flwinejunkie

I'm new to Princess... how do you find out about the gift card sale?  I'd like to take advantage since I have a cruise booked for 2022.

TIA

Mary

Stupid question time... where should I look to see if the OBC has been added to my cruise?

TIA

Mary Jon

Wow!  Another fantastic live review.  I too love all your food and drink p0rn.  Glad that the long wait was worth all the headaches prior to boarding.

Excited to see what you think of the Mardi Gras.  I booked it shortly after starting to read Saint Greg's review.

Take care!

Mary

I'm so late to this party!! 

Need to catch up quick, but kinda scared that I'll want to book the Panorama right away.  Once I started reading Greg's Mardi Gras live review, I booked it to go 3 weeks later.   Had a great time thanks to all the inside info he provided!!

Thanks again Greg for taking us along on your adventures!😊

Could you please post any information and details about "cruise next certificates" if it's offered?  I have my eye on a specific cruise next year so wondering if I should go ahead and book it now or wait until my December cruise to take advantage of a cruise next certificate offer.

I'm also concerned about trying to use the medallion for the first time, so I appreciate the info you've provided thus far.

Thanks in advance for your help!! 

Mary Jon

On 9/20/2021 at 6:59 PM, DGP1111 said:

Greg: 

Over a multitude of port stops to Nassau over the years, I'd never once visited the John Watling's Distillery . . . but I can no longer say that, and all because of your suggestion.  Thanks!! 

I split my 2/$19 with two different beverages, and both were superb. 🙂

.

 

I also went to John Watling's Distillery last week for the first time thanks to Greg's suggestion.  Agree that the Pina Colada is excellent.  Bought some rum so I can try to recreate at home if I can get the proportions of Coco Lopez and pineapple juice correct.

Also want to thank Greg for including info about the comedians in this review.  We attended more comedy shows in one week than total shows in 15 cruises.  All 4 were good, but enjoyed Jim Cook and Percy Crews 2 so much that we went to almost all of their adult shows and even 2 PG shows.  Andy can be pretty funny too and he was a good sport when both Jim and Percy tried to hook him up with girls.

Thanks Greg!  Congrats on your "official" you tube channel! 

5 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Well they announced it a little while back. And at the time I made two reservations at Chibang! But now it's on the card....and it's on the app. That last night I just went in the app, requesting a table for cucina and was seated within 10 minutes.

 

Thanks for your quick response Greg!  I noticed that it was mentioned on your card in the earlier picture but didn't put 2 and 2 together.  Good to know I can try to reserve last minute.  

On 9/2/2021 at 12:02 PM, Saint Greg said:

right now they have YTD in cucina and chibang. And the cucina and chibang food is included. I believe the bbq as well.

How did you know that cucina and chibang food is included in the YTD?  We board Mardi Gras on Sat 9/11 and would like to take advantage of it if it's still available.   

Did you need to make reservations?  If so, how did you do it?

Thanks to this review, I'm more excited than ever to board!

2 hours ago, JohninDC said:

Park "N Cruise or Lots of Honor

Thanks! 

As an FYI, Lots of Honor isn't open yet.  This is the message posted on their website:

Lots of Honor 2021 Update

Due to the events of COVID-19, we are not accepting reservations for any Port Canaveral cruises. We are currently processing refunds for COVID-19 cancellations. Please know that these refunds are our top priority as we move forward in 2021. We appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter.

We will be accepting new reservations once Port Canaveral cruising has reopened. We look forward to safe & happy cruising in 2021!

Ouch! That's expensive.  Any suggestions for private parking sites?

Aring75 - I can't thank you enough for posting this live review!  My DH and I both received our negative test results today, so we're ready to embark on Friday.

We're new to Celebrity, so your detailed review is very helpful to understand what to expect on Celebrity especially during this pandemic!  Thanks to you, I booked the Murano last night and now I know to get the grand marnier souffle instead of my first instinct to go with chocolate.  LOL

Quick question - do you know if they serve coke or pepsi products?

Thanks again!!

Mary Jon

I'm a longtime lurker of Saint Greg and Sid 9169 reviews so I was excited to see this new one.  I even checked out future Mardi Gras cruises and booked this same cruise for Sep 11! 

Can't wait for Greg to begin his exploration and share everything with us!  

Mary Jon

Oh I'm so excited for you!! 🤗

My DH and I will be boarding Equinox shortly after you depart for an ABC island cruise.  This is our first X cruise so I'm looking forward to following along and learning more.  We booked this cruise with another couple who love X, but they have now backed out.  That's OK, because we'll still have a great time together celebrating our 30th anniversary.

Have a great cruise!

Mary Jon

Thanks for sharing all Covid related details of flying in and out of Cancun!  Will be very helpful when I leave Sunday.

I'm sorry if I missed it... how did you handle paying the new $11 tourist fee?  Did the airline ask for proof of payment?

Thanks for letting us join you on your vacation!

30 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

Test wasn’t bad just a little tickle. Bring your passport because they take that.

 

How long did it take to get the results?  Curious because we leave for Cancun next Sunday.  The Westin arranges someone from a hospital to come to the resort to perform the testing.

Unfortunately the Westin isn't an AI but the "villa" has a full kitchen.  After a quick run to Costco to get Don Julio tequila (which s $20 cheaper than prices in Florida) we'll be "happy".🍹

Thought I'd try here asking this question here for Australia before starting a new topic...

What about bringing wine back on board at Australian ports?  If it's allowed, will they charge the corkage fee to take it on board to drink and/or can they "hold" it for me until I disembark?  

As long as I'm asking... any chance I can bring on more than 1 bottle per person at embarkation in Australia and pay the corkage fee?  We're planning on visiting the Hunter Valley wine region before boarding the ship and would like to be able to bring on more than 1 bottle per person.

Thanks in advance for any insight.

Cheers!

Mary

On 2/9/2021 at 1:58 PM, iancal said:

I really do doubt that you will be in Corfu in May on a cruise ship but good luck.

We decided to rebook similar cruise for May 2022 a while ago when we started to see rates go up.

Thanks Chiliburn for giving me more ideas!.  I'm not familiar with Mudgee and Blue mountains so it will be fun to research them.  I need to get my pre and post cruise plans in order so I can get my flights early to use points.

Everyone - please keep the recommendations coming!  I really appreciate everyone's help.

Wow onlyslightlymad!!

We're cruising with Celebrity for the first time and looking forward to trying something different besides NCL and Carnival.

Thank you for your great recommendations.  I love your ideas for Aukland, Napier and Picton and will dive into the details so I can make some definite plans.

For Tauranga, you mention taking the bus to Rotorua.  Are you talking about the city bus or some kind of ship excursion?  If it's the city bus, would it be difficult to get from the port to a bus stop to go to a beach somewhere?  I'm thinking a "do it yourself" beach day might be relaxing instead of taking a formal excursion to Rotorua.

We're stopping in Lyttelton for Christchurch.  Celebrity has an excursion to North Canterbury's Waipara Valley that visits Pegasus Bay, Waipara Hills and Waipara Springs wineries.   It looks like a good opportunity to see some wineries.  Do you think we would enjoy it or should we look for something else to do? 

For Dunedin, Celebrity offers an overnight trip to Queenstown that includes a visit to Gibbston Valley Winery in addition to other specific agenda items.  I love pinot noir, so I doubt if I'd be happy with just 1 winery.   I'm thinking about spending 2 or 3 days in Central Otago to explore more wineries.  It looks like Jetstar flies from Aukland to Queenstown and then I could rent a car.   Am I crazy for trying it?  

I can't thank you enough for your help and recommendations!  Your insight and information has helped me get excited to start finalizing plans!

Mary

9 hours ago, Radbooks said:

Hi!

We took a Aust./NZ cruise a few years ago - such a treat!. I know that when we were in Picton we took an excursion to a wine area which is known for it's Sauvignon Blanc. It's the Marlborough region, which is the biggest wine-making area in NZ. I'd look for tours/excursions from that area, but there are other areas which also had wine tours.

 

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks for the recommendation!   Some friends said I'll never go back to US white wines after drinking Sauv Blanc from New Zealand!

10 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

The closest wine producing area to Sydney is the Hunter Valley 

 

About two and a bit hours drive north.

Thanks!  I read about Hunter Valley but didn't realize it's that close.  I'll definitely investigate!

Thank you for these great suggestions!  Now I have a starting point for my research.  

Anybody have ideas for 

9 hours ago, onlyslightlymad said:

Hello again,

Having discussed matters with my husband, he also suggests that you could visit Waiheke Island which is in the Hauraki Gulf.  You can take a ferry from Auckland and in fact many people live on Waiheke and commute to Auckland city each day for work.  You can rent a car on Waiheke if you wish.  To be honest, we both love wine, so could bore you senseless with recommendations.  

You couldn't bore me when it comes to wine... so keep the recommendations coming!

Hello!

My DH and I are taking a cruise from Aukland to Sydney and then a Great Barrier Reef cruise out of Sydney in March 2022.   Our schedule is flexible so we are planning to spend time in New Zealand before the 1st cruise and Australia after the 2nd cruise. 

We are California wine lovers and would love to explore and learn more about wine regions and wines for both New Zealand and Australia.  But I don't know where to start,  so hoping to gather some ideas and suggestions from people who know the area best.

We're willing to fly to another New Zealand city to explore before traveling to Aukland for cruise departure.  Any ideas on where to go and specific wineries to visit?  Would renting a car be needed?  My DH has driven on the left side of the road in several Caribbean countries, so he could probably handle it if traffic isn't a nightmare.

Any suggestions for wine tours/excursions for any of the NZ ports listed below?  I believe Napier is near Hawk's Bay wine region.  (FYI-I've seen this similar post about NZ ports but would like some additional options)

• Aukland
• Tauranga
• Napier
• Picton
• Christchurch
• Dunedin

We're planning to spend the 3 days between cruises in Sydney.  Any wine regions/winery suggestions after our cruise returns to Sydney?  We're willing to travel to another city if needed and could rent a car.

Thanks so much for your insight and guidance!  Cruise critic is an awesome place to share knowledge!

Mary

Hello casino cruisers!

My MIL has only been on 1 carnival cruise, band she's been receiving casino offers for the past year.  She finally booked a casino offer for a cruise in 2022 that includes OBC.  The casino rep told her she could use the OBC for gratuities.  Is that true?  I thought OBC could be used for anything except gratuities.

Appreciate any insight.

Mary Jon

On 11/1/2020 at 6:07 AM, vickykay said:

The other advantage of the Marriot is that it is a very short downhill walk to the cruise terminal.

This is great news!  Is the walk uphill from the cruise terminal with a rolling suitcase doable or should I get a taxi?  We're getting off the Celebrity New Zealand cruise to spend 3 days in Sydney then getting on a Carnival Great Barrier Reef cruise.

Appreciate the insight!

Mary