wave rider

We were in Spain last Christmas and were worried about the same issue. We were in Seville over Christmas and were worried that nothing would be open and we would not find a meal available. We were on a land trip. What we found was that pretty much everything shut down at 200 PM on 12/24. Christmas Eve is when Spain celebrates with a large evening meal. Almost everything was closed. Our hotel had a fantastic special gala that was worth every Euro. On Christmas Day though probably 80% of restaurants and 50-60% of retail shops were open. On 12/26 everything was back to normal.

Enjoy your time.

One of our regular traveling friends needs GF. What he does is make sure he contacts X before the cruise and notes in his record he needs GF. He also talks to the Blu host and the host in any specialty restaurant we plan on dining in before our meal. Typically he orders the night before for the next night's meal. He has always found more than enough GF to eat without problems. But, the bread is kind of awful. Have a great cruise.

Campolady that you for your suggestions. We were in Malaga right after Christmas and had a delightful time. The weather was cool but the city is beautiful. There was a great market along the port area next to where the ferries dock. The main shopping area had tremendous lights out at dark; great photos even. We went to the Picasso Museum and enjoyed it very much. The best part of being in Malaga as well as the other cities we visited was how walkable to city is. We averaged 6-9 miles of walking a day. The restaurants were good and tapas exceptional.

All in all I would recommend Malaga to all as a good place to visit even if not in the height of tourist season.

BostonFred

We have been in Cartagena twice and each time booked a private tour with Claudia. She is not only a very nice person but the tours were fantastic. Each time was different. The second time she took us to a restaurant frequented by locals. The food was wonderful and we were able to get a better idea of the local atmosphere. Her name is Claudia Vidal and I know you can search for her contact information. Have a great trip.

Thanks buggins. I really appreciate you checking this out and responding. We are looking forward to Christmas in Sevilla.

Hi All

We are going TA in October 2016 on Equinox and I have been reading these Boards for great tips and recommendations. We also have another trip to Spain planned for December this year to pick up our DD who is studying in Granada this fall. We are planning right now on being in Seville 12/24-26. My questions is if anyone can not only recommend a hotel but any restaurants that you think will be open Christmas Day. We want to visit Seville and hope it is large enough that something is open and we won't have to knock on doors and invite ourselves in. Anyone with thoughts?

Thanks so much.

Last winter we made a stop in Cozumel along with 6 other ships and 21,000 of our close friends. Having been there 3 times already, we opted to stay on the ship. It was wonderful. No crowds, no lines, lots of chairs and great service from the crew. I would do it again, particularly if a small city of friends arrived in port at the same time.

When we were there last, we took the zipline tour. On the way to the zipline site, we saw probably half a dozen sloths in the trees along the roadside. The bus driver stopped and most people got out of the bus to look at and photograph the sloths.

Enjoy the stop!

We haven't sailed from Honolulu but have sailed at 1000PM twice from San Juan. I presume RCCL handles it much the same. I know it is possible there to drop luggage and check-in in the afternoon, leave the ship to do some site-seeing and then return. Just watch for the times of the muster drill and know that you need to be on-board 90 minutes before sailing and you should be fine.

Have a great trip.

There are two shops in Marigot on St Maarten that sell authentic Cuban cigars as well. I have purchased from both of them several times. I also have not had a problem bringing them back into the US but they are subject to confiscation if found. Ziplocks seem to help.

Harry, thanks so much for the fantastic review. I love the photos as well as your commentary. We are sailing in less than 3 weeks and am looking forward to getting out of low temps and into some warm weather for a few days at least.

Thanks again!:D

There are two stores in Marigot near Royal Harbor that sell Cubans. One is Habano and is located on the street side away from the inner harbor. The second store is located right on the inner harbor. I have purchased from both with great success.

We cruised out of NOLA a year ago. I bought a case of water at a drug store for 3.95, slapped a luggage tag on it, checked it with the rest of our luggage and had it delivered to the cabin. It worked great. My wife likes her bottled water and this avoided the beverage package. She doesn't drink soda or coffee. Worst case is that you lose $4 for the water if it was confiscated. Have a safe and fun trip.

We did this a year ago on our cruise. Well, we made our own travel plans rather than take a ships tour. We went riding first. It was 45 minutes down the hillside to the shore, about 20 minutes in the water where the horses were swimming rather than just walking in shallow water. Then it was another 45 minutes back up. My wife is not much of a rider but she thought it was pretty cool to go into the water. Other than the saddles were English rather than western (naturally in Jamaica) it was good.

We then did Dunns River Falls. That was good other than the tourist aspect of the whole thing. It was also not cheap. The worst part was the tourist thing of pestering us to buy the video and the pressure to buy anything. IT was a warm day by then so the cool water was refreshing.

I am not sure if your question was about the specific Disney tour or just the stops. We hired a driver for 4 of us for the day. We had great flexibility and a good time as well. Enjoy!

If you plan on staying in Old San Juan I strongly recommend El Convento. We have stayed there twice. IT is convenient to many tapas bars and restaurants as well as El Moro and other tourist attractions. It is a wonderful place to stay.

We have never had a problem bringing a case of water on board. This is through 10 cruises. Even if for some reason your case is confiscated, the cost of the case is maybe $5. Just slap a luggage tag on it and check it with your luggage.

We just completed the 11 night last week and our formal nights were our first full day at sea and the second to last day which was Cozumel. Wish we were still sailing rather than dealing with -5 temps.

Thank you so much for thee tips. We are packing to leave on her in 8 days and can't wait to get out of the cold. We have the cubes set aside already as well.

One thing to keep in mind is that cruising only allows you to see a small part of Alaska, especially if you sail and return to Seattle. We took an extra week at the front end so that we could drive up to Denali and Fairbanks. Several days in Denali and the drive to and from were spectacular. It is real wilderness and was great to see. I agree with an earlier post about Icy Strait Point. We did the sea kayak and had a whale broach about 50 feet from us. Very close but magnificent to see.

I can't speak to the Denali train since we drove from Anchorage to Talkeetna and then to Denali and Fairbanks. We did see the train and it is a typical Amtrack type train, at least externally.

The White Pass RR in Skagway is altogether different. We took that excursion and loved it. As a previous poster stated, if you enjoy trains, the ride and the scenery are not to be missed. We were fortunate to be in Skagway on a day that the steam powered engine was being used. It runs only on specific days of the week. If you have that opportunity to take it, I would highly recommend the steam powered engine and train. This is a trip back in time. You have the ability to stand in the vestibule of the car and experience the outside with all the accompanying sounds of a steam locomotive running along the tracks.

It is a good day worth of travel. We purchased lunches at one of the cafes in town along with drinks and snacks for the trip and picnicked while we rode. If my memory is correct, there was water available if you wanted some.

Either way, enjoy the trip.:)

We are cruising on Equinox during the Sochi Olympics. Does anyone have an idea how Celebrity handles broadcasts of events? We have been on a cruise during the Superbowl and there were numerous theme parties and a large broadcast set up in the main theater. I presume it would at least be on TV sets but I am wondering about anything extra around the ship.

Thanks

I completely agree regarding Claudia. We toured with her a few years ago and had a great time. She is extremely knowledgeable about the area and loves her city. We have booked her again for a visit in February.:)

Thanks for sharing. This is something I am going to buy for my next trip.

I always buy my Cuban cigars here. Good quality and good price.

Thank you so much for a great review. We were on Allure shortly after her maiden voyage but did the other route. The ship was great and seeing everything again makes me want to do this route now. We are on NOS in March and I can't wait to get out of what will be cold weather then.

Again thanks for the great photos and story!:)