Eclipsing Northern Europe by cruise : Basic black , and Baltic blues

[scubacruiserx2]

US News & World Report has released their picks for the best cruises 2017.

 

 

Here are the results from US News & World Report:

 

Best value for money

 

1. Celebrity Cruises

2. Royal Caribbean International

3. Norwegian Cruise Line

 

Best for luxury

1. Crystal Cruises

2. Regent Seven Seas Cruises

3. Oceania Cruises

 

For Families

1. Disney Cruise Line

2. Royal Caribbean International

3. Carnival Cruise Lines

 

For couples

1. Crystal Cruises

2. Regent Seven Seas Cruises

3. Azamara Club Cruises

 

In the Mediterranean

 

1. Celebrity Cruises

2. Regent Seven Seas Cruises

3. Oceania Cruises

 

In the Caribbean

1. Disney Cruise Line

2. Celebrity Cruises

3. Crystal Cruises

 

 

 

[Gracie115]

The angiogram showed only a 40 % blockage , and we will get the full details , and plan of action on Friday . We don't think that it's too bad though , and hope that it won't change our upcoming cruises on the Princess sisters . :) :D

 

Good luck Friday, hopefully something non-invasive will correct the problem and you will still be able to enjoy those cruises....what better way to recover from whatever procedure you might have!

 

 

And while we like Celebrity , HAL and Princess for cruises VA is our airline of choice , and with their UK flight crews , we feel like we're already in the UK before leaving the ground in Florida ! Incidentally , they do fly from Orlando as well as MIA .

 

Well I know I will be checking VA for sure the next time we are booking air!!

 

US News & World Report has released their picks for the best cruises 2017.

 

 

Here are the results from US News & World Report:

 

Best value for money

 

1. Celebrity Cruises

2. Royal Caribbean International

3. Norwegian Cruise Line

 

Best for luxury

1. Crystal Cruises

2. Regent Seven Seas Cruises

3. Oceania Cruises

 

For Families

1. Disney Cruise Line

2. Royal Caribbean International

3. Carnival Cruise Lines

 

For couples

1. Crystal Cruises

2. Regent Seven Seas Cruises

3. Azamara Club Cruises

 

In the Mediterranean

 

1. Celebrity Cruises

2. Regent Seven Seas Cruises

3. Oceania Cruises

 

In the Caribbean

1. Disney Cruise Line

2. Celebrity Cruises

3. Crystal Cruises

 

 

 

 

That's great for Celebrity and they sure have my vote, our last 3 cruises makes it hard to go elsewhere.....unfortunately their one downfall is that we have done so many of their itineraries now....hopeful that the announcement of the change to a Dublin based ship, even if for a limited time, will mean other changes to their normal itineraries will happen too!!!:)

[scubacruiserx2]

Well I know I will be checking VA for sure the next time we are booking air!!

 

 

 

That's great for Celebrity and they sure have my vote, our last 3 cruises makes it hard to go elsewhere.....unfortunately their one downfall is that we have done so many of their itineraries now....hopeful that the announcement of the change to a Dublin based ship, even if for a limited time, will mean other changes to their normal itineraries will happen too!!!

 

 

It's nice to have some variety in itineraries but in lieu of that we also enjoy other cruise lines besides Celebrity . The Princess Royal Class is similar to the Celebrity S- Class and they have some nice differences like the Ultimate Balcony Dinner , which we hope to enjoy in about 3 weeks from now .

 

 

 

 

The Crab Shack is a bargain at $ 25 p.p.

 

 

 

Afternoon tea for 2

 

 

 

 

The Pastry shop is free

 

 

 

The food at the International Cafe is free 24/7 and coffee available 24/7 but like Cafe al Bacio , there is a charge for coffee .

 

 

 

 

Alfredo's reminds us of the Bistro on 5 except it's free and features casual Italian dining .

 

 

 

This time of the year they have some great prices on the Caribbean , and it may be worth the trip to Ft. Lauderdale !!!

 

 

[81Zoomie]

It's nice to have some variety in itineraries but in lieu of that we also enjoy other cruise lines besides Celebrity . The Princess Royal Class is similar to the Celebrity S- Class and they have some nice differences like the Ultimate Balcony Dinner , which we hope to enjoy in about 3 weeks from now .

 

 

 

 

The Crab Shack is a bargain at $ 25 p.p.

