north29

But we always look as great/modern in our opinion perhaps better than even formal wear or suits which I simply do not look good in. Also I have never owned a suit for years or tux, and was never invited to a formal event, and we are retired professionals.

Formal threads are always opinnionated either way, however, I dislike people telling others that it is necessary to dress formal, thus planting a seed in their brain that they must go out and buy something, like a ill fitting suit etc just to go on the cruise and it would be a $100 or more they cannot afford or will not need again.

IMHO, just look much better on Formal night, dress formal if you like you will not be alone , please no bib overhauls.

There are no deals in the islands, Sam's club or Costco are cheaper on most things in jewelry. NOW if you find something that you absolutely know you cannot find at home in a good, honest, local jewelry store and you must have it, well that is up to you. Most all jewelry sold in all the stores like DI or TI are made in a factory, I do believe in Tampa?????, that is why they all are about the same. Now in Italy that is another story.

On all of my trips - so far I have been to 24 countries and of course the amount of cities multiply - I try to find a normal supermarket to see how people there actually live, eat and consume. I observe what they put in their shopping cart to see whats good and popular. Positively spying them!

I usually bring home something to taste, some dry food, like tea, coffee, bisquits, pasta etc, something that will not need to be in cold. I dont get cheap souveniers except for fridge magnet. I might need second fridge as Im running out of space on the door soon.

 

But food is probably not what you meant with shopping.

Shopping is a sport LOL, locally or in other countries, finding a good deal,(rarely in the Caribbean) but finding something unusual to wear not available in the states, is fun. We consider ourselves world travelers, a lot of travel through cruises but much also on our own, however once you get out of the tourist sports, especially in Europe, lot of good shopping in markets. As quote, we always hit the super markets and markets for spices etc. and I can tell you that spices even the common ones are better in other place, such as India, the spices from a local indian market are fabulous.

Equinox next spring. Ports were important, also have a tour after from the same booking with a local, for us, TA with an additional 10 days in Spain. From Malaga, it is easy to get a tour to Morocco and some interesting areas in the South of Spain

We were on the Century out of Vancouver to Alaska Sept 8. The food in the Island Cafe was hit and miss to say the least. Coffee was not refilled on at least eight occasions with folk walking around to get a cup of coffee. Same with water. Tables were cleaned but rarely wiped - I had to ask at least five times for the table to be wiped down from the previous diner's debris. Servers were unsmiling and surly and the queue for sandwiches during lunch was long due to only one server being appointed to that station. Same for bread and toast at breakfast. Hot food wasn't hot. We had select dining and the service was inconsistent. On one evening, the food was served before the wine order was even taken despite several requests to see the sommelier. On another evening, we had to ask three times for coffee and were not even offered a refill. Cheese arrived without biscuits. Some evenings, depending on the table, the service was excellent, on other evenings totally chaotic. The Murano was superb. Our daughter and SIL tried the dining room for breakfast on the morning of her birthday and gave up as the waiter was unable to take the order correctly due to his poor usage of English. I couldn't compare the food and service to a restaurant because it was so disappointing.

On RC, this has been our experiences to a T More so now days that in the past. It also varies from ship to ship, but the prices have not changed much so you have to take the fun, good and forget about the just OK(looking for a better word)

All ships bars menus are basically alike, the one we have enjoyed, recommended by a wait staff on one of our last cruises, Frozen Mojito,

We fly to the port so I would never fill my suitcase with a pillow from my bed, but I've seen passengers dragging along their pillows when boarding. I also don't have neck problems, so if you have a unique problem, maybe you should consider it. I doubt the ship having a variety of pillow types to choose from. I think they keep it pretty standard.

I agree, if flying, not a good idea to bring own bedding, or toilet seat or what ever, if driving it is up to you to bring what you want.

You live in The Villages Florida.

From Rotterdam to Fll, I have no problem right now, have not booked air. I would hope they make their minds up soon. Having ships that big is great for the company, but a PITA when things go wrong.

I guess I will take my wife's I phone, we have only one need, leave everything else behind, and that is to let the bank know how to get to me if account get compromised or wife makes extreme purchases on CC LOL.

It is funny, tracphone does not have much info on their web site, but you can call almost all over the world just for the same basic minute rates.

Just though I would ask.

This one is different, LOL, just, up/maybe down graded to Trac phone to save some over my Verizon second phone(I use it so little). I bought a smart LG phone.

Question has anyone had a tracphone on a cruise line???, will it work on the ships system???

Trying to keep this with a RC since this is a RC board, we have traveled/cruised with RC so much, and tried so many different cameras, DSLR to complex point and shoot, to simple point and shoot forgot the underwater ones. On one cruise around South America, my wife took the DSLR, and yes it was worth the effort. She also takes a video camera, however, we have found that the video taken from a newer DSLR is just as good as the video camera, but a bit of a PITA when down loading the disk to a MAC, so we still take the Video camera. My lady has a bit of a photo journalist mind set, but recently she realized that with out time or timing for light conditions i.e.: tours, one cannot capture the great photo that are as seen in NG LOL. We still take a lot of pics just to document our travels, and I have watched her change cameras from the DSLR now to my Canon simple point and shoot with a very wide angle lens, but unfortunately a short zoom, however it takes great, pics in 99% of all light and environment conditions.

