notsodesperatehousewife

I really like Fort Lauderdale. It is a very walkable, relaxed, place.

Last time, my sister and I went to the Bonnet House, a historic home and gardens. It was a great way to spend a couple of hours before heading to the cruise port.

We took a half day rock climbing and zip lining excursion through the Carite rainforest (about 45 minutes distance from the port). There are many tour operators to choose from, check Tripadvisor. We used Rocaliza and they were great.

As always, it is great fun to read your reviews and to watch Sakari grow. What a cutie!

I grew up in NJ, where pop is "soda." My Midwestern friends all say "pop."

However, if it comes from a gun, I think it should be "pop gun" not "gun soda." Just sayin'!

Thanks for taking the time to do this and I hope you are feeling better.

And yes, that proprietary charger for the Olympus is a pain to replace on the fly. But seriously, you're a paying passenger and if the ship's shops can't stock a replacement, they should provide a charge cheerfully and without complaint. The hassling seemed really petty, IMO.

:p thank you !!! :p

 

Lol -- I love your screen-name:D.

And I love yours!

For the record, Denise's Portuguese is much better than my German. :rolleyes:

Also for the record, I'm a working mom with kids around the age of your son. I have enjoyed reading about your family adventures but I also love seeing how the two of you interact when he's not around. Your relationship is beautiful to see.

The plaque commemorates a man and his wife, the fifteenth generation to hold an entailed estate (the kind of property awarded to members of the nobility). They made a sacred vow (voto) to erect this statue dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

One of the funniest things I have ever read! Have you considered stand-up comedy?

Thank you so much for your review.

It's a good 10 years until my kids will be finished with college and probably a good 15 before I retire, but you have certainly provided food for thought, should good health and financial security continue to smile upon me!

You provided just the right amount of detail to retain my interest throughout. I loved your positive attitude and your ability to appreciate whatever came your way, be it over-the-top luxury, heart-rending poverty, unusual food, unique flora and fauna, or sites of deep historic or spiritual significance. And naps! You took the inconveniences (Noro & piracy risk, missed ports, changed itineraries, iffy weather) in stride. And you really conveyed the special aspects of every place you visited as well as the opportunities for fun and camaraderie on the ship.

Thanks again for sharing your journey with us at home.

Thank you so much for your kind words. Patti is a Rutgers Grad.

Yes, I saw that somewhere, but I don't think our paths crossed. I am class of '87. And I'm also a teacher - go Patti!

I found this review after having read your most recent Spring Break review. I want to applaud the resilience of your family. So many people allow themselves to become bitter over the small disappointments that life brings (oh no, my food arrived cold! Why did that other person get to cut the line?) You have experienced one of the greatest losses imaginable and I see that you are able to appreciate what life has to offer despite your personal tragedy. There is no greater gift to share with your son, Ryan, as he goes through life. I am truly sorry for Kevin's passing and I hope that you continue to feel his spirit.

p.s. I grew up in Union County, went to Rutgers, and then lived in Baltimore, so I also enjoy seeing familiar points of interest on your trips to various ports

Thanks for another great review. I appreciate the high quality and composition of your photos. You and your family always seem to be having such a great time. And Sakari is getting so big! She seems like a fantastic kid - full of life and energy with the tiniest bit of goofy mischief to round it all out. Have a great time in Bermuda!

You can always get a steak or chicken breast or salmon, accompanied by baked potato and steamed vegetables from the always available side. It's basic comfort food.

You also might want to send her to the buffet from time to time. Lots of variety, including made to order pasta.

For a European trip from the States, I'd lock in airfare and accommodations 6-9 months in advance if the prices looked good. Also tickets for any DIY attractions that are in heavy demand.

For a Caribbean trip from the States, it would depend on the season of travel. If it were peak demand, I'd start looking within a 6-9 month advance window and would book when I saw a good price.

Packing - I start putting stuff in a pile in my suitcase about 2 weeks before and get serious about 2 days before the trip.

I'd say that neither of you are crazy. Go with what is least stressful for you. I tend to plan in advance and DH is very last minute (booking travel arrangements less than a month prior to a trip). Cutting it that close drives me nuts - higher prices/less choice.

Ginger pills really work well for me. I start taking one on the day prior to the cruise. If I have to up the ante, sea bands and/or non-drowsy Bonine.

I was very prone to car sickness as a kid, FWIW.

I have begun researching river cruises and personally I find a spreadsheet (or some close note taking equivalent) to be very efficient as they all start to blend together fairly quickly and if I don't keep track I then end up doing the work all over again.

For me, I hate being nickled and dimed, especially if I'm paying for an upscale experience. So, for example, if the price ended up working out the same for tips included vs tips added, for example, I'd probably pick the more inclusive company because it would correspond more to my idea of "luxury." Then again, if there was a significant price differential, I'd be willing to pay a la carte. And the only way I could figure that out would be through a spreadsheet or similar.

But that's just me.

This may have been covered but I haven't read all 63 pages of this discussion.

