burm

Your cabin? Your cabin?

LOLOLOL. What, you didn't see my initials scratched onto all 3 of the closets and the Jacuzzi?

Holy cow. I'm a little slow, but I just realized that it hit right below my cabin. Can you imagine how frightening that would've been, especially if you had been standing on the deck?

iyou all give so much,especially marie.

but no shingles, please!

In directing a friend to the Cuba Cruise site to look at availability, he reported back that fares are no longer shown in Canadian dollars but rather USD. I trust that the quoted Canadian dollar prices for our current three bookings will be honoured.

 

That certainly tells us who they are targeting.

If I were going to book, I would phone and ask if it is still possible to book in Canadian dollars. I expect that it is. The conversion rate could be interesting.

Do they still tell you that the ship's currency is Canadian?

They have to honour the prices you booked at in Canadian.

HI all!

 

Here's what Laura posted about the incident:

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=6425

 

Sounds like the company is treating the passengers well. Cristal has survived worse!

 

~ Jo ~ :)

Jo is right - they are treating their passengers extremely well. They are getting 2 free cruises, a refund on this (even after providing an alternative) and another to be taken before the end of 2016.

It is really commendable that they are even seeing that the passengers don't miss their excursions! I don't believe that any other cruiseline has gone so far out of their way to make their passengers happy after a misfortune like this.

Louis/Celestial is a class act.

When I got my shingles vaccine a few years ago, I asked our family doctor if it were worth while for DH to also get it, as he had already had a nasty case of shingles. He said yes.

After a couple of years DH finally remembered to ask the doctor, who then said he was better off not to have the vaccination. I don't know why he changed his opinion. Perhaps new information has come out? The vaccination has only been used in the USA since 2008.

I wonder how minor is "minor" damage. Sailor Jack's incident in Montevideo comes to mind.

Please keep us updated if you hear more, Ron. Thanks.

A visit from the upgrade fairy is always exciting. Congrats, Marie!

Sorry to hear about the shingles. I hope they are less severe and go away faster the second time.

I don't feel that my current TA rep is any less capable contacting NCL for making the changes I request than I'd be if I called NCL directly.

Going through a middleman can waste a lot of time. One question often generates another, and this can mean several calls going back and forth when one direct call would answer all questions in a 2 minute conversation.

Also, going through a TA means that you have one individual to go to (although a supervisor can usually help in an emergency). I call my TA with a simple question and hear, "Sorry, he has gone home for the day and will not be in until Monday". If I book through the cruiseline, any one of dozens of reps can answer my questions 7 days a week.

In the case of our next cruise, there is a huge advantage to our booking through the cruiseline. We are locked in at a very reasonable exchange range on our Canadian dollar. No TA can touch this financial advantage.

Situations and offers change, so I book with whomever suits me best at the time. I am more likely to book with a TA if arranging a complicated land vacation.

And when you have limited vehicles and drivers, I can see why taking a full van of paying customers would make sense for a vendor.

Any businessman would PREFER to have higher paying customers, but an ethical person would always honour a commitment.

Now, imagine yourself going back again next year. You book today and can't wait to tour again with Mr Wonderful. Shortly before your cruise when all the other guides are booked, someone offers him more money and he dumps you, leaving you on your own and ruining your plans. Would you still feel that this behaviour was ok?

On a good note' date=' I'm looking forward to a day at the beach tomorrow. :) Thanks again, and everyone have a blessed day! :)[/quote']

 

The sad fact of life is that most of us understand all too well what you are currently going through. I hope that your day at the beach gives you that little boost you will need to help you through the difficult times to come.

 

Our thoughts our with you.

But the availability of types of alcohol ashore other than rum is very limited and so if rum is not your drink, the ship's bars are at your disposal with reasonable prices especially at times of 2-4-1.

When it comes to alcohol, I am definitely not an authority, but you are certainly right about limited alcohol available other than rum.

Our guide took us to a fairly large store near the former Governor's Palace and all the book vendors in the square. All they sold was many types of rum in a wide price range. Our guide told us this store was cheaper than other tourist places.

We did see a number of tiny stores in Old Havana with rum and cold beer for sale. All the locals (and us) were buying from these small places. In fact, we had to wait while they served all their friends and neighbours first. No problem- we had some great conversations while we waited. All part of the fun and we received two invitations. :)

They only offered a limited selection of Havana Club and maybe two of the most popular beers, like Cristal. However, we did notice that they were selling their friends bottles that came from a back area of the tiny shop. :p

I, too, am grateful that this thread is being kept alive. This cruise (and the extra 1.5 wk in Havana) was an experience like no other.

I recommend Levi Baron, of Bumpiing Tours, too. We've taken 3 of his excursions and are booked for a fourth next January.

I do not recommend Levi Baron of Bumpiing Tours! I was just mentioning this story, so came here to see if he were still around.

