Cruising Cindy Lou

1 hour ago, jean87510 said:

Curacao definitely Tugboat beach.  Playa Piskado for turtles.  There is another area called Directors Bay.  You snorkel out then to the right around rocks.  Best snorkeling.  You have to have a rental car or this won't work as no cab or bus will go there.

 

Klein Bonaire hands down is the best.  For turtles, the salt flats.  You can't do both though.  If you do Klein, just get water taxi.  Invest in a portable tent as we did or bring an Umbrella for shade as there is none.  If you want to do the turtles, they are on Klein Bonaire BUT definitely at salt flats.  I prefer a car on this island as I like air conditioning and speed to get to more places quicker.  

Thank you so much for the info.  

We rented a car in 2017 in Curacao and snorkeled at Playa Kalki and Playa Piskado.  The turtles at Playa Piskado were amazing.  We were there in April of 2017, we had Piskado to ourselves. 

In 2017 we rented a car in Bonaire as well, but my husband did shore diving so I only go to snorkel at Hilma Hook sight.  The place we rented from no longer rents to cruisers, so we are getting a Golf Cart this time. I will add these sights to my list of must do's.

We will have to go back again and take the ferry over to Klein.  So much to do, and so little time, haha. 

On 2/26/2024 at 7:08 PM, jean87510 said:

I know it's a couple of weeks but definitely Playa Piscado.

 

We rented a car in Curacao and drove ourselves.  We have our own snorkeling gear so we had total freedom of doing it ourselves as opposed to the literal herds of cruise ship people.  I strongly suggest renting a car here.  

 

If you enjoy snorkeling, I also recommend skipping Woodwind and taking a much cheaper alternative to Klein Bonaire and do the drift snorkeling.  You will see turtles but not like Curacao.  

 

If you REALLY want great snorkeling spots from shore in Curacao, I have a few more gems.  You do not need excursions.  Just a rental car.  Same with Bonaire.  The best snorkeling is the drift snorkeling at Klein Bonaire.  No overpriced excursion needed.

So give your secrets away, what are the best spots to snorkel in Curacao? And in Bonaire?

Y"all are the best!!  I would have never found that.  I was looking everywhere.  I got it!!!  $250 will come in real handy!!! 

Quick question.  I sent in the shareholders proof of ownership on June 7th.  I automatically received back the "we are having high volume please allow 21 days".  I have not heard anything back from them.  Is there a place on the website or in the Princess app to see if OBC has been applied to your booking? If so, can you point me in the direction to locate this?   We don't sail until Sept.  Not sure I sent in too early?  Planning to send in again this week if I can't confirm that we have the OBC applied.

(First time sailing with Princess). 

Thanks,

Cindy

We are actually doing a back to back and will be in Skagway twice. I had considered riding ferry over. Read ferry ride is very good. Was hoping something close to ferry to see or do. Maybe good hiking trail close by? I had read about Battery Point, but maybe hard to get out there? 

Not sure ferry would work for you with your port time. 

13 minutes ago, OkiTraveler said:

How do you buy the stocks for CCL?  Hate to end up with a scam site to buy stocks?

 

You can buy on Fidelity.  We have used Fidelity for a few years. 

4 hours ago, Glaciers said:

 

A couple other options….There is a nice hike in Whittier called the Portage Pass Trail. It’s a fairly short hike to the top which gives you amazing views of Portage Glacier on one side and Passage Canal and the town of Whittier on the other. You can also hike down to Portage Glacier if you have the time but the treat is just getting to the top for the view. Another option is the Spencer Whistle Stop which requires a short train ride on the Alaska Railroad. There are guiding services that will paddle you around the bergs that have calved from the glacier before heading down the Placer River to catch the train that had dropped you off a few hours earlier. This is one of our favorite south central excursions. Lunch at the Swiftwater Seafood Cafe!

 

 

https://www.alaska.org/detail/portage-pass-trail

 

https://alaskanrafting.com/product/spencer-iceberg-placer-river-float/

 

 

 

Can you tell me how to get to the Portage Pass Trail?  Is it within walking distance of port or what is recommendation on how to best get to the trail?

On 3/22/2023 at 4:08 PM, TraderSam said:

📢Next PUP opportunity. Here you go... 

 

Can someone confirm the link works please? 

 

Power Up Quiz

Well Shucks.  I can't get it to work.  I get an Internal Server Error and says can not be displayed. 

I have never been in concierge room before. Our next cruise we were assigned concierge.  What benefits are there with this type of room booking? 

We were on 7 day last week. Hubby went up on day 3. Was told he could pay $250 for whole week, wait until next day and pay $150 for last half cruise or pay $50 per day. Hope this helps. 

In December on Edge they had a station open in OV that made Gyros to order one night and then another night they had these delicious India wraps made to order.  Those 2 nights were the only nights I saw this station being used.  I kept asking when they would have those wraps again.  They could change up a station in OV that is made to order food and not have waste and make us NOT mdr people happy. 

I have always used Shutterfly, but wondered about Mixbook. I have never heard of Blurb.  I will have to check these out. So thank you!

I just learned about ordering off the kids menu on the last night of my last cruise.  Was planning to try it out next month.  Just my luck.  The filet sounded  perfect.  I am like a kid, picky and don't care for a lot of the adult items. Haha. 

4 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

I must be weird. I try to avoid the buffet at all costs. Only eat there when there is no other option.

You not weird.  People are all different on what they like and dislike.  I use to love the MDR, but they have really cut the menu way back.  I noticed on our next cruise one night they have a shrimp plate, a fish plate and a lamb plate.  I am not big on seafood and I don't eat cute little lambs, haha.  So I am stuck with the classic menu.  I noticed seafood and cuts of meat I don't eat are offered a lot thru out the cruise. Not Celebrity's fault I am so picky, so I didn't complain, I just went to OV so I could pick out things that I like.  But this option is being taken away.  

10 minutes ago, AnnaNicole said:

After reading this review, I am seriously considering cancelling my Feb Solstice cruise (BCC).   I will have to cancel my airfare and hotel before it is too late.   

 

My husband and I were on the Reflection in December.   The food in the MDR was not very good.  We usually order an app or salad and an entree.    The shrimp cocktail was four tiny shrimp on lettuce.  The Branzino was so overcooked we couldn't eat it.   I HATE to waste food, but the fish was inedible.   We left and got a hamburger at the buffet.  I rarely eat hamburgers, but it was good.   We ended up eating in the buffet or sushi restaurant most of the week. 

 

Sushi on Five was excellent (as usual).   Cafe al Baccio was excellent.   I hope they don't cost cut there.

That is how we felt on Edge in December.  The food in MDR was not that great.  So we just choose to go to buffet most nights.  Sounds like my cruise next month may be more disappointing if OV is cut way back.  

Our last cruise ate 3 nights in MDR and 7 nights in buffet.  I prefer fixing my own size portions, making my own salad and looking over the offerings.  I also enjoy how fast it is.  We don't like sitting for 1.5 to 2 hours to eat.  I'd prefer serving myself. Guess I am not use to being waited on all the time. 

53 minutes ago, NevadaCruiser2023 said:

I think I read somewhere that they would shift the employees working in the buffet to MDR duties during dinner time. 

I feel like this is part of their reasoning too.  They must be short dining room staff.  There were way too many staff working the buffet area on the Edge in December in the evenings.  We were on the week before Christmas so maybe they were beefed up in the buffet getting ready for Christmas week.  But they easily could have moved some out of that area.  

I will say I am starting to hear other cruise lines are making last minute changes to help with their costs and people are not happy.  Lots of lines going to 1 times a day room service, increase in tips, cutting room attendant pay and NCL cut one of their big production shows.  A lot of big time cruisers are blowing up their UTube channels complaining about all the changes.  I am happy to be back cruising.  2.5 years with no cruising made for 2.5 very depressing years.  I sure hope that the industry can find a solution that works to keep them floating, but also keeps cruisers engaged and happy. 

31 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

Your first paragraph is us too. Our Beyond cruise in a couple weeks and in Feb 2024 along with the Ascent in Jan 2024 are in the Retreat. In August 2024 we have sunset verandas in Alaska for us the kids and grandkids. The two Edge repo cruises are also in the Retreat, but those may not happen. 
 

Up to now, we have loved the E class Retreat, but future prices are unacceptable for us. So far O has not been enticing for reasons I have mentioned before. Frankly following @GenerationX MSC review this week has me seriously looking at the Seashore YC out of Cape Canaveral, where I have always yearned for an X ship. VV is a non starter — we dislike everything about their vibe. No casino and absurd payment terms have, to this point, eliminated Viking Ocean. 
 

I plan on doing a live review from the 1/29 Beyond, so stay tuned and get your questions ready. 
 

 

mac_tlc

MSC has some beautiful ships.  We are booked on the Seaside for May.  We were on the Divina in October.  I saw an improvement in their food, from our 2020 MSC cruise.  And honestly after the Edge in December, I would say the food was pretty much comparable. I missed having fries on the Edge OV buffet, the Divina had the best fries all day.   I missed Nachos on the buffet on the Divina.  Had to laugh, when on the Edge they had Nachos twice a day every day. Guess that was my main complaint with both lines this year, the food seems to constantly be same things day in and day out.  On a 7 day you get tired of same food over and over.  

41 minutes ago, Salt Lifer said:

 

It isn't *just* about the buffet.  Simultaneously they have also reduced and cheapened the options in the MDR.  So even those who may have tolerated changes in one venue with the belief that they would just get a quality meal in the other are out of luck.

 

It is obvious many people chose Celebrity over other lines because of food.  Serving some of the cheapest cuts of meat and fish daily in the MDR and eliminating many of the fan favorites just makes zero sense from a PR standpoint.  There are so many other ways that costs could be cut in less noticable ways than to completely destroy the one element (the food experience) that used to set Celebrity apart.  It is baffling to me.  

 

I am starting to agree with others that they may be in worse financial shape than we realized.  

We have been on 6 different lines.  In past when people asked what was our favorite, we always mentioned Celebrity.  We love the beauty of the ships, the quality service and always had hands down the best food.  After my cruise in December, I felt differently.  The food overall was just not the same. 

1 hour ago, paulh84 said:

The humorous thing about this buffet rage is that if someone asked this group a month ago, 95% would say you have never have dinner in the buffet and never plan to.

 

I guess knowing there are 50 entree options upstairs waiting for you just in case you get extra hungry provides some sort of peace of mind 🤨

 

 

On a 10 day cruise in December I ate 7 nights in the buffet.  Mainly due to I saw a difference in MDR food.  It wasn't worth my time to eat in MDR each night.  I rather go to buffet where I could pick from many different options and make my own salad.  I do think the OV had too much food for number of people eating in there.  I am fine with a few cut backs, but they seem to be taking it to the extreme. If there are so few in OV and that is the reasoning, then do away with the prepared hot food, open up  fresh to order stations.  If really so few eating in OV then wouldn't take much staff to run the stations. 

I had thought today that ships have not been full. So they don't have full staff. They want people to go to MDR so they can move most staff there.  I know on Edge last month a lot of the OV staff didn't seem to have much to do. 

I am fine with some cut backs in food in OV. They did have way too much for the amount of passengers. 

But sounds like they are cutting it to the extreme. 

We eat in OV more than MDR. 

We did Virgin in August.  I didn't like that it was only 5 days and for money we paid, could have done a 7 on most other lines.  The food in dining rooms was all great.  The buffet that is not a buffet, I didn't care for at all.  The ship was beautiful.  But the shows were definitely not geared for us.  When they pass out condoms and also want you to talk to strangers about your sexual fantasies, that is little over the top for me.  The one was enough for me to decide I will cruise else where, haha.  I guess I am an old prude. 

We were on a 10 night cruise on the Edge in December.  Most nights we were woken up in middle of the night with knocking on our walls.  We were on deck 7.  We didn't go to Customer Service, we mentioned it to our room attendant a few times.  Once we were able to have him hear it.  I guess we should have asked to move, the ship was only half full.  We have never had as many noise issues as we had on the Edge. 

45 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Let's see if my math is correct, if it is RCL has a much bigger problem than I thought.  So based on this table RCL took on about $11 billion in additional debt from 2019 to the end of 2021.

 

From a recent article on Cruisehive RCL has about 90,000 berths at double occupancy.  

 

"In total, Royal Caribbean’s fleet can welcome as many as 89,700 guests at a single time at double occupancy (nearly 113,000 when fully booked with all berths filled)."

 

So let's assume RCL was going to pay off the debt in one year.  If you divide $11B by 365 you get about $30 million per day.  So this means that RCL would need to generate another $30 million in income every day of the year to pay down the debt to 2019 levels in one year.

 

Let's say the extend the payment time to 10 years, then they would only need to generate an additional $3 million a day in 10 years

 

Based on RCL's double occupancy berths of 90,000, this means that every passenger would need to pay an additional $33/day every day of the year to pay down the debt in 10 years, not accounting for interest.  Also assumes that the ships are sailing at 100% capacity.

 

Is everyone prepared to spend an additional $233 per week to pay off the Covid debt?

Or instead if ships not sailing full and they don't want to raise prices enormously, they try to find things they can do to help them with their expenditures.   Cut back on some of the cuts of meat and cut back on food.  Keep the staff down to minimum. Try to cut back as much as they can without pissing off the customer base too much.   

We have cruised on 3 different lines in last 5 months.  You can see things are not the same for any of the lines post covid.  I feel like they are trying hard, but have to come up with some cuts to help them survive.  None of the ships I sailed on were any where near full.  I am trying to be patient.  I love to cruise and would love them to survive this mess.