lynncarol

Much thanks to everyone who responded to my question. I have been making careful notes of various comments and suggestions. Cruisemom42---would you mind divulging which line you ultimately chose? Also, for those of you who have cruised Alaska, is the landscape similar to that in Norway? How about the fjords of Milford Sound in New Zealand? Both of these we have done in the past.

Having snorkeled at many of the islands, surprisingly the place we saw the most turtles (and they were the really big kind) was at Honeymoon Beach on Water Island off St. Thomas. In Bonaire, we only saw one small one.

We were in Argentina for a week this past November, on our own. Based on previous advise, we went to a Cambio and exchanged a 50 dollar US bill into pesos, only to find the locals really wanted their tips in dollars. Also, as mentioned previously, when using a US credit card, the amount charged will be lower. However, we learned that it took several days for this to happen. If we checked immediately after a purchase, it still showed an amount reflecting the 'official' exchange rate. So...just be patient. The lower charge will eventually show up on your card.

My husband and I have cruised extensively over the years, but one bucket list remains: The Norwegian Fjords. Been to Oslo several times and not interested in anything that leaves from South Hampton nor a mega-ship which, I suspect, can not access the fjords. Can anyone suggest a line that focuses on the Fjords themselves? Thank you,

Hi David....Your dad sent us the link to this, your latest adventure. Lynn and I have been following your blogs for several years now. You write really well. Despite many cruises, Lynn and I have never done a back-to-back one, so before ending this blog, can you sum up the advantages/disadvantages of such a cruise? Carol

Just off the Equinox. We WERE allowed Elite free drinks at the Craft Social and the Martini Bar. Just not the World Class bar.

We just got off the Equinox two weeks ago. While onboard, the maintenance crew was scraping and repainting the balconies. (Guest services sent each cabin that was to be serviced a notice the night before and indicated if you did NOT want that done you needed to contact them prior to the assigned day. Ours came while we were in bed, and we a very limited time to deny the request

Less than two weeks ago my husband and I booked a snorkel excursion with Seacow out of Bonaire. It involved a 3 hour snorkel along the island of Klein Bonaire and an adjacent beach (can't recall the name). We highly recommend this experience as the corals and sponges off the island were the best we have seen in the Caribbean. Their boat has a max passenger number of 28 (we had 27) and these are divided into 3 groups. Each group had its own guide/leaders and did they do a good job! Ours not only gave us a running commentary on what we were seeing but spent a lot of time treading water with her head above the water, keeping an eye on her group. This was especially important to us, as my husband who will be eighty in April, has very poor vision and in past excursions, our group leaders just swam off, leaving him frantically trying to figure out where they were heading. Even better, very little swimming was involved, as we just floated along with the current, with the boat keeping up deeper in the water. Half-way through, we got back onboard to be served little wraps of chicken or vegetables, some delicious banana bread, fruit etc and drinks which included a rum punch. Then back into the water for the last half of snorkel. We took a cab to and from their marina, but if you were really a fit person, it is possible to walk there. A very enjoyable three hours!

One reason you may not see as much of your cabin attendant is they are REALLY busy.. We just got off the Equinox from a nine day cruise. Our cabin attendant told us she is responsible for 19 cabins and no longer has an assistant to help her. Every time we passed her in the hallway, she was immersed in cleaning something. Still, she managed to be pleasant, competent and all requests were promptly addressed. My husband and I stand in awe of these folks..

Yes, Amsterdam Manor IS the stop after Eagle Beach if you are coming from town. We just took the bus there less than two weeks ago. The bus lets you out at its stop, and you just walk across the street to the beach. Much less crowded than the previous beaches we passed. When you are ready to return to the bus station, the stop is right there on the ocean side of the road. It is even covered so you can't miss it.

It seemed to us that each van had an assigned area for drop-off. Our van dropped everybody onboard off at the same place. The driver assured us that this part of the beach had the 'best bathroom of all'. Not sure about that, as the small building had one room with a toilet for men and the another room for women. it was really clean though and a big enough room that folks could bring in a child or two with them. We only rented an umbrella, which was 10 dollars. I think you could get an umbrella and two chairs for 25. We were told the van/bus would pick us up at the same spot in the parking lot. Either a bus or van came every twenty minutes and honored our return trip pass. However, they stick around in the parking lot for twenty minutes until the next one comes. Some folks on the bus had been waiting for over 15 minutes when we got there and the driver was told 5 minutes later that he had to leave as another was arriving.

I saw a lot of people right down the beach on very similar chairs, so I am assuming you can rent but don't know how much it costs.

That is the same date we cruised 10 years ago, but a north-bound one, leaving from Vancouver and ending up in Anchorage. The weather was rather chilly and we had occasional rain but never "when it counted". It was a wonderful time for seeing bears as the salmon were running and we took a float plane to Traitors Cove in Ketchikan where we saw tons of bears. After we arrived in Anchorage, we rented a car and stayed another week on our own. Unbelievably Mt Denali was out in full glory for the two days we were at the park...not a cloud in the sky. Plus the cold weather had brought out the color of the leaves and at times we felt we were 'engulphed in gold'. The train from Anchorage to Seward stops running in mid September but we took it on its next-to-last day and took a Kenai Fjord day cruise. It was raining, but we encountered a big pod of Orcas which was very exciting.

Four of us were at Seven Mile beach last week off a cruise-ship. The first vans were charging $8.00 per person at the dock. If you continue past these, the next set of vans were charging $6.00 per person. We bought a round-trip ticket for $12 and as the vans come to the beach every 20 minutes all day, it was an easy return to the ship.

You can pay on the bus in US currency but your change will be in Aruba currency. My husband and I just took the bus last week and for the two of us it was a total charge of $5.20 each way. We gave the driver six US dollars, kept the change and used it along with another 5 dollar bill to augment our return trip.

Following the advice of a previous poster, we took the bus to Eagle Beach but got off on the very next stop AFTER Eagle Beach. Much less crowded, has shade and really cool blow-holes. We didn't rent any chairs or umbrellas, so can't comment on that, but brought our own water and spread out our towels beneath one of the unique Fofoti trees that line the shoreline. Total cost of us was $10.20 for roundtrip bus for both my husband and myself. There was no charge to get on the beach.

We were snorkeling with Sea Cow in Bonaire last week. Water was fine and we didn't have wet suits. It was pretty windy though so I was a bit chilly onboard in-between snorkeling (they have you in the water for around 45 minutes then back on the boat for refreshments for maybe another 45 minutes then back into the water again) I brought a big towel from our cruise-ship and was warm enough when wrapped up in that while out of the water.

Just returned today from a 9 day cruise on Celebrity Equinox to the ABC islands. I was struggling to find an appropriate tour in Curacao as the ship didn't dock there until 1:30, too late to get to Shete Boka National Park. ( I emailed the park itself and was informed that "sadly by the time you make the 40 minute drive to our park, you will not have enough time to enjoy the park, as the last entry is at 3:30"). Anyway, getting off the ship, we had the great good fortune to encounter Josh, a taxi service located right on the pier. We settled on a fee of $200 total for a tour of Curacao that met my following criteria: 1. No shopping opportunities 2. No place where we would encounter lots of other tourists and 3. Take us someplace that he, personally considered a beautiful off-the-beaten path spot where we could get out and explore. Josh delivered in spades: He took us to see flamingos (nobody else around), an incredibly beautiful beach surrounded by hills and only one local family present, the original housing of the local fishermen, the painted buildings of old town, overlooks of the cruise-ship and lots more. All together it was about a 2 1/2 hour tour. His van was airconditioned and comfortable, his English perfect and Josh himself is a real sweet-heart who took great delight in introducing us to his island. His contact information is Josh Transportation Tour Service, phone +59995151604 and email is Josueisabella48@gmail.com (if I read his written address correctly).

My husband and I have used only carry-on luggage for both cruises (including river) and independent travel for almost 20 years. I have a nylon travel line that is woven to function for hanging up hand-washed items. I also have a rubber drain plug that can be used to create a washing tub in the shower stall. If you bring clothes that dry easily and don't wrinkle, you can go forever. We find it usually takes maybe one hour per cruise to do enough hand-wash to last the entire cruise. Also, don't forget, that especially on a river cruise, there are always cities nearby to buy something that you may not expect to need, like rain-coats, sweaters, etc. I still have a hoodie that I had to buy in Peru, as I never expected to encounter such cold days there.

Also, we have found that some off-site booking agents don't include port charges in their offer which can also really add up. Be sure to ask!

I too am prone to sea-sickness. In addition to the above remedies/meds mentioned, chose the correct venue. The bigger ships are more stabile as are cabins in the midship. Also, NEVER take your first cruise on anything that goes out into the Atlantic. Thirty years ago, for our 25th anniversary, my husband surprised me with a cruise from NYC to Bermuda. It took him another ten years to talk me into another cruise after that. For what it is worth, I have found that as the years pass, my motion issues while cruising have declined significantly.

Yes, renting a car can be very expensive, especially if you do it from the Anchorage airport. When we were there, we used Alamo which had a much cheaper option if you rented downtown, plus Alamo had a great special going on for small business owners, of which our cousin's husband (both of whom were with us) qualified. All we had to do was email them a photo of his business card.

You can have the best of both worlds. Take the Princess Cruse out of Vancouver that ends up in Anchorage. From there rent a car and do it independently for a week. This is what we did. We were able to visit Denali for two full days when the weather was absolutely perfect and then off to Girdwood, Alyeska (sp?) with its fabulous ski lift and Matanuska Glacier. Then we returned the rental car in Anchorage (which saved alot of money) to take the train down to Seward for an overnight and Kenai Fjords boat ride). Flew home from Anchorage.

Another vote for Glacier Bay...it was fabulous. We had a balcony in September years ago on Princess which visited Glacier Bay and we still ended up on the bow of the ship for a better view of the glaciers. Plus, usually it was too cold or rainy to sit out on our balcony and we never did see any whales from it.

It's been a few years but when we stayed at the hotel (then it was a Comfort Inn) it was a very easy and safe walk to the train station. Street lighting was good and nothing scary is about that early in the morning anyway.