Five years ago, after reading several recommendations on CC and afraid that we would miss out on the best guide, I booked Levi a full year in advance. After several more emails confirming, he informed me at the last minute that he could not take us out on a private tour for 2 because of a prior commitment. Thanks to CC, I know that we were bumped shortly before the cruise when he had the opportunity to make more money on a larger group from our ship. Naturally, he did not bother to respond when I told him how unethical this was.

So beware. Levi Baron is not to be trusted.

I just ordered some Skimmies thru Belk. Great fit and look under skirts/dresses!

I am glad they work for you. :) Did you get the shorter or the longer ones? The long ones are too long for my short, little legs.

I checked the make of the ones I bought at Costco, which make me feel like I have absolutely nothing on under the dress. I hope that I don't forget to put them on one day. LOL

They are made by Jockey as well, but feel lighter and looser than Skimmies. Although they only came in black, white, and beige at Costco, they might have more colours in other stores.

KandCsailing and burm

 

Thanks for your replies. Since we don’t drink much either, we will probably drink the ship’s offerings.

After seeing a video of the balcony cabin, we have decided to go for a Deluxe Outside Stateroom (XF) on Deck 7. Do you have on thoughts/comments on these cabins?

 

Cheers,

 

Don

We don't usually hit the bar as soon as we return to the ship, but the evening we were in Cienfuegos we went to the outdoor Hemingway bar with K and C and enjoyed listening to a Cuban band from shore play while we watched the sun setting. I recall thinking at the time that life just does not get any better than that. Does anyone know if there were local bands there in any other ports?

I cannot comment on the XF. I certainly recommend the S1 if you have the opportunity to grab one. They go fast!

They did have rum and maybe other bottles for sale in the Havana terminal. The prices seemed reasonable. I bought a bottle at a little kiosk in Old Havana, which I took to our cabin and ended up bringing home. No one questioned it.

There is, of course, the $2,000 of Maximo for sale at the rum factory. :) Also, one day as we walked down the street, a guy asked us if wanted to buy "anything". They were selling wine out of a cistern. A lot of Cuban men were walking into the gap between two buildings and walking out with containers of various sizes and shapes.

You won't have any trouble finding rum or beer for sale. It is easier to find than in Canada. LOL

I think Burm did an excellent job highlighting the benefits of our new club. Special ID cards are now under consideration.

Do we have any artists here who could design our logo? Perhaps something showing the Dream ramming the Japanese cargo ship, sending Suzukis and cargo containers sailing into the ocean. At least one Suzuki would have to be bright red for visual effect.

My husband and I enjoy good food. We will be trying some of these http://m.theworlds50best.com/index.html restaurants while we are in Europe this Summer, and planning to do the rest within the next two years.

Marie, you have my address. Please send me a doggie bag from each of these restaurants. :D

I see that one of the top 50 restaurants is in Santiago, Chile. Maybe we can make that one in February.

That was priceless! You sort of captured the whole cruise in 100 words or less! Great imagination. With those kind of discounts I am positively going to join the club!:D

 

That really was good.

 

Jack

Thank you, Jack. That is a very high compliment, coming from someone whose sense of humour I admire so much. :)

We have been calling them shorts, but that is a bit misleading. Jockey comes closer when they call them sliphorts. These are meant as undergarments, so are lightweight and comfortable to wear under dresses, and leave no lines. While some fit more like Spanx, I have some that feel like I am wearing absolutely nothing. It was a strange feeling the first time I wore them - a bit drafty. LOL

In any case, you won't have trouble finding them - they are now sold in every major department store.

What kind of shorts would you recommend? Like ones that are tight so that don't show in your dress or something else?

You could try Jockey Skimmies Slipshorts.

I bought some similar but shorter at Costco last year that I really like. They only came in black white, and beige but are even more comfortable than my Skimmies.

Me too. Will we get club discounts on attractions?:)

Absolutely.

A 20% discount at La Chacra Restaurante in Buenos Aires if you order the Special Tenderloin. Business has boomed since Sailor Jack's review and they have added 20 new locations.

A 10 peso discount on all shows put on by the Argentinian Olympic Sumo Wrestling Team.

Discounts off your second, third, and fourth day excursions in Montevideo.

Complimentary 30 day visa for any NCL cruise entering Montevideo harbour.

A free lesson in proper bayonet handling by the Uruguayan military - they now hold daily lessons at the Rotunda, which are compulsory for all members of the Guard.

Half price on snorkeling excursions to see the Argentinian navy off the Falkland islands.

No fee for entering the Men's Sexy Leg Contest on any NCL ship.

10% off any Aroma Therapy treatment (again, business has boomed since Sailor Jack's review and they want to show appreciation)

Also free with membership is a video of Groundhog Day.

Maybe we can for a "Green with Envy Club.:)"

I'm in!

As you can see by my signature, we will be following your wake along the Horn next winter. I think that you should expand your review into a book, so that I can see more of these ports from your perspective. Do you think you could come up with another 200 or so pages?

The wahoo is the fish, not the cute guy.

If it helps you erase that image from your mind, this is a wahoo: