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First cruise - CARIBBEAN - questions



 
 
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  #91  
Old November 7th, 2006, 11:49 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Charles[_1_]
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Posts: 3,112
Default First cruise - CARIBBEAN - questions

In article , Dillon Pyron
wrote:

Charles, the last press release I have from RCI says that they are
requiring them, due to the possibility of having to fly home. DCL is
"strongly recommending" them for much the same reason. I have an
email in to my Carnival DSM about it, we'll see what she has to say.


I am going by what they say on their web site. They do highly recommend
them but don't require them. Of course it would be prudent to have a
passport because of the possible emergency need to fly home. I would go
as far as saying it is stupid not to have one because of that
possibility.

--
Charles
  #92  
Old November 7th, 2006, 11:56 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Jean O'Boyle
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Posts: 2,354
Default First cruise - CARIBBEAN - questions


"Charles" wrote in message
d...
I am one who does not think RCI food is that bad. I think it is getting
better. And I think Celebrity food is getting worse. I think the food
on both is close. Honestly I was happier with the food on Crown
Princess than the food on Zenith or Mariner of the Seas.....

--
Charles


I agree, Charles, I saw nothing on Celebrity that was as good as what we had
on the Crown Princess.
We felt that the Carnival Conquest had the best food until we took the Crown
Princess this past August.
The Conquest has moved to the #2 spot as far as the quality of food since we
took her just this past week. The food on the Conquest did not seem to be as
good as the last time we took her, but she still had better food than the
Celebrity ships, Zenith, Infinity and Mercury.
The Crown Princess is # 1 in my book as far as food, service and friendly
staff. The ship itself is also very beautiful. A ship of any mainstream
cruise line will REALLY have to work hard to surpass the Crown Princess
experience we had on August 25th!

--Jean



  #93  
Old November 8th, 2006, 12:02 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Ermalee[_2_]
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Posts: 659
Default First cruise - CARIBBEAN - questions

Jean O'Boyle wrote:

"Charles" wrote in message
d...

I am one who does not think RCI food is that bad. I think it is getting
better. And I think Celebrity food is getting worse. I think the food
on both is close. Honestly I was happier with the food on Crown
Princess than the food on Zenith or Mariner of the Seas.....

--
Charles



I agree, Charles, I saw nothing on Celebrity that was as good as what we had
on the Crown Princess.
We felt that the Carnival Conquest had the best food until we took the Crown
Princess this past August.
The Conquest has moved to the #2 spot as far as the quality of food since we
took her just this past week. The food on the Conquest did not seem to be as
good as the last time we took her, but she still had better food than the
Celebrity ships, Zenith, Infinity and Mercury.
The Crown Princess is # 1 in my book as far as food, service and friendly
staff. The ship itself is also very beautiful. A ship of any mainstream
cruise line will REALLY have to work hard to surpass the Crown Princess
experience we had on August 25th!

--Jean


OOOPS, watch out what you say about the food on Zenith. I have been on
this ship very recently and the food is by far, the best cruise food
that we've had in 35 cruises. I have to agree that the Conquest (last
year) had better food than the Mercury (this year). I will be sorry
when we can no longer cruise on the Zenith. Fantastic ship!

Ermalee ---still prefers home cookin' :-)
  #94  
Old November 8th, 2006, 12:10 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Jean O'Boyle
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,354
Default First cruise - CARIBBEAN - questions


wrote in message
ups.com...
As a travel agent and a seasoned cruiser, I would recommend the Royal
Caribbean Cruise for 7 days.
If I can answer any questions or assist in making any travel plans;
please give Derryl or Amy a call at A&D Travel (866) 435-TRIP or visit
our website at www.adtravelga.com.

Congratulations on the wedding and have a great Honeymoon.


This sounds like out right soliciting which is a big NO NO here on rtc!

--Jean


  #95  
Old November 8th, 2006, 12:13 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Tom K
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Posts: 2,578
Default More questions [long]


"Jean O'Boyle" wrote in message
m...

Answered Inline:

wrote in message
ups.com...
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!!!


Eve,
We just got off the Carnival Conquest this past Sunday, and I ended up
with a bad cold (zimno i kaszel)


Isn't zimno cold as in temperature, not as in illness? At least that's how
it is in Slovak IIRCl

--Tom


so I did not read your post until today.
Having sailed on the Royal Caribbean Radiance and the Celebrity Zenith, I
would have chosen the Radiance over the Zenith.
Not only because the ship is so beautiful but because I prefer the ports
that it is visting. I would NEVER have taken the Zenith for a 10 day
cruise...She has no balconies and the experience that we had on a 7 day
cruise to Bermuda on the Zenith in 2003 was terrible. From recent reports
and after talking to a friend who just returned from a cruise on her, she
has improved...But ten days on a ship like her would not be my cup of tea,
for sure!
I have never been on the Voyager of the Seas, but have heard good things
about her...at least she will be more enjoyable than the Zenith for your
very first cruise!

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.



I knew right away that you were from Poland...not only from your name but
the* poczta* (mail) and pl
I correspond with some friends in Poland and can read some Polish as my
parents were both born in Poland.


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



Others have replied to your questions so I will make mine brief.

Labadee..no excursions as it is a stop at a beach where you tender in for
water activiites and a lunch prepared by the ship.
There are some natives who sell trinkets there if you are interested in
that kind of thing.

Ocho Rios...I would not rent a car to go to Montego Bay. Since this is
your first cruise experience, I would check out what the ship has to offer
excursion wise...Ocho Rios is a very poor place and not a very safe one,
where you will be stopped and pressured continuously to buy anything from
native made goods to drugs and you have to be VERY firm about saying *No*
and walking away. It is not a very pleasant experience and being this is
your first time there, I would play it safe by going with a group
organized by the ship. After several visits there, you learn where to
stay away from and whom to avoid.

Georgetown....you have shopping, Seven Mile Beach (which we were told by a
guide who took us to Cpt. Marvin's Stingray and Snorkle Excursion, is now
Five Mile Beach) because of the destruction caused by the last hurricane
there. Arranging a snorkel excursion is not very difficult..You can do it
on the internet and there are many vendors at the dock holding up signs.
You will be tendering from the ship into Georgetown, also. Captain
Marvin's Website is www.captainmarvins.com and you can see what he has to
offer. We took the 10:45 am, 2 hour stingray and snorkeling tour just
last Thursday and it was a lot of fun..There is not that much time on that
one for snorkeling so you might want to choose a longer one that visits
two reefs instead. It was a lot of fun.. the the stingrays were very
tame. They swim around you and when they brush against you they feel
velvety... more like a "slimey" mushroom!

We have been to Cozumel many times but never to Tulum, so I can't give
you any information there.
There are some nice beaches there and lots of shopping...Margaritaville
and Senor Frogs, etc!

We always play it safe and are on board the ship at least one hour ahead
of the departure time...You definitely do not want to be left behind
somewhere like Ocho Rios! If you are on your own, be sure to be onboard
before the designated time..If you are with the ship's excursion, it is
their responsibility to get you back on board on time and if they are a
bit late, the ship WILL wait for them, but it will NOT wait for you if you
are on your own adventure!

We use a taxi when we go. A group of us will get together and split the
fare between us...We all talk over and decide where we want to go, for how
long and what we want to see. We then talk it over with a couple taxi
drivers or dispatchers and see who will do what we want for the best
price. Do NOT get into a cab without confirming a rate first. Sometimes we
take a taxi van if there are more than four of us. I prefer taxis over
buses because you can decide to shorten or lengthen your times at
different sites, while on a bus you have to go by the bus schedule and
then I'm not patient about stragglers and having to sit on a bus waiting
because someone decided to go buy something they forgot.

Happy planning i piekna pogoda fo your cruise! ;-)

--Jean








  #96  
Old November 8th, 2006, 12:57 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Jean O'Boyle
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,354
Default More questions [long]


"Tom K" wrote in message
...

"Jean O'Boyle" wrote in message
m...

Answered Inline:

wrote in message
ups.com...
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!!!


Eve,
We just got off the Carnival Conquest this past Sunday, and I ended up
with a bad cold (zimno i kaszel)


Isn't zimno cold as in temperature, not as in illness? At least that's
how it is in Slovak IIRCl

--Tom



As used in the English language and the word, cold,.....zimno can be used as
an adjective or a noun. I added kaszel, which meant cold with a cough.

--Jean


  #97  
Old November 8th, 2006, 01:08 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Jean O'Boyle
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,354
Default First cruise - CARIBBEAN - questions


"Ermalee" wrote in message
...
Jean O'Boyle wrote:

"Charles" wrote in message
d...

I am one who does not think RCI food is that bad. I think it is getting
better. And I think Celebrity food is getting worse. I think the food
on both is close. Honestly I was happier with the food on Crown
Princess than the food on Zenith or Mariner of the Seas.....

--
Charles



I agree, Charles, I saw nothing on Celebrity that was as good as what we
had on the Crown Princess.
We felt that the Carnival Conquest had the best food until we took the
Crown Princess this past August.
The Conquest has moved to the #2 spot as far as the quality of food since
we took her just this past week. The food on the Conquest did not seem to
be as good as the last time we took her, but she still had better food
than the Celebrity ships, Zenith, Infinity and Mercury.
The Crown Princess is # 1 in my book as far as food, service and friendly
staff. The ship itself is also very beautiful. A ship of any mainstream
cruise line will REALLY have to work hard to surpass the Crown Princess
experience we had on August 25th!

--Jean


OOOPS, watch out what you say about the food on Zenith. I have been on
this ship very recently and the food is by far, the best cruise food that
we've had in 35 cruises. I have to agree that the Conquest (last year)
had better food than the Mercury (this year). I will be sorry when we can
no longer cruise on the Zenith. Fantastic ship!

Ermalee ---still prefers home cookin' :-)



If I had not been on the Zenith in 2003, I would not have been able to
compare, Erm. That is unless she has improved food wise since. You will
have to experience the food on the Crown Princess to really judge fairly
now!... ;-) Of the 34 cruises that we have taken, the Crown Princess still
holds the #1 spot in food, service, cleanliness, decor and beauty for us!

--Jean


  #98  
Old November 8th, 2006, 02:20 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Ermalee[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 659
Default First cruise - CARIBBEAN - questions

Jean O'Boyle wrote:

"Ermalee" wrote in message
...

Jean O'Boyle wrote:


"Charles" wrote in message
alid...


I am one who does not think RCI food is that bad. I think it is getting
better. And I think Celebrity food is getting worse. I think the food
on both is close. Honestly I was happier with the food on Crown
Princess than the food on Zenith or Mariner of the Seas.....

--
Charles


I agree, Charles, I saw nothing on Celebrity that was as good as what we
had on the Crown Princess.
We felt that the Carnival Conquest had the best food until we took the
Crown Princess this past August.
The Conquest has moved to the #2 spot as far as the quality of food since
we took her just this past week. The food on the Conquest did not seem to
be as good as the last time we took her, but she still had better food
than the Celebrity ships, Zenith, Infinity and Mercury.
The Crown Princess is # 1 in my book as far as food, service and friendly
staff. The ship itself is also very beautiful. A ship of any mainstream
cruise line will REALLY have to work hard to surpass the Crown Princess
experience we had on August 25th!

--Jean


OOOPS, watch out what you say about the food on Zenith. I have been on
this ship very recently and the food is by far, the best cruise food that
we've had in 35 cruises. I have to agree that the Conquest (last year)
had better food than the Mercury (this year). I will be sorry when we can
no longer cruise on the Zenith. Fantastic ship!

Ermalee ---still prefers home cookin' :-)




If I had not been on the Zenith in 2003, I would not have been able to
compare, Erm. That is unless she has improved food wise since. You will
have to experience the food on the Crown Princess to really judge fairly
now!... ;-) Of the 34 cruises that we have taken, the Crown Princess still
holds the #1 spot in food, service, cleanliness, decor and beauty for us!

--Jean


But Jean, you do have to admit that 2003 was three years ago, don't you?
LOL. I would be willing to put the food on the old, old Zenith up
against the food on the brand new shiny Crown or any other ship. It was
darn good in October of THIS YEAR. :-)

Ermalee

Ermalee
  #99  
Old November 8th, 2006, 02:38 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Sue and Kevin Mullen
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,664
Default More questions [long]



wrote:

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.


Very wise choice and I think you will be happy with your decision.

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.


I would check with the cruise line and the Embassy or whoever you get
your visas from and make sure that you have all the paperwork you need.

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?


Labadee is their private island and mostly a day at the beach. They
will have lunch available(freee) and bar service which can go on your
sign and sail card. If you are interested in the parasailing, this
would be a good place to do it since there isn't much else to do.

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?


Do not rent a car and go on your own in Jamaica. Dunn's Falls is IMO a
must do, but take one of the ships excursions that takes you there by
boat.

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?


The must do here is swimming with the stingrays and the best way to do
it is to book with Captain Marvin. I see that Jean O'Boyle has already
given you his website.

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?


Tulum is a wonderful sight to visit and I suggest for this you take
one of the cruise lines excursions. It is a long excursion and if you
are on one of the ships excursions and are late getting back to the
ship they will wait for you. If you go by yourself and are late, the
ship will not wait for you.

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?


All of your meals on the ship are covered, unless you eat in one of
the specialty venues and then there is a cover charge for them. You
can eat breakfast and lunch in the dining room or at the buffet, just
look in the daily newsletter for times. When you book the cruise you
have to decide if you want early or late seating for dinner. If you
don't want to eat dinner in the dining room, there is always the
buffet. Then there is always room service which is free, but you
should give a small tip to the waiter. Most of the time there is food
available any time of the day or night that you want.

sue
  #100  
Old November 8th, 2006, 03:08 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Jean O'Boyle
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Posts: 2,354
Default First cruise - CARIBBEAN - questions


"Ermalee" wrote in message
. ..
But Jean, you do have to admit that 2003 was three years ago, don't you?
LOL. I would be willing to put the food on the old, old Zenith up against
the food on the brand new shiny Crown or any other ship. It was darn good
in October of THIS YEAR. :-)



I'll believe it if you can say that AFTER you sail on the Crown Princess,
Erm!

--Jean ;-p


 




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