scapel

You can trade your loyalty minutes for discount as well. We are moving to veranda for several of our upcoming cruises because the prices for suites are so high and the benefits are not that great - you are paying for a little more square footage because I could do a restaurant package covering all the nights (not that I would ever do specialities every night) and buy a spa deck pass for us both and still have change.

 

As an example, the Arctic Cruise which I was writing about in this thread was in a verandah and we did not miss the suite at all. At the end of the cruise we struggled to identify what we would have had extra in the suite and we had enough in the kitty for another holiday (not a cruise at Azamara's prices though!!)

uktog--What happened to the pictures you posted on cruise critic. They got replaced with a message. Will they ever come back.

Does anyone know how long it takes for the HO HO to make a complete round.

Didn't realize this was posted in 2012

Does anyone know how long it takes for the HO HO to make a complete round.

In 21 years of cruising we have never been asked to pay anything to a TA .

On the contrary, they might split the commission and give you some money back, depending on the cruise line. No one should never have to pay a TA. If I did I probably would since mine gives such excellent service she deserves a little something extra. There is no substitute for the service that can be delivered by a good TA.

We were a group of 6 people off the cruiseship. Our pickup was prompt and Ricky held a sign at the exit. The van was very comfortable and AC worked well. We had a private driver plus Ricky and water was available for us during the tour. Ricky gets a lot accomplished in a short amount of time and at no time did we feel rushed. He is very organized and very personable. He has great English skills but his English writing skills are not so great but he answered all my emails promptly. He delivered all our special requests and our expectations were more than met! This is why I gave him 5 stars as there was nothing we could criticize him for.

 

Our tour was the 7 in 1 tour which we highly recommend. We added a few extra requests which he met and chose not to do the Puntarenas tour. We started with his favorite places to see monkeys in the wild. He has a special way of calling the Monkeys to come out to him which I will not give out his secret! He had bananas so the monkeys would come to us for pictures. I was the only one that let the monkey climb on me and that was too cool!. Our experience attracted many other tours so we did not stay long. We then went to find some Macaws in the wild to a place Ricky knew there may be. Sure enough we found many there in the trees and also enjoyed the little village with children abound. I brought some Reese's peanut butter cups to share with the children which they really enjoyed!. Then we went to a medicine farm and learned about a few natural plants used for various medical problems. The owner was especially nice and accommodating. Then we went to the Crocodile Man River trip which was about 2 hours. We saw many different birds, monkeys at a distance, many crocs and the unbelievable crazy boat driver entertaining us by feeding the crocs in the water. This was a large motor boat with shade and many people aboard. I would've preferred a smaller more personal boat but still this was great. We had a fabulous fish lunch at a local roadside restaurant . Then we went to a beautiful resort on a hill overlooking the bay. The picture taking experience was perfect along with the beauty of the resort. Ricky even found a poison frog for me to photo. Then we went to a fruit stand which only had a few fruits, it would of been nice to taste the different fruits but we did not. We then went to a woodworkers place but it was Sunday and he was not there so we only saw his samples which were outside on display. Ricky was able to explain a little to us about what he did. We then stopped at a real nice shopping store to buy a few souvenirs which had a great selection. Our last stop was in Puntarenas supermarket to buy a few things like coffee much cheaper than at the tourist places. Thanks Ricky for making our time in Puntarenas a time to remember.:)

We also did two tours with Ricky and he was the best. We did all the things you mentioned. Our meal was at a little place by the water and was a nice site with good food. Those guys feeding the alligators could loose a piece of finger if not careful.

Some info here.

http://www.rodne.no/about-us/boats/en-clipper/

Thanks for that. I think that was the boat. We were out on the bow and I don't think it was an old PT Boat since the PT Boats have an open bridge. We did sit out on the bow area and got a lot of wind but it was a very beautiful memorable trip. The engines felt as powerful as the PT Boat.

On that other link, looks like I will have to book a third Fjords of Norway trip to do that cable car. It might out shine Mt. Dalsnibba tour.

Thanks for both those links. They were very nice and I thank you very much for your efforts. I apologize for barging in on your thread.

We have just booked the Azamara Quest Jan 4, 2018 out of Miami through the Canal. Apparently this is a popular cruise since it spends 2 nights in Havana.

Regards,

Dr.Joe

Looking for information if anyone knows.

In 1997 on a Fjords of Norway trip we took a tour on a boat out of Stavanger to Lysefjord

The boat was called ? "The Clipper".

I was wondering if anyone knew if this twin 905 diesel boat was an old PT Boat. I just recently road the PT-305 and that boat seemed similar to me of this boat in 1997. We cruised the 15 miles to Lysefjord at 25K so we didn't take long. It sure rode like a PT Boat and was a great shore trip.

Hi all - I did my first cruise ever on HAL Veendam in November 2016, full Panama transit. Jan 6, 2018 I will do the South America/Antarctic cruise. Ticking off those bucket list items lol.

Really enjoy reading all the comments!

We did our first HAL in Alaska in 2012 so we could get go Glacier Bay. I loved the hydraulic balcony door closers. The Statendam was our first and only HAC, but we loved it. Ran out of time. I think it compares favorably with all the other ships we have been on.

Link to an Antarctica Fly Cruise adventure--

Anatarctica:

Barbacue in Antarctica

I was just browsing and I had come across this link.

http://www.tomsportguides.com/uploads/5/8/5/4/58547429/halifaxrentalcar-04-04-2017.pdf

I hope it works. We have done the New England but we hired private guides. Didn't know this was around.

This might also be of help.

2006 NEWENGLAND/ CANADA CRUISE ON GTS CONSTELLATION—3736 MI RT

Report on New England/CanadaCruise Oct. 5-16, 2006

We flew to Newark on Oct. 3 and spent the day Oct. 4 walking around New Yorkafter we did a Helicopter tour. We of course always go to B&H when in thearea to buy some new technological equipment of which there always seems to beabundance. We flew in the night before departure and spent the night at thevery nice Newark Airport Marriott Hotel. The web site tells you to go throughthe parking lot and wait at the curb for the hotel van. You really should staynear Terminal A to be picked up and not go through the parking lot.

We sailed out of Cape Liberty in Bayonne, NJ around 5:00 PM with a beautiful view ofthe Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan Skyline. We had a day at sea to relaxbefore our first stop in Boston. We took a duck tour from the PrudentialCenter and ended back at the Prudential Center. We then took the subway down tothe Fanniel and Quincy Market area. After some walking sightseeing and shoppingwe had a nice lunch of lobster sandwiches at McCormick’s. We got a cab back toship for about $7 for four. The Jewell of the seas was in the Boston port atthe same time as were we. From the pier in Boston can be done on your own indowntown Boston by catching a cab or bus to Quincy Market and Faneuil HallMarketplace. Take a 3 mile walk along Boston’s Freedom trail which we did notdo. There is lots of American History in Boston.

Bar Harbor was our next stop and we toured the Acadian National park with thelocal bus tour people, which was a very scenic tour. We had a wonderful boiledlobster meal out by the sea side at the Bar Harbor Inn which had an outdoorrestaurant. Two Cruise West Ships in port at the same time as the Constellation.

Our next port was Halifax, NS where we had a private tour with a driverthat lived in the Peggy’s Cove area. We therefore got to see out of the wayscenery, popping in on various other coves like Peggy’s Cove. We got a firsthand explanation of the cemetery where many of the Titanic passengers areburied and also the unknown deceased of the explosion of 1917. We also visited the Swiss Air Crash memorial.We rode up to the Citadel for the view of Halifax. The Star Princess was inport at the same time. Halifax cruise pier is reported to be within easywalking distance of the city center via the Boardwalk, but we had alreadyarranged a tour for the four of us.

We toured the Maritime Museum ofthe Atlantic which had a display of the Titanic disaster and the Halifaxexplosion a World War I disaster that leveled much of the city.

http://www.tomsportguides.com/uploads/5/8/5/4/58547429/halifaxrentalcar-04-04-2017.pdf

Quebec City was our next port of call and we found it to be beautiful oldcity. Chateau Frontenac was a complicated mix of medieval-looking gables andturrets which we reached by riding the funicular built in 1879. . We walkedaround the beautiful lower and upper city. We did a countryside tour seeing theMontmorency falls and homes around the area along with visiting a beautifulcathedral. The Crystal Symphony was also in port here. This was a beautifulpicture approaching the doc at Quebec City.

