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[quote name='Life is Good Cruising']We try to always eat the local food in many of the ports in the Caribbean, especially the seafood. At times, we will even ask, where do the locals eat, we did that a lot in Europe. We never once got sick in the Caribbean and the food has been quite good at many of the places we have tried. I also read the restaurant reviews on Trip Advisor, which helps a lot. We have eaten many times in Cozumel, again, never got sick once.

St. Kitts, ate on Frigate Bay Beach (delicious fish tacos) and on Carambola Beach, both times, had very good food.

St Martin, one of our favorite places to visit and eat is on the French side in both Marigot and in Grand Case. They say Grand Case is the Gourmet Capital of the Caribbean. You'll see a lot of LOLO's there, which means, Locally Owned, Locally Operated. These lolo places are not fancy at all, they look like Tiki huts, but the food is very fresh and good. Also had lunch at the Marina in Marigot several times, food very good.
Eaten many time on the Dutch side, both in town, Philipsburg and on the beach @ Maho, never had a problem.

Antigua, ate at a restaurant within walking distance of the ship, don't remember the name of it but the food was good.

Grand Caymen and Aruba, ate @ hotels and it's been years since we have been there. Never been to the BVI. As far Jamaica, ate there many years ago to even remember and as far as Bahamas, only ate @ the Atlantis.

Many years ago, we did get sick once in both Ixtapa and in Playa del Carmen, but it would not stop us from eating there or in Mexico again. Went to St Croix but did not eat on the island.

If you can do a little research on places to eat in the ports you will visit, you'll be fine.[/QUOTE]


Thank you very much!!!


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[quote name='Pomperaugrr']It has been my experience that sufficient quantities of tequila mixed with ice will ward off most ills.

I have never had any problem with food or water related illnesses in Mexico or on Caribbean islands. Use common sense though. Most tourist areas you visit will not be a real problem. Remember that Cozumel is an island and is not part of the mainland.

Eric[/QUOTE]




The one & ONLY time I braved it while in Cozumel, we ate at Pancho's Backyard (within the cruise terminal area) right before boarding the (Carnival) ship....

My hubby & I had a couple of Margaritas & shared a couple of appitizers...... That night, within hours of each other... You guessed it.... Both of us sick! Spent our last day at sea sick as dogs....

Who knows? Maybe we got it on the ship? Just a coincidence... IDK....

But my question is not about eating in Mexico ...... It's about the other Caribbean Islands....


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[quote name='cb at sea']It's really just Mexico....your other ports will be ok. Mexico has NO water standards...so you don't want to drink unbottled water or use ice (since it could be made with "raw" water) or eat fresh fruits or veggies that might have been washed in "raw" water....stick to cooked foods and bottled/canned drinks, and you're fine.



That said, anyone can become sick or queasy from food they aren't used to...might not be "bad" food, but just different food![/QUOTE]


Yes, that is what I had heard about Mexico & never eat there. Even in the terminal areas. I know it's supposed to be safe.... But I am just freaky that way. Take no chances!

But with all the upcoming adventures we have on the various islands, I thought I'd throw the question out there.... To be safe. :-)

Thanks!



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On our balcony on the Navigator, it appeared that technically the dividers could open, just not sure if it is actually permitted. It was just my husband and I that cruise, so we didn't think to ask about it.

 

We were on the Navigator in Feb. Our cabin was on the hump, in the middle of my mom & our friends cabins...our steward asked his supervisor if we could open the dividers & it was ok'd.

 

That said...they didn't latch very good (and began to swing & bang with the high winds we had & actually our friends opened right in front of their cabin door, so it was a bit more trouble than it was worth for them.

 

When we were docked in port, it was great!

 

Once opened by the steward & you change your mind, you have to ask them to relock it. You can't do it yourself, unless you are very handy like our friend was....

 

When we sailed on a HAL ship, the dividers opened up flat against the stationary part of the divider & latched tightly. Those were great. Royal's don't lay flat...and they take up some space from your balcony, making it smaller than it already is.

 

Hope that helps/

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="2"][COLOR="Blue"]I tried to find a topic on this, but was unable to. So, posting my question here....

