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RSGS315

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Posts posted by RSGS315

  1. On one of our many family cruises our children and grandchildren stayed on deck 3 in that area. They loved it, as the grandchildren stayed in the connecting cabin, and their parents could leave the door open to keep an eye on them.

    The location was very convenient and well hidden from the people that were in line to enter Studio B or the dining room.

    Ginnie

  2. No. Once you check in at the port you leave from, there is no need to show our passport again==unless you miss the ship and are out of the country, thus needing your passport to reenter the USA (or country of residence)

    Your SeaPass card (is that what it is called on RCCL?) will be needed to reboard the ship from port.

     

    In addition to your seapass you should carry your driver's license in order to reboard the ship in foreign ports.

  3. For all those who have never been a GS, you just don't know what your missing. I was warned but just didn't get it. There are currently 15 JS and GS available for our January 9th sailing. I am really hoping they lower the price of the JS which is currently $804 pp. If they do so, I will book the JS for the double points and use the DL however, if those GS's go down as well, I will have to take a deep breath, dig deep in the pockets and just upgrade to it.

     

    Griswolds -In regards to paying $1200 for the free drinks. There are four of us, so $1200 equates to $300 for the four of us to drink whatever we want in the CL. Well worth it to me as we always purchase the wine package for each night and then buy a few buckets of beer and the drinks of the day. In addition, we get so much more other than the drinks -- it is hard not to just give in and pay it.

     

    Praying for a price drop for the 1/9 sailing. My pockets are almost empty and I really don't want to be in a balcony anymore. Gotta love the extra space and the double points. :)

     

    I forgot to mention --we booked a Balcony for our Brillance cruise next October. Checking that one out daily too. Hmmmm. Cruising is highly addictive and dangerous on the pocket.

     

    I personally prefer the JS to the GS. The GS has too much wasted space with the bar, and the area behind the bar is crammed. I love the walk-in closet in the JS that the GS doesn't have.

    Since I'm a D+ member it allows me access to the concierge lounge in any cabin.

     

    Well, to each his own,

    Ginnie

  4. I was upgrade a few times. two times while I didn't have much status, from an inside mope to a higher deck inside mope. One time from an inside mope to an OV deck two. (I think I would have preferred staying in the inside.).

     

    On the Allure, as a Diamond and my son as a Gold, we both had inside rooms and were upgraded to a CP Balcony.

     

    On my Alaska cruise, they wanted my room D2, corner aft and dangled a JS but we declined.

     

    Then we went years with no upgrades. Probably by now I was typically starting in Balconies.

     

    Last month on my Mediterranean cruise, as a D+, I was upgraded from an E2 to a JS based on my status and that I had my profile set for automatic upgrade, so the C&A person left on my voicemail. There were only 30 D+/P on this cruise. I'm sure that is why it is harder to get an upgrade on a Caribbean cruise. I'm sure most of the D+/P already had JS or above. I doubt I'll ever see an upgrade on a Caribbean cruise.

     

    I too, have heard of many new cruises getting upgrades, but I don't think that happens as much anymore.

     

     

     

    I received a free upgrade from a D2 to a Jr. Suite yesterday on the Explorer November 14 sailing, and hadn't requested it. It's a 9 night cruise to the Caribbean, so it does happen within the week of sailing.

    I'm Diamond + with 324 days on Royal Caribbean.

    The reason I never request an upgrade is that I always book a midship cabin, near the elevators and concierge lounge, and don't want to risk being upgraded to a less desirable location. The Jr. suite is in the same area, except on the port side.

     

    Ginnie

    I had 3 fractures of the vertebra last year and it took 10 month to heal. As a result of this I use a cane or a rollator to get around.

  5. I was a little bit down today for some reason and you all have picked up my spirits greatly. Thanks to all. Today is my first day for Medicare~! I guess I have some benefits for being old...A nice cruise would do wonders....Maybe next year!!:D:D

     

    Old is a matter of mind, and if you don't mind it doesn't matter!

    I'm about 10 years older than you, and when people ask me how it feels to be old I tell them, that OLD will always be 10 years older than I am.

     

    Happy Birthday,

    Ginnie

  6. I really enjoyed reading about your adventures! I hope my Wife and I can take a cruise like this one someday. I cant imagine what your tip$ must have been after 100 plus days on board. I cant stand to see my bill after a 7 day I cant imagine what it would look like after a 100 day cruise. Thanks for sharing your vacation with us.

     

     

    The pre-paid gratuities for the full World Voyage were part of the early booking amenity package that Holland America offered.

