jtmalt

12 hours ago, jtmalt said:

 

 

Petoonya, I know this is an older post, but I'm curious. I thought Windstar provided kayaks...why would there have been a need to rent one from a hotel?  Also, how did you enjoy the ship's coral garden drift snorkel?

 

We'll be sailing Windstar with stops in both Taha'a and Raiatea next year.

 Ah, never mind, Petoonya.  I just realized that they don't open the water sports center on Windstar in Tahaa or Raiatea, so I answered my own question.

On 2/5/2018 at 1:25 PM, Petoonya said:

Thanks Twin. Once you've done the vanilla farm and pearl farm tour on any island they become annoying and a waste of valuable time. I guess I'll just go with Windstar's 3 hour coral garden drift snorkel excursion. Maybe we'll rent a kayak from one of the hotels in the afternoon which sounds pretty easy to arrange, and make our own way for that half of the day.

Petoonya, I know this is an older post, but I'm curious. I thought Windstar provided kayaks...why would there have been a need to rent one from a hotel?  Also, how did you enjoy the ship's coral garden drift snorkel?

We'll be sailing Windstar with stops in both Taha'a and Raiatea next year.

On 9/16/2019 at 6:49 PM, mhb1757 said:

Anyone know when Jet Blue will open next round?  Looking for May flights and current schedule only open thru early April. 

Last year, they extended the schedule on October 14th.  The year before that, on October 1st, and the year before that on Sept. 25th. 

According to a ships-in-port site I just found, an MSC ship will be arriving in Geiranger 2 hours after the Nieuw Statendam.  I'm also finding reference that HAL doesn't get to use the Seawalk so I guess we'll be tendering. So, circling back to the original question, if we anchor at 7am and have to tender, do you think we will we be off the ship in time for a 9am independent excursion?

It's been quite a few years since my last cruise, and this will be my first on Holland America, on the Nieuw Statendam.  We'll be porting in Geiranger one day in June, and we'll be the only ship in port that day.  I'd like to arrange an independent excursion, but I recall from previous cruises that guests with ship-sponsored excursions get priority in getting of the ship.  With a port time of 7am, what time can I reasonably expect to have my feet on shore?

Any idea what the space forward of 121 is used for?

7 hours ago, Howellmc said:

We did this last July. The dinner is the second night. We had a nice full day in Bora Bora and the next day we spent over on the island where they have the dinner while they set up for the evening. We went back to the boat to change in the afternoon and returned for the dinner and show. 

From the itinerary, it looks like Wind Spirit leaves Bora Bora at 9pm on the 2nd night.  What time does the island entertainment wrap up?

2 hours ago, PurleyKing said:

The very high rate of repeat passengers on Star Clippers' ships suggests that the overall experience is generally well liked.

 

"Solent Richard" has produced one of the most detailed reviews of a Star Clipper trip at the following link: https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2017/11/04/star-clipper-java-sea-limited-edition-cruise/

 

We happened to be on the exact same trip as him and think that he gives a fair review.

 

 

Yes, I had already found that very helpful review during my initial research, and everything I saw on the YouTube videos was encouraging. It was just the negativity in some of the CC reviews that gave me pause. 

1 hour ago, Ional said:

We will be off on our 7th cruise in 2 weeks. We are sailors, and we love the luxury of these cruises where you feel with all your senses that you are on a mighty sailing ship, but without having to pull on oilskins and take a watch at 2am!

However be aware that the Ship is the Star, its all about her and the magic of sails and sea, especially on deck at night when it is truely awesome. 

However it is not a luxury hotel!! Friends of ours love Sea Dream YC, that is a hotel on sea, and the service is 5*. On the Clippers the crew  and domestic staff are lovely, many are real characters, but you cannot clic your fingers and get service! A stroll to the tropical bar gets you a drink, you can ask questions, and do as much or as little as you like.

Try it, bet you will be hooked!

Thank you.  I think your post gives a clear idea of what to expect.

I only just came across Star Clippers while I was researching Windstar, and I'm contemplating either an Eastern Mediterranean or Southern Caribbean cruise on Star Flyer.  From the YouTube videos I've seen, the experience looks like something my wife & I would enjoy, but in perusing the reviews here on CruiseCritic, it seems like nearly half of them contain complaints about rude or disinterested staff, poor communication, or disorganized planning at the ports. It's hard to judge from the reviews, because there aren't a lot of them, and only a few of them are recent. I really don't mean to sound like I'm trolling, but should I lower my expectations if I book a Clipper cruise?  There just isn't a lot of information to go on.

Thank you for the kind words. :)

 

 

 

 

Indeed.

