Crown Princess ABC islands Jan 12 to 20, 2018

[Bimmer09]

You can always count on me to follow along and make a couple comments on any review you do (I have read all your Drivin' by Norris blogs as well) and with Carol's help you two make a great team. The feeling I get by reading your reviews feels I am actually with you both on the cruise and I like that feeling.

 

Speaking of feelings in 10 days I got a feeling.........

 

So where are you cruising to?? And on which ship?

Norris, saying thanks for your continued patronage!

[Bimmer09]

I thought it was the Vogie never seen it from above . It has a lovely seafood restaurant called The Quays . I have only been in it a handful of times but do like it. Have an aunt living in Portaferry and have enjoyed some summers there. Nothing like it in the world as Northern Ireland . Do you still have family here ? Have you been back since you moved .? I must say you had one of the most beautiful views in the world.

I live in Lisburn maybe not as beautiful as Portavogie but I still love it.

 

"Never seen Portavogie from above"....nor had I until I went home for my dad's funeral in April 2003 and afterwards took my younger sister and her daughter for a helicopter ride. I booked it for an hour and the pilot went where I told him and we went down the Ards peninsula, which I knew from the ground, to Portaferry and then to Portavogie to see my world from the air. I of course took pictures. We flew up the beautiful beach coast until Bangor, the seaside resort town and then back to land in Newtownards where I went to high school. I will repeat that trip when I next go home. I haven't been home since the funeral 15 years ago.

I have two sisters living there one younger and one older and they are both travelers. The older one is an NCL and P and O cruiser. The younger one has a second home in Spain which I have never been to. They have grandkids. I surprised my older sister in Spain in 1982 and again in Las Vegas in 2004....just appeared before her without her having a clue I was there. Such fun!

I left N Ireland for good in 1974 after being caught in two gun battles (one indoors at a huge club I was playing in) and one in the street at night as British soldiers were exchanging gunfire with some terrorists. I was earning my living playing drums around Belfast and decided my luck might run out. I visited 6 of the 13 places that got bombed one Friday in Belfast and had moved on before the bombs were detonated. So I left for London where I stayed until 1986 when I went back for my 2nd contract with Royal Caribbean. Since 1974 I visited N Ireland in 1977 for my young sister's wedding, 1979 for my mother's funeral (at age 51), 1994, 2002 when I last saw my dad and then 2003. So I am overdue. I do love it there when I go back-but just for a week. The USA is my home from here on in.

Yes the view was stunning. I could see the harbor and the Irish sea at all times and the Isle of Man and Scotland when it wasn't raining. The view was great in calm weather and even better when there was a gale and the sea was whipped up and crashing over the outer wall of the harbor. That's when I would go down there with my schoolboy buddy (who is a friend still to this day but lives in England) and get a good soaking.

I have had people say I should write a book and if I did it would be about an idyllic childhood of constant fun and adventure in Portavogie. I was truly blessed by having parents who didn't wrap me in cotton wool (didn't have to back then) but just let me be a kid from morning to night.

I wouldn't have wished to have lived anywhere else but by the sea.

Great to talk to you.

Norris

[Marvy Mare]

Maris, I process my RAW files in Lightroom and "publish" them to my chosen web host which is and I hope always will be Flickr where they compress them to JPEGS and from Flickr it is so easy to share using the BBB function to CC. Just copy and paste and then erase most of the url gobbledegook that identifies the location of that photo on the web. Just keep the text that begins and ends with the word img.I post the pictures big enough to fill the whole width of the CC available page. If you need any help when the time comes, just come back and post here and I will be happy to help you.

 

 

 

The Reflection is a dazzler of a ship. Great choice!

 

Bon Voyage!

 

Norris

 

 

 

Hi Norris

 

Returned home from our 10 Caribbean Cruise on the Celebrity Reflection on Wednesday evening. Pouring rain for our drive home & wind storm yesterday. Probably similar weather in Chicago. I was awake at 3:30 this morning starting the photo editing process. I do have a Flickr account, so will save photos to there. I was reviewing some of the information in your reviews and noticed in the latest review that some of your Flickr photos weren’t available for viewing. Flickr issue or maybe my iPad?

I will use the practice page before I post everything.

I was up before sunrise every morning. I walked the track around the deck. Thought of you as I greeted the smokers at the Sunset Bar. The only other people awake before me.

I may have more questions, love all your reviews & thanks for your help.

 

Maris

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Bimmer09]

I thought it was the Vogie never seen it from above . It has a lovely seafood restaurant called The Quays . I have only been in it a handful of times but do like it.