    We were booked and under deposit for this 102 day World Cruise.

    We had to cancel because my husband was diagnosed with cancer in May of last year.

     

    Bill and Mary Anne, I have followed your voyage, itinerary at my side, and enjoyed it immensely. It was often "bitter sweet" reading, but I want you to know how much it meant to me. Your vivid descriptions made me feel that I was there with you at times.

    We had rebooked a 28 day cruise on the Prinsendam for May 29, 2007, but just had to cancel that as well, as he had a reccurence, and my dear husband and best friend is presently undergoing treatments again through June.

    Bill and May Anne, our Wrld Cruise has come to an end, as we would have debarked in New York.

    Thank you again for taking me along on your wonderful adventure.

    Ginnie

  7. The first time that we sailed on the Nordic Prince was in January of 1980. It was her last cruise before she was stretched.

    We sailed her again in January 1981, 1982 and 1983, and many of the passengers repeated the same 2 weeks annual.

    We definitely made our own fun onboard, and I remember being a dealer for one of the games on "Casino Night".

     

    Host Doug, thank you for posting the article about Captain Bjurstedt. We were under the impression that he had retired a few years ago.

    Ginnie

  8. The Nordic Prince was my first cruise back in Aug. 1977. There were 3 of us single gals in an inside cabin #585 on a 2 week cruise. Wow, that was small, but we were much smaller ourselves, back then.:D I just did my 20th cruise and my 9th on RCCL. I still remember all of the wonderful ports of calls and have gone back to visit many of them again. I love cruising.:p

    Our captain was Capt.Bjorsted (sp?)

     

    I remember Captain Eric Bjorsted from 4 consecutive cruises on the Nordic Prince in the early 80's. He and his officers would come to the Carousel Lounge on some evenings to dance with the ladies. One evening the ship's doctor, whos table we were seated at, asked me to waltz with him, as we both loved that dance. He went to the band and asked them to play a Vienna Waltz. As the good doctor returned to our table, a lady came running up to him on the dance floor and engaged him to dance. The problem was that she only knew the slow waltz. When Dr. Gunnar Tronstad returned to our table, apologizing for the interruption, he said to me "let's waltz now". The problem was that the band wasn't playing a Vienna Waltz, so Dr. Tronstad sang the "Blue Danube" waltz into my ear, while the two of us were waltzing and everyone else was keeping the proper rhythm

    We had such a great time on these 14 day Caribbean cruises.

    They only had a few slot machines on the way to the dining room in those days, no casino yet until later on, when they converted the small rcard room to a casino.

    The cabins were tiny, the food excellent and the service by the European staff was superb. We had to make our own entertainment for the most part in those days, We loved the Nordic Prince!!

    We are now Diamond Plus members, having sailed over 30 times on Royal Caribbean. We enjoy their newer ships very much, but we still have a soft spot in our heart for the good old Nordic Prince and the Sun Viking as well.

    It was wonderful to reminisce a bit.

    Ginnie

  9. We are Diamond Plus members with Royal Caribbean, and are always given a choice between a bridge tour or a kitchen tour as one of the perks.

    I refuse to set foot in a kitchen on our vacation (only kidding, as I have seen several ship's kitchens), so we usually choose the bridge tour. We have seen just about every bridge in the Royal Caribbean fleet.

    The captain on the Voyager class ships use a scooter to get around, as the bridge is so large.

    Captain Johnny let me sit in his chair to have my photograph taken. It's very interesting.

    Ginnie

  10. Our fist cruise was on the Italia of Costa Cruises.

    We were originally booked on the Carla C for her Thanksgiving cruise in 1974, but she was going into dry dock and Costa substituted the Italia.

    We fell in love with cruising on her, and have fond memories of this friendly small ship.

    The ships officers would come to the lounge in the evening and dance with the ladies, as the entertainment was very low key.

     

    We sailed her again as the Ocean Princess, from Philadelphia to Bermuda in Ocotber of 1986. We had very rough seas on the last day of the cruise, and I remember laying on the cabin floor, trying to pack my suitcase, as the ship was yawing.

    The small ship's interior seemed larger to us, as they had refurbished her with lots of mirrors. Her all Italian crew was gone, and we had a Russian waiter, who was on his first cruise on a western type vessel. He was so nervous and didn't understand the menu very well. I told the Philipino bartender how to muddle the fruit for a "Scotch Old Fashion". He said that he didn't know what the pestle was for.

     

    I enjoyed reminiscing a bit tonight.

