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Post by tiffany on Feb 11, 2015 18:25:49 GMT
I just got back from a 7-Night Caribbean Cruise starting in Miami, Florida. The cruise line was Carnival Cruise Lines - Carnival Glory. We decided to fly into Miami a day early so that we would have some time to see South Beach before boarding our cruise. I’ve never been on a cruise before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect
The cruise consisted of many restaurants, including a burger bar, pizza restaurant, Mexican cantina, the taste bar, ice cream bar, deli, breakfast grill, burrito bar, fish n’ chips, the main dining room and the Lido Restaurant for casual dining. There was also a steak restaurant, green eggs and ham breakfast, chef’s table and coffee bar that cost extra money.
We had dinner in the dining room every night, and overall the food was good. We had a choice of 6 or 7 appetizers and main courses every night, most of which changed regularly, although there were a few dishes that stayed the same every night. We had wanted the “at will dinning”, however, it was booked, so my friend selected the 6:00 p.m. dinner. She normally books the late dinner, at 8:15 p.m., but decided to try something different. She personally prefers the late dinner, and I think if I did a cruise again, I’d book the late dinner unless the “at will dining” was available. I felt a little rushed getting ready for the 6:00 p.m. dinner a few times, especially when we were in Georgetown and didn’t have to be back on the ship until 5:15 p.m. We were actually surprised that the “at will dinning” was full, as the restaurant always looked empty when walked through it, and we meet a few people who signed up for it, and they said they never had to wait for a table. We had thought of changing our dinner time to 8:15 p.m. after our first night, but decided to stay with 6:00 p.m. after meeting our table mates. We were seated with four other women, a mother/daughter team, and two friends traveling together, and they were all nice ladies, so we continued to dine with them throughout the trip.
We were advised that there was a dress code in the main dining room, but it’s not really enforced except for on “elegant evenings”. We were told that you couldn’t wear jeans, running shoes, shorts, etc., however, a lot of people showed up dressed casually, and they were not turned away. We were advised that on the first night, the dress code is casual as some people don’t get their luggage in time to change for dinner, however, some people dressed casual almost every night, and it was not an issue. We had two “elegant evenings” and the dress for these evenings ranged from a pantsuit to a cocktail/evening dress for women, and dress pants to a suit or tuxedo for men. If you showed up in jeans on elegant evening, you were asked to go to the buffet.
As we only had two days at sea, and got back to the ship early only one day, we didn’t have a chance to try all of the restaurants, but we did have lunch at the burger place twice and burrito place once, and the food was excellent, especially the burgers. We had breakfast in the dining room and buffet, and both were equally good. If you were in a rush to get off to an excursion, the buffet was the way to go, otherwise, it was nice to have a relaxing breakfast/brunch in the dining room.
Overall, the entertainment on the ship was amazing, and we spent most evenings at the piano bar and comedy club. They also had live music throughout the ship at various times of the day, including a guy and girl playing the guitar, a Latin band and karaoke. They also have various games/cards in the library, and they played a movie on the big screen by the pool almost every afternoon and evening. Every evening the staff would put a copy of the “Fun Times” in our room, outlining when and where all of the entertainment would be the next day, so we could plan our day/evening. We were, however, very disappointed in the evening shows. We went to “Diva’s Night” one night, and it was horrible! The choreography was bad, and the women couldn’t sing very well. Our table mates convinced us to go to the show with them on the last night, which was “80’s Rock Band Night”, and although it was better than “Diva’s Night”, it still wasn’t very good. The rest of the entertainment made up for the bad shows though, and there were so many other things to do, it wasn’t a big deal.
There were various bars on the ship, but we spent most of our time in the piano bar, lobby bar, and ivory bar, which is where the live music usually was. We did go to the sports bar on Super Bowl Sunday, but it was so packed, we didn’t stay. There was also a casino on the ship, but as neither of us are gamblers, and there was smoking in the casino, we only walked through there to get from one place to another.