 

 

 

Afternoon tea for 2

 

 

 

 

The Pastry shop is free

 

 

 

The food at the International Cafe is free 24/7 and coffee available 24/7 but like Cafe al Bacio , there is a charge for coffee .

 

 

 

 

Alfredo's reminds us of the Bistro on 5 except it's free and features casual Italian dining .

 

 

 

This time of the year they have some great prices on the Caribbean , and it may be worth the trip to Ft. Lauderdale !!!

 

 

 

We loved our Princess Ultimate Balcony Dining Exoerience!!! However, the lovely deep balconies on the classic Princess ships (Crown, Emerald, Diamond, Golden, Ruby, etc) are not present on the Royal and Regal. The Royal class has very narrow balconies. I'm not sure you could even have an UBD on the tiny verandah. It's one of the reasons my DH does not want to sail the Royal class.

[scubacruiserx2]

We loved our Princess Ultimate Balcony Dining Exoerience!!! However, the lovely deep balconies on the classic Princess ships (Crown, Emerald, Diamond, Golden, Ruby, etc) are not present on the Royal and Regal. The Royal class has very narrow balconies. I'm not sure you could even have an UBD on the tiny verandah. It's one of the reasons my DH does not want to sail the Royal class.

 

Not all balconies are created equal on Princess or Celebrity , so do your research and choose wisely . Here's the Regal side view , generally speaking , smaller than the Caribbean Princess .

 

 

Caribbean Princess

 

 

 

 

But if you look at the photos carefully and examine the room size , there is a BIG difference .

 

B deck has 213' total and a 40' balcony .

 

C deck has 271' total and a 79' partially covered balcony .

 

D deck , mini suites has 323' and a 49' uncovered balcony which juts out .

 

When were in a C deck cabin we had the UBD on the balcony .

 

 

But when we were in a D deck mini suite , the balcony was so small , and windy , that we had it in the sitting room inside .

 

 

Our aft cabin balcony on the Regal , at about 100' , was the largest of the 5 balconies which we have had on Princess and larger than our SV aft on the Eclipse .

 

 

 

And , being in the center aft , is was protected from the wind . in fact we liked it so much that we are doing it again in about 2 weeks , so cheers !!

 

 

 

 

But our best balcony was a FV on the Celebrity Constellation that has about 250 ' !!!

 

 

Here , it's set for the ultimate balcony breakfast . :cool:

 

 

 

 

 

[upwarduk]

We had one of those FV balconies on Infinity ( but opposite corner 9156)

Huge.

[Gracie115]

Here , it's set for the ultimate balcony breakfast . :cool:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love it!!! I've had a few of those "ultimate balcony breakfasts!!" :D We never had the chance to stay in one of those aft rooms on the "M" class but our very first cruise was on the Mercury in a Sky Suite and it had the biggest balcony we've seen to date. It was on 10th floor and had an angled balcony that you could have had 25-30 people on for a party...really amazing...the room was tiny in comparison....Mercury and I believe Galaxy were the only ships to have those rooms and there were only about 6 on each ship...and of course they are both gone now....:confused:

 

We were amazed at how small the balcony for the mini suite was on Regal Princess when we were on her last year, the room was great though and would love to try again. We've thought about booking one of the forward minis on that ship for a Caribbean cruise as those balconies look huge....don't think I'd want to try on a TA because of the wind/rain factor.....:eek:

[scubacruiserx2]

We had one of those FV balconies on Infinity ( but opposite corner 9156)

Huge.

 

Your balcony was also much wider , spanning the full width of the cabin where 7199 has a small flat window section next to the peninsula .

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Love it!!! I've had a few of those "ultimate balcony breakfasts!!" :D We never had the chance to stay in one of those aft rooms on the "M" class but our very first cruise was on the Mercury in a Sky Suite and it had the biggest balcony we've seen to date. It was on 10th floor and had an angled balcony that you could have had 25-30 people on for a party...really amazing...the room was tiny in comparison....Mercury and I believe Galaxy were the only ships to have those rooms and there were only about 6 on each ship...and of course they are both gone now....

 

We were amazed at how small the balcony for the mini suite was on Regal Princess when we were on her last year, the room was great though and would love to try again. We've thought about booking one of the forward minis on that ship for a Caribbean cruise as those balconies look huge....don't think I'd want to try on a TA because of the wind/rain factor.....:eek:

 

 

Those rooms on the Mercury sound amazing !!

 

The largest that we have seen was just below us on the Connie . The PS Penthouse suite # 6147 has a 1098' verandah - with their own hot tub !!!