The Saguenay River cruise was marred by some rain and fog, but we still enjoyed it.Our last port was Portland and we did a nice tour of the city on a trolley likevehicle.

The ship was wonderful as are all the Celebrity Millennium class ships. Thecaptain of the GTS Constellation was the same as on the Constellationtransatlantic in September of 2004. Derek Hearken also was the same cruisedirector as on that cruise. A great cruise marred only by one day of rain andfog in the Saguenay River.

Added: November 9th 2006

Reviewer: scapel

Score:

Related Link: PICTURES http://www.cruisemates.com/gallery/view.php?id=3137

Dear Bnickle,

I have no idea how I got to this thread, but when I read about Liverpool, I had to go to number 1 to find out who he was. Reading this made me think of that tall gal comedian who Is always talking about 'Left Brain".

I have done 50 cruises and could identify with all the comments made. I don't know your e-mail address, but I would like to send you all my cruise reports to have them re-written in such a nice flowing manner. I made a "D" in English composition and think the teacher just didn't have the heart to fail such a hard trying person. My writings are just a bunch of facts. I have been on the New England/Canada cruise on the Constellation. I must say that the food on Carnival is pretty good and I loved the Mongolian Wok, but had to stand in line a long time for it.

Breakfast on your private veranda is always better than the buffet, especially on port days.

I think at 79 with some heart trouble, I won't be taking any more cruises or long trips, but love to read about them and other peoples experiences when they take the time to relate them. When you are not cruising the next best thing is communicating with others that are getting ready to go or just got back.

Thanks you even if I am reading this 5 years later.

scapel"at"suddenlink.net

Actually I would count my coming to the U.S. on the "United States" back in 1966 (in "steerage", sharing a cabin with two Russian women who didn't speak a word of English). But my first real cruise, with DH, was in 1988 on the Stella Solaris, a converted freighter. A wonderful experience all around. We had an inside cabin with oodles of space including a large coffee table and two club chairs. But the beds were bunks, not very romantic.

I sailed the Stella Oceanus on my first cruise in 1975 when Sun Line own it. Sun Line Cruises was owned by Marriott Corp at the time and I sailed the Stella Solaris in 1984 to the Med. Great Memories.

Mitchell, My statement was to the lady who said her son was Autistic and rode the elevators for comfort. I simply asked her a question if she had read a book. Why is that an infraction on Cruise Critic or do you just hand out infractions for the fun of it? Did you give her an infraction for saying she read it?

I don't understand this post, so there must be a history I am not aware of.

No, it will still be the same phone you had before you boarded the ship.

When you board the ship, you may notice that your carrier may change to "Cellular at Sea" and if you don't put your phone in Airplane Mode and get a call you will pay about $5/minute to talk.

I have an iPhone and I can send texts and make calls over wifi. We have an internet package included with our cruise. If i put my phone in airplane mode and turn on the wifi will I be able to send texts just using the ships wifi with no extra charges?

I was wondering if you have to pay any extra data charges.

Thanks for your review. When you went to the falls did you have to worry about the moisture in regards to your camera? I'd hate to lose my camera to moisture on the first days of my trip.

Yes, I did put a plastic bag over the camera. There was a lot of mist. If you had a big coat on you could probably stuff it in side and just take it out to do a quick shot.

I prefer my alcohol taken internally to ward off colds instead of on my hands. A good hand soap should do about the same thing externally.

Gargle with it before you swallow. HA!!:) Be sure you don't use the same alcohol that you put on your hands to take internally.

I called two different phone numbers at Azamara and got 2 different answers. One was Old San Juan and the other was the Pan-American Pier. Thank you Guatemala!

The Hotel Milano was very economical since I was paying for multiple rooms. It is centrally located in Old Town and the cab ride to the Pan American pier was not very expensive.

Tel 787-729-9050 or

1-877-729-9050 Located at 307 Fortaleza St old San Juan PR --Juan Emeterio was the contact.

