5326jan

On Princess ships there are usually games and jigsaw puzzles in the card room and/or library. We do bring our own cards, but don't spend much time playing.

SoBay, I'm starting to think about our upcoming trip and wondered if you would email me your advice about what clothes and "supplies" we should take. I did notice you recommended the handwarmers.

jan and arno at gmail dot com

Thanks for all your help both with your Live and your suggestions on our roll call. :)

Thanks! Mine is back on now too. Weird!

I know it was here.... What happened? Is it my Chrome that isn't showing it? I was searching a topic and all of a sudden it said "Search Feature Disabled". Now I can't find any search buttons. :confused:

Do you see one on your computer?

Wow, that is so cool! 1971 was the year I graduated from high school. Everything looks so old fashioned... :o

I'm following along with your blog and enjoying it! So glad you were able to start loading pics! :)

For those who have done Grand Turk by golf cart what are some things to see places to stop for lunch brsched etc? Thanks om advance!

Beautiful views at the lighthouse!

I am finding very little information on this port. There is a UNESCO World Heritage Site at Hjemmeluft where there are rock petroglyphs and the Alta Museum. I would appreciate any information that can be shared on how to get to this site independently. I have scoured TripAdvisor and Google, but I might not be getting the right "search words" to hit on what I'm looking for.

In 2009 Kruseeka posted something about a local bus, If you are still around I would love to know where the Tourist Information Office is and how complicated it was to travel by bus.

Thanks in advance for anyone who is able to advise. :)

We hired an awesome guide that picked us up at the pier and took us to Bled Castle/Bled Lake, Ljubjilana and a few other sites. We had a wonderful time with him and it was much cheaper than the ship's excursion. Our trip was in Sept 2011, you should be able to find our review of the tour in the ports of call. It's against the CC policy for me to tell you the name without being asked. , but here is a link to a thread you might find interesting. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1464274&highlight=graeme :)

Learned early on that when cruising you need to plan for problems. I always allowed two or more days on each end of a cruise vacation for these kinds of problems.

 

Now that I am retired I really don't give a whoop-de-do if my cruise is late getting back to home port.

Another 18 months before we're at that point! :)

TV news channels are making a big deal of CB coming in early due to Noro, guess this is all proof that the fog excuse was real. If they didn't come in early, those folks would be sitting out somewhere worrying about not being in on time. Work, child care, pet care, etc must weigh heavy on the minds of those "stranded"/delayed. :( Get me in ahead of it any day! :)

Sorry that the weather is not cooperating, but I love your positive attitude!!!:)

We saw a lot of Puma in Europe. Not the big clunky cross trainers, but sleeker sneakers. Mostly black or dark colors.

That depends in your cruise and legal of accommodation.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

What is a legal of accommodation?:confused:

If there is anyway you can swing it, the full transit is a great experience! :)

I have never heard of Kefir and definitely won't be trying it.

Will someone please pass the Vodka bottle around?

:D:D My thoughts exactly! I'll take the Vodka and the rock in my pocket method any day! :D:D

We just did this trip and it was great! We sailed on the Caribbean Princess.

I've never sailed on NCL. Princess has a great loyalty program, the food is very good and we love the "feel" of it. No hairy chest contests, no singing waiters, etc. The crew is very warm and friendly. Princess has just the right comfort level for us. We don't want too formal and "staid", but we also don't want crazy drunks and lots of kids either.

I'm sure which ever line you choose, you'll love New England! Go over to the ports of call section. There are great recommendations for private tour guides. :)

Even my most comfortable shoes will begin to hurt my feet after hours and hours of walking. I always take along some moleskin and blister pads "just in case"! My favorites right now are Bzees by Naturalizer. They are light as air and very comfy. Seriously, each shoe weighs less than 6 oz!!!

But as mentioned above, take more than one pair of shoes to switch out. :)

I have never seen anyone go wash their hands after handling the menu. do you think the silverware magically jumped from the dishwasher to the table? the plates, coffee cups. glasses in the lounges, the chairs and table tops. your best bet would to get a surgical face mask and latex gloves.

