5326jan
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We've decided to try a 6 day cruise and are looking at Carnival Freedom's western route, with stops in Key West, Cayman Island and Ocho Rios. Taking the city tram in Key West looks interesting and from all the comments I've read about Ocho Rios, I'm thinking of taking advantage of any Spa specials on that day. Any suggestions on what to do in Cayman would be greatly appreciated.
The TA we're using does have cruise experience, and I'm comfy with that.
We're definately flying in the day before and out the day after. Does anyone have any recommendations on a motel in the Ft Lauderdale area that offers shuttle to/from the airport and port? Also one that is within walking distance to a Wal-Mart/Walgreens/K-Mart/Beverage store?
The 4 of us have traveled together quite a bit. We always share a room. We spent 10 days together 2 years ago on a Vegas/Charlotte vacation and sharing a room was part of the fun. As I mentioned in another post, we're looking at both sharing a stateroom and getting connecting rooms. It will boil down to the cost.
I'm SO glad I found this site...what a wealth of knowledge it offers. I've got to admit...I'm addicted!
Y'all have a GREAT day!
~TnDeb
The Embassy Suites is just in front of a shopping center that has a Publix grocery store and a Total Wine store that has an excellent selection of wines, beers and liquor. Their prices are better than the grocery prices. There is a Walgreens just down the street and plenty of other shopping in easy walking distance. You can also walk down to the pier the afternoon before your cruise and watch other ships' sail aways! There is a shuttle, but a taxi will cost you less if you can fit your stuff in and it's much faster than waiting for everyone to load their stuff into a bus.
The ES has a 2 room suite with kitchenette and they have a free managers cocktail hour with mixed drinks, beer and wine and snacks. There is also a full breakfast included in the rate.
http://www.hilton.com/search/es/us/fl/fort_lauderdale/fll?WT.srch=1
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I recently spent 21 days in Europe (14 on a cruise) with a roll aboard and a tote, so I think I can offer some great practical advice.
First, settle on one neutral. For me it was black.
Everything you bring must match at least two other things, or it stays home.
Rely on your small, easy to pack accessories for your color.
Remember that you aren't going to the North Pole, they do sell things in Europe.
Here's what I took...
BOTTOMS
One pair of tan cotton crop (not capri!) slacks
One pair of black cotton crop (not capri!) slacks
FYI, these are the pants, I live in them--have six pair that range from six to 12 years old and still look new. As long as you take them out of the dryer right away, the most they need is a little Downy Wrinkle Release.
Two "broomstick" skirts, one solid black, one black & white patterned
One black knit skirt like this
One pair of black stretch crepe knit pants
One pair black shorts
One Pair tan shorts
TOPS
One white cotton fitted tee (not an undershirt, but a nice fitted womens t shirt)
One white cotton blouse with black embroidered design
One white cotton tank with an embroidered/beaded embellishment
One black cotton fitted tee (not an undershirt, but a nice fitted womens t shirt)
One fuscia cotton fitted tee (not an undershirt, but a nice fitted womens t shirt) Wore on plane
One black knit tank top with a beaded embellishment
One black silk knit ballerina necked tee
very similar to this
One long sleeved black silk knit top similar to the one just above
One black & white polka-dot sleeveless dressy top
One very lightweight open weave white hooded fine gauge linen knit sweater
One black cotton open weave sweater (wore on plane)
SHOES
One pair of hybrid athletic style sandal with closed toe
One pair of black and bronze Clark's thong style sandals that are comfortable for me to walk in all day (Verified several times prior to cruise!)
One pair of black and blinged dressier style flat sandals
These weren't them but not too far off
One other pair of completely flat sandals that I couldn't bear to not take with me but didn't really need. ;) I did wear them around the ship during the day, but the Clarkes would have worked just as well.
ACCESSORIES
Three "statement" necklaces and a diamond solitaire
One chunky bracelet
Half a dozen pair of earrings that ranged from simple studs to larger dangles
Two colorful scarves (one was a large silk square that folded into nothing and was useful to cover shoulders/head when going into churches/temples--I acquired two more while in Europe ;) )
One foldable straw sunhat (an absolute necessity!)
Sunglasses
Three pair below the ankle length socks to wear on the plane and with the athletic sandals (I tried them a few times at home before I left and realized the bottoms gave me hot spots, so as dorky as it looked, I went with the socks)
Four bras--two tan, one white, one black--one was on me on the plane
Four pair of panties, all tan--one was on me on the plane
Two cotton cami style tops to wear to bed
One small crossbody bag
One bathing suit
Large pashmina--used as blanket on plane and wrap several times when it was chilly in the dining room, on deck in the evening, and even on the overcast/rainy day we spent in Venice where there was a chill in the air.
