CruisinGerman

We just came off an RCCL cruise in Panamá where Herbalife people from Mexico were 1,200 out of the 2,400 passengers.

In the main dining room in the morning, instead of eating breakfast, they would take out a huge shoebox/tupperware container with partitions that contained dozens of different pills and would only eat all of those pills together with multiple shakes and magic potions blended in their special green logo cups.

Spain recommends not consuming their products because they have been tied to liver-related deaths. Germany and Israel say the same thing -- in Israel they are close to banning them.

Courts in Belgium have held that Herbalife is an illegal pyramid scheme.

Recently, their worldwide auditor, KPMG, suddenly resigned.

They earn more than 60% of their total worldwide revenues preying on poor people with limited studies in Latin America enticing them to invest so that they can have their own business, financial independence, and become millionaires.

Only 1% of people who sign up reap back their investment and earn some money. The other 99% lose everything.

Let the buyer beware and have fun consuming their magic potions.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

We spent a full month on the Grandeur in January and are going back next month, also in the Royal Suite.

The captain, hotel director, concierges, all of the staff treat people in the top suites royally on the Grandeur, much better than on other RCCL ships.

The majority of Colombians, Argentinians, Brazilians, Panamanians, Mexicans and other nationalities made the cruise fabulous. They were extremely well behaved, well dressed and really enjoyed partaking in all activities possible.

Much more fun than the cruises up north, whose passengers tend to go to bed at 10 p.m.

We had a fantastic time.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

Of course this procedure makes money for the cruise line. However, you should do it at home in the care of your dentist.

The cruise line's procedure is very expensive for what it is. The practitioner is not necessarily licensed in the United States.

It is a procedure that can cause burning, pain, and dryness. Why go on vacation to purposefully experience this?

You can only eat clear foods or foods with white sauces for three days after having it done. Why go on a cruise only to spend the whole week eating broth, white chicken and vanilla ice cream?

Once you leave the cruise, you have no recourse in case of follow-up, potential infection, etc. Despite the promotion and advertising by the cruise line, you really would be safer doing this at home.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

We live part of the year in Colombia. We were in Cartagena last week.

While we did see the HOHO about town, we don't understand why someone would take it, especially at the expensive price they charge.

You can pile four people in a taxi at the Hilton Hotel (farthest end of the modern tourist area) and be dropped off right inside the old city (wherever you want to go) and the entire taxi costs 6,000 pesos (USD $3.33) at today's exchange rate.

I understand fully the great interest and convenience of the HOHO in major cities such as London, New York, Barcelona, Paris, etc., but in my mind it just doesn't mesh in Cartagena.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

..... there is always the Rue des Rosiers!!!

Incredible street, and fascinating to see how it has changed over the years from purely Aske****c (Jo Goldenberg's deli) to falafel, Israeli and Sephardic (with many of the former quaint Jewish shops selling out to international clothing outlets)

But in Madrid, we have no place like that.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

Thanks for the extensive clarification. I meant no offense and now I definitely don't think you are a spy for the Massad.

It just sounded odd that you said you weren't going to eat the frozen kosher meals, but you had everything worked out.

Have you ever looked into any of the kosher cruises I mention in the last post?

We live in Spain, where it is very difficult to be Jewish and very difficult for a family to keep kosher.

There are more Jewish people on my sister's block in New York City than there are in all of Spain.

Spain is not like the United States, where nearly everything sold in a supermarket has that famous U with a circle around it.

Here in Madrid, the local Rabbi publishes a list of products acceptable for purchase in the supermarkets, even though they are not truly kosher in the legal sense of the word. And the one synagogue we have in Madrid happens to be extremely orthodox.

Does that mean observers sin by buying these products if there is nothing else to eat? It is just as admirable to make the best of life's circumstances in the surroundings you live in -- those of you who live in New York City or Israel are very lucky and probably never had to experience what I am talking about.

In any case, have a great cruise!

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

There are various organizations that sponsor Kosher cruises as groups on the major cruise lines, mixed with other passengers.

These cruises are very expensive, but they do bring on board their own pots and pans, rabbinical supervision, dishes, etc., as well as their own entertainment and their own waiters.

I wonder what experience anybody might have had on one of these cruises?

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

"I don't need advice on how to keep kosher"

Everybody on this board has been open, honest and friendly with an attitude of trying to help the original poster, and some of us have even approached this thread with a great interest in learning more about an orthodox practice which many of us ourselves don't follow.

While one purpose of these threads is indeed to answer a specific question posed by the original poster, the beauty of these threads is when the comments branch out and flourish so that many more of us can learn while at the same time responding to the original poster's question.

In one post, the OP says she is not availing herself of the standard frozen food provided by cruise lines when requesting kosher meals. In another post, when someone with the best of intentions offered some advice as to how others sometimes handle the kosher situation, she bluntly says that she didn't ask for advice on how to keep kosher.

Well, if she's not going to eat the cruise line's kosher food and she doesn't need anybody's advice as to how to keep kosher on a cruise ship, perhaps then instead of being so hush-hush as if she were a spy working for the Massad, she might like to share with the rest of us how, in fact, she does intend to keep kosher, and what in fact she intends to eat, since this information may very well help other families to solve the same issues about keeping kosher while on a cruise ship.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

We went on one of the first Latin Immersion Cruises out of Colón Panamá in 2008 during Easter/Passover. At that time, it was the Enchantment (now the Grandeur does that route).

During Passover, there was a rabbi provided by RCCL and a Passover seder offered. About 200 people attended the seder and they had to do it in one of the large private dining/conference rooms. RCCL provided all of the food and everything required for the seder.

It was absolutely fascinating to share this experience with 200 people from Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Costa Rica, Venezuela.

Apart from the religious significance of the event, we had a marvelous time.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

We spend half the year living in Colombia because of family we have there.

The concept of a "foundation" or "not-for-profit" organization is Colombia is very different from the same concept in the United States or Europe. Many organizations such as these are definitely "for-profit" but have their corporate identities shielded through these vague forms of association such as "foundation".

There are many organizations whose goal is to make money off of tourists by offering tours as if they were NGO's. I'm not saying the company involved in this thread does that, but let the buyer beware.

Instead of viewing the rich history the old city of Cartagena has to offer a first-time visitor, why instead would you rather take a tour of the slums? Would you get off your cruise ship at a port stop in Los Angeles and run to take a tour of downtown LA - skid row?

Paradoxically, Cartagena has one of the highest poverty rates in all of Colombia. I say, paradoxically, because there is no reason for this. Cartagena is also Colombia's main tourist city -- with all of the tax money associated with such status. Why then, does one of the richest cities in Colombia, at the same time have the highest poverty rate? Corruption ........

Colombia is living the biggest economic boom in modern history. Its economy is growing at record levels -- ahead of the United States and, naturally, ahead of most EU countries (except Germany) that have experienced negative growth and extreme contraction recently.

The politicians of Cartagena should be implementing programs to put an end to the poverty there -- they certainly have the money and they should put it to much better use than keeping it for themselves.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

You definitely deserved better treatment and, probably, better compensation at the time, not eight years later.

Even had you pursued this at the time, you would have been given a future cruise certificate with a monetary amount, specifically stating that it has to be applied within a given time (if memory serves me correctly, they give you about one full year). No compensation would have been valid to use eight years later.

I'm glad you're happily married with children -- that's the good side to this whole story.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

We were in Labadee and paid $175 for a prime-location cabana. We weren't thrilled with it. We thought that for the money they charge, the cabanas should have had a private toilet and shower facility built in.

Next to the cabana we could have spent the day on the same beach without paying, sitting in free lounge chairs, and also using all of the free equipment.

We thought the cabana was a waste.

The private chef aspect of this cabana package and the included drinks sound more interesting -- although I still don't think it is something that really interests us. Can anybody comment on this aspect?

Why is the package different from the Labadee package? Shouldn't they be more standardized?

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

I think the tone of surprise we are all experiencing in this thread is the fact that a question was even asked in the first place as to the safety of the water in Spain, which is an EU country.

When I read the question, it seemed somewhat ingenuous, a bit like a person from Los Angeles asking whether the water in New York was safe to drink.

However, in all fairness to the original poster, right there in her original question she said she thought the water was probably safe, but that her husband insisted on her asking.

I think for drinking purposes, bottled water is inexpensive enough and should be drunk everywhere -- Los Angeles, New York, Madrid, Barcelona, and Zimbabwe.

Even if the water is perfectly safe, we live in a world that is constantly being turned upside down with public works, construction, rodents, etc. all of which at some point or another find their way into the pipes. I would rather spend 23 cents on a 1.5 liter bottle of water than drink water from the tap because of the above reasons -- not necessarily because of the safety of the water itself.

How many times on cruises have we turned on the taps in our cabins to find that the water has a brownish color. Guest Services are always the first to say that it is a temporary problem but that the water is perfectly safe. Would you drink it?

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

Dear friends:

Greetings from our home in Madrid.

The water throughout Spain is perfectly safe to drink. We don't have the habit of having water automatically put on the table as you folks do in the United States. We generally order water (bottled) just as we would a Coke, juice or bottle of wine.

You can definitely ask for tap water in a restaurant, and nobody will look at you funny, I promise. Just ask for "agua del grifo".

As far as taste, I find that Madrid has the best tasting and the best quality water. It is not heavily mineralized, and therefore, we don't have to put salt in our dishwashers or use heavy abrasive lime cleaners in our bathtubs, and yes you can soap yourself up in the shower.

In Valencia, I just don't like the taste of the water -- I always drink bottled water.

Barcelona water isn't as good as Madrid water, in my opinion, but it tastes fine and it is also perfectly safe.

That being said -- for use in your hotel, you can go to a local supermarket and purchase a 1.5 liter bottle of water for 23 euro cents.

And when in restaurants, why don't you just forego paying two euros for a bottle of water in a restaurant and enjoy some of our famous, inexpensive Spanish wines?

Happy cruising.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

Sorry to hear about the Italian incident. I'm somewhat surprised, since the World Health Organization ranks Italy number 2 after France in the world's best healthcare. The United States ranks number 37. It might be scary just to be in a foreign country with a different language, or maybe the hospital itself just wasn't that good.

Very important to read the fine print. Usually, basic evacuation means to the nearest adequate medical facility. In some policies you can buy enhanced coverage that will give you the choice of being taken to your home country.

The problem might arise because insurance probably considers most Caribbean islands with the exception of Haiti and one or two others as having adequate medical facilities and care, whereas the cruise passenger might have a different opinion.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

Dear friends:

For evacuation and repatriation coverage, make sure you read the fine print of the policy you're purchasing. Many people believe that if they're taken out of the Amazon jungle, they will be flown to New York or Miami, but that is not necessarily the case. Most policies will fly you to the nearest city where adequate, international standard medical treatment can be provided. That means that if you're rescued from the Amazon jungle, unless you have complete evacuation and repatriation coverage to your "home country", you will probably be taken to Bogotá or someplace close.

Also read the fine print of a policy with such low medical coverage. It might be for emergency, patch-up treatment and to get you home, at which point they will expect your own medical insurance to kick in.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

I knew I forgot some lines.

Princess.

Also owned by Carnival.

Look how big Carnival actually is -- I never realized it before.

How did the anti-monopoly and antitrust authorities in the United States and the European Union ever let Carnival get so big??

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

For those of you who say that Carnival only has 1 ship in Europe, you are forgetting that Carnival also has in Europe:

Costa Cruises

P&O Cruises

AIDA Cruises

Iberocruceros

Seabourn (in summer)

At least 1 Cunard ship (in summer)

Holland America in summer

and I'm probably forgetting some more ......

Royal Caribbean has RCCL in Europe, Celebrity (several ships), Pullmantur cruises (2 ships for the Spanish market)

Just Costa itself has about 16 ships -- not counting the rest.

Then there's MSC cruises -- privately owned -- they have about 10 or 11 ships.

And the NCL group has so many ships in Europe in the summer -- Jade, Gem, Epic, Regent Ships, Oceania Ships.

If Florida presented so much business, why would NCL pull its newest, biggest ship and send it to Barcelona for the summer.

And despite so many ships and so much capacity in Europe, the ships are always full to capacity and you NEVER see bargain prices except for the transatlantics and for the colder parts of the season at the beginning and the end of each season.

So many of you folks advocate RCCL abandoning Europe and leaving all the business to Carnival and MSC. I'm sure they would like that.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

Dear friends:

I remember in the 1980's when there were two itineraries in the Caribbean -- East and West

Miami, Nassau, San Juan, St. Thomas, Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios, Cozumel, period. Nobody even heard of St. Maarten back then.

Look at all the ports we go to (East / West / South) now. And from the tone of this thread, we've gotten bored with them.

All we do in those ports is go to a beach and go shopping at what now have become the same stores throughout all the islands.

Personally, that makes destination cruising in Europe, South America and other locations more attractive to me, but I also understand that families in the U.S. want to stay closer to home for many reasons.

Friends, there really aren't many more ports that have the ability to take on the massive cruise ships of today, although inevitably in just a few years, the U.S. cruise lines will probably start going to Cuba -- and that would indeed be an exciting change.

Some of the European cruise lines already go there.

Where else would some of you like to go?

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

Dear friends:

We flew from Europe, spent a few days in Manhattan, and then took the 12 night Explorer cruise from New Jersey. We loved it.

Those first two days getting down to the Caribbean, and the three days to go back up actually felt like we were on a transatlantic cruise with a journey in mind and not just island hopping every day.

To be right across from the Statute of Liberty and Empire State Building and then to sail under the Verazzano bridge were experiences we will never forget.

And we fit in Christmas shopping in New York before and after the cruise.

One of the best trips of our life.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

Dear friends:

RCCL is out to sell their cruises and earn money. Don't you think that if they could, in fact sell out a "14 Day Southern Caribbean Cruise" -- they would definitely schedule and market it?

RCCL has a global vision. Cruising is not just for North Americans.

Winter is high season in Florida and the Caribbean. Winter is low season in Europe. So in Winter most of the ships are in Florida and the Caribbean and only about two ships at any given time are in Europe.

Summer is low season in Florida and the Caribbean (except for families going to Orlando). Summer is peak season in Europe. So in Summer peak season RCCL has a great deal of ships in Europe, while still maintaining ships in several cities of Florida, New Jersey, Baltimore, etc.

And then you complain about Florida boasting the two largest ships in the world on a year-round basis. Believe me, we would love to have those two ships based here in Barcelona. Unfortunately, they were not really built for European cruising and most European ports would have to be rebuilt to accommodate them.

RCCL also takes advantage of the local Asian market and maintains seasonal ships there.

And RCCL has been catering to the extremely wealthy and high-spending Brazilian market by stationing at least one, and sometimes two ships to homeport in Brazil during their summer (our winter) season.

They are far more diversified than the were years ago and there is something on offer for everyone and for every region of the world.

Why is that bad?

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

Just different people's respectable opinions.

It would be a pleasure to meet you on a cruise.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

Dear friends:

I find it quite acceptable to board in jeans in any port, and even board in shorts in the Caribbean or in the Mediterranean in the heat of August.

What about a woman wearing a bikini around the swimming pool. Is that also a no-no?

Do we really need to get bent out of shape if a man chooses not to wear a tie as long as he looks respectable as far as the rest of his clothes are concerned?

Remember, except for certain rules, such as no flip-flops, baseball caps, shorts, jeans in the dining room at night, the rest of the guidelines are mere SUGGESTIONS.

The other comment above about Silversea ships sailing full is misleading. Yes, the ships are sailing full -- with travel agents, Silversea employees, and last minute passengers paying the Venetian Value rates (the latter I admit includes myself on my last few cruises).

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

Dear friends:

Since the air-conditioning usually is working quite well and the ship is customarily kept quite cold, this means that one doesn't sweat a great deal inside the ship.

As a man, I can wear the same suit to all of the formal nights -- just change shirts and ties. That makes it much easier on packing.

Same thing with dress slacks. They can be worn a few times -- just have them pressed if you need to.

You ladies really have it lucky. You can basically wear the same dress or skirt, alternating between some of those glitzy sequin tops on different nights and, lo and behold, there you have it. A different formal outfit for each night using basically the same clothes.

Once on another Silversea cruise in Europe (ports were mostly major Italian and French ports that we had been to time and again), we did something really different as far as packing was concerned. We left for the cruise with one or two changes of clothes each and a full luggage allowance of empty suitcases. We had fun buying new clothes to wear on the ship and to take home as a new wardrobe in each port every day of the cruise. That was our shopping cruise (quite similar to what we do when we travel from Europe to New York -- go with empty suitcases and bring home a shopping spree from New York).

Of course, if it is your cup of tea to dress to the nines and put on a different outfit four times per day, I also respect that. But nowadays it isn't necessary and you can still look great by bringing one-tenth the clothes.

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta

I've never been on an Oasis class ship yet.

Sounds like a very interesting concept and worth trying.

Silversea has a special wine-pairing menu in an intimate specialty restaurant. But dinner with the wine pairing costs $200 -- $75 sounds reasonable to me for such a nice, intimate experience.

Thanks for answering my question -- so the thread can go on ..........

Kind regards,

Gunther and Uta