There were a lot of options when it came to excursions, and we booked the following excursions:
• Adventure Jeep and Snorkel at Punta Sur in Cozumel;
• Exclusive Crystal Cave Tubing and Zipline in Belize;
• Barefoot Catamaran Sail and Snorkel with lunch in Mahogany Bay, Roatan; and,
• Paragliding and Amphibious Bus Land & Sea Adventure in Cayman Islands.
All of the excursions were really fun, however, the Exclusive Crystal Cave Tubing and Zipline in Belize was my favourite, and I would recommend this tour to anyone who likes adventure tours. We also had to cancel our excursions in the Cayman Islands, which I will tell you about in more detail below.
One of the only things I didn’t like about the cruise were the pools. They were both very small, and while the pool and hot tubs in the adults only area was clean, the ones in the main section, where all of the kids swam, looked dirty, and I didn’t want to go in it. The problem with the adults only section, was that it was very quiet, and it got boring after a while. All of the fun was by the main pool! I also was not impressed with guest services. They only had one area where you could go if you had a question or needed information, and they usually only had two people working at the desk. Every time I went there there was a huge line-up, and on the last day I had to wait in line an hour to get some assistance with my invoice. Other than this, it was a great cruise, and my friend and I are already talking about doing a Hawaiian or South American cruise in a few years.
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Post by tiffany on Feb 11, 2015 18:26:15 GMT
Day 1 – Friday, January 30 – Flight to Miami, Florida
I had to work until 11:30 a.m., and then headed home to finish some last minute packaging before taking a cab to the airport. My flight was at 4:55 p.m., and I was told I should be at the airport 2 hours in advance of my flight. I got there at 2:45 p.m, and it took forever to check in and go through security. I had planned on having lunch at the airport, as I didn’t have time to eat lunch earlier in the day, however, I only had 20 mins left after getting through security, so I found a place close to my gate to have a quick snack. I then went to my gate only to find out that my gate was moved to the other side of the airport, and I had to run to get there. I made it just in time and boarded the plane for my three and half hour flight to Miami.
The flight was uneventful, and we landed at 8:21 p.m. After disembarking, I found my luggage, which I had to wait 30 mins to get, and then took a shuttle to my hotel, which took over an hour!
I got to the hotel after 10:00 p.m., and meet up with my friend. After dropping off my luggage and changing my clothes, we went for some dinner at a restaurant close to our hotel, and then back to our room to bed. It was a long day for me.
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Post by tiffany on Feb 11, 2015 18:29:03 GMT
Day 2- Saturday, January 31 – Miami, Florida – 4:00 p.m. Departure We were up at 8:00 a.m. and went for breakfast at the same restaurant we had dinner the night before. After breakfast we checked out of our room, and walked to the beach, were we spent around an hour walking around and taking pictures.  South Beach We then decided to stop for a drink and snack, and had the most interesting nachos at TGIF’s. They were really good though. After lunch we did some shopping as my friend wanted to buy a few more items for our cruise, and then we headed back to the hotel to get our luggage and make our way to the port. We arrived around 2:30 p.m., dropped off our luggage, went through security and checked in. It was a really easy process and only took us about 30 mins.  Our Ship We were given a room at the back of the ship on the second level, which was a pretty far walk from everything except the main dining room. It was a nice room, and bigger than I thought it would be, but we were right above the engine, so it was a bit loud. We had decided to see if we could upgrade to a balcony room, however, when we went to guest services, the line-up was so long, we decided to stay where we were.  Our Room We went through the excursion booklet while waiting for our luggage, and decided on our excursions for the week, and then headed out for our brief emergency training session. We then went to book our excursions, and went back to our room to unpack and get ready for dinner. We had dressed up for dinner, as we were told that there was a dress code in the main dining room, however, it turns out that the first night is casual attire as not everyone gets their luggage in time to change for dinner. We were seated with four other women, who would be our dinner companions for the rest of the trip, and were served a 3 course meal. Dinner was very good and we all got along well, which is why my friend and I decided to stay with the 6:00 p.m. dinner. After dinner, we went to the piano bar, which would be a regular occurrence for us, and then we went to the adults only comedy show at 11:30 p.m. After that we went back to our room and went to bed. It was another long day, and we were both tired. |
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Post by tiffany on Feb 11, 2015 18:31:11 GMT
Day 3-Sunday, February 1 – At Sea
We slept in this morning, and didn’t get up until 10:00 a.m. I can’t’ remember that last time I stay in bed that late! We made our way to the dining room for brunch around 10:30 a.m. and then went up to deck 9 where all of the fun was happening. We walked around looking for a beach chair, which we couldn’t find, so we decided to take a table in the adults only section. I went in both the pool and hot tub for a while, and then we went to the “fun” side, as the adults only section was a little boring. We had lunch at the burger place, and it was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had, and then eventually found a table beside one of the bars were we could see the pool and entertainment. It was very hard getting a beach chair during the days at sea, and even though Carnival advised that they removed towels from empty chairs after 45 mins, they didn’t. After listening to some live music, we went back to our room to get ready for our first elegant evening dinner. This was our first evening in open water, and I really started to feel the ship move this evening. I made it through dinner, and managed to see some of the super bowl, but waited too long to take some gravel, and only lasted about 15 mins at the piano bar. I went back to my room to take some more gravel, and try to get a good night sleep. At least I didn’t feel motion sick while laying in bed!
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Post by tiffany on Feb 11, 2015 18:34:03 GMT
Day 4-Monday, February 2 – Cozumel, Mexico – 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We were up at 6:30 a.m. this morning, and went to the buffet for breakfast. As it had just opened, there was no line up for the omelet stations. After breakfast we went to take some pictures of Cozumel from the deck, and then headed off the ship to meet our group for our excursion. We had booked the Adventure Jeep and Snorkel at Punta Sur, which was my least favourite of all of the excursions we booked. We were all assigned a jeep which fit four people, and drove about 45 mins to Punta Sur, a marine park. We got out of our jeep to view some Mayan ruins, which were the smallest ruins I’ve ever seen, and then we went to see the crocodiles. Unfortunately, this area was closed for the day, so we got back in our jeeps, and were lucky enough to see a crocodile sitting by a pond of water during our drive to the beach.  Mini Ruins  Crocodile Upon arrival at the beach, we were shown the snorkeling equipment, but we decided to just relax at the beach as we were doing a snorkel excursion later in the trip. We were a little disappointed with the beach though, as the first few feet of water was full of seaweed, and we didn’t want to walk through all of it to get into the deeper water. This is all cleaned out when staying at an all-inclusive resort, so I wasn’t used to all of this seaweed. We did eventually find a clean spot down the beach, and spent some time swimming, and then met the rest of our group for a lunch of chicken tacos, rice and nachos. After lunch we drove to the Punta Sur Lighthouse, where we climbed to the top and get some pictures of the beach below, and then we headed back to the port. It started raining on the drive back to the ship, and, of course, we couldn’t figure out how to put the top on the jeep! Fortunately it didn’t rain heavily until after we arrived at the port.  Views from the Lighthouse Upon arrival at the port, we decided to do a little shopping, and went into a silver shop to check out the jewelry. I found a necklace I liked, and asked how much it was as the prices were in Pasos, and the guy told me it was $500 US. My friend’s mouth dropped, and I was in shock, as I was expecting him to say $50.00 US! He then told me that he would give it to me for $280, but I said no thanks and we left the store. After that we did a little more shopping, and I bought a sarong, and then it started to pore so we went to a restaurant for a beer and the free wi fi. Unfortunately, the free wi fi didn’t work, but the beer was good. We then headed back to the ship to get ready for dinner, and this time I took my two gravel right away. It made me a little drowsy, but at least I wasn’t sick. After dinner we listened to some live music, went to the comedy show, and went to bed early as we had another early morning the next day. |