 

Some no-sugar items are actually worse than their sugar counterparts. Can you believe it? I have been reading labels since my diagnosis, and am blown away with the information I've gotten. For example, a name-brand "no sugar added" chocolate candy, individually wrapped and way more expensive, has 9 carbs per piece. Now, Hershey Kisses, the regular ones we all love in the silver foil, have 3 carbs each. I can have 3 Kisses for the same carbs as one of the no sugar added chocolates. That blew me away! Guess which I'd rather have, and I absolutely can have them if I want to. The body treats those carbs the same - converting them into sugar.

 

Reading your labels can save you some valuable carbohydrates. :)

While I'm not a fan of "no sugar added" chocolate, I'd like to point out that the carbohydrate content on the label includes the full value of the sugar alcohols (manitol, sorbitol, etc) that they're using as a sugar substitute. These are actually very poorly digested and absorbed (as evidenced by their laxative effect). The rule of thumb is that you count sugar alcohols as 1/2 the amount of carbohydrate they appear as on the label.

Again, I'm not a fan because of the unintended side effects, and would prefer a small piece of a good, real chocolate.

As far as desserts go, don't go overboard with the silly (IMHO) sugar-free desserts served on board. For the most part, they're really not that good (although there are exceptions...the SF Key Lime Pie isn't bad). Moreover, just because they are sugar-free, they're not carb free.

Instead, I'd recommend having a small or half portion of the real thing. You will be happier and more satisfied, and, since the real desserts normally have a very high fat content, the absorption of the carbohydrate content will be slowed down anyway. Just watch the portion size and savor every bite. Then climb the stairs to deck 14 after dinner!

I'll chime in here as well. I was diagnosed with Type II in 2004. My fasting glucose was over 280, my A1C was 11.7, and my triglycerides and cholesterol were through the roof. I was scared silly, as my father and most of his siblings had all died from complications of diabetes.

I went through the diabetes education classes, and took what I learned to heart. Now, everyone's mileage may vary, because a lot depends on how much damage has been done to your insulin producing islet cells before you were diagnosed, but here's what happened to me.

I started out with Metformin, and began eating to the pattern designed for me by the dietitian. Not a low carb diet by any means, just the standard 40-60g of carb at each meal that they normally start with. I also switched to as many high fiber/whole grain options as I could. We use tons of fresh vegetables, very little to no processed or canned food, and I watch my portion sizes very carefully. I cut added sugar out of my diet as well, and began exercising on a treadmill or bike for at least 30 minutes each day.

Within about 18 months, I had dropped my medication along with about 70 pounds. My A1C levels dropped to 4.6, my cholesterol and triglycerides dropped to normal levels, and I my morning blood glucose is normally in the 70's. Here I am, 7 years later, and can honestly say that being diagnosed with diabetes has made a stupendous positive impact on my life.

Once you finish your education classes, I don't think you'll have any trouble on the cruise. You'll learn to eat to a pattern (so much meat, so much carb, so much fat at each meal), and it will gradually become second nature for you to adapt whatever food is present into that pattern, and adjust your portion sizes accordingly.

If you're healthy enough for it, take the stairs rather than the elevator whenever possible. I think, ultimately, you'll be pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to stay in control while cruising.

One other thing I recommend is to borrow or purchase a copy of "The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes: An Essential Guide to the Newly Diagnosed" by Gretchen Becker. It's widely available, and I've purchased copies and distributed them to friends and family who have been diagnosed. It really helps you understand your disorder, and understanding is power.

Best wishes to you. Educate yourself, and if you have been diagnosed early enough you may find actually find this to be a positive turning point in your life.

It looks like Carnival learned a bit from the lack of privacy on those deck 12 Dream cabins. On the Magic, there doesn't seem to be an area (maybe a small one) where passengers on the starboard side can overlook the deck balconies. They put a second level of the spa on deck 14 and the Serenity deck is on 15 instead. Were those passengers in the photo in the serenity area on deck 14 of the Dream? It doesn't appear that anyone can be outside above those balconies on the Magic.

Yes, that was looking straight up from the balcony on 12215 to the deck 14 Serenity area directly above. On the starboard side, all of the cabins from 12209 back were completely exposed.

I just looked at the deck plans for the Carnival Magic, and it does indeed look like they've corrected that design "feature". I wonder if that was in the original plan, or if they altered it based on feedback from the Dream.