 

Hello again- the Quays is maybe 100 feet from that house I was living in on Harbour Road but wasn't there when I lived there. It was owned by a second cousin with the last name Adair which is very common there. I did have a meal there in 2002 and was very impressed by their warm service and hot fish and chips. Also I went with a dozen or so folks after my dad's funeral for some drinks.

The population listed on Wikipedia is twice what it was in the 1960s when it was only 1,000.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Hi Norris

 

Returned home from our 10 Caribbean Cruise on the Celebrity Reflection on Wednesday evening. Pouring rain for our drive home & wind storm yesterday. Probably similar weather in Chicago. I was awake at 3:30 this morning starting the photo editing process. I do have a Flickr account, so will save photos to there. I was reviewing some of the information in your reviews and noticed in the latest review that some of your Flickr photos weren’t available for viewing. Flickr issue or maybe my iPad?

I will use the practice page before I post everything.

I was up before sunrise every morning. I walked the track around the deck. Thought of you as I greeted the smokers at the Sunset Bar. The only other people awake before me.

I may have more questions, love all your reviews & thanks for your help.

 

Maris

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Hi Maris and welcome back!

I have just rolled quickly through the first 8 pages of this review looking for Flickr pics that don't show but haven't found any. Sometimes you may get a little blue square with a ? or a note saying "photo not available" (which so far has only happened in my Ocean Princess review) but in each case if you click on the square/the message it takes you to the missing photo via the Flickr website, opening in another window so you can toggle between F and CC.

When you upload a pic using the BBB share link on Flickr by copying it and then pasting into the review you have two eliminate 4 of the 5 lines of Flickr url text- the one line you keep is the one that begins and ends with the word img.

Hope this helps!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Norris, if you like Chinese food, I would like to suggest you check out Gin Mon. It is a shopping center in Belmont, CA., of course it might not work out transportation wise, but the food used to be superb. Unfortunately, I haven't been there in a few years and I feel deprived every time I visit any other Chinese restaurant. The owner came here from China and worked for some airline and started a restaurant as a family business while continuing to work for the airline. It had won a number of local awards when we were last there and I would never be in the area without checking to see if it was still as good. I am sure you can read about it on Trip Advisor and/or Yelp.

What month are you going to San Fran? I do have a yearning to visit there again, but my sister no longer lives out there and we have a few places we want to go first.

 

Thanks for the Chinese recommendation but I have no idea where Belmont is. I'll look it up on TripAdvisor as I am on there often reviewing. I just reviewed Girl and the Goat in Chicago yesterday with photos. Norris A is my screen name there. Really incognito,LOL!

We are going to SF 2nd week of June on an Opera trip with lots of eating involved as we have a slew of favorite eateries there. Just a week and it will fly by. We often get a yacht day where I get to guide the boat through San Francisco bay dodging oil tankers and Coast Guard boats.

Carol's brother is an avid yachtsman. The boat is docked in Alameda which gives me the opportunity to drive over the Bay Bridge. I like driving in San Francisco and beyond. Can't wait! Highway 1 is a great drive.

Thanks for taking an active part in my journal and I hope to see you in those that follow!

Norris

[hockeyguru32]

So where are you cruising to?? And on which ship?

Norris, saying thanks for your continued patronage!

 

Carnival Conquest to Sint Maarten St Kitts San Juan Grand Turk

[Bimmer09]

Carnival Conquest to Sint Maarten St Kitts San Juan Grand Turk

 

Great itinerary! I love visiting San Juan and St Kitts. Try a Segway tour in SJ if interested. The Sugar cane train is a nice relaxing ride on St Kitts. Have you booked excursions and if so do you have to pay in advance as is now the case on Princess?

Wishing you a Bon Voyage and will watch the sailaway from P.E.

Norris

[Marvy Mare]

Hi Maris and welcome back!

I have just rolled quickly through the first 8 pages of this review looking for Flickr pics that don't show but haven't found any. Sometimes you may get a little blue square with a ? or a note saying "photo not available" (which so far has only happened in my Ocean Princess review) but in each case if you click on the square/the message it takes you to the missing photo via the Flickr website, opening in another window so you can toggle between F and CC.

When you upload a pic using the BBB share link on Flickr by copying it and then pasting into the review you have two eliminate 4 of the 5 lines of Flickr url text- the one line you keep is the one that begins and ends with the word img.

Hope this helps!

