RobinCruiser

Does anyone know if the Park Café offer Jive Turkey sandwiches? They were DH's favourite on Adventure.

Can anyone tell me the hours of the Gym and the hours of the Windjammer on the Jewel? And besides the Café in the Solarium, is there anywhere else to get specialty coffees?

Thanks!

Interesting. I just booked my DLX Beverage packages and noticed the banner on the page said BOGO but it said that the price was reflecting the discount. I will have to check tomorrow now to see if the overall price is better.

Going (hopefully) on Jewel on January 14th out of San Juan for my first ever cruise. I finally booked one and then weather craziness happened. I'm really hoping that by then the port, airport, and our hotel Sharaton Old San Juan will be up and running.

My husband and I are booked on that sailing too and the Sheraton Old San Juan is our post cruise hotel. We are really looking forward to experiencing Jewel for the first time. From what I understand, the airport is already open and operating on a limited schedule, the port is open as well and the Sheraton Old San Juan is one of numerous San Juan hotels that was not terribly damaged, open and operating right now.

Is RC helping with changed plane reservations cost? I would imagine last min. flights will be expensive and lose what spent on hotel and plane in PR.

Most of the airlines have waivers to change your flights without cost. I am a TA and we are getting inundated with waiver emails every day from all the major airlines. The waivers are all time sensitive so as airport statuses change, so do the waivers.

I just called gifts and gear to check on the rate of exchange for adding OBC and its still 1.30. :( I was hoping it would have improved.

After years of saying I'd lose some weight, I finally did it this year. I've lost 29 lbs. (so far) since Jan. 2. Here's how I did it and a few things I learned. Maybe it can help someone else!

 

1. 80% is what you do/don't put in your mouth, 20% is exercise. I found this to be very true. I had been working out regularly doing high intensity interval training and strength training 3-4x/week since July 2015. I was healthier and stronger, but weight didn't come off. Yes, I know... I had lost some fat and it converted into muscle, but I was still wearing the same sizes and carried a lot of fat on me. When I started eating right CONSISTENTLY this past January, the weight started to fall. Since May my rate of weight loss has slowed significantly. But while I've only lost another pound or two since then, I've dropped another full size. This is where the exercise part is really kicking in, and changing my body composition to a higher % of lean muscle which weighs more but is smaller than fat.

 

 

2. Consistency is key. I ate very healthy prior to January, but only did so intermittently. I traveled a lot and used every trip, every special occasion at home, every "event" as an excuse to eat/drink whatever. I stopped that in January for all but the most special of occasions. Yes, it sometimes meant having club soda instead of wine when out with friends for girls' night or whatever, but I had to draw a hard line in the sand until the weight came off.

 

 

3. You can't starve yourself. Severely limiting calories just causes your body to fight back by lowering your metabolism. In turn, that makes it easier to GAIN weight once you hit your goal and start eating a bit more.

 

4. (Healthy) Fat is not the enemy. Your body needs fat, and fat consumed doesn't necessarily turn into fat on the body. Stick to healthy fats, though. I go through olive oil like it's air. I also eat tons of nuts, nut butter, seeds, grass-fed half&half, full fat Greek yogurt, eggs and avocados.

 

 

5. Sugar is the enemy. It makes your body produce insulin, which is a hormone that tells your body to store fat. And sugar hides in all kinds of things and goes by different names. It's not enough to just avoid desserts; most packaged/processed foods are loaded with sugar in one form or another, even savory items. Sugar is addictive and the more you eat (even in hidden forms), the more your crave.