Travel camera for us are (usually) complex point and shoot, video camera, and my/our Canon simple point and shoot(fits in travel vest or any pocket)

If interested and if legal on CC some of her video are on youtube( please remember she/we are not videographers)

http://www.youtube.com/user/nansea1?feature=c4-feed-lik

The auto tips, have used them since MTD was introduced. However, I am willing to bet a beer, that the crew likes the them even better. When the envelopes arrive in the cabin, for what ever reason since I have paid my gratuities, I feel compelled , guilty, or what ever, if I do not put some extra in the envelopes. I have a hard time on the last day just saying thank you to those who have made my cruise great(well most of the time). LOL

Automatic tips, makes life easier............ However, I am willing to bet a beer, that the crew likes them even better, not just for cruisers skipping out, but many cruisers are probably like me, when the envelopes arrive for what ever reason since I have paid my gratuities, I feel compelled , guilty, or what ever, if I do not put some extra in the envelopes. I have a hard time on the last day just saying thank you. LOL

I will say this, she MOST LIKELY will be OK, but be prepared to handle her luggage, or pay to have it handled for her. Depending on age/physical condition, full recovery can vary greatly.

In case of a fire in a hotel, forbid a cruise ship. After the Las Vegas fire, most of the travel info companies/web sites were repeating fire departments recommendations, to keep a roll of duct tape in your luggage to tape the cracks of the doors to your hotel room to keep the smoke out, while waiting hopefully to be rescued.

I have to agree with all, but fish, fish can be kept fresh at near freezing for a long time, much of the fresh fish, especially grouper, sea bass and other expensive fish coming from foreign countries, could be over 14 days old/on ice.

We are fish eaters, having been sport fishermen/women all our lives, and had access to fresh/frozen fish/lobster as much as we wanted. Some species just do not freeze well, or for long such as snapper (not much more than a month), we learned that the hard way, on the other hand Florida lobster(spiny lobster) can keep almost indefinitely, I still have some in my freezer almost 8 years old, does it taste good, well yes to others but a little freezer burned to me, but still more than edible.

Perhaps this is why we always have relatively poor fish dishes on the ships, even in specialty restaurants, it may have been frozen too long, especially for items not ordered by cruisers in large amounts like expensive halibut or Chilean Sea bass.

If I was healthy and happy, had the money, and retired, to cruise from the same port, basically the same area 17 times. Yes, we use cruises to the Bahamas(short getaways) and the east and west Caribbean a few times but not every year.

We have used cruises to see much of the world, where we could never afford to go to on a individual basis. We try and book cruises in combination with additional time(14+- days) either before or after a cruise, if it is to/from a place we want to see more of.

On our own had been the most satisfying trips, I hate, riding on buses with 50 people, and one night stands in hotels, but sometimes that cannot be avoided. We like to see places in depth, a local travel agency offer hub and spoke tours of many places where you stay 2 week in the same hotel, and with Breakfast and dinner daily, these have been very good.

Lots of choices out there.

Kilts are not allowed according to the dress code which clearly states "slacks". I have often seen men wearing kilts on formal night.

 

I have not seen a guayabera shirt worn as formal wear. It has an informal look to me.

FWIW, should Bermuda shorts be allowed on formal night, especially on a cruise to Bermuda?

As this post and others,

X Clearly, despite what some of members the Celebrity board thinks, the dress code needs a big over haul.

Dress code threads are usually centered on mens dress, not women's????, they can wear most anything that might/could/almost be formal as long as it it look like it might be formal.

I dislike formal night, but I do try and look nicer than usual and if space is available I will bring a jacket(renting a tux is not an option) Oh we are elite with X if that matters in our opinion.

Please, I would hate to formal night go but, giver better options for all/many of us, for the dress code in the MDR.

Nostalgia in my signature

despite not having a dedicated D lounge, has a great place to have your drinks. At the time of our Baltic cruise on her, the bar waitress/tender a young girl from Uruguay she was fantastic, I doubt she is still there but the Jewel has always been on many people favorite list of RCI ships

But, 3 or 4 days on the Enchantment are not long, and if a emergency does happen it will take at leasts 1-2 days to get home depending where the ship is, if the dreaded text or phone call comes. I would hope you have a plan/insurance to pay for the emergency flight home, it might be kinda expensive. Do not forget the PP as well a must for flying.

Bad cruise, some are just better than others, some cruise lines fit your style better and only you know what you like. I like RC, I also like Costa, yes Costa, and have 2 X cruises coming up shortly, I sometimes do not like what I read on the the X ships CC forum, but we shall see how it goes, I have friends who prefer X but they are on the stuffy side and kinda old thinking.

The indian food, of all types, well not true indian but close.

Now here is something no one has mentioned or maybe it was a one and done dish. On the Monarch, for lunch first day, they had a Shepard's pie that was to die for, we have looked for it on all cruises since then but never found it.

Our meal on the Freedom in Chops was just OK, my petite filet was very good, but my ladies Halibut was awful, service was no better than Outback steak house. Portifino , not to derail I know it was not on the thread, but we love it, even slightly better service.

From what I know, RC or any restaurant{exception might be a steak house that I cannot afford}, cannot really know what cut of meat or the quality of it until it is cooked. The quality of meat when ordered in bulk is well the luck of the draw, I have purchased bad filets from butcher shops I have trusted

Another newbie thread but I had to look LOL. But after thinking, here goes, IMHO, I have always tried to book on the side nearest the land mass, but but, only at times does/did it make a difference, usually you are too far away to see any real good stuff. I made an issue to book port side on our cruise around South America, only a few times did it make a difference and in the Beagle channel, both sides were interesting so we were running from side to side on the upper deck and same for Cape Horn. I can see where, an Alaskan cruise(have not done) the side might be important.