lacruiser

Well, ok then..."nutritional yeast". Sounds like something that maybe came out of the war rationing years? Is it a breakfast thing (on toast) or a snack thing? Or maybe if you are reduced to eating yeast it's just pretty much anytime??? (Sorry -- didn't mean to offend any marmite aficionados. You'd probably think what we do with crawfish is weird, too.)

 

Will be going on Navigator in August, so will check the WJ for it (although I'm betting that it would be a hard sell to a shipload of southerners!)

 

Thanks for expanding my condiment vocabulary!!

Ok, I'll bite: what the heck is marmite?? And what does it look like? If it's been in the WJ on all my cruises I obviously have no idea what I'm looking at. Evidently not something common to Louisiana cuisine...:rolleyes:

We typically do a B2B out of San Juan (usually in November/December), and try to alternate the eastern & southern runs. Although we are older than you, we are by no means sedentary, and we usually find that the port-intensive itineraries wear us out during the day! We are in the sun, snorkelling, swimming, walking around (we don't do bus tours) and so forth, and we also do late dinner. On port days we are often so tired that we don't even get to the shows at night!! So, you might want to consider your dining time and your activity schedule during the day. Sea days, of course, are a different story. For our first B2B I wondered if I'd be bored by the time we were into the 2d week, but nothing doing. Now it seems like only 7 days is MUCH too short!

Just a suggestion -- you might pick up more information on this type of question if you post it in the appropriate Ports of Call section...:)

Our room steward has always happily provided us with ice. We get with him first thing, tip in advance (in addition to the normal gratuities), and ask him to keep an ice bucket filled in our room.

 

We are D+, which gives us access to free happy hour cocktails, we bring on the allowed 2 bottles of wine, we receive a bottle of champagne as a welcome aboard gift for D+, and we are generally gifted with wine from various staff. I usually smuggle in a little spiced rum, not because I'm drinking it onboard, but to take with me on shore excursions. We typically book port-intensive itineraries, and I often find that beach bars give you a pretty mild pina colada or rum punch. Not trying to make excuses here: I'm perfectly aware that I'm breaking the rules. I'm willing to roll the dice, though. If they take my Captain Morgan it's no great loss.

This is new info for me -- never realized that the minibars were regularly checked. We never use any of the items inside, so I guess it didn't occur to me. We have always taken some liquor with us, and it's sometimes sitting out and sometimes inside a cabinet. Have never had anyone remove or comment about it. So, just to be clear: if I want to inform someone that we will not be using any of the minibar items, who should that someone be? Tell the room steward when you first see him/her, or make a call to room service? And should this be done the first day? It's often difficult to get anyone in room service on embarkation day...

Okay, y'all, don't laugh, but in all the many threads I've seen on this topic no one has ever mentioned this item. Air freshener for the bathroom!! We travel with one of the small "refill" aerosol spray cans and it makes sharing that tiny bathroom SO much more pleasant!:p

 

As to all the rest of the stuff -- power strips, over the door shoe bags, duct tape, etc., etc. -- have never taken any of it and haven't missed it yet!

 

I do usually kick myself for not bringing enough sunscreen; it's hideously overpriced on the ship...

We were on AOS last December doing a B2B. The "two fashionable gentlemen" mentioned previously were onboard, having sailed over from Barcelona on the TA repositioning cruise. They were indeed on for 5 straight months. The rumor was that they were in a GS, with an across-the-hall inside booked for clothes storage. ;)

 

We were sailing with friends who made Pinnacle on that cruise, and these two were also recognized at the C&A party where our friends were presented with their Pinnacle award.

 

Just makes you realize the truth of that old saw about "different strokes for different folks". We are D+ and truly love cruising, but if I had to stay on the same ship, repeating the same itinerary, eating the same meals (at the same table -- which, by the way, was a 2-top with their special condiments laid out for them each night), I'd lose my mind. Not to mention how much weight I'd gain!

Enjoyed your review -- we were on this same itinerary 1/18 and had a great time, and really loved all the changes brought by the refurb.

 

Respectfully, I would like to offer a word or two in defense of New Orleans and the Quarter. A native Louisianian, I lived in New Orleans for 11 years and then across the lake in Covington (and worked in the city) for another 3. New Orleans is one of those cities that has a strong identity all its own, and the French Quarter is a part of that. It can be (depending on the season and the time of day and where in the Quarter you find yourself) raucous or quiet, dignified or tawdry, but never boring or like anywhere else. As to Bourbon Street being "family friendly", no it's not, but then it never has laid claim to that. Jackson Square, Cafe du Monde, and the French Market would be better places for a family visit. As far as it being safe, using the same street smarts you would need in New York, Chicago, Dallas or Los Angeles will keep you safe in New Orleans.

 

And, of course, New Orleans has so much more than just the French Quarter to offer! And did we mention the food? :D

We did a Spanish immersion cruise out of Colon several years ago; gee, can't remember which ship now! It was the first sailing of this itinerary, though, so we were treated to fireworks upon debarking each port -- wonderful! This was a 7 day, and stops were Colon, Cartagena, Santa Marta, Aruba and Curacao (I think). DH is fluent (born in Cuba) and I am about a 6/10. At the end of the cruise, we were handed Spanish menus in the MDR and I didn't even realize it...so no telling what you'll be able to do after 14 days!!:D

I don't recall the food being too different, but then we like Latin food in all its incarnations, so its possible I might have just appreciated it without thinking about it being "different", if that makes sense.

We made friends with three charming Mexican ladies who were travelling together and had many interesting and varied conversations in the CL. I do remember my ears being extremely tired at the end of each night!

We weren't able to go into Santa Marta due to wind (tender port), but the other ports were awesome. We loved Cartagena; the old town is extremely picturesque. Have been to the ABC's many times, and Curacao ranks at the top of our all-time favorites list.

Would go again on this itinerary in a heartbeat -- hope you have a blast!

I was on board Serenade the week prior to your sailing. We had no electrical issues, and embarkation and debarkation were the quickest we've ever experienced! First time in my cruising life that I've walked directly up to the customs desk with no line. (This was about 9:30 a.m.)

 

Your pax demographic sounds a lot like ours. I think that's due more to the time of year than anything else. Most people with children -- and who are working -- have just taken Christmas vacation, so there are mostly retirees on board. At ages 59 and 60 we felt like kids onboard!!:D:D

My experience is that is varies from average to stand-the-spoon-up-in-the-cup, and from ship to ship. It was uniform on OA back in August, so strong we literally couldn't drink it (and that was decaf in the MDR) on AOS in December, and just off Serenade a week or so ago found it to be quite good. I agree that room service coffee in the morning tastes best (but maybe that's cause I need it more then...:rolleyes:)

 

Also, I THINK that Starbucks has bought out Seattle's Best? Is this right? For some reason I think I was told that on Serenade. All the paper cups/sleeves that were available in the CL were imprinted with the Starbucks logo and I seem to remember being told that...but that could just be a champagne memory!

Actually, we've found that they are usually fairly lenient about letting you use your second BOGO another night during the cruise. After all, a couple receives 2 coupons (1 each), and unless you are taking guests you have one left over after the first night. We did that on Serenade and used our second BOGO in Giovanni's. We did this on OA back in August and on Adventure in December.

 

We were delighted that we were able to get on. The rep we booked with told us that 3:00 pm that day (Friday before sailing Saturday) was the deadline to get on the manifest.

 

I would love to say that we got a super cheap deal, but sadly not. I think we paid about $1400 (includes gratuities). We had a $100 deposit for an open booking and the $225 D+ discount. So -- $100 a day per person.

 

We talked to quite a few people who were sailing Serenade regularly. One couple was doing 2 weeks on, then 2 weeks off, and then back on!!:eek: Just like working offshore!:eek::eek:

Ever wondered if you could book a cruise the day before? I'm here to tell you that it can be done!

 

To celebrate some wonderful news, DH and I booked Friday (1/17) about noon on the 1/18 sailing of Serenade out of New Orleans. We live about 5.5 hours from the port, so it was an easy drive for us. To our delight, we got the very last balcony GTD, which turned out to be 7070, and E category. It's smaller than our preference, but hey -- who's complaining?

 

So you know our reference points, we are D+, active late 50's. We typically cruise in Nov/Dec, so cruising in January was a first for us. We generally like itinerary-heavy trips, especially the routes out of San Juan. The Radiance class ships are our favorite and we were excited to sail on Serenade since she's gone through a refurb.

 

We drove down to the port, parked in the Fulton Street parking garage (go online and pay $7 per day instead of $12 if you just drive up), caught their shuttle over to the port. We arrived at the port about 1:30, and walked directly onto the ship with our luggage! First time for that. It was a snap, and so nice to have your bags immediately.

 

Had lunch in WJ; no better, no worse than usual.

 

One thing struck us immediately: when you cruise in January, there are virtually NO children on board. In fact, I would venture to say that a good 85% of pax were retirees.

 

The ship was in fantastic shape, and we really liked the dining option additions. Loved Park Cafe, which has been put in the solarium (very convenient), and DH liked Izumi. Rita's Cantina, not so much. Giovanni's and Chops were predictable, although we did the BOGO in Chops on Saturday night and had such slow service (from kitchen, not server) that they gave us a freebie dinner, which was perfect in every respect. Service in Giovanni's was great.

 

We were told when we booked that we had to do My Time, another first for us. This ended up being a table for 2 on the upper level. Had great service, and while we prefer the traditional, late dining experience, this was perfectly fine. Food in the MDR was what we expected; there were escargot available every night.

 

One thing this trip did for us was confirm that we never, ever want to do a transatlantic. This trip started out with 2 sea days, then Falmouth, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. At the end of the 2 sea days we both felt like we'd been on board for a week!

