burm

I use something like this in the cabin.

 

https://www.containerstore.com/s/travel/makeup-toiletries/12

That is similar to the LL Bean one I suggested. Very handy for keeping your meds organized while at home, too. I keep Bonine, Polysporin, Bandaids, Tylenol, prespription pill containers, cortisone cream, emery boards, etc, in it at home and just toss in my current weekly pill organizer when I am ready to go. Now I never forget some little thing that is important but only occasionally used. Since everything is always kept there, when I am on the road, I always know exactly where the small items that can get so easily lost in a packed suitcase are. The many pockets keep similar items together.

LL Bean has a great organizer bag that comes with a hook for hanging. It comes in different sizes.

I keep the pills that I might need quick access to in the side pockets. When at home The bag stays packed for use as a medicine kit. When I travel it is already packed and ready to go.

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This hat and this Herve Leger dress to the Kentucky Derby. I had it shorten.

 

 

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That is the coolest hat ever. Love, love, love it!

I don't really see a ghost...but the colors and print is so pretty!

In the middle I also see a man with sunglasses and a moustache. 😀 Just like with cloud watching you can see all sorts of things in that pattern if you look for them. Fun!

All I know is that when I check that I an a US citizen price for a SB is $4956 and when I do not check it price is $3905.

Does that have to do with the person to person programs? Permits and excursions included?

Yes, Vinales is a lovely area. At lunch time, our guide pulled up to what looked like a fairly dumpy house. We walked around to the back and sat on a lovely patio with a magnificent view of the mogotes. Our excellent lobster lunch with pina colada cost $10 PP. With all our car problems, that was an unusual and most memorable day.

That was also the day I rode Tomas, the huge bull, with no one leading us. LOL I am so glad DH took a video. :)

That sounds like a great itinerary burm. We picked this cruise because of the number of ports it had in Cuba. I don’t think $50 really compensates for losing one, but not much we can do.

 

My sister and I have some extra time in Cuba too, one night before and then 10 days afterwards to go on a tour. We’re going to Trinidad via Santa Clara, Cienfuegos, Vinales via Bay of Pigs and then back to Havana. I’m really looking forward to it all!

Sorry, I was thinking that Celestyal had dropped more ports. Most of the other lines only go to Havana, and that is a shame.

It is great that you will have extra land time in Cuba to see more. Cuba is such a unique and fascinating place. Even the "warts" are interesting if you view them with an open mind. I am hoping to go again in April with my SIL, who has only stayed in resorts there and would like to spend some time with me in private homes.

Sorry, Montego Bay, not Ocho Rios. I said that because that is the place I always associated in the past with Dunn River Falls.

I am still very proud of myself for climbing DR Falls with my bad knees. LOL

What was your itinerary burm?

Cienfuegos, Santiago, Antilla, Punta Frances, Ocho Rios. Did I miss anything Ron?

This itinerary gave us a really nice overview of the island. From Antilla, we were able to visit the lovely estate where Castro grew up and learn a lot about his earlier life. In Santiago we got to visit the cemetery where he is now buried. From Cienfuegos, we visited lovely Trinidad. Each port was very special in it's own way. Cuba is so different from the rest of the Caribbean.

The week we spent in a private home in Havana pre cruise was fascinating, as was the additional week we spent at a second location post cruise. We felt like we were following in the footsteps of Castro, from birth, to revolution, to death.

You would have to go back to the earliest posts in this thread to see what our experience was like. Definitely not your typical cruise. People like Ron and Jo, who were there from the very beginning, were kind of like Cuban Cruise Pioneers. :)

Internet minutes, laundry services (my cruise is in the middle of a 6 week trip so I will definitely need these!), room service, spa services.

 

I don't think $50 will go very far, lol

And the gift shop!!! Also medical services, if there is need.

It is funny how, with all the cruiselines that are now stopping in Havana, there is still no other itinerary that compares with the wonderful one we enjoyed a couple of years ago.

Hi everyone. I'm looking for backpack recommendations that I can use for our excursions. Previously I used my Kipling travel purse, but this time around our 5yr old is coming with and we need a little more room for things. So I'm looking for a recommendations.

 

We need one big enough to hold a towel or two, some small items and a water bottle. Please share the ones you love that are cute, can fit a number of items (but not too big), that is comfortable to wear and maybe even waterproof.

I wouldn't worry about recommendations. "Good" backpacks can be relatively heavy because of their quality construction. You don't need quality for this purpose.

For the last 10 years or so, we have been using a cheap promotional giveaway bag for our excursions. It easily holds shoes, jacket, rain ponchos, towels, waterbottles, sunscreen, etc. Best of all, no one would ever steal it and if they did, it would not be a major loss. It takes up very little room in a suitcase when folded flat. (Although black, it has a bit of green writing on it that makes it easily identifiable) Our better quality backpacks are just "too much" for light day excursions.

Go to any store that sells a wide selection of backpacks and pick any one that appeals to you. In fact, your five year old may already have one that would suit this purpose just fine. :)

For anyone visiting the cemetery where Fidel Castro was just buried, I assume they will change the ceremony of the soldiers to Jose Marti's grave, and would be interested in knowing if they will work Castro's grave into the same routine.

It was interesting to see the site on television, after having visited it recently.

we did Norway and had one, used it a lot. Weather can be cool but views are amazing. Love bundling up, having breakfast in cabin, and enjoying hot coffee on it. Don t want to miss something by having to get up on deck to see it. Its light most of time,so go for it.

Know some people say they re never in cabin,but we re not like that.Enjoy resting and watching world go by.

I think that on cool weather cruises it is especially nice to have a balcony. On our South American cruise this year, we had an aft balcony directly below the main observation deck. The people above us froze their buns off on the windy deck to enjoy the beautiful scenery, but we were nice and sheltered on our verandah. Instead of wearing down jackets and toques, we wore bathrobes!

Another option for your consideration would be to do an everglades airboat (my adult kids loved this)...you could do this using your rental (as suggested above) or book it with your cruiseline as a post cruise excursion...they would then take you to the airport....not usually a fan of cruise booked excursions but sometimes they can work out great.

I agree, this is one time that it is convenient to take a ship excursion. You would be last off the ship with a late flight. Those final hours waiting in the lounge for your turn to disembark are never fun.

A few years ago, we also took the Everglades airboat tour and had a great time. We had to be out of our cabin by 8:00 AM. We left the cabin at exactly 8 and were quickly whisked off the ship onto the waiting excursion bus. Disembarkation was never so fast and easy! The bus then dropped us and our luggage off at the airport at the perfect time.

We will be sailing to South American ports and going around Cape Horn in March. I understand the weather will be pretty chilly and windy in the southernmost ports. If anyone has done this trip, is a waterproof shell on top of a couple of layers sufficient? And, what footwear would you recommend?

Layers are definitely the way to go on this cruise, as you could be seeing a range of weather conditions.

Our only cold port last Feb was Stanley, where I wore the goose down jacket I wore to the airport from home, toque, and gloves - and I think I was the only person who was warm that day. It was cold, wet and windy. Hard to believe that only a few days before, the temperature reached 100 in Puerto Madryn!

You will also need to dress warm for standing on deck while going around the Horn. Otherwise, the weather was hot to short sleeve pleasant.

As to shoes, again you will go through the whole range. Sandals to good, waterproof hiking boots, depending on what you are planning. You could be walking on wet rocks, climbing mountains, or walking through slimy penguin poop. If you are less adventuresome, you could be fine with sneakers.

The day we were it Ushuaia, it was a beautiful, sunny 68 degrees, and the locals were all beaming. They said that kind of day was extremely rare.

In Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas we wore light jackets.

The general rule of life applies - you get what you pay for.

Although we consider Norwegian to be the bottom of the barrel, as far as food goes, we would still cruise with them again if they offered the right itinerary at the right price. The food may not be outstanding, but there is always something acceptable.

But in my heart, I can't wait to cruise again with Oceania. I dream of their food - not in the MDR, but of the 4 FREE specialty restaurants on their "bigger" ships, and of the "Lobster on Demand" grill in the buffet. At the same grilling station, I can also have a lovely steak grilled for me to enjoy with my Caesar Salad when I want just a quick lunch and don't feel like waiting in the MDR.

Then there's those wonderful lambchops on the MDR menu that I order most mornings. And the lobster pad thai in the Asian restaurant.

Our last cruise was Around the Horn, with NCL. It was memorable for so many reasons, but food was not one of them.

Oceania!

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I can pass on condolences to her husband from the fashion ladies.

Yes, please do tell him how Sherri will be missed by many on Cruise Critic, and especially by the fashion ladies.

I Have done extensions for years. I love them. I hear all the time how great my lashes look. Most people are shocked when I tell them that they are extensions.

I have tried eyelash extensions a couple of times, at two different highly recommended spas. They looked great and very natural (like the lashes I once had), but sometimes bits of glue really irritated my eyes. Not an allergy, but like grit just under the edge of the lid.

Can you feel that yours are there?

So, do you have something against fat women?

 

Absolutely not. You misunderstood my post. It was a take-off on earlier posts and I was saying that while we might object to other people's appearance, they might not find us perfect either.

 

I am enjoying this thread as well as double thinking my wardrobe...

Are you thinking of packing totally outrageous clothes so that you can watch people's reactions......and possibly read about them on CC? :D

I think that the world would be a very dull place if everyone were as boring and conservative as I. As an avid people watcher, the unusual or bizarre always delights me.

Personally, I have always enjoyed wildly inappropriate attire (on other people ) It just adds to the entertainment.

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We proudly enter the MDR in our beautiful cruise formal attire and the maitre d' seats us at a table for six. Suddenly, we are aware that the fat woman opposite us is showing a bit too much cleavage. Of course we ask to be moved.

At the second table, an elderly Japanese man wearing a backwards baseball cap joins us. Obviously that will not do. On to the third table where, horror of horrors, there is a CHILD.

The fourth table of the evening is perfect. Elegant, witty table companions, window seat, and by now the sun is setting in glorious splendour. We heave a sigh of contentment. Perfect.......until we hear the distinguished woman opposite us whisper to her husband, "Dear, do you see what she is wearing? Please ask the waiter to move us to a different table".

Hurray!

A "cruise specialist:"sent email saying they were working with tour operator to get more space,and HOPE those on waitlist can be booked.Her name is Jennifer Pane,if you want to contact her also.Did send copy of this to my TA,since she is also TRYING to work with her rep.at O to resolve issue.

 

If not resolved by Sept 9, my penalty date, will cancel.

That sounds optimistic. Good luck!