JustCruiseMe

Montezuma's Revenge - and all the other names it is known by - is more often than not a reaction by a sensitive stomach belonging to someone who does not travel very often or very far.

 

Many times when Mexicans visit the USA, they often have the same stomach problems.

 

There is nothing really wrong with the food and drink (in most cases), but when your gastro-intestinal system encounters different spices, liquids, foods, and bacteria than it normally has to process, the results are not very pretty.

 

Ice cubes and the condensed water on drink containers are often the culprits.

Poorly washed eating utensils at street vendor stalls are another cause.

Poorly stored, heated, or cooled foods in unfamiliar countries are another.

 

If you are prone to suffering when eating/drinking things in foreign places, you might best avoid doing it.

From a cruise ship you can take your own drinks and ice ashore in most countries.

 

If you are eating the 8 or more meals per day that many cruise passengers enjoy, it will probably be safe to go ashore for a few hours without eating anything at all.

Our guide last month in Cozumel said even they don't drink the water.

We fly Southwest almost exclusively. Families with kids under a certain age board after the A group, not first. Children flying solo board first.

 

I've not noticed hoards of people boarding early because of physical handicaps. They have to have a blue folder to do so, but I don't know how you qualify for one of those.

 

These observations have been made in Columbus, Nashville, St. Louis, Tampa and Orlando. Your mileage may vary.

If a person "of size" buys two seats on the flight they get to board first too and there is a reason for that, so they are guaranteed two seats together.

Although I love St. Thomas, I think if you like to tour and shop the Western (Belize, Cozumel, etc ) itinerary is better. In Belize you can shop or take a tour (loved the Altun Ha ruins tour). Grand Turk is not much to see, mostly beach but we rented a Golf Cart and drove around the island and up to the light house. We loved it...oh gosh if I'd have to pick one to go back to, I'd have to really think hard as they were both fun..You can't go wrong with either.

I never get cheese on my burger. Just tell them - they usually grab a "fresh" one off the grill - not one that has been sitting there a bit!

But usually they don't sit there but a minute or two!!lol..we've almost always had to wait a second or two because they were always out, but you are right...they will even do the french fries without the special sprinkles stuff on it but you have to wait for a fresh batch.

I've sailed on the Norwegian Gem, I haven't sailed on my carnival ship yet, but here are a few things I've noticed off the bat:

 

Cabin size/price - CCL cabins seem HUGE compared to NCL and they are much cheaper.

 

Dining - There seems to be many more free options on Carnival then NCL. I found the food on NCL to be very good though. I LOVED freestyle dining, we never had to wait more then a couple of minutes for a table for 2. They post wait times in the hallways so you know what you're in for at each venue. The fact that Carnival could make me sit at a table with strangers is appalling. I do not want to be forced to sit and talk to strangers during meals.

 

Alcohol - You CANNOT bring a bottle of wine in NCL without paying a corkage fee regardless of where you drink it. Yes even if you drink it in your room you still have to pay

 

Clientele - I was on the Gem the week of April 27th 2013. There was a good mix of people, a few couples in their mid 20s like us, a few families and a few older people. We kept mostly to our selves though so I may not be a reliable witness...

 

Staff - they were excellent, very friendly and the whole "washy washy" hand sanitizer thing is hilarious. My steward was incredible, he greeted us by name on day 1, had my egg crate thing in place, always had ice for us, he knew more about what we might want or need then we did lol.

 

 

 

 

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Just fyi Carnival doesn't make you dine with other people, it's your choice or not. We never have.

We had a 11:15 flight out of FLL from Port of Miami. We did self disembark and were at the airport so early 8:15 that they wouldn't allow us to check in. This was also from western itinerary and everyone says customs takes the longest from there. So I'd definitely say it's doable.

Thanks.

Try a different browser. Mine won't print with Firefox or Chrome but IE is fine. Most times that's the problem.

Use a different browser this happens all the time. Firefox won't print them for me but IE will, no problems.

12.00 but other half lost a bit gambling but he had cash. Not drinking and bringing own soda's helps.

TO THE OP:So it has been effectively proven that your facts about crew having to pay port fees, as well as your assessment of the city has been false. Hopefully you will give it another chance and open your mind to what IT HAS TO OFFER! :p

Hey amazing info..we are sailing on the Valor with you out of SJU so perhaps you can tell me where to go for the day that we didn't and we didn't see anything worth going to again...Some pretty streets, the forts,...lots of blight. Downtown market, small and been there done that kind of thing...so as I said I found absolutely nothing worth spending my time doing again. If you'd like to show me something for the day before we sail I am all ears....Have no beach interests as we own our own beach house but I do like pretty sights...So what do you have for me?

 

Rented a car at Charlie Car's downtown as I said drove 140 miles and was terribly disappointed.

 

Am looking forward to your ideas, remember we can't do bio bay as we will and were only there for the day or waterfalls for that matter, remember we are and were on a cruise.

 

Glad you love it, unless we see something different you can keep every inch of it! It was a dream destination perhaps my sights were set too high but the blight...oh and La Perla..lol..the major housing projects with crime so bad the cops won't go in being right there near the city wasn't something lovely either.

 

I am named after a Puerto Rican and know lots of people from PR and even they have said the country has gone downhill tremendously but they still say there are pretty places in the touristy beach areas.

 

My mind was open and so were my eyes and I still say, Meh...but you tell me where to go on our day there and if we can I will and I'll even meet you on the ship and tell you what I think. How about that?

I'm not a loyalist but we have only been on 2 cruises, with third one booked. We've had great experiences so far and with the 100 obc for booking while on board and the 100 stock credit (I will have made 450.00 between OBC and stocks) It's hard to find a reason to try anyone else. Having said that if someone has a killer deal that can beat what we are perfectly happy with we'd book. In fact hubby wants to try NCL sometime because they have Pai Gow poker in the casino.

Just fyi-I bought the stock before we left, got the credit came back sold it for almost 300.00 profit, then just re-bought it for this new cruise. If it goes up again I'll sell it again and re-buy it like a day trader..but I'll be a couple a weeks trader..lol

Loved reading your review. Thanks!

Wow I didn't know Belize was supposed to be so dangerous and we just got back from there 2 weeks ago..glad I didn't know this before I went or would've missed a great time..

Belize is Belize, Belize. It is the only total English speaking country in south America, yes it was once named British Honduras. Lots of ex pats live there.

 

I loveee history so we realllly enjoyed our trip to Altun Ha ruins. Long trek to get there but it was so much more majestic than I could've imagined. Lighted a huge interest in Mayan culture for me that I have been devouring everything I can find about them. Right now reading Popol Vul.

 

Did you know

-The Mayans were the first peoples to write and wrote down their history.

-They sacrificed the winners of their ball games, not the losers as it was an honor.

-There are 4 remaining written books (the rest were burnt)

-They preferred flat foreheads and crossed eyes so they boarded the children's heads when they were born and hung wax beads to dangle in front to cross their eyes.

-They believe caves and sink holes are the openings to the underworld gods.

-Some of their communities were huge 100,000 people in 2 square miles

-They wrote phonetically not just heiroglyphics (picture words).

 

There is more but I will let you find out...love me some Mayan Ruins...if you go make sure to bring bug spray and sunblock. Biting flies and the sun is brutal. We booked two times through experiencebelizetours.

 

You can do the beach/snorkel lots of places, actual ancient Mayan Ruins Hard to Find.

 

Just FYI a good movie about native peoples and "crusaders" is a true story called "The Mission" with Robert Dinero, Liam Neeson and a few others.

Here is a photo taken by a cruise critic member to end the "rumor"

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/blog/index.php/2011/07/26/tipping-points-will-i-get-bad-service-if-i-opt-out-of-auto-gratuities/

 

The staff knows who removes tips and I love it !!!!

 

:)

I love it too and I think it ought to be a requirement that if you remove tips it has to be done the first or second day. Give the cruise line enough time to compile the list and let everyone know. That would make sure that the cash tippers would have to let the crew know up front and pretty fast that they prefer to tip in cash and better start doing it right away.

 

As mentioned there was a long line at the service desk the last nite and I knew that most were removing tips I sooooo wanted to hold up a sign that said something like my signature line says or shout to them not to remove their tips...it's shameful.

 

I haven't read one single solitary person who said they remove tips and tip more than the recommended amt...because it doesn't happen.

Please.

You can get those huge ziploc bags and put them in there and then in a rolling case and they ar secure. They checked ours last month at POM. They didn't count them though. It was TSA (?) not Carnival.

Saying that's enough would have shortened the glacier.

You could have just cashed it out in the casino and left with more cash than you came with. I have done that one myself :D

 

Just keep that in mind for the future should you get so lucky to be in that same situation again.

Do you mean I could've gone to the casino and said "give me the money in my on board credit account? I didn't know this.

When my husband was 17, I was 24. :eek:

 

 

 

I didn't meet him until he was 26 though ... I wasn't in the habit of trolling the high schools for a date. Lol

 

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Ha, when mine was 17 I was 25!!! But I didn't meet him until he was older and was I but no men my age EVER asked me out...ever..

 

Hey you know most likely it was the 18yo's trolling for the cougars...yes it's true. I know some hate to admit it..but there are young men and older women who enjoy each other's company...whether for a nite or a lifetime..oh and vice versa....They know it's going to be a fun cruise without any fatal attraction episodes. You know the 17yo who finds her soul mate on a cruise ship in a club with too much booze and not enough brains even without the booze. (Not all young women for certain, but some...yes I am sure you've know them). haha

We don't prepay them. We just let them charge them to our account and boy I am glad we didn't/don't. Last cruise we got some pretty good unexpected credit )BC from an issue we had and if we had pre paid them we wouldn't have rec'd any credit because you see our sail and sign account was basically nil (because we don't drink). Had we prepaid we'd have had money to try to spend somewhere that we didn't need or want. As it was gratuities were paid by the unexpected but greatly appreciated OBC we rec'd. I'll never prepay for that reason alone.

On my cruise there was a wonderful service dog. I believe was a PTSD support for a soldier. We were behind them getting back on the boat in some port and I asked where was his dog and he said "that she was spending time with the crew, they loved her so she got to stay with them and the capt."...When the Mardi Gras party was going on she just lay under the table, head down like she was sleeping but the music was thumping and people even straddling her feet..she was soo good..German Shepherd

WOW! You should probably stay home. San Juan is full of beautiful experiences waiting to be had. If you stick to Senor Frogs and all the other usual tourist crap you got what you deserved. You ate at Buger king and stppped at Walmart? Enough said....

Never been to a senor frogs and we don't drink and if you read my post we rented a car and drove 70 miles (up to and past El Yunque). I will say it again you can have San Juan and Puerto Rico and if comes to going there or staying home, I'll stay home. They have NOTHING that I found there. It is a city, a few pretty streets but that's all we saw...we went looking...it's terribly blighted and if you read up on it you'll know why their economy tanked before the US. Nothing special in San Juan IMHO, we are flying in there for our next cruise but definitely won't even try to go earlier to do anymore sightseeing of PR. As I said there may be some lovely areas,,, in 140 miles round trip we never saw anything. DH did like the JOse Canseco ball field....big whoop.

 

We shopped at WM and ate at Burger King because that is alllllll there was. Just a city, just a town..blah at that.

Than it's been in over a month. In case anyone interested in buying.