 

Ports were ok; we had just been to Falmouth in August and did a beach day, so we decided to mosey around the port shops and then go back on board. Lovely hot sunny weather so that was a nice day. Next day we had to tender into Grand Cayman on the opposite side of the island due to windy conditions. We chose to get on a bus going out to 7 Mile Beach. Were taken to "Surfside Beach", which the driver was heavily promoting. Turned out to be an ok beach, but a really horrible DJ playing ear-shredding music. We paid for our chairs, stayed 30 minutes and left. Ended up walking down to the Westin and having a really nice lunch (excellent Painkillers!) and pirating a couple of chairs. (The RCI towels are almost identical to the Westin towels...just sayin'...:D)

 

Cozumel is a favorite stop of ours, and that was a great day weather-wise, as well. Started off overcast, but ended up bright and sunny. We started out at the Money Bar, snorkeled (saw 2 leopard eels!) and then headed over to the wild side of the island till it was time to get back.

 

The sail back to NO was not the most pleasant -- we ran into heavier seas and most outside decks were closed due to wind.

 

Entertainment on the ship followed what we've come to expect, and they have a really hard-working group on the Serenade. We really enjoyed the aerial act that takes place in the Centrum now -- it's spectacular!

 

The CL was the best I've ever experienced. Thoughtful, gracious concierge Mario knew everyone by the end of the first night and greeted you by name from then on. The bartender Martin and server Annabel ran the place like a well-oiled machine. No empty glass ever sat for more than 5 minutes! We met lovely people, and there was a most refreshing lack of the "I've been on X number of cruises, how many have YOU been on?" attitude that seems to becoming all too prevalent.

 

Debarkation was, bar none, the simplest we've ever experienced. Now, I admit we dragged our feet a bit, because we discovered we had friends in town for a convention, so we didn't walk off till about 9 am. Walked straight out, straight through customs. Incredible. Shuttle was outside waiting, went back to the Fulton St. garage and dropped our bags, then went to meet our friends for lunch. We ended up leaving the garage around 1:30 with no issues there.

 

All in all, had a fantastic time. Love the Serenade, and would happily sail her again.

Theron, they always say that you can make statistics prove any theory, but I really enjoyed yours! :D

Just back from 2 weeks on AOS. We went to the "overflow" Diamond Lounge up on 14 rather than the CL because the view was so much nicer than the enclosed CL. Children were occasionally present during the cocktail hour and we asked one of the bartenders about it because I thought (like someone else posted above) that kids were not allowed during that time. He told me that they had changed the rules and they were now allowed at any time.

D+ here and have were upgraded for the first time last August on OAS. We had a connecting D1 and were upgraded to a JS. It was wonderful; I got a phone call about a month out.

 

We usually book a year in advance and try to book an aft, JS if possible, or D1 if not. The OAS sailing was kind of impromptu, so we were really happy to get the upgrade. If I had an aft booked, it would greatly depend on what we were upgraded to as to whether or not I'd want to take it.

Meg, I'm in 100% agreement!:D

Henry, I love those tags, too. And no, luggage tags aren't critical to my enjoyment of a cruise, but so often it's the small touches that really make a difference. I agree, those tags promise a great experience! :D

 

One of these days I'd love to give Seabourne a try, so I for one will look forward to your comparisons when you return.

 

Have a fantastic trip!

Someone posted above that if you buy from the ship, they report the purchase directly to customs, but not if you buy from a port shop. While I don't have personal experience with this, there was a thread on this main board not too long ago reporting exactly the opposite. So, if you make a big purchase (particularly from a cruise-sponsored shop, like DI), be aware that your purchase info may be reported without your knowledge.

 

Again -- no personal experience here, so YMMV!

Ok, I know this is off-topic, but maybe someone from across the pond can enlighten me. How did baked beans become a breakfast food? When did that tradition begin? Was it a war thing? As a life-long (US) southerner, I'm used to baked beans being served along with barbeque, but never at breakfast time!

 

No offense or disrespect intended -- just curious!

karena, that's exactly why we were taking the plaintain chips! Love them on the beach with a pina colada or rum punch. jbond, we wondered the same thing -- if maybe one of the local inspectors had the munchies that day. We've carried that type of thing on before and since that incident, and I'm sure we'll give it another go when we go on AOS in 2 weeks.

I agree with Tapi's post, but we were forbidden to take on sealed, unopened packages of platanitos (fried plaintain chips) in San Juan! My Cuban DH loves these, so we picked up several bags in the local grocery where we bought our wine to take on. They were small bags, like a single serving size of potato chips.

 

Wine, no problem -- but not the platanitos! We could not believe they confiscated them! So, be aware that the port authorities, not the cruise line, is going to make the decision about what goes on and what gets confiscated.

This has been such an interesting thread. My own children (now almost grown) are not autistic, and my only experience with autistic children have been in teaching a few very high-functioning Asperger's kids (foreign language).

 

Thank you for enlarging my knowledge of how kids with autism can react. I would never have imagined that "Happy Birthday" could trigger a panic attack! I hope that others will benefit from reading about these reactions, and wish you a lovely holiday.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/en_US/pdf/Portofino_Menu.pdf

 

Not sure if it's current, though!