5326jan

Chicos always has a variety of things on sale. If you buy something and within a couple weeks it gets reduced, you can be credited the difference.

I'd say my wardrobe is 50% Chicos with some Coldwater Creek and Lands End making up another 40%. Impulse buys make up the remaining 10% and I realize that those are the things I hardly ever wear. :rolleyes: I rarely buy things ONLY for a cruise, but I do fill in bits and pieces if I have a cruise coming up. Our next cruise is going to be cold, so I'm getting a few pieces (coat, hat and gloves) that are on sale now. :)

This is like Deja vu all over again!!!:D Looking forward to your live!

If you're including yachts ... there was a movie with Kurt Russell and Martin Short ... Short was some kind of uptight executive who wanted to take his family on a vacation ... rented a yacht with Kurt Russell as the drunken, eye-patched captain ... I don't remember too much about it, except that there were some pirates and some flirting between the wife & the Cap'n. And there were lots of beautiful views of the Caribbean!

 

This is one of the best threads ever!

That one was Captain Ron. There was another with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell which was called Overboard. Slap stick, but I always love Goldie Hawn movies. :D

Looking forward to "seeing you" in a couple of weeks, on your live from the Emerald! :)

We happened to be at a resort one time when there were some girls swimming in long dark dresses. It occurred to us that they were probably of a very conservative religion that forbade them from wearing a bathing suit. After the initial whispers, no one paid attention and the girls had a great time.

The key is to have a great time!!!:)

Just as an aside, if you arrange a tour at a tender port, you'll have to wait in line behind the ship's tours and elites before your group can get on a tender.

We try to meet in an area near bathrooms/coffee and all walk out together. I agree with cruisemom. Max your tours at 8. Call or leave a note for everyone the night before in their cabins to remind of cost, meeting place and time, what-if anything- they need to bring.

When I arrange a tour, the cost is evenly split between the participants and everyone knows up front that they are responsible for tipping based on their degree of satisfaction. I may think a tour is great, that you don't like. Also, different cultures/nationalities have differing opinions and customs regarding tipping. I don't want to impose my tipping customs on anyone else. Make sure to clearly state what currency the payment is to be made.

We usually pay our shares individually with the tip, but one time (not on a tour I arranged, but participated in), someone shorted the guide about 50% of the cost. When the guide counted it out, there wasn't enough even with peoples tips included. Everyone said how much they gave and it was obvious who didn't pay correctly, although they denied it. We all chipped in more, but the guide was shafted and all we could do was remember the names of the member and never include them again. BAD FORM!!! :rolleyes: (BTW, this was one of the best tours we've ever been on anywhere!!!)

In spite of a few mishaps, it is definitely worth it to do small tours with an experienced, reputable guide. You'll get to the attraction before the 40+ passenger bus is even loaded. If you're lucky, you'll stay ahead of the buses the whole day. The driver may be able to drop you and your guide at a site and go somewhere to park, rather than parking far away and walking. Small vehicles have def advantages.

We use the Purex 3 in 1, but pull off the fabric softener strip. I discovered that it would leave spots on some of the clothes. They aren't permanent stains, but more like an over saturation. Once the package I have is gone, I'll use the pods and dryer sheet or the wash cloth soaked in tide method.

I don't mind doing laundry on vacation. I'd rather do it myself and know what can go into the dryer, etc.

My very first cruise was 7 months ago. I was hooked. Already took a second one last November.

 

My first cruise was Med/Greek Islands so I think I created too high expectations for myself! Because my last cruise was Cozumel/Grand Cayman and it wasn't nearly as enjoyable.

 

I am cruising again this June to Alaska.

 

I think I am hooked on "Extreme Cruising" as I like to call it. The Caribbean just won't do. My list includes:

 

Antarctica

British Isles

Transatlantic

and I'm sure I'll be adding other exotic locations as I research!

 

So cool to read a outs others lists - gives me some great places to research!

 

 

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I agree. We only go to the Caribbean for an "emergency" getaway and don't even feel the need to get off the ship. We really like going to more exotic or interesting destinations and the smaller the ship the better! :) Black Sea ports (Turkey, Yalta, Koper, Venice) Panama Canal and Greece have been our favorites so far.

I don't know if we're allowed to mention the name here. :confused: I use the one that shows up if you Google cruise price drop. It's a dot net site. Always get the alerts, but you do have to pay a very small price for them.

I take kindle and charger, change of clothes, meds, jewelry and some kind of snack like peanut butter crackers, mints, etc. :)

We use a regular size shoe holder from Target, but cut it in half lengthwise so that it's about the width of the door, but only about 30" tall. That still gives us about 8-12 slots, which is plenty. :)

Hi

 

Apologies for the late reply - I have only just seen your question. All the supermarkets in the UK (Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's etc) have their own brand boxed wine which is variable in quality but very reasonably priced. The chardonnay is usually the best and of decent quality so you may want to gamble!

 

Hardy's and Banrock Station are probably the two most readily available Australian boxed wines that you can find in any of the supermarkets in the UK and are very similar. The Hardy's is marginally nicer in my opinion, but of course it's all very subjective. They are generally very popular though. They will cost you around £19 for 3l but sometimes have special offers on. The Hardy's chardonnay is my favourite

 

Other brands are Kumala and Namaqua - they are South African and not as popular (or as nice in my opinion) as the Hardy's and Banrock station

 

You will find there is a lot less choice in boxed wine than by the bottle in the UK but the ones I've mentioned above are perfectly enjoyable for a glass or two on the balcony :D No doubt some would disagree but like you, I'm not a connoisseur - I also prefer the convenience

 

I hope you enjoy your trip across to this side of the pond :)

Thanks for the feedback! We also have Hardys and Banrock. You know what that means? RESEARCH!!! :D I'll let you know the results of my study! ;)

Betting she continues on with this thread.

Check out the title of this thread - Jan 13-23, 2014

 

Pia & Mike - Happy Turn Around Day

Sometimes I embarrass myself. :o:rolleyes::p

Congrats!! Will you start new live or continue here? Looking forward to next leg.

Thanks for the jacket tips everyone! I'll check them out.:)

Waterproof/resistant coat with removable liner to wear in Fjords and Arctic Circle. Something long enough to cover my rear end. I have jackets that I wear here, but my rain coat isn't big enough to wear with fleece under and my warm coat is not waterproof. Don't want to spend $300 for North Face 3 in 1, we just don't get that cold here.

I choose anything over the comedian!:rolleyes::)

Does the "secret" to having a flatter stomach involve avoiding the pizzeria?:eek:

We have a portable DVD player that we bring on every cruise. It's about the size of a kindle (a little thicker), plugs into the tv using rca cables. :)

Great pictures!!! The tv is on a little pull out shelf and can be rotated for the best angle for where you are. I like it because it's easy to get to the input jacks on the back. We take a portable DVD player with us on long cruises. :)

Maybe we should all add an air horn to our packing lists!!! We could use the duct tape to tape it to the balcony wall for just such an occasion! :D

Wow!!! A suite!! That's awesome!

I take it Mike won't have to hunt down polo shirts for this cruise, since you've done it so many times! ;)

Have a great cruise and thanks for doing the live. :)

** I'm glad Wehwalt was rescued! He's on our roll call for Midnight Sun and I'm looking forward to meeting him!

If you're looking for an entertaining outing, http://www.sunseekertours.us/ has a great tour of the Hollywood/LA area. They picked us up at the San Pedro port, put our luggage in the 15 passenger bus and toured us around all day. Around 4:30, they dropped us at our LAX hotel and others to the airport terminals. It was a fantastic day tour! :)

Agree that Chicos Zenergy are the best. A few years ago they had a knit cargo style (black) that has a zipper pocket on the leg, they pull on and are thicker Ponte type fabric. I bought two pair and I wear them more than anything I have in my wardrobe.

I also have ...and love ...the Lands End Starfish pants and capris, but they're more casual feeling fabric and I don't generally use them for more than lounging or a trip to the grocery store.

Does anyone know if it still has inputs for RCA cables? We bring a portable DVD on all our cruises for those evenings that we're too tired to go out.

On Caribbean and Island in 2013 the cost to wash was $2 and to dry was $2. I think that was true on the others we've been on too, but I can't recall. We also take our own detergent and dryer sheets. :)