They say to be careful about eating local foods & to not drink the water while in Mexico.

But what about the other countries in the Caribbean? We're going to Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Bahamas, Aruba, Antigua, St Kitts, BVI, and many more on the next four cruises we have booked......... I'd like to know if it's safe to eat what the locals eat in these places & why you shouldn't in Mexico. ???? Confused. :confused:

Thanks in advance for your valued input. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

Battery powered, motion detector night lights. One for the cabin & one for the bathroom. It's really dark in there. LESS CLOTHES........ after 8 cruises, I STILL bring too many!! I wear a swim suit & cover up most days & casual clothes for dinner/shows at night. That's all you need...... period. :D Yeah......... I'll TRY to remember that come October. :rolleyes:

Put a second ship in Galveston and get more creative with itineraries:)

 

 

AGREE!!!

 

 

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Agree, I wouldn't be surprised if they dropped NOLA. It was just like the West Coast, people jump up and down for a ship and then when they have a ship they don't buy resulting in deep discounting.

 

 

Well! If this comes true, it's a good thing we're sailing from NOLA on the Serenade in Jan!! :-)

 

 

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This is what we did...scored JS 1100 on Serenade for March 2016. We love that cabin and balcony! I wanted to see if the cruises from San Juan either on Jewel or Navigator could compare to the Serenade for pricing. I guess I will try and be patient and wait another week or two or three :rolleyes:

 

 

We have that balcony on the Serenande Jan 15 out of NOLA!! So excited!!

 

 

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Nobody has to check schedules daily. They can do exactly what Disney does. They issue a twitter and Facebook post on a Monday stating that on Tuesday itineraries will be announced, Gold & Platinum can book Wednesday with everyone else Thursday. No need to keep checking RCCL's site.

 

 

You're right! I just look here.... ;-)

 

 

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If we didn't have any dates, we'd have to keep checking the site daily to see when the itineraries we're interested in get posted. Hmmm....how is this different from what we're doing now?

 

This is kind of like saying - it's going to rain this month. How is that helpful? I have no better clue as to which day I should carry my umbrella.

 

 

Well, at least the dates provided let us know when to START looking for them, hence we didn't have to start looking in Jan!

 

And yes.... It IS a courtesy, given to us by ALL lines.... They don't HAVE to provide us with this & can take it away at any time....

 

It is what it is & all the itineries will be released when they are released.... Nothing any of us can do about that.

 

 

 

 

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Disagree. I think people expect Royal to adhere to the days they publish. Nobody is holding a gun to their heads telling them to release dates! I think that's an inherently reasonable expectation. If there's a reasonable prospect that Royal will not be able to live up to the dates they release -- especially now that we're at the second iteration of dates that we were expecting Quantum Summer '15 -- perhaps they should not release any specific dates at all and should just say "TBA" or "Coming soon!"

 

 

If we keep on complaining so much about RC not living up to the dates they gave, which is a courtesy to us....They MAY just not publish the dates in the future. Then what? We all have to go to the site daily until the ones we are looking for are loaded! At least they are giving us a timeframe.... Kinda. Beats looking on the site daily beginning in January! :)

 

 

 

 

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For you guys all planning to sail on Serenade out of NOLA next year, I do recommend you try to spend a few days in NOLA, if you've never been there. It is one fun city to visit, and there is so much to see and do! We had a total of 5 days there, and still didn't see everything--but we came darn close;):D

 

 

Been there before.... Way before Katrina. We're going in three days early & MAY stay a few on return. Can't wait!

 

 

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Thanks for the review. DH and I will be on Serenade in 2016. The itinerary is different, but I enjoy reading anything I can about this ship.

 

Ahhh! I see we'll be sailing on the same cruise in 2016! We are doing a B2B Feb 26th & Mar 7th on the Serenade! We have a corner aft cabin for both.

 

We sail on the Serenade out of NOLA Jan 2015 too!

 

Excited to read GOOD reviews of her!

 

See ya in 2016! :D

Southern caribbean on SERENADE are already released.

Similar to those of LEGEND 2014/15.