2009 SUMMIT CRUISE APRIL 4—5216 MILES

REPORT ON SUMMIT CRUISE OUT OF SAN JUAN APRIL 4, 2009

Cost $ 27,097.68

We arrived in SAN JUAN April 3 and reached the Milano hotel a very centrally located hotel in Old San Juan. The hotel was very comfortable and a good location. Rooms small but clean. We went up to Fort Morro in San Juan and it is a beautiful view from outside the fort even if you don’t go inside. We toured around San Juan on the free shuttles and the drivers will tell which bus to get on to get to where you want to go faster. We liked the open trolley the best since the weather was nice. We ate as guest of my son Joby at Carli’s and then went to Senor Frogs where we had a good time dancing.

We got up next morning leisurely and ate breakfast on the roof top of the Hotel Milano. We left the hotel in two vans with our party of 11 with a charge of $3/person plus $1/bag and went to the Pan American Pier (one of three piers in San Juan) and boarded a short time later around 12 noon. We met on deck 10 aft for awhile and then checked into our cabins. Ours was 6141. We all checked our table assignments location and there were two adjacent tables which was satisfactory. We would have preferred to have had a table for 12, but it was not available. Our waiter Anjoid from Jamaica and assist waiter Blakojck were excellent. Yusef from Turkey was our Asst. Maitre’d. We met Ruby from previous cruises with Celebrity and she is now the Restaurant manager. She had them fix a very good lamb Wellington just for me.

We ate the first night in the NORMANDIE as a guest of Celebrity and then again Monday with 8 of us in the wine room and the three teens at a separate table outside. It was very enjoyable and the arrangements were as we wanted them. Everyone was most impressed with the service except they stopped doing the “voila” presentation which used to give a nice flare to the eating experience. In my opinion the turning away from the Michel Roux presentation and recipes has not been a plus to the restaurant. I, of course, would still eat there and still recommend it. The food was excellent. The Cabin was a Royal Suite and was very nice and stateroom service was very good. The butler performed well and even delivered waffles to the room. for breakfast so I didn’t have to stand in line. On the full sea day there was a brunch in the main dining room that was excellent from 10:30 AM until 1:30 PM. They literally had everything laid out. The ship has stood up against the years very well. One could certainly find defects if one looked for them, but in general it looked very good.

ST. MARTEN—we took a cab to Kawa on Orient Beach and it was very nice. Spent about 3-4 hours there and came back to the ship.

DOMINICA- We did Levi Baron Roseau Treasures tour and he performed according to his excellent reputation. His helper Gary was also very good. I think Dominica was the prettiest island of the trip and I also think it was prettier than Tahiti. We had done the South Pacific last year and Tahiti was fresh in our mind. I think Dominica would be an island to go and spend a few days.

The Titou Gorge experience was well worth the cold water that got warmer and going in the tunnel was really interesting. Jumping into the water following Levi’s lead was nice. We had safety vest on which was ok. The dog paddling up the cave area was not as difficult as I thought it would be. Morne Bruce was just a sightseeing view stop. The Champagne snorkel was as advertised and just pretty to see the bubbles (small) come up out of the ground with the fish swimming around. There was a $12/p per set charge for snorkeling gear. You paid less if you had part of your equipment.

GRENADA—Mandoo’s spice island tour was very informative and his presentation at Dougaldston’s Estate old work area was excellent. I don’t think the teenagers were impressed. We visited the Grand Etang Lake and the Annadale Falls. We learned about cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa, coffee, and bay rum and other spices. Grenada is truly the spice island.

TOBAGO- I had made arrangements for 9 of us to tour with Ted’s Sunshine tours but everyone was toured out by this time and I went alone. Ted arranged a taxicab for me, and I did the tour that had been planned for the 9 of us. Tobago is a poorer looking island than Barbados. The roads may be a slight bit better than on Dominica, but the rain forest is not as pretty. We visited the St.George’s fort in Scarborough the capital of Tobago and then went up the coast road past Mount St.George to Goodwood, Roxborough up to Speyside where we had lunch at Jennas Tree House Restaurant which was quite good eating. We (the cab driver & I) then came back down to Roxborough and crossed from the Atlantic side of the Island to the Caribbean side on a very curvey road coming out at bloody bay. We visited Parlatuvier Bay, Castara and then went inland some to Moriah coming back out to the coast at Plymouth. We could see Pigeon point and Buccoo point but it was too far to drive at this late time. It was getting close to 4:00 PM and we were to be aboard by 4:45 PM, so we proceeded back across the island to Scarborough on the Atlantic Ocean side and ended the tour.

