startraveler

Carnival Triumph comes up on eBay. That's where I got mine.

Thanks to the very kind help of a member here, I have a model of the Oasis - timely since we now have a house and a place to put the ship models in. (Although, Oasis will most likely go in the spare bedroom/office, since there's no more room in the curio cabinet!)

With the exception of Discovery Sun, I now have all the models of ships I've been on. Maybe I'll start working on the ships my wife has been on, since we have one of those models. :D (Interestingly enough, although the two look identical save for a RCL banner on the starboard side of one of them, the Voyager of the Seas model is heavier that the Mariner of the Seas. Different materials for the model?)

Or perhaps finding a model of the ship her paternal grandfather and grandmother was on....

*sigh* This never ends, does it?

It was the "size" factor that discouraged me from purchasing the Glory model while on board, but not for lack of display space since we've only been on four cruises. :) When we were on Glory and saw the models, I decided against it due to the airlines luggage weight limit of 50 pounds for checked luggage. Seeing as how some of the ship models are hard to come by or very expensive to get after the fact, I'll take that into consideration when packing for our next cruise (whenever that may be) so I can buy one on board without going over that 50 pounds.

I forget which ship we were on, but in the laundry room was a box where people could put clothes they wanted to donate. Not saying you should toss out your clothes and pack ship models in its place, but it's real tempting considering the aftermarket prices for those models... :D

I may have mentioned it here, but there was a Disney Dream 'first edition' with a different base and lights that went for about $200 on ship. Can't wait to see what that goes for on eBay.

Which is why one of the things I did when the stores opened on Disney Dream was grab a ship model.

In 2010, they had stacks of the Oasis model, at about $50 (I think may have been discounted to $35.) Because of its size, it was a HUGE model. (The size was the discouraging factor since I don't have the space to display my ships - some of them are still boxed or wrapped up and in totes.) I'm willing to go to $75, maybe $100 but that's it.

I mean, I have the Christmas ornament (about the size of the ships sold on Princess cruises), so it's not like I'm lacking Oasis. And unless I want to shell out big bucks for a Princess ship that's sold off-board, not all the models I have are gonna be the same size.

Just would be nice to have the "regular sized" Oasis model, that's all. And I was able to pick up Disney Wonder after the fact, so I just have to patient.

Yeah, I saw that Oasis model on eBay, which ended at $182 (and I saw the current auction). I know what the retail is, and I'm willing to pay a little more, but not a whole lot more.

I picked up a Disney Dream which came attached to a black base - $32.95. However, I noticed in the ship's store a first edition model, better detailed, with a lighter-color wood base as well as with lights - for close to $200 :eek:

I like the models and mementos, but not that much. But then again, Dream has the $75 pp specialty restaurant (and which I didn't partake from either.)

Long shot, but....

If anyone's going on Oasis of the Seas, I'll pay for you to pick up a model (cost+shipping+small percentage over cost.) I decided not to get one, now I'm regretting that decision. :) I can (and have) picked up models of most of the other ships I've been on - except Discovery Sun - and Oasis would complete my collection. E-mail me off list at alertfive [at] yahoo [dot] com. Thanks!

eBay is where I've found models, although it appears that a particular voluminous seller has increased her base asking price from $19.99 (with a BIN of $44.99) to $54.99 and $64.99. For a hard-to-find model that rarely comes up, I don't mind, but still... I'm glad I picked up one model at the $19.99 base price since another one (from the same seller) is now $54.99 base.

*sigh* I've decided to get into this after passing up an Oasis in favor of the ship ornament... but I've gotten Mariner of the Seas and hopefully, Carnival Triumph.

So... even though it's not the same size, I have a Tahitian Princess (now Ocean Princess) I'm willing to trade for a Caribbean Princess. I have to look in the basement for another RCI ship I'm willing to trade for either Norwegian Dawn or Disney Wonder.

But first things first: Tahitian Princess for Caribbean Princess. Email me at alertfive [at] yahoo.com.

Gotten a few: Nassau; Grand Cayman; BVI; Antigua; Jamaica. Always trying for more. Missed Bermuda and St. Kitts and St. Martin/St. Maarten.

Just scroll through to see which we were done by request (e.g. we searched out for them.)

Just recently off the CB. We did the kayaking and Bird Island expedition, which also includes snorkeling. Kayaking wasn't that hard, we relaxed on Bird Island (legs still hurt from the excursion the day before) and wife did the snorkeling while I stayed on the boat. It's a new company doing the excursion (since beginning or early this year), but we liked the excursion a lot.

Chat with the crew. Not just your room steward and the waiters, but also any sailors you see working on the ship, engineers, security staff, entertainment officers, cooks/chefs, .....

 

Most of them are very happy to talk with passengers, and you'll hear some great stories about life on board, life at home, interesting facts about the ship, hints and tips about upcoming ports, and you might just make a new friend or two!

 

VP

I'll agree with this. By asking our waiter, I found out the "pecking order" of the wait staff (vests were assistant waiters; those that wore jackets were "full" waiters; and those in the red jackets were wine stewards.) It was one of those things you always wondered when you saw them.

Just a couple of thoughts:

The photos can be pricey, but never had a problem with them wrinkling. Princess had a package of buying six, getting two free. As well as buying a nice frame for only $5 more.

Versatileness works well with clothes. Best purchase ever made were two pair of convertible pants - unzip the legs, and they become shorts for walking around in ports, zip them back on and they're khakis for dinnertime. And depending on how much walking (and how hot it is), I've gotten away with wearing a duo-dry T-shirt while in port, then throwing on a button-down collared shirt on top for dinnertime as well.

I've also gotten away with one pair of shoes - black, no-slips that work well in port as well as on formal nights. Just wash any dirt off of them.

What works well for me is one carry-on per person. I've packed for ten days using one suitcase that fits in an overhead airline compartment.

Just off the CB, and among the stuff they were selling during the 50 percent off day were models (small) of the Tahitian Princess, presumably because she'll be renamed the Ocean Princess.

The price of the model was $9.99, with a 50 percent off sticker on it. After consulting with the manager, I got the ship for $4.50 because of the sticker.

Apparently, the $9.99 price _was_ the discounted price. It was odd because the same size model of the Caribbean Princess was $12.99. So you mean to tell me that the Tahitian Princess normally retails for $20, when a much larger sized ship model usually goes for $25?!

(Incidentally, I never did buy a CB model; so the model from my cruise is the Tahitian Princess. I was on a tight budget, unfortunately. It was for the same reason that I got a wind-up Disney boat over a Wonder model, which I like better because the toy has Mickey and Minnie on the back.) :D

Did they dump the water back into the Boat Pool when they finished?

Didn't see that either. I was too busy trying to fathom why someone would bring an inflatable pool on board. I'm sure on my next cruise, not only will I see someone with such a pool, but an electric air compressor, their own deck chair and their own sand... the latter of which is a really good idea, because as we all know, beach sand contains dangerous microorganisms. (Yes, it's true, but that's meant flippantly.)

And to head someone off at the pass, I did not see whether or not these people used their own towels or brought their own.

Well, if they were doing this for their non potty trained child, I thank them-for not breaking the rules and being considerate of others. I also think that was considerate of the child. He can enjoy the water without endangering others.

The kids appeared to be older - say 4 or 5 years old. I didn't ask. I was too busy waiting to see if someone would trip over the thing.

Just off the Caribbean Princess (NY-San Juan.) Someone brought a blowup kiddie pool onto the pool deck, inflated it, and then filled it using an empty beer bucket, putting water into it from the nearby pool. Seriously.

Labadee... Sounds like a money trap, too many people, long lines for activities, and a boring place to spend the day.

Last October we did what I believe was a new excursion, a high-speed boat tour of part of Labadee. We got to see the deforestation caused by people burning wood for fuel, a reefed freighter believed to be used by drug smugglers, and a Haitian "village" which consisted of a few shacks, a never-finished tourist resort, and a boat in the process of being finished, which our guide thought would soon set sail for the U.S., carrying illegal immigrants. It was also pointed out that as a poor country, Haitians don't have fishing gear, so they marked where their traps were by floating soda cans tied to them, or by using plastic bottles.