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Post by tiffany on Feb 11, 2015 18:34:22 GMT
Day 5-Tuesday, February 3 – Belize City, Belize – 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We were up at 6:30 a.m. again this morning, and went to the theater after breakfast to get our tender number and wait for our turn to get off the ship. The ship can’t dock in Belize, so we had to take a boat to shore, and people doing excursions got off the ship first, depending on the time of their excursion. It was actually very organized and we were off the ship in no time.  Port in Belize We had booked the Exclusive Crystal Cave Tubing and Zipline excursion, and quickly found our representative and signed in. We had to wait about 15 mins for everyone to show up, and then we boarded our bus for the 1.5 hour ride to Jungle Jaguar Camp. We had a guide for the tour, who gave us information about Belize during the ride there, which made the ride go by quickly. Upon arrival our guide told us we’d be doing the cave tubing first, and told us where we could buy our locker key and get changed. We then got our tubes and helmets (with flash lights), were placed into a small group with two other people and a guide, and walked to the opening of the cave. Once we got to the water, we sat on our tubes, and our guide linked us together and then guided us through the cave, pointing out stalactites, stalagmites and crystal encrusted cave formations. After being pulled along for about 15 mins, we got out of the water and entered the chamber where Mayans performed ancient sacrificial ceremonies. Our guide pointed out hidden pottery dating back to 300-900 AD. We then got back on our tubes and made our way to an underground lagoon which lead to the exit. We were given the option of taking our tubes across the lagoon or swim, and my friend and I choose to swim. This part of the excursion was a lot more relaxing than I thought it would be. I was expecting something like white-water rafting on tubes, but it was very calm. It was a great experience though, and I wish I had brought a water proof camera with me so I could take pictures. If you’re interested in seeing images of the cave tubing, check out the link below. www.bing.com/images/search?q=Exclusive+Crystal+Cave+Tubing+and+Zipline&qpvt=Exclusive+Crystal+Cave+Tubing+and+Zipline&FORM=IGREAfter the cave tubing, we had a few minutes to change and then it was time for ziplining! The harnesses were put on us, and then we walked a short way through the jungle for our safety briefing before starting our ziplining tour which consisted of four ziplines that were 500 to 700 ft across the jungle. I have been ziplining before in Mexico, but this zipline was much better and so much fun! In fact, if I went back to Belize, I would do this whole tour over again.  After ziplining, we got our stuff from our lockers, and went to get some lunch. Unfortunately, we did not have a lot of time for lunch, and I had to bring my tacos and beer with me on the bus for the 1.5 hour drive back to the port. We got the boat to our ship as soon as we got back to the port, and went to our room to get ready for dinner. Unfortunately, all of our favourite entertainers were off this evening, so we decided to watch some Karaoke and then go and see the “Divas” show, which was horrible! After that, we went to check out the Latin band, which was good, but then they started doing Latin dance lessons, which were boring to watch, so we decided to make tonight an early night and we went to bed. |
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Post by tiffany on Feb 11, 2015 18:34:39 GMT
Day 6-Wednsday, February 4 – Mahogany Bay (Roatan), Honduras – 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. We were up early again this morning, and met our group for the Barefoot Catamaran Sail and Snorkel with Lunch at 8:15 a.m. Once everyone checked in, we walked to the catamaran, and drove along the coast to our snorkel site, where we had about an hour to snorkel and view the coral formations and tropical fish. This was one of the best snorkeling trips I’ve ever been on, and I would recommend this trip to anyone stopping in Roatan.  View of Roatan from Catamaran After snorkeling, we sailed back to the ship, and were provided with drinks and lunch on the way. It was only 10:40 a.m. when lunch was served, and we were still full from breakfast, so we didn’t eat much. We arrived back at the port around 12:30 p.m., and I wanted to go to the beach as we still had 2 hours before we had to be back on the ship, and the beach looked really beautiful, but my friend was hot and wanted to go back to the ship. I decided to go back with her, although I regret not going to the beach for a swim. Next time!  View of Roatan from Ship We boarded the ship and went back to our rooms to drop off our stuff, and then went to have some lunch. We decided to try the tacos today, and they were excellent (although not as good as the burger). Because most people were still off the ship, we had no problem finding a lounge chair in the fun section, and I went to the adults only section to go for a swim. We then relaxed and listen to music until it was time to get ready for dinner. After dinner we went to the piano lounge and then the comedy club. We were so happy that the good entertainment staff were back at work this evening. |