I didn't say I did it. I said I had observed it! :)

We avoid touching handrails, door knobs, elevator buttons and other objects that are frequently touched by the masses. Even menus are subject to spreading the germs! I've read that many will excuse themselves after ordering to go wash their hands before eating.

You should sing 2-3 rounds of "happy birthday to you" while washing with soap and water. :)

Am I being naive if I expect tour participants to pay the tour operator the day of the excursion? I know some of you have specifically stated to organize tours where each person contacts the tour operator in advance to make arrangements, but the tour I was hoping to do doesn't have that option. I really don't want to end up footing the bill for a group of 8. (And I was hoping not to handle any money at all, except for what I owe of course.)

We have never paid ahead. Most tour operators/guides expect payment at the end of our tour. Each participant pays their share at that time. There was only one occasion that I had to put down a deposit and it was equal to twenty-five percent of the fare. Since we were a tour of 8, that was the amount for DH and myself, so I was willing to gamble our share. It worked out fine.

You need to have a sense of who your participants will be. The roll call should give you an opportunity to get a feel for them. I will say, that sometimes I've gotten "lurkers" that don't really participate in the conversations on the roll call, but read them and want to participate in tours. Don't discount them. Some people prefer to remain anonymous. I post an email address that I only use on CC. Spell it out so spammers don't pick up the email. so and so dot com Over a period of time, you will correspond with the lurkers by email and get to know them. Keep a waiting list in case you have someone cancel or give you reason to doubt their intent.

To the OP, I read a series of light mysteries by Sue Henry before our cruisetour and cruise in Alaska. The books all have a mystery, but with history of Alaska woven into the story line. It gave me a deeper understanding of the gold rush and the hardships of living in such a severe environment. It helps if you read them in order, but you don't have to. Alaska by James Michener will also give you the history, but I'm more inclined to read a short mystery than an epic novel! :o;)

Here is the list in order: http://www.cozy-mystery.com/Sue-Henry.html You'll start with a story about the iditerod race. Jessie Arnold is the main character and sleuth. The books are clean and would be appropriate for young adults. :)

I have actually tried this, but our cruise does not show up. We leave from Whitter on June 28th on the Crown Princess sailing to Vancouver. I don't know if because it is coupled with the land tour it doesn't show up, or if I am doing something wrong (more likely). Any suggestions?

Doesn't look like the roll call is going yet. You can either keep checking or start it yourself! I think I read that only about 5% of passengers even know about cruise critic, so it's not too surprising.

It's definitely worth getting involved to some extent with the roll call. It's always nice to meet people, but we've learned so much from traveling with people that have lots of cruising experience. Almost all of our cruises are based on great stories we've heard about from our CC roll call members. We have traveled extensively by land, but cruising is much more "interactive"!:)

Start in Anchorage If you have time, rent a car and drive down the Seward Highway along Turnigan Arm. There are some nice pull offs and you might get lucky enough to time it for the Bore Tide! http://www.alaskascenes.com/turnagain.html

 

Talkeetna/ McKinley Princess Lodge If you can get away and do a tour, fine. If not, the lodge is fairly isolated. We saw a mother and baby moose, but were warned not to go out while they were there.

 

Denali 2 nights- nature tour already scheduled. Is this a good one? Definitely upgrade to the Tundra Wilderness Tour or you will feel like you're on a girl scout field trip!

 

Copper River 2 nights If you are going to take the train to whittier from here, take a picnic along with you.

 

Board Ship in Whittier

 

Skagway We did a great private tour with DYEA Dave http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60877-d1555401-Reviews-Dyea_Dave_Tours-Skagway_Alaska.html

Juneau

Ketchikan

end in Vancouver Try to get over to Granville Island

These are things that we did and enjoyed. Everyone's opinions are different, but it was a great trip! Happy Honeymoon and congratulations!:)