 

 

6. Read ingredient labels and don't trust the "claims" on the front of the package. Ignore the front of the package where is says "sugar-free" and read the ingredient label on the back. It might surprise you to find it's full of corn syrup, which is just another form of sugar. Another example: "made with 100% wheat." Notice it doesn't say WHOLE wheat. Or "made with whole grains." It can say that on the front, even though it might only have a tiny smidgeon of whole grain, and be mostly made with plain old white flour. You have to read ingredient labels. Don't even get me started on the often-seen claim of "all natural." It means nothing. Sugar is natural, but it's not good for you. :rolleyes:

 

 

7. Avoid highly processed/packaged foods. See #5 & 6 above. Stick to real food. Don't fall back on the claims of "I don't have time to cook." If something is important to you, you can find the time. Meal prepping in advance or for several meals at a time is a great time-saver that helps you eat healthy.

 

8. I don't count anything. Not calories, or fat grams, or carbs. I eat mainly real food (no highly processed stuff) and make sure each meal/snack includes a big portion of fruits/veggies, as well as protein and healthy fat. I also eat a ton of healthy carbs. I avoid added sugar, as well as white flour, white rice and all but the occasional baked potato. I eat tons of healthy carbs in the form of fruit, beans, brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal, etc. In fact, when I upped my workouts to 5x/week I found I had to really up my carb intake to maintain enough energy. I also drink at least 80oz. of water/day.

 

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, nutritionist or dietician and don't claim to be. Everyone is different. This is what has worked for me, but is also based on significant reading and research on nutrition and healthy weight loss. I have observed a lot of friends trying to lose weight and making excuses for why they can't, all the while observing that they are usually doing the opposite of at least several things listed above (avoiding ALL carbs or ALL fat, severely limiting calories, making excuses, buying process crap because it's "sugar free" or "fat free" etc.)

Congratulations on your success and wow, what a great, truly helpful post. Thanks for sharing all this.

I have to say I totally agree with it all. I try to avoid pre-packaged foods as much as possible and managed to lose 20 pounds a few years ago on a low carb (not no-carb, and most were from as you say, fruits, veg, legumes), no calorie counting, minimal exercise diet. In fact, it was an odd one that encouraged you to eat small meals 6 times a day. I felt like I was going to gain a ton of weight from eating so much all the time but I actually felt full, energized and still lost. I think I'm going to give something like that a try again and combine it with my daily treadmill routine.

Enjoy your cruise!

Hi! The Weight lose forum is still around http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=149

 

One of the ladies going on the cruise with me and I are trying to lose weight. We exercise at a gym and she's on a diet. I'm not on a diet, but am trying to be more careful in what I'm eating and the amount. It helps that it's summer (hot) so eating doesn't seem as appealing.

Great thanks, I'll go check that post out for up to date info. Sorry to start a new thread.

I'm looking at the Canadian site and I can't access my booking either. I get an error message to call. I've called and they said they are experiencing some issues.

Hi fellow Cruise lowers!

There was one of these threads that I joined previously for support and motivation to help each other lose weight but It seems defunct now. Anyone interested in losing weight and sharing our stories tips, motivation, goals, check in's etc? I am preparing for a Southern Carib cruise on Jewel of the Seas, Jan 14/18. I'm hoping to shed 25 pounds by then. I could definitely stand to lose more but 25 is the goal. Who's with me?

Robin

Following - we are do an Southern Caribbean on her Jan14/18

bring back 1:10!

I'd even be satisfied with 1.20. I just checked the currency exchange place here that I usually use and their rate today is 1.265

Hi, I just did the tour last week, and I'd describe it as a highlight of the cruise!

 

Some caveats:

1. it really is all-day, about 6-7 hours.

2. The roads in St. Lucia are like a rollercoaster - constantly winding left and right, up-and-down hills. It can take some adjusting.

 

You're in a van with about 10-12 people total. However, at various points, you will meet up with other vans on the tour - when the gigantic feast happens. And that feast was the best part in my opinion! Also, nonstop Piton beer and rum punch all day!

 

Some parts are a bit rushed, but that's because of the distance traveled, and they definitely want you back to the ship on time. We did everything on the tour's itinerary - my guide was the Yellow Bird, and he was a real pro- answered any and all questions and has clearly been doing this a long time. I ended up buying some banana ketchup to take home too.

