lovevacadays

Thank you for your live from thread. I'm looking forward to following along.

What a fun blog! I love food pictures no matter how many times I have cruised. :):):)

Nope. Way too rich for our blood. We are fortunate to be able to cruise. Spending that kind of cash every day for drinks is not in the budget. We love it as a perk but otherwise will simply purchase drinks as we go.

My thoughts too.

It is so good. :)

Our upcoming 28 day in October had a pretty good price drop after final payment. I didn't ask for OBC or a price adjustment or anything of that sort. I did ask to have my Baja balcony switched to an available Caribe balcony. Not a problem. I kept my Sip and Sail package and moved to a cabin with a larger balcony. I "may" have been able to get some OBC or something as well but I didn't even ask. I was happy to get the cabin change. Heck, I was happy with the original cabin but figured it wouldn't hurt to ask for the move - especially as I wasn't asking for anything else.

Caribe balconies are wonderful. I think better than OBC. Unless, it's a significant amount of OBC.

How very nice and for such a great price.

We would have more viable options because we are going to the deep South. St. Croix would be fine with me as we have never been there.

 

 

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St Croix is a beautiful island. I would take it as a substitute to St Thomas. :):)

I have been once in the first week of January and there were only a few kids. Also went once in early December and there were not many kids.

I can't wait until our Sapphire cruise. It's still a year away. Nice to know she will be getting the luxury beds.

I bought in 2008 for $25.50/share!! Have 188 shares with all dividends buying more shares. One of the best investments I've ever gotten. Will never sell. Keep racking up OBC too.

 

All stocks go up and down; anyone who keeps buying and selling everytime they do will end up poor. Do your research and find stocks with a great long term record, then buy and hold for a long time. The tortoise, not the hare, wins. ;p

I agree. Plus, I just don't have the tolerance to change up things too often. My employer offers us a financial advisor at a discounted price plus my 401k is with Fidelity and they have good Advisors as well. I got off to a very slow start with investing but have jumped whole heartedly into the investment pool.

Nice to read about another happy Princess cruiser. I have cruised Princess, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, and Carnival. I prefer Princess but did really enjoy some of the older Royal Caribbean ships. I think I have to try Celebrity at least once. I read that board frequently but end up seeing things that slightly deter me. But, I will try them one day.

I have sailed the Crown twice. I love the Crown. She's a beautiful ship. I loved sailing the Regal as well. There are things I like better about each of them. I say try the Crown and see what you think. I can't imagine you having a bad cruise on her. I prefer the atrium on the Regal, sister to the Royal but like the area aft of buffet better and the pool area better on the Crown.

The curator of the Hemingway House was just on TV. He says there is no damage to that house and very little flooding on Duval street. Hopefully that holds true. The cats are fine too.

 

Cheers, Denise

That is really good to know.

First time here, there are a lot of variables to consider...

1) By three days, do you mean three FULL days...or is it, for example, flying in Thursday afternoon and embarking a ship on Saturday? If it's the former, I'd go somewhere other than the harbor area...if the latter, you are likely only looking at one day of sightseeing...

2) Being that it's your first visit, what do you want to see/do? The standard tourist spots --Hollywood Walk of Fame, Chinese Theater, Hollywood Sign, Rodeo Drive? Amusement Parks? Movie/TV studios? Museums? Or will you be satisfied just hanging out in the Harbor area and seeing the sights there? (Aquarium of the Pacific, Queen Mary, USS Iowa)...

3) Will you rent a car...or be dependent on tours/public transportation/walking and taxis/Uber?

4) What sort of hotel budget do you have? More desirable parts of town and nice hotels can come with a hefty price tag. Cheaper hotels might mean some very undesirable neighborhoods and/or bad hotels.