One pair black yoga pants (wore on plane)
That was it for clothing. Really and seriously. I hand washed bras and silk knits as I wore them and drip dried. The rest I sent out for laundering as needed. The skirts were as cool as the shorts, but when went to Pompeii and the Acropolis I was glad that I had shorts just for ease of movement over very uneven ground.
OTHER
Makeup bag (mine isn't overloaded with "what if stuff" but rather has only the things I use every week)
3-1-1 bag which included: Sample packet of Shampoo and conditioner to get me through the first day, small bottle of makeup remover, small tube of face cream, small tube of handcream, 2 ounce bottle of body oil (I used the last drops on our last day), travel size hair cream, travel size hairspray, 2 ounce face wash (was more than enough), 3 ounce bottle of Downy Wrinkle Release, .25 ounce spray freshener from Yankee Candle, 2 ounce SPF 15 sunscreen I got as a sample
Other toiletries: Q-Tips (I like the real deal and they take no packing space), deodorant,
hairbrush, razor, nail clippers, tweezers, mini shower pouf
Prescription medications in original bottles
Small Zip Lock with packets of Immodium, Zantac, Advil, 3 days of DayQuil/NyQuil caplets, Neosporin gel packets and a few BandAids of varying sizes.
Mini umbrella
Camera and charger and memory cards
iPhone and charger
Netbook--never used and wouldn't take again, I used the iPhone daily though
Magazines which were given to others or recycled as I read them
When I got to Europe I bought a larger can of hairspray, and we ultimately needed to buy some cold medication and cough drops for my husband. I found the soap, shampoo, conditioner, bath gel, and hand cream provided by our hotels and the cruise to be of high quality, so I used them. My husband likes a certain brand of soap and brought a bar with him, but he used the supplied shampoo and hand cream.
I also bought a blouse I liked, a Murano glass necklace and earring set, and a couple more scarves, but they were all very lightweight and took no room to pack on the way home.
I packed in a 20" (wheels to handle) Tumi roll on and a duffel style tote by Kipling (half of the tote was filled with the large, professional model DSLR that I brought). I also took my neck pillow which I did use on the plane. I hung it off the strap on the tote when in transport.
When choosing souvenirs we were very careful to choose very small, lightweight, non-fragile items.
We didn't have formal nights, if we did I would have brought a long black silk skirt and a dressy top, I could have fit it in.
Please ask if you have any questions, I hope this helps.
Edited to add:
Two other things I brought were a handful of Ziplocks in varying sizes. I can't remember what we used them for, but we definitely used some of them. They are a staple in my suitcase. I also brought my aluminum water bottle. I ditched the plastic a couple of years ago and never looked back. Particularly in Rome the water is clean, fresh pure. I filled my bottle in my hotel or on the ship each morning. Needed to refill at the ruins in Rome and the Acropolis, but the water fountains at both were safe. The water in Greece was OK but not as pure and amazing as the water in Rome.
I will never travel any other way than this again!
What brand are your pants? I like that they are side zip.
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How much wine are you allowed to bring. Is it one bottle per person?
On our last cruise we brought a Black Box and 3 bottles for 2 of us.
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This is one of my favorite websites of all times~ http://theviviennefiles.blogspot.com/ There are great mix and match ideas in there for all seasons and with the method she uses, you could easily do it. The only caveat is whether you need "appliances".... I have to take a lighted magnifying mirror or I can't see to put on makeup anymore. I need a flat iron and I like to take a dvd player to go to sleep. (DH snores, earphones and movie drown out the noise. :rolleyes:)
Before we needed "appliances", we went to Europe for a month in a carry on without any problems! :D
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Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!:eek:
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Candy is dandy. (But liquor is quicker. -- Odgen Nash)
Approved of the win very much. However, I bet if there is a third rose in his outfits the judges will pounce on him for it. I love how rather Zen and confident that dude is.
I would have put Dimitri's "beaded" dress in the top over Gunnar's. He made candy move. How cool is that?
Bottom three -- no problems there and no problem about the "aufed" person.
Even though I don't care for her looks, I am glad Buffi was saved. She's fun to watch. Bet the producers had a hand in that one.
Couldn't agree more with you about the bottom three!