MYSTERY TOMBSTONTHE FAMOUS TOMBSTONE OF PLYMOUTH OF 1783 WITH ITS MYSTERIOUS INSCTIPTION BAFFLES INTERPRETATION. THE REMARKABLE INSCRIPTION ON THIS TOMBSTONE ERECTED IN THE MEMORY OF BETTY STIVEN WHO DIED IN 1783 READS IN PART.

“SHE WAS A MOTHER WITHOUT KNOWING IT, AND A WIFE WITHOUT LETTING HER HUSBAND KNOW IT, EXCEPT BY HER KIND INDULGENCES TO HIM”

BARBADOS- We had planned a day at the Boatyard and this would have been a nice facility except that they didn’t have enough umbrellas and didn’t adjust their charge for not being able to supply them. I would not recommend the Boatyard if you expect to get what they offer in their advertisement. In quotations it does state on the sign when you check in (as long as supplies last). The loudness of the music wasn’t a problem as you could get far enough away from it for quietness. There were plenty people there when we arrived and they only had 8 umbrellas left. Two or three were broken and could have been fixed temporarily with some twist wire, but no one seemed interested in fixing them. Four of us left the Boatyard and went to visit a friend of a friend I had originally planned to just go to the Crane Beach Hotel for $25/p for access to the beach.

We only went to two shows aboard ship. The Karen Grainger show and the last show of the cruise which included a summary of the aerial artist, the comedian and Karen Grainger’s show. Toward the end of her show she came out in the audience and got me up on stage. She was doing Cher and I was to do Sonny Bono. She put a little jacket on me and a wig. —I can’t sing, but she did let me do some dancing and that went over better. It was a good cruise. This time I’m the one that got hurt from a fall in Dominica, but it was very minor with only scratches on the knee and elbow. Three weeks later however I had to have Incision and Drainage under anesthesia of an arm abscess in the elbow area. Doing well and should be good to go May 26 to Switzerland. Go while you can, because one day you can’t.

https://onedrive.live.com/?id=F6FE23A6E5A9EC3F%21977&cid=F6FE23A6E5A9EC3F

Joe Reynolds- Scapel

Added: April 30th 2009

Hits: 23

Language: english

37. 2009 SUMMIT- April 4 Caribbean- SXM, Dominica, Grenada, Tobago, Barbados Cabin 6141

Capt. Peppas from Pireaus,Greece, Konstantinos Kipouros chief Engineere from Greece,

Damien de Lorenzis-Toronto CD (was assist under Nick Weir Horn cruise)

Tanuska D’Sauza captains club hostess. (Mercury also)

Thank you all for your help.. I will definitely be trying the wi fi . I have got 230 mins I think it is on the ship , so I'll be use in that as well for Internet. Once again thanks . Triona

Just remember you can use a lot of data on the internet. my bill only went up $100 on the last cruise since I don't use much.

Hello and thank you for your review of the cruise. My family and I are going on this cruise in July 2017. My 24-year-old daughter will be flying in a few days after us (we are going on the Denali portion but she is not). I arranged for her to stay at the Hilton Anchorage and am wondering how she will get to the train station. Was there a hotel shuttle to the train? How far is the station? Is there only one train per day? Thanks in advance.

I have not taken the train from Anchorage to Seward, but Seward is not a very big town so it shouldn't be hard to get from the station to the port.

It is not far in Anchorage from the Hotel to the train station so it shouldn't be a problem.

If you take the long day tour in Denali, pick up some Subway sandwiches to take with you as the included meal is not much.

My mom will also require oxygen as well as a scooter which I am arranging now. I've moved her to a wheelchair accessible room (9164) form 9149. Such a relief to hear they are so accommodating. We do have scheduled dining at 6 pm in the MDR.

 

Any suggestions for something I am missing with accommodations or planning?

My wife had a cousin that wanted to take a cruise. We went and she brought her scooter and about 12 bottles of oxygen that went on the scooter. She had small bottles when she was at dinner and the scooter was parked by the waiter and brought back after dinner.