If you are quarantined in your cabin, due to illness, then you are slapped with a "convenience charge" to be able to eat, when there are no other options available to you? Seems like adding insult to injury.

It also seems like a surcharge that would unfairly affect the elderly or the physically disabled who might NEED to use room service more often due to mobility issues. Then it becomes discriminatory against certain categories of passengers and should be very hard for NCL to defend.

Just my opinion.

Thank you for taking the time to write about your experiences!

Your grandchild will still love Mickey at age 4!

I took my daughters at age 4 and 8 and they loved it (although I think I loved it more!) My then 4 year old now reminisces most about the loud scary toilets in the public restrooms!

Another endorsement for the bubblebum for your older child. We traveled to Europe last summer and in Germany and Austria, children under 5 feet tall were required by law to use a booster. My 12 year old was not happy about this! They are EU approved as well as approved for use in the US. These days you can find them at Walmart or on line at multiple sites, including Amazon.

For the younger, I also agree, bring your own car seat and use it on the plane. If you get any pushback from flight attendants who want to count it as carry on luggage, they are wrong. You are entitled by law to bring it on and install it.

I think that Princess might be a better bet than Celebrity for a younger couple. I have only been on one cruise on each line but the Princess cruise (on Ruby) seemed to have more activities on sea days and the demographic seemed to skew a bit younger.

You might consider Alaska as a destination if you are into outdoor/adventure travel (the tubing in Belize made me think that you might be). I think that there are also repositioning cruises from the Pacific coast of Mexico up to Alaska that "might" fit within your time frame.

I would get out of the pier area as soon as possible and get your kids to the beach! Playa Mia would be a good choice given their ages. Paradise Beach is also supposed to be good but I've not been there.

I found a Celebrity navy blue sweater in a blazer style at my local Thrift shop. Nice quality. I think it was $3. It doesn't have a logo on the outside. I use it for work.

College Spring Breaks should have tapered off by then. K-12 schools typically hold Spring Break the week before Easter so you might see more younger kids with their families.

I hope that the cruise line has learned something from this experience and might set a different tone and/or impose rules of conduct from day 1.

I Gede in the Rendevous Lounge! He was very friendly and helpful about what was or was not included in the Classic Package without trying to upsell us to Premium.

It was the only place where we were able to get a drink, given the crowding on deck 10. Reflections always seemed to be closed for some private event or other but it is a beautiful space.

We were also on this cruise. In the OPs defense, I have been on cruises before during Spring Break and I have been to Nassau during Spring Break and I have never seen behavior like this before. There's a difference between kids being kids and kids being excessively inconsiderate, banging on cabin doors at 3 a.m. for fun, pitching glassware off the side of the boat, etc. I heard (and rumors flew on this ship) that Celebrity booked a block of 60 cabins to students from the University of Central Florida so surely they had an idea what to expect. I also heard (perhaps falsely) that some of the other big lines do not sell unlimited drink packages during the entire month of March in order to discourage this possibility.

I can sympathize with the OP's position in that Celebrity does market itself as more upscale than some of the other large cruise companies and that wasn't the experience that was delivered. I also think that Celebrity could have done more to curb them. I saw officers walking past the pool area when the kids were drinking from glass bottles in the pools and hot tubs and when hot tubs held three times their capacity and they did nothing. No reprimand. Nothing. Click on the thumbnails below.

I did not expect compensation from Celebrity although I do hope they will learn from this experience if they want to maintain their reputation. I felt sorry primarily for the average crew person who had to put up with the fallout. They were unfailingly patient and pleasant, bless them. I also felt badly for the younger children - when the college kids colonized the pools, there was no place for them to go. Older adults could escape to the spa or the therapy pools, at least. Finally, there were many very nice college students on the ship and some of them had their experience impacted negatively because they ended up being lumped with the troublemakers.

As for me, lesson learned, I probably wouldn't pick a 5 day cruise this time of year again. My sister and I decided to let it go, to view the kids as a people-watching opportunity, and to rise above the antics. We also enjoyed the peace of our balcony.

On the plus side, the ship is large enough that it's easy to find a quiet spot. Reflections and the Rendevous lounges weren't frequented by the younger passengers. The library was pleasant and Cafe al Bacio had a nice singer/guitarrist in the afternoons. We were also in Aqua class (same steward, Asep, so we were probably neighbors) and our food in Blu was great (I don't eat red meat so I didn't experience any tough cuts). The sommelier there was very helpful in identifying wines included in the classic package. If we wanted the same variety, he'd sometimes leave the bottle. We did the wine pairing dinner at Ocean Liners so the Classic wine price point was a non-issue in that instance. We never ate at the MDR. The buffet was fine although longer hours would have been nice; there were some odd dead times.

I might try Celebrity again but perhaps for Alaska and/or a longer itinerary. Overall, I'd give Princess the edge based on the one cruise I took with them on the Ruby.

I am enjoying your review, especially your detailed assessment of the food and drink.

Do you use legacy glass as well as modern lenses? I have a Fuji XE-1 and tend to use older manual lenses and my kit lens goes underutilized.

Thank you for taking the time to write this.