 

Check out this recent video of 6147 in action , from Italy :

 

WOW !!! We can dream can't we ?

 

 

 

 

And instead of the lawn like on the on the S class , they used to have the Arborium as a green space on the M class .

 

 

 

 

I guess the general trend in cruise ships is toward smaller balconies . Our FV on the Eclipse was very large and forward facing , but the balcony was small and on the side . We did have a lot of noise when docking and wind noise on the balcony . And of course , the helipad on the bow . I suspect that the Regal may have similar issues in it's forward facing cabins . And so for it's aft view , and slighter wider and wind protected balcony , we choose R -35 for our next cruise . Happy cruising :) :D

 

[Gracie115]

I remember the Arborium very well....such a pretty space....

 

I wish I had pictures of that balcony on Mercury it was amazing...but NOT as amazing as those PH ones on "M" class.....we got to "tour" one on Connie a few years back....did you notice it has it's own staircase to the MDR from it!!!! Who would ever want to get off a ship if staying in that stateroom!!???:D

 

 

On the "S" class we try to book a room on the side of one of the "humps" they tend to be a little bigger, mostly deeper, than others.....

 

But really as long as there's a balcony I'm good....nothing better than sitting there sipping a glass of wine before dinner and listening to the ocean .....heaven....we may just have to book that little 3 night cruise on the Silhouette in January we've been eyeing.....I think it might be enough to carry us until our Alaska trip in June!!! :D

[upwarduk]

On the "S" class we try to book a room on the side of one of the "humps" they tend to be a little bigger, mostly deeper, than others.....

 

We love those 1A cabins too, got the extra large balcony.

Edited November 18, 2016 by upwarduk

[scubacruiserx2]

I remember the Arborium very well....such a pretty space....

 

I wish I had pictures of that balcony on Mercury it was amazing...but NOT as amazing as those PH ones on "M" class.....we got to "tour" one on Connie a few years back....did you notice it has it's own staircase to the MDR from it!!!! Who would ever want to get off a ship if staying in that stateroom!!???:D

 

 

On the "S" class we try to book a room on the side of one of the "humps" they tend to be a little bigger, mostly deeper, than others.....

 

But really as long as there's a balcony I'm good....nothing better than sitting there sipping a glass of wine before dinner and listening to the ocean .....heaven....we may just have to book that little 3 night cruise on the Silhouette in January we've been eyeing.....I think it might be enough to carry us until our Alaska trip in June!!! :D

 

 

Thanks Gracie , I saw the staircase but I didn't know where it went . :confused:

 

And a quickie cruise is always a great idea !! :) :D

 

We have put money down on both Alaska and Australia , but as I've been re working my photos from South America , we would love to return to Patagonia , and see Antarctica for the first time . :cool:

 

Unfortunately , we can only afford 1 of those cruises , so we will see .

[scubacruiserx2]

We have began a thread about Cozumel and our dive adventures there called Staying and Playing in Cozumel . It can be found by clicking on this link : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2422532

 

 

 

 

We hope to do a traditional synopsis of the Baltic and Eclipse ( with photos ) soon !

 

:) :D

 

 

[perfect match]

Thanks for another great review, Joe and Pat! We are back from Oasis, and somewhat recovered from the nasty colds we brought home with us, so I've finally managed to catch up here.

 

Joe, I hope the issues uncovered in your angiogram have been taken care of and you will be fit to dive on your upcoming B2B on the Princess sisters.

 

I will be heading over to your thread about diving in Cozumel. :D

[scubacruiserx2]

Thanks for another great review, Joe and Pat! We are back from Oasis, and somewhat recovered from the nasty colds we brought home with us, so I've finally managed to catch up here.

 

Joe, I hope the issues uncovered in your angiogram have been taken care of and you will be fit to dive on your upcoming B2B on the Princess sisters.

 

I will be heading over to your thread about diving in Cozumel. :D

 

Thank you Nancy and Barry . Welcome back and we're sorry to hear about your illness . The heart looks OK and with some medication for hypertension and a statin for cholesterol , the doctors say I can cruise and dive . :) :D

 

We hope that you had a chance to dive in Cozumel and we've met some other divers who we're diving with on our upcoming cruises . :cool:

[Gracie115]

Good news about the heart!!! :)

 

Hope you and Pat have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!:)

[scubacruiserx2]

Good news about the heart!!! :)

 

Hope you and Pat have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!:)

 

Yes Gracie , we have much to be thankful for and we are !!! :) :D

 

And we would like to wish you and yours and all of the readers who celebrate it - A Happy Thanksgiving !!!

[perfect match]

Thank you Nancy and Barry . Welcome back and we're sorry to hear about your illness . The heart looks OK and with some medication for hypertension and a statin for cholesterol , the doctors say I can cruise and dive . :) :D

 

We hope that you had a chance to dive in Cozumel and we've met some other divers who we're diving with on our upcoming cruises . :cool:

 

Joe, glad to hear your heart is OK, and you can still cruise and dive. We all have so much to be thankful for. I hope you, Pat, and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

 

After a lot of hesitation due to Barry's broken collarbone, we did finally decide he was doing well enough with both his collarbone and the cold he would later pass on to me for me to go ahead and dive. I ended up doing a 1 tank dive in Costa Maya, booked privately. I wish it could have been 2 tanks, but the dive shop schedule, the time change to standard time on the ship as compared to Mexico time, and our ship's schedule in port just didn't work for getting 2 dives in - at least without risking me missing the ship! :eek: No way was I going to let that happen! Barry was very relieved when I made it back aboard the ship with plenty of time to spare. In Cozumel, because it was a late decision on my part, I ended up going with the ship's excursion. I was much happier with the dive operator this time around than I was the previous time I used them. We did 2 beautiful dives, saw a lot of amazing marine life including 3 toadies and a nurse shark that group consensus determined to be about 12 ft long. The divers in my group were all pretty good divers, the divemaster did his job well, and we had a good time. My only complaint was that there were a lot of divers already on the second reef we dove on when we arrived there. I kind of wish they would have moved on to a less crowded location, but then we wouldn't have seen that awesome shark, the giant parrotfish or any of the other things we saw there, so I guess it really was an OK stop. :D

 

I have started reading your Cozumel thread, but didn't comment there yet because I was falling asleep at the time, but I will head back over there in the next few days. :cool:

[scubacruiserx2]

Joe, glad to hear your heart is OK, and you can still cruise and dive. We all have so much to be thankful for. I hope you, Pat, and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

 

After a lot of hesitation due to Barry's broken collarbone, we did finally decide he was doing well enough with both his collarbone and the cold he would later pass on to me for me to go ahead and dive. I ended up doing a 1 tank dive in Costa Maya, booked privately. I wish it could have been 2 tanks, but the dive shop schedule, the time change to standard time on the ship as compared to Mexico time, and our ship's schedule in port just didn't work for getting 2 dives in - at least without risking me missing the ship! :eek: No way was I going to let that happen! Barry was very relieved when I made it back aboard the ship with plenty of time to spare. In Cozumel, because it was a late decision on my part, I ended up going with the ship's excursion. I was much happier with the dive operator this time around than I was the previous time I used them. We did 2 beautiful dives, saw a lot of amazing marine life including 3 toadies and a nurse shark that group consensus determined to be about 12 ft long. The divers in my group were all pretty good divers, the divemaster did his job well, and we had a good time. My only complaint was that there were a lot of divers already on the second reef we dove on when we arrived there. I kind of wish they would have moved on to a less crowded location, but then we wouldn't have seen that awesome shark, the giant parrotfish or any of the other things we saw there, so I guess it really was an OK stop. :D

 

I have started reading your Cozumel thread, but didn't comment there yet because I was falling asleep at the time, but I will head back over there in the next few days. :cool:

 

 

 

Thank you for the update of your cruise on RCI Oasis and really glad that you got to go ( and dive ) ! Can you tell us who you dove with in Cozumel and can they pick you up in port ? It sounds like you had a great day and great dives in Cozumel , which we love to hear . Of course being a warm , world class dive location as well as a cruise Mecca , it does tend to attract crowds !!! Our favorite crowd avoidance technique when diving there is to go on Sunday ( No cruise ships in port ) , or in Summer when many ships have gone to Europe or Alaska . ;)

 

Here's a Nurse Shark like Nancy was talking about , with a Remora attached to it . But this one was only about 8 ' long . They are generally considered to be harmless - unless you threaten them .

 

 

 

 

The toadies are the Splendid Toad fish which are only found in Cozumel . They are usually reclusive , but a friend of ours will show you how to get them to come out of their holes , in a video which we will be sharing later , on the Cozumel thread .

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

14 night Baltic cruise

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrity Eclipse

 

 

 

 

Southamption - Sunday June 5th , 2016

 

 

 

 

Cabin : FV 7108

 

 

 

 

The cabin is on the starboard side with 2 bedrooms . The main bedroom is forward facing with sloped windows .

 

 

 

 

The second bedroom is interior and can sleep 2 .

 

 

 

 

[perfect match]

Thank you for the update of your cruise on RCI Oasis and really glad that you got to go ( and dive ) ! Can you tell us who you dove with in Cozumel and can they pick you up in port ? It sounds like you had a great day and great dives in Cozumel , which we love to hear . Of course being a warm , world class dive location as well as a cruise Mecca , it does tend to attract crowds !!! Our favorite crowd avoidance technique when diving there is to go on Sunday ( No cruise ships in port ) , or in Summer when many ships have gone to Europe or Alaska . ;)

 

Here's a Nurse Shark like Nancy was talking about , with a Remora attached to it . But this one was only about 8 ' long . They are generally considered to be harmless - unless you threaten them .

 

 

 

 

The toadies are the Splendid Toad fish which are only found in Cozumel . They are usually reclusive , but a friend of ours will show you how to get them to come out of their holes , in a video which we will be sharing later , on the Cozumel thread .

 

 

 

Joe, my dives in Cozumel were the ship's excursion. Royal Caribbean uses Sand Dollar, as does Princess. I don't know if I just got lucky this time, because I was not very happy with Sand Dollar when I dove with them from Caribbean Princess a couple of years ago. They did a much better job this time around. They do have a shop right at International Pier where we were docked, so we walked over to the shop where those renting equipment got their gear, then right to the small dock where we boarded the dive boat. Very convenient.

 

My dive in Costa Maya was with Dr Dive. I took the $3.00 shuttle from the pier to get to the dive shop, and we were dropped off right by the shop. We were the 3rd stop the shuttle made. Someone from the dive shop was right there to walk us in, even carried my gear for me. They ran a well organized dive with a DM who was very attentive to what was going on with all of his divers, and was able to send a couple of divers who used their air quickly back to the boat with the second DM while those of us who still had plenty of air to continue our dive. The dive conditions in CM weren't as good as Cozumel, but still a nice dive. When our dive was done, I was able to wash my gear, actually, they did it for me, in their rinse tank. Someone from the dive shop walked with us to the taxi stand right near the shop and put me and another couple from Oasis in a taxi back to the ship. Excellent service all around.

 

I love your pictures of the nurse shark and toadie! How in the world did you get them to come out and pose for you like they did? The toadies we saw were hiding under rocks. Our nurse shark was in a cave. None of them were interested in posing for pictures. I may borrow your pictures to show some of my non diving friends what a Splendid Toadfish are since my pictures are a pair of Toadfish eyes under a rock and a huge gray blob extending back into a cave. I guess I need a better underwater camera with better lighting if I want the kind of pictures you get.

[scubacruiserx2]

Joe, my dives in Cozumel were the ship's excursion. Royal Caribbean uses Sand Dollar, as does Princess. I don't know if I just got lucky this time, because I was not very happy with Sand Dollar when I dove with them from Caribbean Princess a couple of years ago. They did a much better job this time around. They do have a shop right at International Pier where we were docked, so we walked over to the shop where those renting equipment got their gear, then right to the small dock where we boarded the dive boat. Very convenient.

 

My dive in Costa Maya was with Dr Dive. I took the $3.00 shuttle from the pier to get to the dive shop, and we were dropped off right by the shop. We were the 3rd stop the shuttle made. Someone from the dive shop was right there to walk us in, even carried my gear for me. They ran a well organized dive with a DM who was very attentive to what was going on with all of his divers, and was able to send a couple of divers who used their air quickly back to the boat with the second DM while those of us who still had plenty of air to continue our dive. The dive conditions in CM weren't as good as Cozumel, but still a nice dive. When our dive was done, I was able to wash my gear, actually, they did it for me, in their rinse tank. Someone from the dive shop walked with us to the taxi stand right near the shop and put me and another couple from Oasis in a taxi back to the ship. Excellent service all around.

 

I love your pictures of the nurse shark and toadie! How in the world did you get them to come out and pose for you like they did? The toadies we saw were hiding under rocks. Our nurse shark was in a cave. None of them were interested in posing for pictures. I may borrow your pictures to show some of my non diving friends what a Splendid Toadfish are since my pictures are a pair of Toadfish eyes under a rock and a huge gray blob extending back into a cave. I guess I need a better underwater camera with better lighting if I want the kind of pictures you get.

