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sfaaa

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    RCCL stopping in Labadee these days?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    13 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:


    Maybe RC is the unspoken “warlord” of the Labadee area. They run the local economy, they fund the local school, provide jobs, and help when the community is in need. No local is going to ruin what they have going.
     

    An outsider might try but the locals would spot them miles away.  The locals don’t want their gravy train coming to a halt. 

    The locals may have formed a militaria to protect their own little paradise. It is plausible. In any event, RCCL is comfortable with the security situation in Labadee without the Haitian police being there.

    • Like 1

    RCCL stopping in Labadee these days?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    42 minutes ago, Tin can said:

     

    If it's any consolation I joined the FB group for the current Liberty cruise that has just stopped there (we are doing the same itinerary next year) and everyone seemed to have a great day.

     

     

     

    I'm not making light of the situation in Haiti but isn't the worst of the gang violence in LA only 30 miles away from Beverly Hills and Malibu. I believe Labadee is six hours away from the main area of trouble.

     

    (this was posted yesterday on the FB group)

     

    image0.jpeg

    You go mess around in Beverly Hills or Malibu and LAPD SWAT will be all over you in minutes. Would you be getting the same response from Haitian police?

    • Like 1

    RCCL stopping in Labadee these days?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Although I have no proof, my gut feeling tells me RCCL and whoever is controlling the surrounding area are on the same page and have some kind of monetary deal worked out. That's why Labadee is left alone and appears calm when the rest of the country is turning to hell. Haitian government and police are practically under siege and fighting for survival. They wouldn't be of any help if things turn ugly in Labadee.

    Advice regarding Chinese visa

    in Ask a Cruise Question

    Posted

    You have made the right decision to cancel. Here's another reason why.

     

    https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/china-travel-advisory.html

     

    There are many interesting and culturally enriching places to visit in Asia. Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore. Malaysia, Thailand just to name a few. All these countries are friendly to US and don't require US citizens to obtain a visa to visit. I came back from a Singapore/Malaysia/Thailand cruise earlier this year and had a fabulous time.  

    • Like 1

    Advice regarding Chinese visa

    in Ask a Cruise Question

    Posted

    14 hours ago, Looking 4Answers said:

    My brother served in the U.S. Navy and was then employed by the FBI, but is now retired. Will it be a problem to include the FBI? If so, can I safely omit it and say simply that he is U.S. Navy (retired)?

     

    Do not provide this info to the Chinese government without your brother's consent. This may have serious implication to you or your brother in the hand of a foreign government deemed unfriendly to US. Given the intrusive questions on the Chinese visa application,  I would cancel the cruise if I were you.

    • Like 1

    Carnival Panorama July 1-8, 2023 Trip Report: Bar Takeovers, Bangin' Breakfasts, & Bucket Worshipping

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    On 7/24/2023 at 8:19 AM, TaraLynne said:

    Okay, sorry for the delay! My July travel schedule is extremely hectic and this report will have to take a backseat now and again because of that. That said, now it's time for me to talk about Rhythm[s?] of the Night! (AKA "ALMA").

     

    I had trouble finding specific information on this excursion (at least via the Carnival website reviews and here in the CC forums) prior to booking. Sure, TONS of people talked it up and said how amazing it was, but there wasn't much on what it was actually *about*. I'm not sure if there's some unspoken "We don't talk about Rhythms of the Night" rule, but if there is, I'm breaking it, because it drove my type A self crazy that it was hard to find info about it.

     

    Just saying, this is my spoiler warning if you don't want to know allll about this excursion before experiencing it!!!

     

    As I mentioned, (if I'm remembering correctly, heh) we had to meet for this excursion at 3:30. (Of course now I'm kind of questioning whether that was the actual correct time but regardless, it was mid-afternoon-ish.) We met in the forward dining room and were herded down to board a boat directly from the ship.

     

    The boat was a two-decker, with most of the seating being unattached cheap plastic yard chairs, and it was about an hour's ride to the actual excursion location. They played music and served drinks (rum punch, margaritas, or beer) the entire way.

     

    (Also, some sea birds flew along with us most of the way, and I swear at times it looked like they were dancing to the music. Which quite a few other passengers commented on as well.)

     

    I have to admit, I was SUPER surprised with how gorgeous the location was! I don't know if it's open during the day, but it looked like there might be some halfway decent snorkeling around the little beaches, at least one of which had hammocks as well, so hmmm...

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    First things first was the buffet dinner. The food wasn't amazing or anything, but it was good and plentiful - they had some salad options, two different types of rice, chicken and I believe shrimp (I'm blanking on the latter because I can't eat it anyway), mixed veggies, a potato side dish, probably some other sides that I'm not remembering, and a dessert layout with a few different kinds of cakes and cookies. Servers came around with more drinks at the beginning of the meal, and there were bars you could walk up to and order even more (included!) drinks if you were so inclined.

     

    They also have a very nice, clean bathroom area, by the way.

     

    I can't remember exactly how long we were given for dinner before the show, but I want to say it was about 45 minutes. More than enough time to eat and also allowed us to walk around and explore a little bit, as well as use the restrooms and grab another round of drinks before the show.

     

    The show itself is in an open amphitheater with a faux pyramid surrounded by a large stage. As you can probably tell from the above photos, it was threatening to rain when we arrived so they handed out large umbrellas, which came in handy when it did in fact rain during the show. (Not a heavy rain, and it didn't last very long, thankfully)

     

    Of course I had zero idea what to expect from the show, and kind of assumed that it was going to be some sort of traditional show - but it's more of a mini Cirque du Soleil! The host is very much comic relief, and while cheesy at times, it was a lot of fun and everyone in our party enjoyed it immensely. I've argued with myself over which, if any, photos to share, by the way...and I've decided on just a few of my LESS spoiler-y photos, because I think there are some parts of the show you'd really want to be surprised about 🙂

    panoramacruise43.thumb.jpg.a57d3440d8b5dad3186b2f0b4d805bee.jpg

     

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    I will say this - after the show they IMMEDIATELY herd you back to the boat (like, they have employees trying to block the paths to the bathrooms on shore) - and the boat only has 2 restrooms. So if you think you might need to use the bathroom sooner rather than later, be like B (older stepkid) and slip out of the theater before everyone else gets up to leave, haha.

     

    The boat ride back was decidedly less chill than the one out to the location - they played the music louder, still had drinks available of course, AND the employees put on another little show! I didn't watch it but the kiddos did and said they weren't sure what was more hilarious - the show itself or the guests' reactions to it 😉

     

    We arrived back at the Panorama literally JUST before it was supposed to depart PV, but were once again loaded directly back onto the ship from the boat, so there's that.

    panoramacruise46.thumb.jpg.681bf201b346ca29f71eccb1096ebaa7.jpg

     

    Anyway, we all really loved this excursion and I would absolutely do it again if I ever returned to PV. Just a few notes:

    - Keep an eye on the weather and dress appropriately - chances are it will be very hot and humid (oh and coming from someone with longer hair, if you want to enjoy the fresh air on the top deck of the boat there and back, bring a hair tie) - but don't worry about rain because as mentioned, they will provide umbrellas if need be

    - In my research I did see people say it was really buggy and to bring bug spray - I personally have very sensitive skin and didn't want to use bug spray unless absolutely necessary, so while we had some with us I waited until we got there rather than applying beforehand, and it really wasn't that bad/I never ended up using any and didn't get eaten alive, ha

    - I feel like I shouldn't HAVE to say this but don't forget cash for tips! For the crew of the boat, the bartenders and servers at the location, etc.

     

    Also, this day being 4th of July and us being hopped up on rum punch, beer, what have you, Dean and I had a much later night than originally planned....so I'll get into that as soon as I have a few more minutes of free time 🙂

    Thank you for your balance review. I was going to book this excursion on my upcoming  Panorama cruise but backed off after reading some recent negative reviews posted on Carnival's own website. Will definitely give this excursion another look. 

    • Like 1

    Alaska Cruise October

    in Alaska

    Posted · Edited by sfaaa

    45 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

     

    Northern Aurora is currently the resident AK expert on CC.  She knows whereof she speaks.  She lives in Fairbanks.  She also travels extensively in AK.  I would suggest that you listen to what she says.  Are your cruise dates fixed and unalterable?

     

    BTW - this is the climate data for Juneau in October - https://weatherspark.com/m/145123/10/Average-Weather-in-October-at-Juneau-International-Airport-Alaska-United-States

     

    Also for Ketchikan

    https://weatherspark.com/m/145140/10/Average-Weather-in-October-at-Ketchikan-International-Airport-Alaska-United-States

     

    Also look at the sunrise and sunset data for the ports.

     

    DON

    I went on a NCL Jewel Alaska cruise in Oct 2019. Weather was still nice and fairly warm. Only two days of rain. Glacier was just as spectacular as in the summer. Sea was fairly calm most of the way . A lot of shops in ports were closed for the season which made it a relaxing day to stroll around without bumping shoulder with crowds of other tourists. Was I lucky? May be. And I would do it again if the Alaska cruise price is right for October.

    • Like 3
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