 

You do not have to tip the various vendors that pop up along the way at all.

Thanks for the detailed updated info. This sounds perfect!

I did not tip at all the food sampling stops along the way. However we did give the driver a generous tip. We did a private tour. 6 of us in a van. It was great. If we wanted to stay longer or shorter at one place we could. If there is a group of you up to 8, I would inquire about a private tour. Sometimes this is close per person to what you might pay in a bigger group and a lot more roomy.

Thanks, there's just two of us so we'll probably do the group thing.

Looking at this tour for a cruise in January '18, wondering if you feel rushed or like it's a lot in one day. Looks like a great tour but it seems like lots of stops. Also, how large is the tour group.

 

Thanks!

I'm also looking at this one for January '18. I am curious, for those that have done it, do you tip all the food providers at the stops for sampling etc? I'm not adverse to tipping, just want to be prepared. I usually tip the driver but since there will be so many stops with foods and things, I'm wondering...

Just wanted to add the link (& correct spelling) for the excursion in Barbados: Sail Calabaza

I was going to add this one myself. Best tour ever!! I can't snorkel because of claustrophia issues and DH has a hole in his ear drum so can't submerge his head but in spite of this, we still had the most amazing time swimming around in the crystal waters with the turtles and eating/drinking an amazing feast with a small group of new friends. Just be sure you have lots of high power sunscreen - we did this tour in March 2016 and got burnt to a crisp!

Do you ride horses a lot? If so, fine and dandy...find a horse riding thing! If you never do...then rethink that. You will end up with a VERY sore crotch and legs...not a great way to spend a vacation. I speak from experience. We went horseback riding on our HONEYMOON....HUGE MISTAKE! HUGE....ouch.

My Hubby will vouch for that - we went horseback riding with our kids on a vacation and he could barely walk for the next couple days - first time for him.

Only 365 today - we set sail on my birthday! [emoji512]

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369 very long days :eek:

I sailed AOS last March with my teenagers and they enjoyed the Royal Promenade. They would have loved the Flowrider but alas, it was not there when we sailed.

I have booked Jewel for just DH and myself and even was a little concerned about the smaller size of the ship so I would have to recommend AOS. I want the different ports that Jewel is offering but would not have booked it with my teens.

I've only done the MTD once and it was on our March sailing on AOS but it was fabulous! We met a server in the WJ who was amazing - super attentive, really great and he mentioned that he noticed we were doing MTD dining. He said if we were happy with him, we should make a reservation and ask to be seated in his section. So we went to the dining room and made a reservation for that evening. The attendant asked if we wanted the same time/same table all week. We said yes, sure. And so we never had a wait really at any time since we had a reservation and we had the same wait staff all week, just like with regular dining. It was great and we're doing it again on our next sailing.

I was thinking the same thing. I mean, with the price of things onboard, you could easily do a fair bit of a damage quickly, buying a round of drinks or whatever!

Doesn't your photo come up when the SeaPass is scanned?? So they will know if it's you using your card or not.

There will be plenty of mirrors for them I would think. There are several large mirrors above the desk, where I kept my straightener and then there is a full length mirror behind that. I should point out that we were in a balcony so that is how it was in there. Have a great time!

Awesome thanks! We are in a balcony too. DH will be happy as he's already declared that we're not taking the house with us when I suggested we may have to bring a travel mirror. :eek:

Hi, does anyone know if there are any mirrors in the main part of the cabins or just in the washrooms? I'm traveling with two teen girls and I understand there aren't any electrical outlets in the washroom so they will have to straighten and curl their hair in the cabin. Just wondering if there are mirrors or should we bring some?

I've done a lot of checking exchange rates lately, at the banks, credit unions and currency exchange places. ICE is the worst. The best I've found is the BC Currency Exchange for us in BC. I got some US on Wednesday at a rate of 1.3806. Yesterday is was 1.3860. They post the rate daily on their web page. Looks like they only have locations in Surrey, White Rock and Abbotsford.