I like Ven's cool demeanor, but enjoy the drama of some of the others. Gunnar is totally obnoxious, but its kinda fun to watch all the eye rolling.
I gave the blue and white dress (can't remember designer's name) a slight edge... just because there was so much more texture with all the different sizes and shapes of candy and those sharks were just TOO CUTE! :)
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I have several brands as well, Eagle Creek and Tumi are my favs. I have some cheaper ones I purchased at Target, those always get left behind and I should probably just throw them into the Goodwill bag so someone else can use them. I do have the advantage of my employee discount, so these things don't cost me as much, but I still try not to buy many, you don't really need more than 1-2 per suitcase. I even get them as promos from the managers meetings, we win them during sales contests...I have a bunch of them.
Just an FYI, if you are concerned about added weight from the cubes and folders, Eagle Creek carries a new line that is almost weightless now, called Specter:
I don't have any of them (yet) but they sell out like hotcakes when we get them in.
Along with too many cubes/folders, you should see my collection of luggage tags :rolleyes:, some are just too cute to pass up. And then there are the Vera Bradley cosmetic bags and the Kipling and Baggalini cross body bags...I have too much of all of it.
You should have a CC "yard" sale! :D
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I like to bundle fold outfits together in packing cubes so that I can just take out one cube and know that I'll have everything I need for that pre/post-cruise hotel stay, without having to completely rifle through my entire suitcase looking for everything. From underwear to pajamas and everything else I'll need for that period of time, one cube will contain those items. It's like a mini suitcase within a suitcase! :)
We have Eagle Creek, Rick Steves and some generic version. They are all just fine, but I like getting the sets of three sizes. We pack DH's dress shirts in the packing folder and they stay relatively wrinkle free. Otherwise, he just puts everything in a suitcase without much thought or organization. Not me!!! I LOVE being organized! Oh, and I'm not the one that went of vacation without underwear one time! :rolleyes:
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Thank you for the beautiful description of your trip! I hope that I can do it in the next few years! :)
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What "first class safaris" would she recommend. We are looking into an Africa trip. After having travelled with AMA I appreciate the quality of the trip and would like to have something like that for a trip to Africa.
We went on a land based trip to Africa several years ago. My favorite trip EVER!!! We flew into Johannesburg, spent the night in a B&B nearby, all arranged by our travel agent (based in Africa, not the US) and then flew to Kruger National Park in a small plane. We stayed at Tinga Private Game Reserve: http://www.tinga.co.za/ It was amazing!!!! We stayed in the Legends Lodge. All the pictures you see are amazing, but not even close to how amazing it is in real life! :D We saw everything. There were only 4 of us in our vehicle with a guide. You will feel like royalty, but not in a stuffy-formal way. Just really privileged to be experiencing what you are seeing and doing. Amazing.
If you are interested in my African contacts, email me at janandarno@gmail.com
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If you go 4 to a room, do NOT get a balcony. ...... . someone might get thown overboard.
On the Oasis, 16 ounce Coors Light was $6.04 which included tip. No deals on Coors Light.
Especially if alcohol is involved~:rolleyes:
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4 Adults + 1 bathroom = miserable :rolleyes:
4 Adults + 1 bathroom + noro virus on the ship = DISASTER!!! :eek:
I would never agree to this! Get two lowest category cabins. :)
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Reading this thread has been educational. Forewarned is forearmed. We will probably rent from Nathan.
It doesn't sound like these carts or the roads are in any worse shape than those I've experienced in parts of Mexico, Costa Rica or Columbia. If you can't fit a whole cinderblock or most of a car tire in the potholes, it's not a pothole by Baranquilla standards. If the cart has seats that are attached to the floor of the vehicle, it's nicer than what we rode in as missionaries in Santa Marta.
That's probably a wise decision. I think we have a tendency to visualize a scenario and if you are realistic that it's not going to be a perfect cart.... or in our case, any cart at all.... and just realize that you will hopefully have some kind of vehicle to explore an island that has a half of a mile of tourist industry and the rest is the "real life" of the island..for better or worse, you will be fine. If you think you are going to get a country club cart, to explore a beach resort with lots of shopping and restaurants and beautiful scenery, you will be disappointed. You will see the real lives of an island that completely depends on the ships coming in. It is an experience that we all should appreciate and remember that the few bucks we spend for a chair on the beach or a cart for the day is crucial income for the islanders. Just my editorial comment after a 2 month reflection.
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It worked well for us having a separate driver & guide. The monasteries are located on narrow twisting roads, have little parking and by mid morning were getting quite packed with many tour buses and cars jockeying for parking. With a separate driver we would get dropped off and picked-up right up front which made for minimal walking and no wasted time.
We were some of the first people off the ship and arrived at the monasteries before the crowds. They are not big and only some areas are accessible to tourists so unless you want to go into extreme detail each can be comfortably seen in half an hour. Some had almost no steps while others had quite a few so your time at each will vary considerably based on your athletic ability. I would try to get there as early as possible and plan 2 or 3 hours to see the monasteries then break for lunch before heading back to the ship. You can see more monasteries or take more time but by 1-2 in the afternoon the crowds were so thick it was killing my enjoyment and I was definitely in the mood for a quiet restaurant and a carafe of wine.
Pilot Dane was part of our group and I concur with his opinion! Get off the ship early and get to the site before the crowds! Plan on a couple of hours, followed by a carafe of wine and local food. Have fun!:D
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I also was wondering about the dogs chasing the cart......
What if the golf cart stalls and the dogs are right there??
Just my humble opinion, but I didn't think the dogs looked like a problem. Unless you're dragging meat from the back of it, I think you'll be fine!:D
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To the right of the pier.
We couldn't find a way to get there in the jeep. There is a manned gate at the pier parking lot and we were not allowed to come in. We only saw tour buses come and go. You have to walk just outside that gate to pick up the golf cart/ jeep. We even drove down a dirt road parallel to the parking lot and it was simply an access road to a bunch of salt ponds. Nothing worth seeing and it was smelly.
When you get off the ship you will be funneled into a little shopping area with duty free shops and tour guides. I think you veer off to the right to go to the shell beach. If you go hard left you will be in Margheritaville and the beach to the left. You can walk farther down the beach to Jacks Shack and on further to Governor's beach. You can also go out the gate and walk across a "field" to go to those places.
If you find shells on the beach, make sure the animal is gone and the shell is relatively clean or you will have quite a smelly mess in your cabin. We made that mistake with sand dollars we found one year. Smelled like someone died on our balcony!:eek:
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Thank you for the info - that is great to hear. Because this cabin is now classified as a BZ category and there are only a few on the ship, I was concerned but now I won't have to be. We also prefer the aft but thought we would book an oceanview for Alaska due to the cost, however, this category of balconies opened up to be the same as the oceanview so we thought we would switch.
I forgot the Horizon Court is forward on the Island/Coral so that will be a huge plus. Did you hear any noise from the Princess Theater since I understand that is a deck below.
Cookies and hot choc. sound wonderful!!!
Hi Cindy, I can't really speak to the Theater, ours was on the Baja deck, so we had cabins above and below.
Have you seen this site? We use it when booking a cabin on Island/Coral. http://mysite.verizon.net/res76zxu/princessbalconies/index.html
I also like this site. You have to join, but it has lots of pictures. http://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/Main/decks.php?ship=Island+Princess
Be sure to take advantage of the "secret door" at the front of the ship. It says authorized personnel, but our steward took us out there on the first day. It's really cold, but a great place for pictures on Glacier Bay day. If there's not one on the Emerald Deck, try Caribe or Baja.
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We were in B212 on Coral (identical twin sister) and liked the location. Normally we prefer aft, but the inside passage is so calm you will feel very little motion. I think the only time we felt movement was near Vancover.
It's an easy trip up to the Horizon Court. We liked hanging out in the aft covered pool. It was warm and at 3:30 the cookie lady would come around with a cart full of warm cookies! Bring an insulated mug with you, hot chocolate/coffee tastes really good when its cold out and the ships cups don't keep it warm for very long. :)
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The luggage transfers much faster than people do as long as its with the same airline. We also fly in a day early to avoid this type of stress. Are you flying through Atlanta?
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Jan, Thanks so much for the review of the island and the jeep.....AND for the personal note regarding the golf cart.
I think I have given up on the idea of a golf cart....doesn't sound like a good idea for our family of five :(
Even the Corolla would be tight, but from the sound of the roads, it might be safer than the jeep..ha! But it might be stuck and unable to go where a jeep could go...
sigh. Still can't decide what to do.....
Thanks again.....appreciate your coming back and letting us know!!
robin
Hi Robin. Dh and I are sitting at the airport on another adventure and I pulled up your reply. We decided that if we were to go to gt again we would rather spend our $95 on a water sport or at a bar than driving around the island. Other than the light house there was NOTHING worth seeing for more than a quick overview of the culture which would take all of 45-60 min to see. At any rate the beach was beautiful.Don't mean to be harsh about culture. It is at the mercy of mother nature and tourism. No industry to speak of and only potential for income is thru tourism and production of salt. It would be a hard life.
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Jan, Thanks so much for the review of the island and the jeep.....AND for the personal note regarding the golf cart.
I think I have given up on the idea of a golf cart....doesn't sound like a good idea for our family of five :(
Even the Corolla would be tight, but from the sound of the roads, it might be safer than the jeep..ha! But it might be stuck and unable to go where a jeep could go...
sigh. Still can't decide what to do.....
Thanks again.....appreciate your coming back and letting us know!!
robin
Hi Robin. Dh and I are sitting at the airport on another adventure and I pulled up your reply. We decided that if we were to go to gt again we would rather spend our $95 on a water sport or at a bar than driving around the island. Other than the light house there was NOTHING worth seeing for more than a quick overview of the culture which would take all of 45-60 min to see. At any rate the beach was beautiful.
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Hi Guys! I told you I would come back and write about my experience with Nathan's Golf Carts, so here I am! I just got back tonight from an amazing cruise on Ruby Princess. Nathan's Golf Carts was not among the highlights! :rolleyes:
First off, we arrived in Grand Turk at 1pm on March 16. I made reservations November 4, 2011.... they knew I was coming and I had paid. Carnival Glory was the other ship in port this day and they arrived earlier in the day. We walked through the port area and out the gate, looking for golf carts and see none. Someone from the back seat of a white sedan pops his head out when he hears me ask where I find Nathan's Golf Carts and grunts a greeting. The woman sitting in the front seat calls me over and says "We've got a problem. One of our golf carts broke down this morning, so all we have for you is a jeep." Our choice is take the jeep or walk back through the gate, not knowing if a refund was going to materialize. We took the jeep.
If you want to see the island, it's not a bad option. The problem is the roads are so bad and there is so little to see on the island that you are paying about $40/hour for the jeep. The gas fee is $15 now. We did drive to the end of the island and saw the light house, which is mildly interesting, we saw the water on all sides of the island and we got a taste of the life style of Grand Turk. There are a large number of stray donkeys on the island, so if you drive, take precautions when rounding corners!:eek:
All in all, I'd say that if you have any interest in the beach, choose that option. We did not enjoy our time on Grand Turk, but I'm not sure it would have been different if we had arrived and found a high end, brand new shiny golf cart waiting for us.
BTW, there is no downtown Grand Turk. There is an area called downtown that we drove by several times before we realized that it was downtown. There is a small.....very small....museum a post office and a town hall, but none that stand out as being important buildings. There is no shopping and we only saw two gas stations on the island... and saw no grocery stores. The Tru-Value Home improvement store seemed to be the most important building we saw.
As for the positives, we heard that the snorkeling at the wall was good!
PS, Robin- I saw a golf cart... don't know if it was Nathan's, but I seriously doubt that 5 would fit comfortably. It would be doable in the jeep, but tight. The roads are so pot holed, that it was a challenge to stay in the seat of the jeep with a seat belt on! I'm shocked that the cruise lines go here except for the fact that the beach and water are beautiful.
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Thanks so much for coming back and letting us know the latest about the golf carts. Maybe it was just a disgruntled "customer" who stirred things up on here.....
When I emailed Nathan about reserving for our family of five, he "thought" we could fit, as he has seen five people get on the carts before.....
I didn't go further with our reservation because it was about that time the negative reviews began showing up.
I also really wondered IF all five of us could handle being on the golf cart.
Three of us are fairly tall - 6'2'. 6'1', 5'11', and then two 5'6". Two nice-sized men, two thin ladies (one OLD, one very young), one teen boy.
So, whaddya think? Could we easily fit, or would we be squished beyond recognition? (and have no room for beach bags and such)??
thanks:cool:
We'll be there next week. :D I can give you my opinion when we get back.
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Thank you Maniac for remembering to come back and let us know. :D We leave in two weeks and I'm so happy to hear that it's a good day. Were there other ships there on the day that you rented?
Project Runway?
in Cruise Fashions & Beauty
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I thought he looked like Squiggy from Lavern and Shirley! :D But, yes, I can see Eddie Munster too.
I think the Ukrainian girl creates a hostile work environment and should go soon, so that they can all work in peace and quiet! :rolleyes: