A Travel and vacations forum. TravelBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » TravelBanter forum » Travelling Style » Cruises
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

First cruise - CARIBBEAN - questions



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #71  
Old November 6th, 2006, 10:56 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Charles[_1_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,112
Default First cruise - CARIBBEAN - questions

In article , Dick G
wrote:

BTW, I wasn't trying to hide my identity, just trying to stem the flow of
SPAM into my gmail account.


I know but you are using someone's real domain, nosuch.com to do that.
Nosuch exists, it is registered to someone. So if any spam is diverted
you are diverting it to someone else. How would you like it if someone
diverted their spam to you?

--
Charles
  #72  
Old November 6th, 2006, 11:34 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Dick G[_3_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 11
Default First cruise - CARIBBEAN - questions

"Charles" wrote in message
d...
In article , Dick G
wrote:

BTW, I wasn't trying to hide my identity, just trying to stem the flow of
SPAM into my gmail account.


I know but you are using someone's real domain, nosuch.com to do that.
Nosuch exists, it is registered to someone. So if any spam is diverted
you are diverting it to someone else. How would you like it if someone
diverted their spam to you?

--
Charles


God has punished me for my transgressions, Charles, and I will attempt to
correct them, and apologize for those who wish to killfile me.

In spite of my being on the national do not call list I had my dinner
interrupted last night by a call from no less a luminary than Joe Piscipo,
who told me that he was calling all of his Italian friends.....and that is
where I hung up.

Today Joe called back, only this time he was just my friend, and lo and
behold, he wanted me to vote for (gasp) the Republican candidate for the
senate.

FWIW, I also hung up on Bill Clinton.
--
DG in Cherry Hill, NJ


  #73  
Old November 7th, 2006, 12:01 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Brian K[_1_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 712
Default First cruise - CARIBBEAN - questions

On 11/6/2006 5:34 PM Dick G plucked Senior Frog's Magic Twanger and said:
"Charles" wrote in message
d...

In article , Dick G
wrote:


BTW, I wasn't trying to hide my identity, just trying to stem the flow of
SPAM into my gmail account.

I know but you are using someone's real domain, nosuch.com to do that.
Nosuch exists, it is registered to someone. So if any spam is diverted
you are diverting it to someone else. How would you like it if someone
diverted their spam to you?

--
Charles


God has punished me for my transgressions, Charles, and I will attempt to
correct them, and apologize for those who wish to killfile me.

In spite of my being on the national do not call list I had my dinner
interrupted last night by a call from no less a luminary than Joe Piscipo,
who told me that he was calling all of his Italian friends.....and that is
where I hung up.

Today Joe called back, only this time he was just my friend, and lo and
behold, he wanted me to vote for (gasp) the Republican candidate for the
senate.

FWIW, I also hung up on Bill Clinton.

I hung up on George W. Bush he was bableing something about Mexicans not
speaking "Mexican" while in the US...that they should speak "American".

--
________
To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951
  #74  
Old November 7th, 2006, 12:06 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Charles[_1_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,112
Default First cruise - CARIBBEAN - questions

In article , Dick G
wrote:

In spite of my being on the national do not call list I had my dinner
interrupted last night by a call from no less a luminary than Joe Piscipo,
who told me that he was calling all of his Italian friends.....and that is
where I hung up.


I have hung up on about 15 of them. Both from the Democrats and the
Republicans. Of course they don't know I hung up as they were all
pre-recorded. If there had been a real live person on the line I would
have chatted with them.

--
Charles
  #75  
Old November 7th, 2006, 12:40 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Sue and Kevin Mullen
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,664
Default First cruise - CARIBBEAN - questions



Charles wrote:
In article , Dick G
wrote:


In spite of my being on the national do not call list I had my dinner
interrupted last night by a call from no less a luminary than Joe Piscipo,
who told me that he was calling all of his Italian friends.....and that is
where I hung up.



I have hung up on about 15 of them. Both from the Democrats and the
Republicans. Of course they don't know I hung up as they were all
pre-recorded. If there had been a real live person on the line I would
have chatted with them.