    Ginnie

  11. We did the sail and stay at Cunards Paradise Beach Resort on Barbados.When we were there in Feburary,I inquired about the resort and was told that it was torn down.Is LaToc still open on St Lucia?

     

    The former LaToc in St. Lucia is now the Sandals Regency St. Lucia Golf Resort & Spa. It's an all inclusive couples only resort.

    Ginnie

  12. Our first cruise on the Oceanic was in January 1978. It was a Gala Caribbean cruise sailing round trip from New York. When we returned to New York in early February, we had a foot of snow on deck, as they had a major blizzard. They offered half price for the following cruise, as a large group from Chicago couldn't make the ship. One of the passengers, a physician from Boston, made a phone call to his partner to cover him, and he and his wife stayed onboard for another cruise.

    My husband counted the items on the breakfast menu one morning. They had over 100 different items for breakfast.

    I remember the Cluster tables, 3 tables for 4, that were joined together like a clover leaf, with a tall lamp in the middle.

    Yes, it was cold out the first day at sea, and they had the Magnadrome closed, opening it just a little after day 1. I do remember laying around the pool on those mats on the tiled floor on the lido deck.

    We could pick our deck chairs for sunning, they put our name on the chair, and it was reserved for us. We had to pay $5.00 for this, it was probably the tip for the deck steward. They had the same deck steward for years and years, as we sailed her after that several more times. His name may have been Carlos.

    Oh, what fond memories we have of that beautiful shp!

    Ginnie

  13. We were booked on the Carla C in 1974, but she was taken out of service just before our cruise to go into drydock. Costa substituted the much smaller Italia (less than 12,000 tons). We were so disappointed when we were told of this, but had a fabulous time on the little Italia.

    I finally got to cruise on the Carla C much later on in the Greek Islands. Epirotiki had bought her and renamed her the Stella Athena. She was old and tired looking, and it was probably the worst of all my cruises.

    She sank shortly thereafter somewhere in the Greek Islands, and I remember saying, that it wasn't a moment too soon.

    Ginnie

  14. LindaandJeff

     

    I remember Captain Potenzoni very well.

    The first time we sailed with him was in September 1980 on the Fairwind.

    It was a 14 day Caribbean/Panama Canal cruise. We were on a bridge tour, shortly before noon, when I asked Captain Potenzoni where the ship's whistle was. I told him that it was my birthday, which was true, and I always wanted to blow the whistle. He walked me over to a glass covered button, opened the cover and said that he would let me do so at 12 noon, which was a few minutes away. At 12 noon sharp, I blew the whistle, and my name was entered into the ship's log.

    Somehow the word got around, and ladies old and young wanted to know how I accomplished that.

    We became good friends with Captain Potenzoni, and sailed with him many times. He always invited us to his VIP cocktail parties in his quarters, and danced with me in the lounge at night. He dined with his officers when he ate in the dining room, and didn't entertain passsengers at the Captain's table.

    Captain Potenzoni had never married, he said shipboard life was not conducive to marriage (how true).

    Our last cruise with him was in February of 1989, and he mentioned that he was planning to retire and move to Genua, Italy, his home town.

    What a charming and delightful man! We have many photos with him, and also met many interesting celebrities at his various parties.

    It was good to reminisce a bit.

    Ginnie

  15. This happened on the Golden Princess a few years ago.

    My husband had gone to the movies one afternoon, and I started to get ready for dinner. After my shower I put on a light robe and decided to sit on the balcony to let my hair dry. I didn't hear the cabin steward knocking on the door, but I noticed a shadow in the cabin, so I opened the balcony door a bit to see who it was, saw the cabin steward, who was hanging up some shirts my husband had sent to the laundry, and returned to my chair on the balcony. Well, an hour or so went by, it started to get too cool and my hair was dry, so I decided to go back in the cabin and finish dressing and put on some make-up. I couldn't believe it, but the balcony door was locked. It seems that the steward noticed it open ajar, not seeing me, locked it and left. I had seen many people on the balconies below earlier on, but by now everyone was either at first sitting or dressing for dinner. Here I was on the veranda with no way to get in. I had no idea what time it was, when the movie would be over, so my husband could rescue me. I finally heard some commotion in the next cabin, and someone opening the balcony door. I called over and asked them to please page our steward, so he could open the door for me. The poor guy felt so badly and couldn't stop apologizing. He didn't think that he had locked the door just closed it. But since you can only lock the door from the inside it had to be him. I laughed about it and assured him that it was no big deal, and that this was just between the two of us, and of course our neighbor.

    Ginnie

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