Not boring at all, but that's just me. I think a place is worth it if I learn something new, and I was amazed at the contrast between Labadee and the rest of Haiti - although I wasn't surprised. My only regret is that I don't swim, and because of that I missed out on swimming (the boat stops and lets you swim for a few minutes) to the mainland and talking (or trying to) a Haitian fisherman who happened to be there.

That said, I've been to Nassau twice and don't know what I'll do when the ship stops there dring our 2010 cruise. Perhaps get my passport stamped again. At least in St. Martin/St. Maarten there are still places to see, and actually, we're thinking of flying to Saba or taking the ferry to Anguilla.

If I remember correctly (dunno if you have to be DVC members or not), we got free lanyards and sign and sail card holders when we boarded Disney Wonder. Also included in it were two pins, one for trading, the other to keep.

We decided to use the wave riders in Labadee, our first time doing so. My wife decided to let me drive, stating, "If you can fly a plane" - Cessnas and Pipers - "you can drive one of those."

Wrong. I'm used to flying at a sedate speed in a private plane, doing search and rescue. I'm not used to operating things at high speeds, which is contrary to my thinking. Only by the last leg did I get the hang of the thing, and I was tail-end Charlie for the whole group.

But apparently, I didn't do too badly. On another excursion the same day, the guide, who didn't know of my difficulties, remarked off-handedly, "You know, some people on wave runners have actually run into the cruise ship."

I made a specific reference to the need to carry your passport on shore in Bermuda...a place you don't even need a passport to cruise to...and certainly not a far away exotic land.

 

Just wanted to interject something here. I was a TA trade show (no, I'm not a TA), and was talking with a rep from Bermuda Tourism. I mentioned I would be going there as part of a cruise this October, and the first words she said to me was, "Do you have a passport?"

Yes, Bermuda Immigration is not Bermuda Tourism. But Tourism works on behalf of the government, and this is what they are staying with no differentiation between cruises and air travel:

>Visitors from the USA must present a valid, machine-readable US passort.

>And, as of 8 Jan 2007, passports will be the only recognized travel document for American travellers returning to the USA.

And yes, I know YMMV with regards to how strict cruise lines are in accepting this.

I just checked my passport, and I've managed to get stamps in:

Antigua & Barbuda (just outside the port)

Barbados (souvenir stamp) (right at the port)

Guatemala (right at the port, as I recall)

+ some European

 

It looks like I really haven't managed to get many - but I didn't try at all on our first cruise, and a couple of the others I got really busy in the port.

Where in Antigua? We're about to book a cruise which stops there. (Yes, it's my turn to ask the passport stamp question! ;)

The Grand Turk Cruise Center's Web site has a lot of information about what's there, but no mention of Immigration (although I would assume that there's one there.)

Best bet is to email them at info@grandturkcc.com and ask if you could get your passport stamped there, and where. (And whatever the answer, could you post the reply here, please?)

I also believe that a bit of fustration emerges when it is brought up, especially by those of us who have puchased the Passports and then it is pasted all over sites like this one where one cruiser sailed and paid for excursions with the money they saved by not purchasing Passports....:(

 

We can only hope that soon the confusion will come to an end and Passports will be required for vacationers cruising or flying outside US controlled territory....

 

Joey

But how expensive are passports compared to the cost of a cruise, taken into account not only cost of excursions, but souvenirs, photos, drinks, and the like?

Our local county clerk's office, which takes applications, reminded students that the cost for an adult passport is $11 a year for then 10-year lifespan. As I'm fond of saying, don't buy a pizza pie for the next 10 years and you'll have your passport cost.

Well....believe it or not, that IS how the original wording of the regulation started out back in April 2005. Then Congress got ahold of it and their constituents started having opinions about how the rules should have exceptions. And the rest is.......:eek:

Which is why my now-wife and my now-brother in law have passports: We went on a cruise in January 2007. My now mother-in-law, who also went on the cruise, didn't get one, but not because she didn't want to. She didn't because she was born in Jersey City, and certified birth certificates from that municipality are issued only from Trenton, not Jersey City, because of problems....

IMHO, if Immigration officials were to say, "You'll get a stamp in your passport when you visit, regardless of whether it's by cruise ship, airplane, or walking across the border," maybe more people would get a passport....:D