 

Thank you Nancy for sharing your cruise and dives with us . This is relevant for us as we have been having some frustration with our usual provider in Cozumel . It's great to have a plan B in place if needed . We will be sharing our technique for getting Toad fish to poise on our Cozumel thread here : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2422532

 

 

We've had 2 cancellations from fellow passengers on our upcoming B2B Princess cruises and we may consider Sand Dollar if we don't hear from Dive Paradise soon . When we looked to book diving on Grand Cayman with Princess we found a red flag on their web site .

 

 

GCM-930 | Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands | See Special Notes

Min. age (years): 12 / Max. age (years): 65 / :eek:| Max. weight: 275 lbs. |

 

 

from $159.95*

 

So I was disqualified from diving with Princess in Grand Cayman 2 months ago . We contacted our usual provider there and they will allow Pat , I , and the other 4 divers to have our own small boat for $ 105 p.p., so it pays to know before you go ! :) :D

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Our cabin also had a large , forward facing living room .

 

 

 

 

 

and a standard size bathroom and verandah .

 

 

 

 

The cabin was well maintained , had plenty of room , and was a bargain up sell .

 

 

 

On the down side , we heard late night slamming doors forward , which stopped when we requested Guest Relations to address our concern . There is a lot of anchor and line noise when tying up in port and the helipad is just outside of the window , but it is to be expected in this location .

 

Cabin rating

****

 

 

 

Edited November 28, 2016 by scubacruiserx2

[perfect match]

Thank you Nancy for sharing your cruise and dives with us . This is relevant for us as we have been having some frustration with our usual provider in Cozumel . It's great to have a plan B in place if needed . We will be sharing our technique for getting Toad fish to poise on our Cozumel thread here : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2422532

 

 

We've had 2 cancellations from fellow passengers on our upcoming B2B Princess cruises and we may consider Sand Dollar if we don't hear from Dive Paradise soon . When we looked to book diving on Grand Cayman with Princess we found a red flag on their web site .

 

 

GCM-930 | Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands | See Special Notes

Min. age (years): 12 / Max. age (years): 65 / :eek:| Max. weight: 275 lbs. |

 

 

from $159.95*

 

So I was disqualified from diving with Princess in Grand Cayman 2 months ago . We contacted our usual provider there and they will allow Pat , I , and the other 4 divers to have our own small boat for $ 105 p.p., so it pays to know before you go ! :) :D

 

 

Sorry to hear that you are having problems with your usual dive operator in Cozumel. While I did enjoy my dives with Sand Dollar this time around, they do run large boats with a lot of divers, so you wouldn't get the same, more personalized experience you are used to enjoying. I did have good contact with Dive With Martin before our cruise. I was trying to get on an afternoon boat with them since we would not be in port early enough for their morning boat, but since I was the ony one scheduled for that afternoon, the dive was not going to go. I would have been fine if I had even one other diver with me, but with Barry's injury, I wasn't even sure I was going to make the dive. Dive With Martin is right at the pier, so you might want to give them a try if you want a less crowded dive. Sand Dollar might be able to arrange a private boat for you if you have a group of divers, so you might want to check that out as another option. At least they didn't have that annoying age 65 restriction! :eek:

 

I will be in Grand Cayman next year on Princess for our Panama Canal cruise, so it is good to know they have an age restriction on divers now. I was not planning to do a ship excursion there since the shop I have used in GC previously is right near the cruise terminal, between Rackhams and Casanovas, and has been able to work with my ship schedule in the past. Hopefully, they will be able to accomodate me next year when we are there. I am looking forward to diving in Grand Cayman again.

[scubacruiserx2]

 

MDR

 

 

 

 

 

Olman and Joseph provided excellent service throughout the cruise and made dining a great experience . And the food was enjoyable and well prepared .

However , several chairs were added later in the cruise to the adjacent table on my right . These were kept shoved against our table for their occupants pleasure . In our previous TA cruise , our table for 2 was less than 6 " from our neighbors . We do prefer more space between tables , like they have on Princess .

 

MDR rating

 

****

 

 

 

Qsine

 

 

Here's a place where playing with your food is encouraged !

 

 

 

 

 

M's favorites , was our favorite , both on the table

 

 

 

 

and the plate !

 

 

 

And the desserts were to diet for !!

 

 

 

 

 

Qsine rating

 

Joe and Pat

*****

 

Tyler

****