My husband and I booked a Spa Balcony on the Dream in June 2010. The room was fabulous as is the Spa. However, the balcony was anything but private. There is no roof over the balcony and the floor above is where people walk on the deck and can see directly into your balcony. When we were leaving Florida, people were hanging over us and the condensation on their drinks were dripping on us. Worse yet, someone flicked an ash from a cigarette and it landed on my new white capris. During the voyage, while we were trying to enjoy the balcony during the evening, there was a couple making out above us (hot and heavy, perfectly aware of our presence) and another time during the morning, another couple was hanging over watching the sunrise and talking loudly while we were trying to enjoy our coffee and sunrise too. I didn't begrudge them their pleasure, it just wasn't the private moment we had in mind, especially when our balcony was advertised as our own private balcony in the literature. We found cigarette butts and other debris in the mornings including a banana peel one morning. During the day, it was so hot with the sun beaming down, you couldn't walk barefoot on the deck or stay out for a very long period of time.

 

I have read other posts from cruisers on Spa Deck balconies that have had teenagers throwing hard candy at them and when they called for assistance were told the was not enough staff to help them with their problem.

Wow, was that cabin 12215 by any chance? We had the same issues...for some reason, people on the Serenity deck just kept congregating right over our balcony at all hours of the day and night.

"Hey, bet you're enjoying that private balcony, huh?"

Thanks for the info. We like to snorkel, but I also want to be able to just enjoy the water and swim a bit, as well as relax on the beach. Is it a good swimming beach too or are there just too many rocks and coral?

The coral is mainly concentrated along the "arms" of the cove, but the area between, while suitable for swimming, is basically rock and stone, not sand. You would want to wear water shoes, at a minimum.

That being said, the snorkeling IS excellent, and they have a limited number of kayaks available for free usage as well. I have a complete review up at Tripadvisor, which you can read at this link.

Can anyone compare Ti Kaye to Rendezvous for me? I was wondering which beach was better, and would like to hear any and all opinions. Thanks!

Depend on what you mean by "better". Ti Kaye is primarily a "snorkeler's beach"...great snorkeling almost as soon as you enter the water. The beach is nice, but it's kind of a narrow pocket beach. What makes it great for snorkeling probably makes it less suitable as a typical "beach day", as the water is full of coral and rock.

I haven't been to Rendezvous, so I can't really speak to that. Here's a photo of Ti Kaye's beach....coral extends across the top and bottom of the cove.

Need I say more????

 

Need I say more?

Our guide, trying to decide if conditions are appropriate for snorkeling at Chukka Cove, Ocho Rios.

Hello all

We are big fans of balcony cabins and like to be high up on the ship. We also like the conquest class of ships . We are booked on the Dream and have a Balcony cabin on the lido deck.

In thread earlier today discussing the lido deck rooms someone posted that they did not like the views on the dream /lido as they were looking down on the lanai ???:eek:

Does anyone have first hand info if this is correct? Also if one can look down I assume that people can look up into the balcony . Being a newer ship ( which I have not sailed on) with he addition of the lanai I am starting to think perhaps some other alternatives. Being high up and looking down and out over the water is something we cherish and look forward to.

Any feedback would be welcome

Thank you

Here are two views from a balcony cabin on Spa deck (2 decks above Lido).

Snapped this photo along the Paseo in Old San Juan. I never noticed the couple smooching on the left until I got home.

Lizzy at sailaway - Ft Lauderdale

 

 

:D Lol! I love it!:D

Here's a pigeon attack in Old San Juan

The main rule I live by is:

 

I don't purchase bedding or furniture from a cruiseline and I don't purchase cruises from a furniture or bedding store.

Ah, but what if the furniture or bedding store is offering a free cruise with the purchase of a bed?:D

I had called serenity. They offer the Tai Kay pass where they pick you up and drop you off, it includes a massage, lunch, use of pool and facilities (I emailed TaiKaye and asked for sure), and 2 beverages all for 130.00 pp.

The Island Diver's package is a little less expensive. $75 per person for pick up & drop off by boat, use of all facilities, snorkel gear, 2 soft drinks, and lunch. No massage included.

http://www.tikaye.com/dive-rates.php

I was in Tortola on Celebrity Solstice in March 2009. It was raining the whole time that we were in port. The ship was only in port from 7 am to 1 pm, which was kinda disappointing. The ship was ready to go before you even have time to experience the port. I'm sure the beaches would have been beautiful. I've heard that they are but it was too rainy to do anything like that when I was there. We just walked around with our umbrellas and looked at the shops. It kinda reminded me of a sidewalk sale.

I'm a big fan of Tortola (next to San Juan, it's our favorite port), but a short day there is kind of worthless, in my opinion. You need time to get away from Roadtown and get to Brewer's Bay, Cane Garden, The Baths, or a daysail through the BVI. You really need a full day once you factor in the transportation time.

We've been to a lot of spots in the Caribbean. We always try to research in advance and find something that is unique to each island. So far, our only real letdown has been Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I was injured on an excursion there (broken ribs), and the vibes I got after the injury really made me feel like an unwelcome guest.