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Post by tiffany on Feb 11, 2015 18:34:54 GMT
Day 7-Thursday, February 5 – Georgetown, Grand Cayman Islands – 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Our excursion wasn’t until 12:00 p.m. this afternoon, so we slept in and went to the dining room for brunch. We then went to the theater to get our tender number and then boarded our boat to the port. We arrived at the port around 11:15 a.m. and started looking for the person holding the parasailing sign. We couldn’t find him/her, and figured it was because we were too early, so we checked out the shops and started looking again at 11:40 a.m.. This time we found our contact, who advised us that our excursion was postponed until 12:30 p.m. due to the wind. She took our tickets, had us sign our release forms, and then told us to return at 12:15 p.m. We went to cancel our second excursion, as we didn’t think we’d get back in time to have lunch and do it now that our parasailing excursion was move forward 30 mins, and then did some shopping. We arrived back at the meeting spot at 12:10 p.m. only to find a huge crowd there, and we were told that only 16 people could go parasailing at 12:30 p.m., and that the rest of us would have to wait until 1:00 p.m. I was very upset about this because we were the first people there that morning, and had only left the meeting place because we were told to go walk around, and because of that, we had to wait an extra half an hour. I didn’t think that was right and told the women that the people who arrived first should get to go first, but she told me it was too late as they had already signed up 16 people. At this point, we didn’t want to wait around the port for another 45 mins, so we canceled this excursion and took the bus to the beach. It was only $5.00 per person to take the shuttle to the public beach and back, and another $5.00 to rent our beach chairs while there. We could have gone to a private beach, which cost $5.00 to get in, but one of the reps at the port told us the public beach was just as nice, and not to waste our money. We spent a couple of hours swimming in the water, had lunch at a pub overlooking the beach, and made our way back to the ship around 4:00 p.m. so we’d have time to get ready for our second elegant evening.  The Beach After dinner we went to the piano bar, and two of our dinner companions joined us. We then went to the comedy show and then back to the piano bar, and we ended up closing the place. My friend and I then decided to check out the disco, however, we only danced two songs and then left, as it was very smoky in there. Toronto has been almost smoke free for years, and I’m not used to it anymore. I find it hard to tolerate. We went back to our room and went to bed around 2:30 a.m. I can’t remember the last time I went to bed that late |
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Post by tiffany on Feb 11, 2015 18:35:09 GMT
Day 8-Friday, February 6-At Sea
We slept in this morning, and then went for brunch in the main dining room. We were told at breakfast that it was a cold and windy day, however, I still wanted to go in the hot tub as my hip was bothering me, and the hot tub helped. We went to the adults only section, and my friend read while I went into the hot tub, and then we went to the fun side of the ship. We found lounge chairs right away, but it was very windy outside, so we went to the lobby bar to listen to my favour guitar singer perform. After that we went for lunch, and then I went to the computer room to get my boarding pass. It took me a while to find the computer room, and it was packed when I got there. There were also issues with the internet, and it kept freezing on me, even though I was still being charged for using it. I was finally able to move to another computer, only to log on and find I couldn’t get my boarding pass anyway, as I was flying from the States to Canada. I then went to customer service to ask them to remove my internet charge for the first computer I was on, and had to wait in line for almost an hour! Someone finally started walking down the line asking people what their problem was, and if they could help, they would. It turns out the women in front of me had the same issue I did, and the women walking down the line was able to help both of us.
I went to find my friend by the pool, and by this time, she was cold and ready to go back to our room to pack and get ready for dinner. Two of our dinner companions invited some guys they had met during the cruise to join us for dinner that night, so our table was full. After dinner, our dinner companions convinced us to go to the show with them. The show was 80’s Rock Band, and although it was better than Diva’s Night, it was still pretty bad. We got a good laugh out of it though, and then we went to the piano bar. Our dinner companions, who normally went to bed soon after dinner, decided to try and stay out until 10:00 p.m., so they came with us. They left us at 10:15 p.m., and we were going to go to the 10:30 p.m. comedy show, but then our other two dinner companions showed up, so we stay at the piano bar with them. We went back to our room at 11:00 p.m. in order to finish packing and put our suite cases in the hall for midnight.
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Post by tiffany on Feb 11, 2015 18:35:21 GMT
Day 9-Saturday, February 7-Miami – 8:00 a.m. arrival
We were up at 7:00 a.m. this morning, and went for breakfast in the dining room. We were given number 27 the day before, and told we couldn’t leave the ship until our number was called. Our tablemate told us the night before that we would be one of the last people to get off the ship, and not to expect to be called until 10:30 a.m. The first people were allowed off the ship at 7:40 a.m.
After breakfast we went back to our room to freshen up and finish packing our carry-on bags. We still had some free time, but the cleaning staff wanted in our room, so we went to the theater to wait for our number to be called. We were finally called around 10:30 a.m, and getting off the ship was quick, as was getting our luggage, however, there was a long line-up for customs. Once we got through customs, my friend and I said goodbye as she had another night in Miami while I was flying home. She got a cab to her hotel, and I went looking for the shuttle to the airport. It took me a while to find the shuttle, and I ended up waiting in the wrong spot for a while. I finally asked someone where to go, found the coach to the airport, and then waited another 15 mins for it to fill up. I was still at the airport with plenty of time to check in, and ended up up-grading to first class as it was reasonably priced. The flight to New York was very comfortable, and our included meal was good. I really enjoyed having the extra space, and not having someone’s elbow in my ribcage for the duration of the flight.
Upon arrival in New York, I made my way to my gate, checked in, and took advantage of the 30 mins of free wi fi. I had an hour and a half to wait for my next flight, but the time went by quickly, and pretty soon we were on the plane and heading to Toronto. It was very cold on the plane, and I didn’t have a coat with me, so the air attendant gave me a blanket. I really didn’t need to upgrade to first class on this flight, as there were a lot of empty seats, but it was already done.
We arrived in Toronto on time, and because I upgraded to first class, my bag was one of the first ones off the plane, and was already waiting for me by the time I got to the baggage claim. I grabbed it and went outside to get a cab home, ending another great holiday!
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Post by tiffany on Feb 11, 2015 18:36:11 GMT
I meant to write a brief overview, and ended up writing a novel! Oh well. I hope it’s helpful to those of you thinking about going on a cruise someday.
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Post by marielouise on Feb 11, 2015 18:51:56 GMT
I am enjoying your tale so far. I have never been on a Caribbean cruise, but my sister has been on many so I hear about it from her. She doesn't usually take the shore excursions, just tries to find a beach somewhere which she enjoys. I am not fond of cruises. I went on one to Alaska several years ago, plus we used to travel to Europe when I was a teenager by ship, one was also a Mediterranean one.
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Post by tiffany on Feb 11, 2015 20:12:52 GMT
One of the things I like about cruising is that I get to get off the ship and do something fun. I don’t know if I’d like cruising so much if we weren’t offered excursions, however, doing a lot of excursions can really add up. Going to the beach for the day is also nice and relaxing, but I wouldn’t want to do it at every port. I feel like I could do this same cruise all over again, and have a totally different experience just by doing different excursions.
I’m sorry to hear that you’re not a fan of cruises. I really wasn’t sure if I’d like it or not, but I do. I actually prefer it to going to an all-inclusive, however, it’s a lot more expensive. My friend and I are thinking of going on a Hawaiian cruise in the next few years. I’d love to go on an Alaskan cruise, but she’s already done that one and doesn’t want to do it again anytime soon.
I hope to finish the tour tale by Friday, but it may have to wait until Monday.
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Post by tiffany on Feb 12, 2015 14:22:20 GMT
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Post by tiffany on Feb 13, 2015 12:32:21 GMT
It's -33 with wind in Toronto today! Why didn't I book a 2 week cruise? Wishing I could go back!
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Post by chech on Feb 15, 2015 1:00:55 GMT
LOL...yeah, not hard to write a novel once you get started! This got me into researching for the Yucatan next month. Some of those excursions sound like fun and very doable for me. Just saw one where I can wade/swim through an underground cave near Cancun. Hmmm. Any problems with the motion sickness on the windy day? Were you still taking the gravol by then? The whole set up sounds much like the Aegean cruise though that was a much smaller boat. If you liked this one, you'll like the four day cruise as you have the excursions each day and minimal time sailing during the day (like the four hour jaunt from Crete to Santorini).  |
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Post by tiffany on Feb 15, 2015 17:48:01 GMT
Chech, I always felt the boat moving, but I didn't feel sick as long as I took two gravel. Without the gravel, I think I would have been in trouble. I'm going to get the patch to put behind my ear before the Greece cruise, as I was told that the Mediterranean is a little more rough than the Caribbean.
There are a lot of fun excursions in the Cancun area. I did a Coba Adventure tour that involved kayaking, rappelling, ziplining, and swimming in a cenote. It ended with a guided tour of the ruins at Coba. It was a lot of fun and a tour I would highly recommend.
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Post by chech on Feb 15, 2015 21:56:50 GMT
I saw the cenote one. What kind of physical shape were people in? I have some minor joint issues and that...kayaking and swimming aren't a problem. Don't think rappelling would be...wonder about the zipline...  |
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Post by tiffany on Feb 16, 2015 20:11:36 GMT
I saw the cenote one. What kind of physical shape were people in? I have some minor joint issues and that...kayaking and swimming aren't a problem. Don't think rappelling would be...wonder about the zipline... You won't have any problems ziplining, but the cenote is underground and you have to go through a small opening and down a steep set of stairs before getting to the main stair case. You may find that difficult if you have joint problems. |
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Post by chech on Feb 16, 2015 21:33:44 GMT
Oh, cool. Actually, I could probably do it then. I don't have problems with getting over rocks and up and down stairs at normal pace. Only thing that worries me is having to catch myself if I slipped when rappelling or ziplining - something that adds additional force to the impact type of thing. Did you feel you had "control" as such? I did the lava tube in Iceland which was climbing over rockfall and squeezing between a roof and floor that was like 18 inches of clearance. At a normal pace, it was okay.  |
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Post by tiffany on Feb 17, 2015 0:51:22 GMT
I felt in control both rappelling and ziplining, but you do not some arm strength for both. For ziplining on this tour, we were given a stick with a hook, which we held over the line, and if we wanted to slowdown or stop we would pull down on it. For repelling, you used your arms to slow down the process of going down the rope. Both were a lot of fun though, and were fairly easy.
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Post by Oz-T on Feb 22, 2015 20:33:54 GMT
I enjoyed reading about your cruise, Tiffany. Thanks for posting it.
It sounds similar to the South pacific cruise we did exactly one year ago (I still need to write a travel tale on that). The way things happen on the ship are similar; it's mainly the shore excursions and sights on land that change. Glad to hear that you coped with the motion of the vessel.
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Post by tiffany on Feb 23, 2015 12:49:56 GMT
Thanks Oz. I think most cruises are run the same, and it’s what you decide to do at each port that makes it different. I could do this same cruise over again next year and have a totally different experience by just doing different excursions. My friend and I are talking about going on a Hawaiian cruise either next Feb or the Feb after, and I’ve already found a 7 day cruise that stops at almost every port, which is what I like. We will also fly in a day early and leave a day later to give us some extra time while there. I’m looking forward to it and it’s still a year or two away!
The two gravel helped with the motion sickness, but I will definitely get the ear patch before going to Greece in the fall, as the gravel made me a bit drowsy.
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Post by mary on Mar 3, 2015 2:16:09 GMT
Hi Tiffany,
I just finished reading your cruise tale. It's sounds like you had a great time. I've never sailed on Carnival, but I've been reading about their new ship that is being built, Carnival Vista, and would love to book it in 2016 after it launches. Did you hear anything about it on your cruise?
I have to ask, does Carnival have "The Quest" game on board?
I live equidistance between the Ports of Miami and Fort Lauderdale and the Port of Tampa. I booked myself a two night cruise for November on the Allure of the Seas (Royal Caribbean). I'm going solo on that cruise. It makes a quick run to the Bahamas and back for the weekend, which is an unusual itinerary for this ship as it is not one of the usual 3-4 night ships.
I hope you continue cruising.
Mary
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Post by tiffany on Mar 3, 2015 13:05:04 GMT
Hi Mary, yes, I had a great time on the cruise, and I’m looking forward to doing another someday soon. I didn’t hear anything about Carnival’s new ship, the Carnival Vista, however, they did have a desk on board dedicated to all of their different ships and cruises, with an agent there to try and get you to sign up for your next cruise. If you signed up while on that cruise, you got a discount on your next one. We stopped there briefly one day, but didn’t check out their cruise options in detail, as we knew we would not be able to book our next one right away. I’m not even sure we will be going with Carnival on our next cruise.
I don’t know if we had “The Quest” game on board. I never heard of it, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t have it. They did have a lot of games in the library, but we never went in there.
Your cruise to the Bahamas in November sounds great. When you live close to Miami it’s easy to book a two day cruise. It wouldn’t be worth it for me to go on a cruise so short as it takes me almost 5 hours just to get to Miami.
My friend looked into the cost of the cruise single supplement before going on our cruise, as she’s talking about going on another with her parent’s next year, and it’s very expensive. It’s pretty much double the cost of the room. I guess we can’t complain too much about how expensive the single supplement on tours are, given the cost of the single supplement on the cruise.
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Post by mary on Mar 3, 2015 16:00:54 GMT
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Post by tiffany on Mar 3, 2015 16:09:45 GMT
Hi Mary, there seems to be a glitch in the system, and I can’t see what anyone has written when they quote me. I don’t know if it’s a problem just on my end, or if it’s a problem everyone’s having, as this happened to me the other day a well. Anyway, I can’t see what you wrote when you quoted me, so if you can rewrite it again in a separate box, that would be great.
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Post by mary on Mar 3, 2015 16:27:34 GMT
Tiffany,
What cruise line is your friend going on with her parents? Some cruise lines, like Norwegian, have solo cabins on the newer ships. Royal Caribbean also offers some interior studios. Cunard has just added solo cabins as well.
Carnival also occasionally offers no single supplement on their cabins. When they do, they heavily promote it on their website.
Mary |
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Post by mary on Mar 3, 2015 16:31:19 GMT
Tiffany,
I think it is on my end. As I was writing, internet explorer told me there was a problem and it shut down. I tried to go back and fix it, but gave up and I just wrote another post without the quote.
Mary |
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Post by tiffany on Mar 3, 2015 16:53:28 GMT
Hi Mary, I’m not sure what cruise line my friend and her parents are looking at. It was a 24 day cruise to the Panama Canal, but she recently told me that the cruise they were looking at in 2014 is no longer available for 2016 (they are thinking of going in Feb of 2016). It’s still early, so she’s looking to see if she can eventually find the same cruise.
I don’t think the cruise line she was looking at offered single rooms, because she looked into it and was told she’d have to pay the single supplement, unless she shared with her parents. She doesn’t want to do that, so she’ll probably get an inside cabin at the cheapest rate. I’ll mention to her that some cruise lines offer single rooms so she can look into it. The single supplement on cruises is quite expensive.
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