Kellie Poodle

I had a good sailing on Nordic Prince. I'd go back on it again. The food was awesome, but that was so many years ago when pretty much all the cruise lines had great food.

Hello all,

 

So, my husband is a BIG Coke drinker. Much to my chagrin, we are talking like 3-4 glasses with his dinner. Thankfully, I drink water only, or we would be out of room on the table. On our last cruise (Carnival Fascination; his first and my 6th-all on CCL) we had trouble with keeping him "stocked" at dinner with a Coke. He had the Bottomless Bubbles sticker on his card, but the assistant waiter and/or bar waiter took long periods of time to bring him refills. At one point, he got frustrated, asked several different people, and then ended up with 4 Cokes all at once. Which, by the way, was fine with him, but I was embarrassed!

 

I'm looking for advice from other soft drink consumers as to how to best curb this issue on our Enchantment cruise, if we can. He does have the RCL soda package already purchased, and we have our reservations for MTD in the MDR made for 6:15 every night. Is it best to tell the wait staff up front that he will want Coke, and lots of it? Or is that rude? Am I missing an obvious idea?

 

Thanks so much for the suggestions! :confused:

I am like that with Diet Coke on RCI and Coke Zero on Celebrity. I buy the soda package, as well.

The first night I just tell the waiter to have three glasses of coke, with ice, on the table when I sit down. As he drains one, someone will get another.

This works for me at MTD, as well as once I find a team I really like, I request their table every night, so the staff knows my preferences.

There were so many really great cruises, but my favorite was an Eastern Med cruise out of Venice on Grandeur.

The ship is beautiful, the crew were just amazing, the food was perfect and the ports were fabulous.

Second favorite was Rhapsody on her first voyage from Australia to New Zealand in 2007.

It's pretty obvious that I like smaller ships :)

The flight to Sydney is extremely long. It's difficult for many adults. Be aware that you will have to entertain that child for about 24 hours in an airplane.

The return flight is also very long.

I've been on cruises that had very few children, but the ship's program did function for them, so being entertained on the ship will not be a problem.

IMO, the flights to and from the ports are something you should REALLY consider.

I agree with you, Rich 60. If you ladies cruising solo want the solo gentleman to pay attention to you then be available. I'm not single but I often cruise as a solo and like meeting ladies who simply want dinner conversation and maybe a dance or two Not all encounters need be romantic. We are all on the ship to have fun so let's have fun. Say yes when asked to dance.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Ask me to dance, and I will! I love to dance.

I am newly widowed and most certainly not looking for any romantic encounters. That item sailed with the Love Boat, but I would love a dance with a nice fellow who won't step on my toes. :)

Only problem is it exceeds our budget for next year... $3000 for an inside and a balcony. Its a five night cruise to Costa Maya and Cozumel. The choose your wow sale isn't really working out with this cruise.

Holiday cruises are always more expensive. I try to avoid them as much as possible. I'm not overly fond of sailings packed with children.

Some of the deck 7 balconies are "extended"...but are less private, since the balcony divider doesn't go all the way to the railing.

 

The lifeboats are below ALL side balconies. You can see them from every deck. Because deck 7 is so close, you see the lifeboat covers right away...but have no fear! Your field of vision will go to the most interesting sight, which is the ocean! Your outward view is NOT obstructed at all.

 

The aft balconies have nothing below them...but they are a LOOOOOOOOOOONG walk....if you come and go to the cabin frequently, you will get sick of the walk!

Correct. These cabins are usually cheaper as well as they are listed as obstructed view, but you can look out and see the ocean just fine.

You sound like someone that would be nice to meet on a cruise. I also enjoy the trivia games and dancing. There is a site called CruiseM-t-s. Just add the required vowels and google it. There is a thread for those looking. I prefer a cabin of my own because I know that I snore and would not be comfortable subjecting a fellow human being to such torture on their vacation.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Thanks for the link

Thank you, singles, your tips are wonderful. I was widowed on June 1 - very suddenly. I had to cancel a B2B last summer because I was ill and booked it again for next summer, 2015. I am trying to find a cabin mate, but if I can't I'll bite the bullet and go on my own.

I've already met many people on the roll call and I think that would be a big help.

I am taking a river cruise in November on my own as they are more intimate and I know from experience, that singles are readily included as we included them when we did river cruises.

I am friendly and outgoing and have traveled for business on my own. I do private tours exclusively, so that's not a problem. I figure the piano bar is always a good place to hang out and I'm an avid trivia player so that's another outlet for companionship. I'm almost 68, but I look younger and I love to dance.

My biggest problem in finding a cabin mate is to find one who will not snore. I don't care if it's male or female, I cannot share a cabin with a snorer. 27 nights of no sleep is not something I'd look forward to.:) Unfortunately, people who snore don't know that they are snoring.

I really wish there was some place one could go and find cabin mates.

Thanks, again.

Once you accumulate 340 or more points in C&A, you are entitled to 150% single supplement, with some exceptions:

 

Single members must have 340 Cruise Points earned in order to receive the single cruise fare at 150%. This offer is based on availability with certain restrictions. Ocean Voyage Package, Holiday sailings (Christmas and New Year) and the months of July and August are not included in this offer.

Thanks for the information. I am no where near that amount of points. :)

You are mistaken. Yes, you do get bonus points if you pay whatever the single supplement price is. I've done it. Others have done it. Some of us qualify for 150% single supplement for most cruises except for the stated exclusions.

Gina

Would you be so kind as to tell me how one qualifies for the 150% single supplement rate?

I was recently widowed and have a B2B scheduled for next summer. If I can't find a travel buddy, I'm faced with the supplement.

I called RCI to apply a price drop for me and the young man who answered must have been brand new because when he checked my reservation he told me that I had made it with Azamara and they were a travel agency and he couldn't help me. :D

I asked for a resolution agent. He put me on hold and came back. I guess they told him Azamara is another line his employers own.

He was very polite and he tried hard, but his math wasn't so good and we had to back and forth the numbers a bit.

Everything is fine, now

I'm a Royal Caribbean and a Celebrity sailor. I did a cruise in February on Azamara Quest because we got a great deal and we were interested in the ports.

I'd rather sail Royal and Celebrity than Azamara.

I found the dining room service to be very sub par. I was not enchanted by the food and the cabins are teeny.

If I get another great deal and the ports are interesting, I'd go back, but it would be mainly for price and itinerary.

A foldable wheelchair is the best for excursions. It can fit in the trunk or back of a van very easily... you did not say where you are cruising..many ports outside of the US do not follow ADA regulations. Which means using a scooter is a real problem. (uneven sidewalks, not cut-outs at the corrner, steps into store's and other attractions) Also you should not take a scooter in the rain or in puddles.

 

If he needes the w/c on board, then I would advise bringing your own w/c and renting a scooter as long as you have an accessible cabin. Having both on board would really cut down on the space in a regular cabin..Also, Pushing a w/c on the ship can be done but its a real workout on the carpets

There are scooters that fold like a childs stroller, but you did not say how large your husband is, so this may not be an option for him.

 

I use a scooter on board but always use my w/c for ship/private excursions.

There have been very few times I could have used the scooter.

Have a great cruise

Arlene

Thank you so much for your input. My husband is not large. He most probably won't need the wheel chair on board, but for excursions, he definitely will.

We are doing a Baltic cruise followed by a North Atlantic Transatlantic with several ports.

Though I'm considering renting a small wheel chair for DH when we do our B2B cruise next summer, I am wondering if a scooter would be a better idea, since I'd have to push the wheel chair.

My concern is for excursions. We do private excursions and I know a wheel chair will fit in the trunk of a car. Do the rental companies have scooters that will also break down and fit in a trunk? Are they easy to lift and break down and set up? I am not very strong and he can't lift hardly anything, but I do know we can handle a wheel chair.

I'd appreciate hearing from others who do private tours with scooters.

I'm a Celebrity sailor as well. I think you will find that on European sailings, people tend to dress a little fancier at dinner. Gowns and cocktail dresses on formal night and tuxes for men are not uncommon, but not everyone wears them. Regular evening dress for women would be a little more glam than on a Caribbean or Alaska cruise.

I also sail Royal Caribbean and have found that the European sailings are dressier than Caribbean and Alaskan.

There is nothing more comfortable for airplane travel than my yoga pants. I keep a pair just for flying. They have little pockets.

I'm a frequent traveler to the bathroom on planes and I really appreciate a pull-on pant on those occasions. :o

For cruises, it's my black, silky jersey pallazzo pants. Different tops make the outfits.

We had timed dining on Carnival, and sat alone every night at an 8 person table. I guess everyone preferred the buffet?

 

Next we tried MTD on RCL, and made some great friends the first night. We ended up converting it to timed dining immediately, and had a hoot the rest of the cruise.

 

With 10 people, this may be of little benefit, but there will be times when all 10 of you are not together for dinner.

You do know that there is no reason why you can't get together for dinner with others who have MTD. We've met couples on cruises who also do MTD and we've dined together.

One of the nice parts of MTD is that you can have dinner with people you enjoy if those people have MTD, too. There really is no need to convert to traditional if everyone has MTD

We ask to be seated with a wait staff we like. We get the benefits of the traditional dining service and making our own schedules.

I have also found that we get out of the dining room a whole lot faster with MTD, but we are only two people.

Having done traditional seating, late when we were younger and capable of staying up late enough to digest a big meal :) and early, when we got too old for late, for many sailings, we now find that MTD gives a lot more freedom in scheduling our dining time as early is too early and late is too late.

We find MTD especially suited for cruises that are port intensive as we are not locked into a dining time. We much prefer the MDR to the Windjammer for dinner

It definitely helps with less packing if you don't have traditional seating. Much less likely that anyone would notice you wore the same thing twice :D

I am starting to plan my outfits for my 7 day alaska cruise next month. I am thinking of my daytime clothes, workout clothes (training for a half marathon so I will be running lots on the cruise), evening wear, etc that I need to bring. I am mostly concerned with evening wear. Do most people wear different outfits every night? I am debating brining 7 different night time outfits, or just switching things up with different accessories and shoes. I've never been on a cruise before and wanted to know what people typically do.

I have a pair of black evening pants, sort of wider-legged and of a slinky material, I have two or three tanks and camis that I bring with the pants and then I mix fancy jackets, sheer, floaty tops, etc. to go with the pants and camis/tanks.

Savea a lot of weight and no one is looking at your pants, just the colorful tops you are wearing. On cruises of two weeks, I have two different pair of evening grade black pants.:)

Thanks for the heads up

 

I ordered the three pack. I hope the colors are nice.

 

I live in a semi-tropical area so they seem just right for our climate. We also do a month-long RV trip each summer and they look perfect for that. Easy to pack, easy to wash. If they get really messed up, throw them out.

My dresses came today. They are beautiful. I will need a bra under them as the elastic is hot firm enough to hold up the girls. I can wear a strapless or put a tank top underneath and a regular bra.

Thanks for the heads up. The company should give you a commission :D

Hi everyone, I am new here, but enjoying all of the great information.

 

Here is a question: What do you prefer - a redeye flight arriving early the morning of departure, or flying in the day before and staying in a hotel?

 

Obvious choice, right? The only benefit I can see to a red-eye is saving on the cost of a hotel room. But here is the kicker. What if flying the redeye saved you about $700?

 

I ask because I stumbled upon an airline deal with a redeye roundtrip nonstop from my home city to Orlando for less than $200 each. That price is only good for the date of departure. It arrives in Orlando at 6:30 a.m. Flights to Orlando from my city usually run about $500 each. I figure we would also save about $100 on the hotel.

 

So, in this situation, what would you do?

I would use part of the savings to buy very, very good trip insurance. At least you will be able to get another flight if that one is cancelled.

I bring empty rum runners, liquor in bottles are quite heavy and packing three or four in a suitcase would put me way over the limit. Stan:cool:

I know I'm going off-topic, but I found an excellent use for rum runners other than smuggling booze.

DH uses a Bi-pap breathing machine. The ship always provides a jug of distilled water for the machine, but we often will fly into port a day or three before sailing. It's not easy finding distilled water near one's hotel, so I fill a couple of rum runners with distilled water for him to use at pre-cruise hotels.

So, $5 for a 750ml bottle of Grand Marnier?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I buy the large bottle which is over $40.00 at the liquor store.