I don't care who they are, I am not listening to any political
recordings. I am tired of coming home to find 3 messages on my
answering machine and all of them are political messages.

sue
  #76  
Old November 7th, 2006, 02:47 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Surfer E2468
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,757
Default First cruise - CARIBBEAN - questions

We got the calls from CLINTON,KEAN and the others,now i do not answer
the phone,let my answering machine take them and then just discard
them,they are a pain in the butt with the phone ringing all the time.


cruise lover


  #77  
Old November 7th, 2006, 02:51 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Dennis Roy
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1
Default First cruise - CARIBBEAN - questions

We did a 7 night cruise on Carnival and enjoyed it. We had a good mix of
time ashore and time aboard the ship. We had a day at sea between each
port which we enjoyed.

Sign up for any special excursions (ie - swimming with sting
rays) VERY early as they tend to fill up rapidly.

  #78  
Old November 7th, 2006, 05:09 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2
Default More questions [long]

Thank You sooooooooooooooooo much !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We decided - 7-night Caribbean-Western - from Miami with Royal
Caribbean )) We decided to take just oceanview cabin, it was huge
diffrent between balcony cabin (at this date), we think it's better to
stay in Miami longer.
Ehhh... It took 3 weeks, but we booked our first cruise, finally....
Now we have more questions than before, I'm exetremly happy I found
Your group and You are so helpful... THANKS!!!

BTW, We are from Poland, we have polish passports and we will be back
before 31st of December, so i think we don't have "passport" problem.
We have valid american visas.

Our plan:
1.Labadee : ??? we don't have any plans for this place, we thought
about excursion from RCI but we couldn't find any intresting beside
SeaTrek Parasail, do You have any idea what to do there??? Have You
ever tried parasail in Labadee?

2.Ocho Rios: We thought to rent a car and go to Montego Bay, but we
worry is it enough time? We would like to see Dunn's Falls also, do You
know how far is it from the port? Where is the best place for shopping?

We read about Ocho Rios and we afraid it's typical industrial place and
there is nothing to do. Any sugestions?

3.George Town: snorkeling, can You recomend any place? We didn't want
to take our equipment, where we can rent something? We heard there is a
place where we can see stingrays during snorkeling, do you know
anything about it?
What do You think about visiting turtle farm? Is it anything
interesting in Hell?
What else do You recomend?

4.Cozumel: is it enough time (9 hours) to get to Tulum? how is with
ferrys? How did You spend Your day in Cozumel? I really would like to
see ruins in Tulum, but we afraid it is too complicated?

5. If You know anything about our ports of call (Labadee, Haiti; Ocho
Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico) we would
love to "hear" everything, all kinds of information would be very
helpful

6. How does it work with arrival and departure times?
For example: departure time is at 4:00 PM what time we have to be in
the port? at 4pm we have to be on the deck or we have to be earlier?

7. What kind of transportation did You use? taxi, rent car, bus?

8. Is it only one meal included? Do we have to decide what time we want
to eat? Should we do any reservation before? What about room service?
Can we just order our meal to the room or we have to eat at the dining
room? I read somewhere room service is included, What does it mean?
food is included or service charges?

I'm sure most of the questions are silly but it's our first cruise and
we would like to know everything and prepare our honeymoon as good as
we can

If You know anything what we should know and we didn't ask, we will be
greteful.
We appreciate Your time ( spent by computer ) and all of Your advices.

Thank You
Eve

  #79  
Old November 7th, 2006, 06:35 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Rosalie B.
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,575
Default More questions [long]

wrote:

Thank You sooooooooooooooooo much !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We decided - 7-night Caribbean-Western - from Miami with Royal
Caribbean )) We decided to take just oceanview cabin, it was huge
diffrent between balcony cabin (at this date), we think it's better to
stay in Miami longer.

snip
3.George Town: snorkeling, can You recomend any place? We didn't want
to take our equipment, where we can rent something?


The cruise line will rent you equipment or equip you if you take their
excursion. If you take a non-cruise line snorkeling boat, the boat
will give you equipment, but I personally would take my own mask and
snorkel. I don't mind using other people's fins, but I like to have a
mask and snorkel that fit, and they don't take up that much room in
the luggage.

4.Cozumel: is it enough time (9 hours) to get to Tulum? how is with
ferrys? How did You spend Your day in Cozumel? I really would like to
see ruins in Tulum, but we afraid it is too complicated?


I have not been to Tulum - personally if I were to do that kind of
tour from there, I'd fly rather than take the ferry. I've been to the
ruins in Belize and Tikal, but mostly in Cozumel I did scuba diving-
none of them from a ship though.

snip

6. How does it work with arrival and departure times?
For example: departure time is at 4:00 PM what time we have to be in
the port? at 4pm we have to be on the deck or we have to be earlier?

I'm assuming you are talking about departure at a port where you have
stopped for the day?? They will tell you something like - departure
is 4 pm, be back on board at 3:30.

If you are talking about boarding the ship for the first time, the
boarding times are usually something like noon to 3.

7. What kind of transportation did You use? taxi, rent car, bus?

Depends on the port. Sometimes one and sometimes another. Sometimes
you don't need any transportation.

8. Is it only one meal included? Do we have to decide what time we want
to eat? Should we do any reservation before? What about room service?
Can we just order our meal to the room or we have to eat at the dining
room? I read somewhere room service is included, What does it mean?
food is included or service charges?


On board the ship, all meals are included. Breakfast and lunch are
usually buffet style, although you can go to the dining room to eat if
you want to. Dinner you will be assigned a time and a table, although
you can usually still eat at the buffet if you miss your time or
something. You can order room service, and the food is free, but you
will need to tip, or maybe there is a service charge for it.

  #80  
Old November 7th, 2006, 08:38 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Brian K[_1_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 712
Default More questions [long]

On 11/6/2006 11:09 PM plucked Senior Frog's
Magic Twanger and said:
Thank You sooooooooooooooooo much !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We decided - 7-night Caribbean-Western - from Miami with Royal
Caribbean )) We decided to take just oceanview cabin, it was huge
diffrent between balcony cabin (at this date), we think it's better to
stay in Miami longer.
Ehhh... It took 3 weeks, but we booked our first cruise, finally....
Now we have more questions than before, I'm exetremly happy I found
Your group and You are so helpful... THANKS!!!

BTW, We are from Poland, we have polish passports and we will be back
before 31st of December, so i think we don't have "passport" problem.
We have valid american visas.

Our plan:
1.Labadee : ??? we don't have any plans for this place, we thought
about excursion from RCI but we couldn't find any intresting beside
SeaTrek Parasail, do You have any idea what to do there??? Have You
ever tried parasail in Labadee?

2.Ocho Rios: We thought to rent a car and go to Montego Bay, but we
worry is it enough time? We would like to see Dunn's Falls also, do You
know how far is it from the port? Where is the best place for shopping?

We read about Ocho Rios and we afraid it's typical industrial place and
there is nothing to do. Any sugestions?

3.George Town: snorkeling, can You recomend any place? We didn't want
to take our equipment, where we can rent something? We heard there is a
place where we can see stingrays during snorkeling, do you know
anything about it?
What do You think about visiting turtle farm? Is it anything
interesting in Hell?
What else do You recomend?

4.Cozumel: is it enough time (9 hours) to get to Tulum? how is with
ferrys? How did You spend Your day in Cozumel? I really would like to
see ruins in Tulum, but we afraid it is too complicated?

5. If You know anything about our ports of call (Labadee, Haiti; Ocho
Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico) we would
love to "hear" everything, all kinds of information would be very
helpful

6. How does it work with arrival and departure times?
For example: departure time is at 4:00 PM what time we have to be in
the port? at 4pm we have to be on the deck or we have to be earlier?

7. What kind of transportation did You use? taxi, rent car, bus?

8. Is it only one meal included? Do we have to decide what time we want
to eat? Should we do any reservation before? What about room service?
Can we just order our meal to the room or we have to eat at the dining
room? I read somewhere room service is included, What does it mean?
food is included or service charges?

I'm sure most of the questions are silly but it's our first cruise and
we would like to know everything and prepare our honeymoon as good as
we can

If You know anything what we should know and we didn't ask, we will be
greteful.
We appreciate Your time ( spent by computer ) and all of Your advices.

Thank You
Eve


Once you have your booking number with most cruise lines you can go to
the cruise line's web site and view excursion information as well as
port information specific to your cruise.

An excursion to Tulum is doable. They usually split the time between
Tulum and Xcaret which includes snorkeling in a huge cenote. It's kind
of like being in a very big aquarium (no sharks). You just let the
current take you through an underground river to the ocean where guides
help you out.

If the weather and ocean conditions are good enough for the captain ok
tendering to shore in Cozumel the ferry will be running. Just for a
margin of safety go with the ship's excursion to Tulum. You could take
the ferry on your own it's inexpensive, and then negotiate a tour once
you arrive in Playa del Carmen; you might get a better deal. But since
that tour operator is not connected to RCL, they may not be as aware of
your time constraints. On a good day, the Cozumel / Playa del Carmen
ferry takes between 30 minutes to 45 minutes to make the crossing one
way. Even on the best of days, that patch of ocean has a certain amount
of chop. Expect the ferry to pitch and roll a little.

Chakanaab Park was totally trashed by Wilma. Hopefully by now it's been
rebuilt. It's reachable by cab. It's a beach park that offers a snack
bar, beach chairs by rental, for additional fee snorkel or scuba
excursions can be had.

When you arrive in port there will be all sorts of tour operators
hawking everything under the sun. Just like jewelry and tourist
souvenirs, you negotiate the price for your tour. You pay cash, US$ is
accepted. If you are good at haggling you might choose to go this
route. Just be sure that your tour operator is clear about what you are
getting for your money. Some will offer a free day pass at one of the
All Inclusive Resorts. All you pay is transport to the resort. What
isn't always made clear is that you have to listen to 90 minutes of hard
sales pitch for purchase of a time share. Those who cave and make the
purchase on the spot, get the VIP free days pass. If you resist the
sale they will try to back out of the free day pass. They may even
leave you up to your own efforts to get back to port. In most cases if
you are persistent they will give you a pass to one of the lesser
properties that they hold. That in itself is not bad, it's just that
the A I they give you the pass for isn't their newest holding.

Alternatively, you can take the ferry to Playa del Carmen, do some
shopping on Fifth Avenue. Then take a cab up to one of two beach clubs
in the north end of town.

In Grand Cayman you tender ashore. At the port you won't find as
frenetic a bunch of tour operators as in Cozumel. There's a bus that
goes out to Seven Mile Beach. It's inexpensive. The only downside is
that they wait until the bus is full to go out and return. If you opt
to do this, just be sure you get back to the bus or be ready for it 2.5
hours before you plan to be back in Georgetown.

Stingray City is a sand bar where the stingrays gather. The water is
chest deep on most people. You need a mask and snorkel so you can watch
the stingrays. One of the parts of this experience is feeding the
stingrays bits of squid. Stingrays have no teeth so the sensation is
not unlike an aquatic vacuum cleaner. If you feel squeamish about
feeding a stingray -- you don't have to do it. Before you leave home,
pick up one of those disposable underwater box cameras or two. You'll
want to take pictures there and perhaps other places you snorkel. Hell,
Grand Cayman. The attraction there is to send a postcard home from
Hell. Big whoop. Some tour operators combine a stop in Hell with a
trip to the Tortoise Sanctuary and Farm. As an eco tour the Turtle
thing is quite interesting with some "hands on" opportunities. I'd
rather do Stingray City or go to Seven Mile Beach.

Georgetown used to be known for great prices on tanzanite jewelry. No
so anymore. I've seen better prices on Overstock.com or QVC.

Ocho Rios is a good section of Jamaica, there are some good beaches
there. But you'll probably want to do the excursion at Dun's River
Falls, or tour Rose Hill Plantation.

--
________
To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page:
http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
2006 Cruise Holidays Travel Trends Survey Shows Longer, More Exotic Cruises Gaining Popularity John Sisker Cruises 0 May 23rd, 2006 01:16 PM
Don't set sail on a cruise without doing some research first John Sisker Cruises 17 April 17th, 2006 07:33 PM
Carnival Corp Quarterly Earnings Ray Goldenberg Cruises 0 March 23rd, 2006 03:26 PM
HAL Extends Appreciation Program! Ray Goldenberg Cruises 1 November 11th, 2003 10:18 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 10:12 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 TravelBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.