shamda

Any suggestions for finding a nice quiet beach or spot on St. Thomas to get away from the crowds? We went to St. Johns last time we were there. Not really into going there again. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

15% rake with max of $8

That's crazy! I was watching last year when I was on the Crown. There was a great deal of table talk about the current hands which of course is not allowed. No supervision at all. I also do not trust the machines. Many crazy hands with large pots which of course means larger rakes.

The last time we sailed on the Crown they had the tumblers waiting for us in our cabin.

I looked for the answer but couldn't find it. We are going to preorder and pay for as much as we can before we board. The Ultimate Soda Package comes with a souvenir tumbler. Last time we purchased it on the ship. How do we get the tumbler. Hubby drinks the soda but I drink my water from the tumbler and I love it! Do they leave it in our cabin? Thanks for any help you can give.

 

Wendy:)

How does this trip compare to the one that Captain Bob does? Which is better?

I used to enjoy the roll calls and meet and greets until I sailed on the Allure of the Seas a couple of years ago. A group here called the Critters or something like that just took over everything. If you were not a Critter you did not count. That was it for me. No more. They had self appointed officers. The captain or whatever she called herself wore captains stripes all week long showing off that she was in charge. Who needs that? They totally took over the meet and greet and even had presentations of gifts to one another excluding everyone else. Never felt so excluded. I thought the point of roll calls and meet and greets was to get to know fellow passengers. Never again. I would think many of the roll calls are not as active for the same reason.

I have been a member of CC for the last 10 years and have been on many roll calls as we are frequent cruisers. I am on two roll calls at this time. One, on the Emerald Princess, is what I would describe as a healthy roll call. There is even participation from all and we now have over 100 members. No one dominates this roll call.

 

The second, which is on another cruise line, is a disaster. It was started by a small group that traveled together recently. They dominate the roll call. They respond to each other but rarely to those outside of their group. And now they are beginning to wonder why no one but them is posting!

 

It disturbs me when one takes over as the self appointed leader, that is not what I want from a group. I like even give and take from all.

We took a 7-day cruise in the Caribbean 10 years ago this time of the year. Never again! The demographic on the ship was a very rude demographic from a certain region of the U.S. It was just as you described, people bumping into you and not saying sorry. Hostile people, too. One lady kicked me off my slot machine. Yes, think Maxine from the Hallmark greeting card. True. People pretending like they didn't know any better, wandering to the front of the tender line while others had been waiting for quite awhile. Oh, yeah, it was a hoot and a holler on that cruise. LOL

Nope, I would never ever sail on a Caribbean cruise in pre-Thanksgiving months in November or the first 2 weeks in December, and for that matter, all of January. The April sailings have been great though.

I fail to see how one time of the year favors any demographic more than others. What region are you speaking of?

I was reading one of the Patters that someone posted on this board and saw that there was a Texas Holdem Tournament scheduled in the casino. I understand that the poker is played using the poker pro virtual dealer machines. Does anyone know what the details of these tournaments are? Blind levels and lengths? Rebuys allowed? Anyone have any experience playing these tournaments? I have also seen these tables in the past and the cards are not exactly dealt on a random basis. Crazy hands that result in lots of action. Interested to hear from anyone that has played.

Thanks for posting the Patters. I noticed they have Texas Holdem tournaments in the casino. Do you know if they use real dealers or do they have the machines?

I think you will enjoy Princess Cays. We always it back and let the crowd disembark, then we get off. We normally don't eat at the buffet they have. I t looks great, but after breakfast were normally not hungry. we rent a litt bungalow and Just play in the water and relax. If you don't want to get ff the ship it is a good day to visit the spa , or have the ship to yourself. I have cruised Carnival 5 times. My last 4 cruises have been Princess, and we are sailing on the Crown in two weeks. I love feeling like I am on a ship and not in a Mall. We have always had very good experiences with the staff and the food as lays been very good.

I have been on the Allure. I have also been on the Dream, X Solstice and Equinox. Last year we tried the NCL Epic. We have been cruising since 1988. Like many others we do not like all the changes that have happened to cruising over the years. I agree with your statement about feeling like you are in a mall. I am not a fan of these big mega ships. I have no interest in sailing on the Royal. We are going on the Crown. Looking forward to a more traditional cruise. We loved the Solstice and Equinox. Did not like the Epic. I want to feel like I am on a cruise, not in Disney World. We were on the Grand Princess 12 years ago and figured we would give princess another go.

I am enjoying this thread very much. Thanks so much for sharing with us. I am doing the same trip on the Crown 11/30/13. Been thinking of reserving the sanctuary for the week but not sure it is worth the price. I am a bit confused as to what comes with the fee. You mentioned that they will get you food and drinks. I understand there is a $3 charge for delivery. I assume there is a charge for the drinks? What kind of drinks are included and what drinks carry a charge? What kind of foods are on the menu? Will they bring you foods that are not on the menu?

Great review so far! A couple of questions for you. Who was the headliner on your cruise? Also, did you try the cupcakes? If so, are they as good as they are cracked up to be?

Wow, what a great review and such enjoyable pictures. You certainly have a beautiful family and it looks like everyone had such a great time! I am sure your kids will remember this trip fondly for a long long time. Thanks again!