 

 

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Yep! And I'm booked!! B2B on Serenade 2/16-3/16!! Corner aft!! Woo Hoo!

 

 

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So my 4/6 cruise just showed up on the Going Going Gone sale, and I would have saved a nice chunk if I had waited! Nothing I can do now, just gets to me to think that I paid hundreds more than someone else in the same category! Wish I had never looked! Sometime ignorance truly is bliss! :D

 

 

Call & see what they can do.... Maybe an upgrade?

 

 

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Their OFF! Have fun!!

 

 

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Just read on FB... From RCCL that the Adventure ots has had a departure delay as well... They are sailing today but they are refunding them 100% & giving them 50% of a future cruise! Hadn't heard about that ship.... Man this has been an expensive week for Royal...

 

 

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i have seen nothing from RCI saying Liberty is going to Galveston only speculation on these boards if you want to take that as gosphal then you have a problem .

 

Ships home ports change almost as frequently as some people's underware so no help there.

 

The truth is what we are all doing is guessing.

 

Only RCI knows for sure and they are not telling at this time

 

 

There have been many reports of Liberty coming to Galveston. Reports from people onboard the Navigator speaking to their crew members & even officers. Others have reported the same info coming from RCCL employees at the Galveston terminal. These are all seperate reports from different sailings.... All consistant.

 

I am not even sure Galveston NEEDS a ship larger than a Voyager class anyway. Seems Carnival's two ships sail at 100%, while the Navigator doesn't. Maybe once people see RCCL sailing from Galveston year round, more may sail on Royal.

 

Anyway... I fully believe ALL the reporst that Liberty will be sailing from Galveston spring of 2015....

 

 

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Awesome news that the Navigator will sail tomorrow! Royal Caribbean ROCKS for making this call! A "FREE" (albeit short) cruise is so awesome for those that hung in there............... I'm sure some are kicking themselves for bailing out early! Y'all have fun!! :D

I had to get an updated invoice from RC today for my Serenade cruise in 2016 and on the invoice was this information about Dynamic Dining. Does anybody have any clue what this is? My guess is, this is what they're going to be calling My Time Dining from now on. Curious to see what others think (or know)

 

Again, this confirmation was for a Serenade cruise and not Quantum or Anthem.

 

 

I "picked up" on the point you were making....your "reservation" is on the SERENADE OTS... not Quantum or Anthem... yet the note says "THIS RESERVATION" has been selected.... WTH? :eek: Time will tell what it means, I guess. :)

Wonder how the Navigator passengers are feeling about now, watching the Magic sailaway & the Triumph going later............. bummer. :(

 

Maybe RC made a hasty decision? :eek:

 

Feel bad for the folks on the Navigator.

Sailing on the Allure May 18th and will be celebrating our daughter's 21st birthday! She has a nasty gluten intolerance. We've called RCCL to ask about the birthday cakes and were told "all the cakes are gluten free"--which we assume is incorrect. This is our very first cruise and we don't know the ropes yet. Would so appreciate any advice.

 

No, their cakes are NOT Gluten Free...nor do they offer any. Other lines do...as in Carnival & HAL.... but I'm just off the Navigator & they did not offer one.... the Gluten Free desert menu is pretty lame IMHO (some kind of green jello looking thing, Crème Brule (which was terrible) & ice cream, that's about it.. I just skipped it every night. I complained (nicely) & got a 25% discount off a future cruise.... I told them they CAN make a delicious Gluten Free chocolate cake like Carnival & HAL.... but they didn't seem too interested.

 

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE RCCL.... and have four upcoming cruises with them booked.... but just don't care for the GF dessert options.

Cruise cancelled. 100 percent refund plus 25 percent on a future cruise.

 

 

 

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Please expound..... Royal Caribbean? Carnival?

 

I heard this exact info about the Princess cruise that is at the port of Houston this morning..... I just read the ships RCCL & Carnival will be sailing tomorrow.......

On the Pier 23 camera, there's seems to be three ships. The Navigator on the far left of the screen and then an Carnival ship which I assume is the Magic but what is the ship to the far right?

 

Navigator, Triumph & Magic. Left to right.