 

Personally, if I had a friend visiting LA for the first time, I would highly recommend staying in Santa Monica and only getting a shuttle, town car or Uber down to San Pedro the morning of the cruise. With multiple days, I'd recommend taking a tour to Hollywood and the tourist sights on one day (most tour companies do pick-ups in the main Santa Monica hotels)...and spending the rest of the time, enjoying the Santa Monica area--beach, Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Pier, Palisades Park, Venice Beach Boardwalk...maybe, if time, a trip to the Getty Villa or Getty Center Museum...most of it reasonably walkable or short Uber rides...

 

That plan would give you the most complete LA experience (less amusement parks and studio tours) and take away the need to rent a car.

 

Of course, one downside for some is that nice hotels in Santa Monica can be a bit pricey...but, IMHO, it is well worth it...especially for a first visit...

I agree with you. Nice plan.

Thank you for the information. It is so very sad. Hard to believe that islands we were at less than a year ago are suffering such devastation. We met some wonderful islanders and can only pray they are safe.

Glad to hear that you've decided to focus on Disneyland! ( I am not a fan of Universal Studios! Once every 5 years is enough for me....)

 

Desert Inn is a great location if you don't have a car! Crowds will certainly be smaller the further away from the first. Keep in mind that the park hours will reflect the off-season. Usually opens at 9 and closes at 8 pm. That's okay since the crowds are very low. Kings Day (which I do believe is January 6) does get busy since the region has a large Hispanic population.

 

Enjoy!

Ha! Once every 10 or more years is fine with me for Universal Studios. There are so many more options in Southern California.

So very sad. Such a beautiful island. We met some lovely people there I hope they are safe.

I agree with the Old San Juan on your own advice above. Have a great breakfast of a mallorca and cafe con leche at La Bombonera.

 

 

Then catch the free trolley and ride until something strikes your fancy. We enjoyed the Paseo de los Presidentes and the other memorials along Avenida de la Constitucion.

 

 

 

And El Capitolio is worth a visit too.

 

 

 

We love Puerto Rico and it is our favorite embarkation port. We like to go a few days ahead to explore different parts of the island. We have been east and south, so on our next visit, we will head west. But for a port stop day, there is always something to explore within walking distance of the ship.

 

There is also a park that looks interesting. It's on our to visit list. https://sanjuanpuertorico.com/parque-luis-munoz-rivera-park/

Such great photos and such a great reminder of why my ex husband and I loved Puerto Rico. We took off by foot from the ship and just explored. What a great day.

Thank you. Yesterday got a good upsell offer from inside to deluxe obstructed balcony for $39 pp. Happy to see the obstruction is in name only.

That is a really good upsell. Enjoy.

Oh my. I am so very sorry for the people in St Maarten. It is such a lovely island with such lovely people. My heart goes out to them. I cannot even imagine what people experience with these hurricanes. It is beyond belief. Prayers to them.

It sure makes me think about the petty things that bother me or that I complain about. Goodness, things like not being able to get a soda or drink on a cruise anytime I want to, day or night seem so very ridiculous. Well, I'm not quite that trivial. But, I have felt inconvenienced by waiting in a line for dinner in the MDR than I thought I should. It is really about perspective.

These hurricanes are true problems. I just can't believe what can happen to our fellow citizens of the world that we share.

Good news! Princess just called and we got a category MB Dolphin mid forward for $300. Our first mini suite ever! Can't wait for DH to come home and share the news.

Congrats! I've sailed a couple of times in minis on Dolphin deck. Loved it. While the balcony isn't covered I loved sitting out on the balcony at night having a full view of the beautiful night sky.

Thank you for your review. We loved the Regal which is the sistervship to the Royal. We have two Royal cruises booked through April 2019.

Nice to read that you enjoyed your cruise. :):)

Wow. Just got our assignment. We had booked the lowest category mini suite. They gave us B101, a full suite for 21 days. Wow indeed!

How fabulous. Congratulations. :):):)

Thank you to those that posted the menus. Everything looks so yummy. I would like to sail the Caribbean Princess at some point to try all the new things.

I have sailed on the Crown twice and would not hesitate to book her again.