Blamar

Hi Folks - we just booked Jan 16 and Jan 23 on the Caribbean Princess.  And already I am looking up details and making packing lists.  Does anyone here know if the Caribbean Princess has a Thermal Pool as part of the Lotus Spa?

Just so we are talking the same terms, a thermal pool is the kind with really warm water, a bubble bench, hot rinse in pool showers, and jets.  

And if they do have a Thermal Pool, does anyone have an idea of how much they cost?

thanks a bunch,

Blake

Hi - First timer on Celebrity.  Since I have diabetes I am going to need a sharp's container for our room to hold my used needles and strips.  On other lines I just put in a comment when I registered but I haven't found a space for it yet.  Is this something I should call Celebrity about or just wait and tell the room steward?

Thanks

Blake

We are going to be spending a few days in Yokohama before the Celebrity Millennium  does a trans-Pacific in about a month.  I am starting to think of what kind of souvenirs would be good to bring back from Japan.  Any Suggestions for someone who won't have a lot of spare luggage space.  Nothing breakable since I am a klutz.

For those of you who are spending some extra time in Japan, are you considering getting a wi-fi hot box or a SIM card for your phone while you are there.  Our service provider in Canada will charge about $60 for our same data plan here.  But I am pretty sure that won't be enough for all the map searches and information gathering.  Not to mention streaming things while waiting around.

What do you do?

Thanks

We booked the Dream Station in Rome for a good price in November. It is a very funky looking bed and breakfast but its best feature is that it is just across the street from the main station in room. This should be good for coming from the airport a few days before the cruise and going to the port the day we sail.

If you do go into Tracy Arm Fjord - I would recommend getting off the ship and onto one of the sightseeing boats that take you close to the glaciers. The ship stays miles away and around the corner from all the good stuff. We did this our last Alaska cruise holiday and it was amazing.

Here are some pictures from Tracy Arm -

The last time we did a Hawaii cruise I was really amazed at how long the line ups were for the shuttle. And the shuttle just goes to Hilo Hatties and Wal-Mart in a part of Hilo that looks like anyplace USA. I was just planning our winter trip to the Big Island and came across this bit of information in the Hilo Farmer's Market web page. The Farmer's Market has a shuttle that will take you from the ship to the historic downtown market. Now I haven't done this - so if you have I would appreciate your opinion. Here is their web page, the only downside I can see is that you have to email them to let you know they are coming. http://www.hilofarmersmarket.com/frshfrcrsh.html

St. Petersburg has realized the value of tourism. We were there in May and it was an awesome time. CNN and FOX have painted a picture that doesn't quite resemble what is happening - at least not in the northern part of Russia. I really enjoyed our time there. But just to show how everyone is different - we were equally impressed with Stockholm and really impressed with Copenhagen. Tallinn was an outstanding bore - maybe because we were on a Sunday. But as it is with any foreign travels, I believe people should travel only within their limits of comfort. If you are adventuresome cool. Remember it is your vacation and you should be comfortable and feel safe.

We were there last month and the first day was so hot I wish I wore shorts and the second day was so cold I wished I had a parka. Basically I made it through with long light pants and a golf shirt. Marla work blue jeans and a nice sweater. The sweater go way too hot when we were in the Hermitage. We never ran into the 'cover your head' scenario but she had a scarf just in case. No matter what you wear you will still look like a tourist - so just enjoy yourself and be comfortable.

One thing about touring St. Petersburg - it is a long hard pair of days - above all dress comfortable.

Have fun.

We recently returned from the Eurodam's Baltic Sea cruise and yes I did try to dress like a local for the times we did our pre- and post- cruise stays in Copenhagen. It really doesn't work. People can spot you a mile off because you are the one looking about going "Oh Wow" or "how cool is that." So I changed my approach. I wear what is comfortable. It some places it was too hot to dress European. In fact, many of the Europeans were dressing more like North Americans to cope with the temperature.

One of the reasons we were our Canadian badges on our bags or lapels is because we found we get treated better when we identify ourselves as Canadians. Also, we are less inviting to pick pockets and scammers because it is believed that the Americans are the ones with the money.

Lastly, a new trend is happening in Denmark and Sweden. It is very popular for young men to wear MLB caps. Doesn't matter what team and they do wear them the right way around.

Like Trucker Dave said you will meet many more people from other countries and most likely will not have such a strong United States influence. Not as much on the ship as in the cities you will visit. An example of this is you will see different flags to designate what language is spoken and usually for English it will be the Union Jack of England instead of seeing the Stars and Stripes. But English will do you fine on the ships and in the ports. We recently returned from the Eurodam and barely got time to practice Danish, German or Russian.

The other thing you may find is that these are port intensive trips that can be pretty exhausting. There is a lot to see and not much time to rest and recoup. We found that we took most of our time in Helsinki off so that we could recover from our two days of touring St. Petersburg.

It is an awesome area to cruise. Have fun.

I am sure there is a thread here but I couldn't find it. Here is my thought - We are off in a couple months on a 12 night Baltic. I really don't want to take a lot of luggage. Does anyone have any tips for packing enough for a cruise, with formal nights, in two carry ons?

It would be simple if it were the caribbean but we need a little bulkier wear.

Thanks,

Blake

My challenge with booking with a travel agent is that once we get a good TA - they leave. So it is hard to build a relationship with a real life TA. I haven't tried with an online TA, maybe next time. But I have such a bad taste from all the other TA's who were more interested in doing something to get a bigger commission than they were in helping up. the other real con I don't like about travel agents is that if I have a question I can call the company and usually get an answer, but with a travel agent - they are on their day off, can't get back in a short amount of time, or sometimes not at all. We lost out on a great cruise that way.

I am sure if we had a commitment of more than 4 or 5 cruises a year we may get better service, but that doesn't conform to cruising once every couple of years.

We went on a Princess cruise from Seattle last year and didn't want to spend a lot on hotels so we ended up staying at the Homewood Suites Seattle Convention Center Pike Street location. I got a great deal on Priceline. The hotel had a breakfast, good location and nice atmosphere. We would stay there again.

We used it as a home base for shopping. Caught a $10 cab ride to see a the Mariners lose a ball game at Safeco field. And it was only about $20 for a cab to the Princess dock (the same ones that Holland America uses).

Alaska is a wonderful holiday have a great time.

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotel_Review-g60878-d1174533-Reviews-Homewood_Suites_Seattle_Convention_Center_Pike_Street-Seattle_Washington.html

thanks for the corrections.

I have been travelling on HAL since I was in my 30's. I much prefer the people there and find their lives and stories very interesting. I am more likely the type to enjoy reading and finding a nice quiet spot than playing games out on the decks. I think a lot depends as well on where you are going. A three or four day party on a trip to Mexico is way different then a week going to Alaska.

If you totally remove the 1st day from the cruise and the disembarkation, you still get 6 full days.

A seven day cruise works like this unless I am missing something.

Day 1 - check in sometime in the afternoon, get settled and await luggage (Partial Day)

Day 2 - Full cruise day (1)

Day 3 - Full cruise day (2)

Day 4 - Full cruise day (3)

Day 5 - Full cruise day (4)

Day 6 - Full cruise day Pack everything up (5)

Day 7 - Check out before or after breakfast (Partial day)

One of my main pleasures of taking a cruise is to relax. It is unfortunate on a seven day cruise that the first day is occupied with the checking in process, waiting for luggage, unpacking and getting settled. The last day is basically get your stuff and go before breakfast. so it is really a five day cruise. to have those days compromised by trying to race to the ship is unthinkable. So I would also add, change your plans, or someone else's plans, to get there a day early and enjoy your trip.

For those of you who made the trip, How is the train from Tivoli to the airport with luggage? We travel with two regular cases and a day bag each. Would that be awkward?

You are absolutely right about phone cards. They were a good thing ages ago but I agree that they are not as relevant now as they once were. I think I will stick with giving cash.

the best non-cash we ever left a person on a cruise ship was an international phone card. We gave out three on one trip, one to the room steward, one to our waiter, and one to our maitre'd (they were very helpful). They really appreciated the gifts and a chance to call home.

Opps, copied and pasted wrong. This should be the golden princess not the star.

Here are scans of the Princess Patters from the Golden Princess Alaska Voyage May 26 - Jun 1. We left the ship in Victoria, so I didn't get the departure day Patter for June 2. Sorry, I didn't get any dinner menus - but the meals were pretty good.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56705607@N00/sets/72157634191285515/with/9074673822/

and if you want to see a whole bunch of Alaska cruise pictures - you can see them at

And if you look around a bit more there are even more pictures of each day of the trip.

I would suggest buying something authentic that helps support the Alaskan Economy. So look for artists and local craftsman before you would buy anything from a mainstream tourist store. And check those stores for the items, many from Victoria to Juneau will be made in Korea or China.

Remember if you are bringing back an ulu that is has to be carried in your packed luggage an not as part of your carry on. We saw a whole bunch of them being confiscated at the TSA in Vancouver.

Radisson Hotel at LAX for early march at $67 per night.

Good location for a very early flight.