She had an Oxygen generator that she used at night and when she was in the cabin. I had told her husband to bring a wheelchair since I didn't know if we could get the scooter off the ship. When we got to Grand Cayman I went down to check and the ship was using the boats from shore and she was able ride right on the upper deck of the shore boat. Didn't need the wheelchair.

Cozumel we just put the scooter in the trunk of a regular cab. They wanted us to use a disabled transportation which would cost more, but we insisted that we could use the cab and we did. You should notify the ship people ahead of time that you will be bringing Oxygen aboard.

The porters got the oxygen bottles delivered to the cabin.

The cousin brought these 12 bombs aboard --Oxygen bottles_ without any problem but they took his 1/2 " pocket knife away" He had to remember to get it back when we got back to Galveston.

I think it is important to make advanced arrangements if one needs oxygen. Not sure the ship furnishes it.

The second evening of the cruise we were at Jacques at a table for six. The servers brought out some "finger food" on a single plate and placed it on the table for folks to pass around. They had also placed a bread bowl on the table as well for folks to pass around. But, you're right, in the Terrance Café there was no self serve.

 

However, I will also say that cruise taught me a good lesson, one my wife already knew, but you know us guys. We're a little slow when it comes to personal hygiene. Not any more. When I'm on a cruise, I'll wash my hands before I go into any restaurant as well as when we get back to the room. I'll also squirt my hands before and after going into a restaurant as well as when walking into and out of the theater, just in case some little bug decided to make my hands their home along the way. It might be over kill, but I haven't gotten sick on a cruise since then whereas I used to start getting sick about 7 days into a cruise on many occasions. But I've also found once you do it a few times, it becomes somewhat automatic like fastening a seat belt when you get in the car.

 

But anyway back to the point. About 7 days after eating at Jacques I started getting a scratchy throat. I may not have picked up the bug there, but I can't rule it out either. Thanks for asking me to clarify that point.

Hand Washing—How long to rub your hands together with soap on them? I read somewhere that it was recommended that one sing the Happy Birthday song through twice for timing. Sing at normal speed. That came out to about 17 to 20 seconds. I found that if one recited the Hail Mary (a Catholic prayer) twice the time was about the same. If you recite the prayer then you get the good mechanical effect of the soap and help from above to stay well. Soap is removing the oils from the hands that may be harboring the viruses.

The 62% Alcohol squirt from the machines kills bacteria if left in contact for a time, but the alcohol also helps to clean the oils off the hands, so it is good to use it even after eating.

We are trying to get dust and oils off the hands that may harbor viruses. Viruses need something to ride on. Wash their ride down the drain.

No. It usually takes about 7 days from when a cold virus "bug" gets into my system until my body starts demonstrating reactionary symptoms such as a scratchy throat. Up until then all is good. This is usually the time it takes for most folks for their bodies to react to a cold virus bug. However, sometimes if it's a weak bug, the scratchy throat goes away and all is fine while other times if my immune system isn't strong enough to deal with a particular strain, I get to deal with what follows as is the case with most folks I believe.

You are correct. Some may take 14 days, but those can be more serious.

One great way to stay well onboard is to use the stairs (very doable on AZ ships). We almost never use the elevators, as you don't know who might've coughed or sneezed all over in a very small space, and we can usually get there faster by walking, plus its good exercise to take the stairs, anyway. My apologies to those with mobility issues who must use the elevators. Just throwing this out there for those capable of taking the stairs. :)

Don't touch the handrail

We have been allocated this cabin and I see from previous posts it's considered noisy, due to being opposite a storage area with lots of early morning activity! Does anyone have any current experience of this cabin? It was mentioned the noise issue was taken up with Azamara so I'm wondering if there has been any improvement. If not, may try to change! Thanks.

Lesley

It is by the forward elevators so that might make it noisy, but if there is noise from a storage area, a complaint will get it fixed if it is fixable. Always bring ear plugs if you are sensitive to sound. The wax ones work the best.

No "free" sparkling in the base fare, so no Mimosa.

 

John

I added sprite to the dry wine and it tasted good. Drove Melina wild. She is the sommelier and of course would get upset but it worked.