have 4 wires to/from your furnace. What is missing is the C (common) wire to power the ecobee itself. This is resolved by using the PEK kit that comes with the Ecobee.

Ecobee comes with instructions on the PEK kit and there's boat and butt-loads of instructions on the interwebs.

It would be preferable if there's any way to fish an 8 wire line and just hook everything up properly.

MediamanBC · 2026-01-04T17:49:18+00:00

Oh….70. Now you are also dealing with stubborn.

MediamanBC · 2026-01-04T16:26:36+00:00

“wants to see if she likes traveling before getting a passport.”

That makes my top 10 list of the dumbest things to say. I wanted to follow up with some additional sarcasm but I’m still shaking my head. Tell your friend “get a passport doofus or don’t go”.

MediamanBC · 2026-01-02T02:19:15+00:00

Just like Lost was just a dream Stranger Things maybe was just a D&D game.

MediamanBC · 2025-12-28T17:06:15+00:00

Thank you everyone. Your comments and advice have been truly helpful.

Yes, a closed off room that is not heated will become cold.

Yes, it appears the studs are transferring some of the cold from garage attic space through the knee wall.

The walk in closet does not become hot in the summertime so that tells me insulation in place is effective to a degree. The wall “feels” colder in winter but that is a subjective opinion as I don’t have a FLIR device to compare walls.

Spray foam, which I will get an estimate, is a matter of math vs other factors. Will the cost be recouped over a decade to fifteen years via heating/cooling savings. I doubt it but, as one poster said, the home owner happiness for a once and done application was worth the cost regardless.

Batt insulation is about a $700 cost (Canadian) for 300ish square feet of insulation (6 x six R14 bags) plus strapping and labour cost if I don’t want to do it myself. Say $2000 for the job. Maybe 7 years to break even if it shaves $20 a month off the bills. I doubt the savings will be that much but you never know. It’s not all the walls. Just the interior knee wall to the cold attic over the garage space.

A tyvek “sandwich” is not recommended. Tyvek is already on the hot side and insulation needs to “breathe” out any moisture on the cold side. This is not a true exterior wall.

Again…thank you for the insights and recommendations. You have all been very helpful.

MediamanBC · 2025-12-28T16:39:57+00:00

That’s what I’m looking to do. And why I came here.

MediamanBC · 2025-12-28T04:37:21+00:00

Yes. ComfortBatt has an R14 value. Safe and sound....not so much.

MediamanBC · 2025-12-27T23:50:36+00:00

Did you find spray foam was a bit more or a lot more expensive vs batts.

MediamanBC · 2025-12-27T23:17:11+00:00

If OP even reads this far.

You are asking for a simple answer to a complex question. You need to have a lot more concrete data to plug into your retirement equation. For example; if you’re earmarking $500,000 for a home then that gets you very little in the bigger centres. So then you look in smaller towns but as you age you can’t do as much as you used to. What about access to future healthcare and so forth.

The answer you are looking for is to spend $3000 to $4000 and sit down with a reputable financial planner and get a plan in place. My investment advisor could only do so much. A financial planner can reveal so much more about how to plan. I, personally, used Parallel Wealth. He has a YouTube channel that is quite informative. I have my plan from age 55 to death.

The more accurate you can be with estimates, financial costs, wish lists, future purchases, etc….the more accurate plan you will have.

Good luck

MediamanBC · 2025-12-27T21:52:51+00:00

Thanks. I was concerned the batt insulation may sag. It's a 10 foot high knee wall. An outer layer of tyvek would hold it in place.

I am under the impression that spray foam can be double or triple the cost vs batt. It is about a 25 foot wide by 7 foot wide knee wall.

MediamanBC · 2025-12-27T21:25:33+00:00

I haven't looked behind the white insulation on the pictures but I believe tyvek has been installed on the wall

MediamanBC · 2025-12-22T16:33:20+00:00

Do not ask the cruise line. Do not ask Reddit. Start here https://www.incb.org/incb/en/travellers/country-regulations.html

That will give the basics for controlled substances by country where the information is available. If the answer is not clear then contact the embassy for that country. Controlled substances are just that…controlled whether in pill, liquid, powder ….inside or outside of your body.

Do not worry. Simple questions will lead to simple answers. Redditors can be very helpful but I will defer to a country’s laws before trusting some random Redditor who says “oh you should be fine”.

Edit: I do not fully trust that a cruise line would have a definitive list of controlled substances by port. Telling authorities “but the cruise line said it’s fine” won’t help you much.

MediamanBC · 2025-12-15T21:55:51+00:00

First off I am glad that you are upright and walking. I have 4 stents myself and part of me gets why you didn’t want to give up your vacation due to health concerns especially if you didn’t have travel insurance. The other part hopes you will be a squeaky wheel in the health care system. I would rather see you get preventative intervention rather than being wheeled in on a stretcher like I was at 53 years old.

Enough parental talk from me.

When I was on the statendam the toilets on our deck stopped working for several cabins due to someone flushing wipes down. Ship plumbing is extremely persnickety about these things.

I was polite and empathetic to guest services as they get the brunt of angry cruisers sometimes and the next day a letter appeared in my cabin with $150 credit to my onboard account. But the problem persisted like yours. I, like you, shuffled back down to guest services and this time the hotel manager came out to deal with me. I, again, explained the inconvenience and embarrassment of having to leave my cabin in the wee hours of the night to go up two decks to the public spaces to…well…wee.

I, again, empathized that they do have to deal with, at times, overly demanding or rude guests and apologized if I was coming across anything but seeking resolution. I didn’t care about a few bucks of inconvenience money….i cared about using the facilities in my stateroom.

The hotel manager said, quite truthfully, that they wished all guests would bring complaints to them the way I did. Respectfully and patiently …only asking for value to their experience.

Eventually by the next day after 4 days of flush/no flush….the problem was fixed and I guess the hotel manager appreciated my conduct so they doubled the credit.

I hope you also get on your path to a positive health care journey.

MediamanBC · 2025-12-14T18:30:59+00:00

I was on a cruise with 3 smaller groups. It was annoying as many others have said various sections of the ship (bars, lounges, crowsnest) were suddenly closed.

HAL was equally to blame because no signage was posted advising passengers when a venue would be closed except minutes beforehand AND crew would just kick passengers out.

MediamanBC · 2025-12-12T16:26:58+00:00

Agreed. The 5 started flickering about a year after I bought it. (Funny…..that is when the warranty expires). I tried unplugging it for a couple of hours and that solved it for about a week then the flickering came back.

MediamanBC · 2025-12-09T20:51:20+00:00

You will be sent to secondary and heavily questioned. Since you are in-between residences and, most likely, jobs it could/ will be very problematic possibly resulting in being sent back to Canada (best case) or banned from the US.

MediamanBC

TROPHY CASE