Norris

Hi Norris

 

I went to the test page. Followed your suggestions & it worked perfectly. Now for trying a mini blog. My husband is getting tired of me sitting at the computer so it will have to wait. Guess I'll be up at 3:30 tomorrow again. Lol

 

Maris

Edited April 6, 2018 by Marvy Mare
Addition

[Marvy Mare]

Norris - One more quick question. If I write a review do I have to follow that 'Write a Review' or do I just start a thread?

Thanks

[Bimmer09]

Norris - One more quick question. If I write a review do I have to follow that 'Write a Review' or do I just start a thread?

Thanks

 

Maris- Start a new thread-otherwise you are writing a members review where there can be no responses and tiny photos. Eek!!

A NEW thread but- be careful with the title as it can't be edited once you submit and I have seen many with typos- "The Beast cruise ever!" or the "Cruise from Hello" etc. from that point on you can write and post your photos and help other CC readers. Can't wait to see it!

I'm glad that you used the Test Forum to try your photos. I hope you are making them nice and large! Mine are 1024 by 680 or something close to that. Any bigger and people have to scroll right just to see the whole photo. Tiresome.

Once you post something you have about 10 minutes to fix any errors or add text. You can't change colors at that point nor sizes.

Have fun with your first photo review!

Norris

[Marvy Mare]

Norris - Thanks for all your help. I did get started. Good to know I have 10 minutes to correct errors. I did make a minor mistake in my title - a missed capital.

Accidentally erased a photo too but I’ll get the hang of it. You certainly gave me easy to follow instructions for adding the photos.

 

Maris

[silkismom]

Norris, not sure if you've answered this question in any of your reviews, but, what do you do with all your photos after they're been on here? You surely don't print them all or keep in your camera. DVD of each trip? Just curious, also do you print all your reviews?

[Bimmer09]

Norris, not sure if you've answered this question in any of your reviews, but, what do you do with all your photos after they're been on here? You surely don't print them all or keep in your camera. DVD of each trip? Just curious, also do you print all your reviews?

 

Hi, I never print them out and never will as I have enough paper clutter around the house already. They exist only on CC to be viewed. I have about 15,000 photos spread over two Flickr accounts and about 10,000 more non-CC ones in Lightroom. I would have more but had a computer stolen a couple of years ago. Since then I take the photos from my Mac to a portable hard drive with 4 Terabytes of storage to free up space on the Mac. I also pay Apple for big iCloud storage so I am covered if anything happens to the hard drive.

The only printing I do with the cruise photos is a couple of calendars each year via Walgreens and a few 8 x 10's from Alaska to hang on the walls.

The photos are on Sandisk Memory Cards and I always buy new ones so I have back-ups galore. As I take pictures in RAW (big files!) I have a lot of spare cards with me.

I read the reviews once after they are finished. I haven't read this one yet.

I have a lot of photos taken on a film camera from across the years in envelopes in shoe boxes and stumble upon them now and then. I scanned a lot of 1985/86 cruise photos and put them up at the end of my Celebrity Reflection review, with an RCCL brochure from 86. The oldest photo I have is of me aged 4.

I used to make DVDs of our Europe trips, with artwork, but since I have been putting our Europe stuff on youtube don't do that anymore.

As usual, a long answer!

Thanks for asking.

Norris

[silkismom]

Thank you! I made 1-2 DVDs a year of photos, not just cruises. Of course I don't take nearly as many as you do. Looking at my "passwords" list, I have flickr, but don't think I've used it.

[Suzrobbins]

Crown questions.. When did they have Zumba??? Knitters and Natters???? Bible Study???? Thanks... Ann

 

Sent from my K88 using Forums mobile app

Knitters and natters was at 9 am on the regal last month. Just for info purposes.

[Bimmer09]

Thank you! I made 1-2 DVDs a year of photos, not just cruises. Of course I don't take nearly as many as you do. Looking at my "passwords" list, I have flickr, but don't think I've used it.

 

I have only used Flickr since I began posting photos on CC. On my blog the photos come from the Apple app "photos" which comes with the computer and which is pretty lame for editing so I don't put cruise pictures there-they go to Lightroom for adjustment as RAW files and then to Flickr where they show as Jpegs.

I only have DVDs of our video travels in Europe and the USA-never any photos there.

I have 13,000 photos on my iPhone alone. Some of those I use in my reviews. I have had that phone since Dec 2015. I use them instead of texting words-if we are in San Francisco and Carol texts asking me where I am I text back a pic of the Ferry Building or Chinatown.

Thanks for being in my review!

Now that it is over I have 8 weeks to get back to learning photography and have 8 months or so before Cuba so I should be in better shape for my next CC adventure.

Cheers!

Norris

[CruiserRob]

I just reviewed Girl and the Goat in Chicago yesterday with photos.

 

OK now I want to eat there, but "Our new Goat-to restaurant"

REALLY Norris :D:D:D

Robert

Edited April 9, 2018 by CruiserRob
Content

[hockeyguru32]

Great itinerary! I love visiting San Juan and St Kitts. Try a Segway tour in SJ if interested. The Sugar cane train is a nice relaxing ride on St Kitts. Have you booked excursions and if so do you have to pay in advance as is now the case on Princess?

Wishing you a Bon Voyage and will watch the sailaway from P.E.

Norris

 

Love San Juan also. Our shore time in San Juan is short 7am to 2:00pm so we will walk around find some monfongo and a few libations and the train is already booked for St Kitts.

[Bimmer09]

OK now I want to eat there, but "Our new Goat-to restaurant"

REALLY Norris :D:D:D

Robert

 

Robert, I got a note from the CEO of TripAdvisor yesterday, congratulating me on my 150th review on his site and when I am in the mood I sprinkle some humor into them as reviews there are often very dull and I slam them with a bunch of photos of the food as it helps things along. It's what I do when I am not on CC. I have about 10 reviews to write at the minute and will have ten more after San Francisco. Carol is a passionate cook and can produce restaurant-worthy meals and I like to cook too but we love to eat out and use TripAdvisor and sometimes Yelp to help us choose. I pay-back by writing reviews on TA. I used to write on Yelp but don't rely on it like TA.

Glad you read Girl and the Goat-great restaurant indeed.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Love San Juan also. Our shore time in San Juan is short 7am to 2:00pm so we will walk around find some monfongo and a few libations and the train is already booked for St Kitts.

 

Have you seen the Segway videos I took in San Juan and the Sugar Train ride in St Kitts?

They were in my Silhouette review and both were fantastic experiences. 7 a.m to 2 pm is short.

I loved SJ after dark and if I wasn't tired after the Segway I would have gone back ashore to sip some rum at one of those bars by the harbor. Next time!! I think we were there from 1pm to 9.30 but that was still too early to leave!

I haven't tried mofongo-what is it? And is it good?

Norris

[perfect match]

When I saw this thread on Song of Norway

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2618158

 

over on the RCI board earlier, I thought of you, and remembered I had some catching up to do on the end of this awesome review. Thank you again for sharing your and Carol's wonderful journey with us. I will be looking for your Cuba cruise review on the Celebrity board in January. I do hope you will post a link here even if you start a new thread on the Princess board because I will get a nice reminder that will pop up in my email as a subscriber to this thread.

 

 

I hope you and Carol have a wonderful time in San Francisco. It is one of many places on my unbelievably long list of places I hope to visit some day.

[hockeyguru32]

Have you seen the Segway videos I took in San Juan and the Sugar Train ride in St Kitts?

They were in my Silhouette review and both were fantastic experiences. 7 a.m to 2 pm is short.

I loved SJ after dark and if I wasn't tired after the Segway I would have gone back ashore to sip some rum at one of those bars by the harbor. Next time!! I think we were there from 1pm to 9.30 but that was still too early to leave!

I haven't tried mofongo-what is it? And is it good?

Norris

Read your review? Is the Pope Catholic? Yes I have read ALL of your reviews and have seen ALL your YouTube videos. Your segway tour look so fun. My DW would love to try it which makes it a plus but not enough time in San Juan we will just walk the narrow blue cobblestone streets up and down the hills try some of the local fare and libations hop on the free trolley and enjoy our day, but next time we will do it for sure.

I have never tried monfongo but it's main ingredient is fried plantain.

[Walt fan]

Mofongo is the most amazing Puerto Rican dish ever Norris. We have had it a couple of times. They can be filled with all kinds of stuff. That is the only word I can come up with. You must try it if you ever go again. Now I am hungry.

 

I absolutely love Trip Advisor. I have posted a ton of reviews as pay back as well. I scour TA every time I go on vacation, hotels, restaurants, scenic byways, TA has saved me so many times.

 

So sad this review is winding down to a close. I will have to find you in TA for your San Francisco trip.

 

Take care.

[Leewads]

Loving this review! Just out of interest what room would you recommend at the Marriott (apart from that great suite) and your transfer to the ship did you just arrange through hotel reception?

 

Many thanks

Lee