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We did that from Mardi Gras two years ago. It was a great. Wonderful dive sites were only a 5 minute boat ride away! We even headed back to the dive shop in between dives.

I love the silent disco! I think my favorite part is just being able to chose between songs. I don't go out dancing enough to dance to songs I don't like! It's also pretty funny to hear everyone singing.

Interesting. Do they start your car while you're gone? How many cars were there?

Wow, how awful. I wouldn't think there would be this problem after school started. So sad. Hope we don't have any issues on our cruise next month.

I think the thing that bothers me most is not having any of the aft balconies for Havana. I'm not sure I want to go for an Excel suite yet. Can you tell if the Excel pool area gets crowded?

That one was available through Celebrity last April. I was very intrigued but the no bathroom facilities worried me. And you don't even go in the water 😉 I ended up doing the Rhino Rider and that was fun.

I know you mentioned your ABC cruise next year but I’m not sure what other Southern Caribbean islands you have gone to so far. If you’re going to have to fly anyway, I highly recommend cruises out of San Juan (a relatively short distance flight with minimal time change) . A lot of different ports from Florida ports. I loved Dominica and Grenada especially and they have a lot of varied scenery to offer. Ships out of San Juan routinely hit St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Antigua, and Barbados. I’m hoping to hit Martinique in the not too distant future. They are often very port intensive cruises.

I was the same way until around 45. Not sure what changed! Now I love it. Very weird 🤷‍♀️

And I think that is Owen Stephens, also from Mardi Gras! He was great. DH and I went to see him at numerous bars.

Maria from Mexico right? She was great when she was on Mardi Gras. She also worked at the Red Frog Tiki bar. She made great personalized drinks. That habanero vodka sounds delicious!

Out of Mobile right? That's the closest port to my in-laws' (aka my future home) so I'm taking a close look at that one as well. I was glad to see it returning Fall '24 since I don't see me cruising out of there before then.

They also talked me into it next time I'm there! We did some snorkel beach excursion through the ship when we were on Mardi Gras and it was not great. Super crowded, tons of sellers, and the snorkeling was bad. Maya Chan looks great!

Yeah, Greg didn't miss much football-wise. Gators managed to stink and be boring at the same time!

So funny you say that. We just realized a few days ago how much in-laws are paying for insurance (we are currently visiting them in the house we will move into) and it's 6 times what we pay in Virginia. Yikes!!

Yeah, when I move back to Florida for retirement in a few years I think an Alaska cruise in August will be very welcome!

I think Horizon looks like a great ship. We are on it in October but doing the 6 day (for our 10th wedding anniversary). I would love to do the 8 day to the ABCs too! Their Havana is what drew me. I'm glad I booked a long time ago because it seems like those rooms go quite fast!

We did a week in Aruba in 2018 and did a lot of great excursions. If you’re a diver, that is always a good option. I loved the ATV tour. Not sure if that is the same as the jeep safari mentioned. The one I went on were 2 person ATVs and you get to drive your own. It is very dusty but so much fun (wear clothing that can get dirty!) I also did a wonderful snorkel tour that is very near the cruise port: https://www.tranquiloaruba.com/ It was the highlight of the week for me!

The halibut there is delicious! I think we would do the opposite route so that we could go on a fishing excursion after the cruise to catch a bunch to bring home. My husband did that at the end of a work trip almost 10 years ago and it was wonderful. They flash freeze it and it was all still frozen when he got home.

Thanks! I understand it will be hard to tell who brought their own BCD 🙂 I have another cruise that goes to Cococay in November but I am not diving since DH will not be with me (booked only a few weeks before our cruise in March so definitely already sold out anyway). I'll try to see if I can spot the divers but I'm guessing they will be out there earlier then I want to get up if I'm not diving!

Thanks! When is your cruise? I would love to find out how many participants/spots. 🙂 I'll likely keep checking back. If one spot with equipment opens up I'll go ahead an snag it.

It's showing sold out for my cruise in March! There is one spot for a dive without equipment (I don't have my own and I need 2 spots). How many dive spots are there? It's a shame but it seems harder and harder to dive while on a cruise.

That's exactly where we hung out on Elation. We easily got several seats facing the ocean. I really liked the area, and could cool off easily!

That's right! That will add a whole new element 🙂

Definitely not a joke, it just seemed hard to move around and there were obstacles everywhere. I was on the Breakaway (in 2022). It was also really hard finding any lounge chair, and I am not one that needs to be right near the action. I love looking at the ocean and being able to grab a drink or cool off (even if it’s a ride down the slide or a bucket dump of water vs. the pool!) It’s what drove me to get a sky suite on Celebrity Millennium for my next cruise and I signed up for a Havana room on Carnival Horizon in October. I’m trying Allure of the Seas (non-suite) in November and hoping the lounging will be better there (first time on Royal). I always have a balcony but I like being close to bars, food, and being a little social 😊 I did really like the entertainment and how NCL does the dining so really interested to see how an Alaska cruise goes, it's on my short list!

Great! I think NCL to Alaska would be a good fit for me. I've only done one NCL, in the Caribbean. I thought the entertainment and food was great but the pool areas did not flow well (and did not want to shell out the dollars for Haven). That's very important for me in the Caribbean....