ROLL CALL: 2/25/07 Caribbean Princess

[gigand]

Oh Jim, I am counting down the days until I am free from the shackles of Information Technology for a religious non-profit! Even if only for a week.

 

Trust me, I'll be on that cruise if I have to borrow a canoe and paddle to catch up!

 

 

 

AMEN !!!!! ;)

[BucknJeff]

I am!

 

We have nearly 10 inches of new snow on the ground here, and strong winds... Whatta mess!

 

I changed our arrival date to Next Wednesday! I will need to thaw out!

 

Thanks again to Matt, Tim, and the rest of the gang for all of their help, kindness and time.

 

We appreciate it!

[Typhoon1]

For those of you asking, I found this on the Princess Board: If you are stopping at Princess Cays, that is in the Bahamas.

 

You turn your Bahamas immigration form in at the Pursors Desk drop box sometime before mid week.

__________________

rjack22

note on the Princess Board:

[MattInFLL]

A local lawyer here that I had invited to my school to talk to our gay student group, invited me to a gay professionals/social networking thing tonight... turns out he is a cruise junkie and will be joining us with 6 of his friends. But he made me pinky swear that "what happens on the cruise, stays on the cruise" :)

 

Christopher I am not sure about the 10 pounds, but I do seem to have gone down a pant size, so ... more shopping to do :)

 

Buck - hang in there! I remember my one winter in Chicago...

[RMS Olympic]

Funny.....The Freedom cruise with Atlantis was hardly spotted on the Cruise Critic board. The ship was fully loaded with more people than our ship will have and was booked way in advance. Our cruise.....slow to fill, has a thread close to 800 posts and thousands of views. In fact, there are not to many threads with that many views......amazing.

You guys are either very interesting, popular, cute or famous. It will be exciting to meet all of you.

I fly down a week from tomorrow..........I cant wait to thaw out and see some sun.

[gigand]

Funny.....The Freedom cruise with Atlantis was hardly spotted on the Cruise Critic board. The ship was fully loaded with more people than our ship will have and was booked way in advance. Our cruise.....slow to fill, has a thread close to 800 posts and thousands of views. In fact, there are not to many threads with that many views......amazing.

You guys are either very interesting, popular, cute or famous. It will be exciting to meet all of you.

I fly down a week from tomorrow..........I cant wait to thaw out and see some sun.

 

 

Yes Tom. It's kind of like a reality show. Time to grab 15 minutes of fame. The dynamics of this group are positive, fun, informative... ;) :) :D

[Tim-n-Rick]

You guys are either very interesting, popular, cute or famous.

 

Or just maybe we are all four! :)

 

My theory is the thirst for information. We had to dig for so long for entertainers, excursions, etc... This board provided a one stop shop for therapy and information. Plus it helps that it shows up on Google when you do a search. :)

[monumax]

Two weeks from today we will be lying (nude?) on Orient Beach in St. Martin, a far cry from today all bundled up and busy shoveling 10 inches of snow! I found this good website on Orient Beach that has some pictures and some answers to FAQ, such as "what happens if I become aroused?" :)

http://www.orientbeach.com/cruise_ship/

[Cruisydave]

i have 2 friends (a couple) that just came back from a straight cruise and went to orient beach. they say to get off the ship and there are vans lined up at the pier that take you to the beach for 5 or 7 bucks....couldn't remember....you don't need to take an organized tour through the ship for that beach. they said it's beautiful, and very friendly (and nude, if you like.........ahem, who doesn't like that?) and there are places to eat and have a drink, and get out of the sun etc.....a great day at the beach.

just an f.y.i. for those of you "beach bound" guys and gals.......

david

[RMS Olympic]

1. Be careful, they dont like people taking pictures of fellow bathers.

2. If you are gonna show it...coat it. A sun burn on tender parts can ruin your cruise.....and we all do things after drinks that make us say the magic words...what was I thinking. Alas I speak from experience when I was just a young cruiser...too many margaritas (with no salt) and thinking I was a sun dial. LOL

3. For food and drinks.....facing the water, look to your right and walk all the way down the beach. The restaurant there is a great place to get food, drink and people watching.

 

Me, I will be on the golden eagle catamaran, trying to get my fellow cruisers to enjoy the on board beverages and then convince them they are sun dials......my bad, my bad, my bad.

Hey Hobie...if we both gain some more weight before the cruise adding to our mid section......we will have our own awning to shade our.........and we can sun like the boys on the beach LOL

[thulewx]

I did it...

I'm official....

Just reserved one of the last inside cabins...

I haven't been on an RSVP in about 3-4 years, or any cruise since (ahem:o ) Tahiti....Where to find the accoutrement (Je ne parlez pas Francais...) (and no Romansch either, for our Confederatio Helvetica friend) (Aber Ich spreche Deutsch).

Now to decide - do I come down early for the pre-sail parties, or do I drive down (from central Georgia) the day of sailing - do I bring full tux, top-hat & tails, should I pack my 6"-heel red glitter dorothy pumps and boa?

decisions, decisions...

Oh, Matt - RSVP said I don't need passport - Birth certificate and ID will do.

Now all I have to do is find a fax machine within 50 miles - maybe next to the outhouse off the interstate -

YEEHAW!!!

[Hobie]

Wow..Not only do I get to see Matt and Tom again but I also get to see Phil!

 

I also booked an inside cabin today. Not sure of the number but it is on Baja deck.

 

Only 11 days to go! This is the latest that i have ever booked a cruise or any vacation! You guys that know me, know that I'm not the impulsive type. Maybe I'm changing for the better as I get older!

I'm really looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting LOTS of new friends (all introductions from Tom will be appreciated!)

 

See you all on the Caribbean Princess!:D

 

Glenn

[thulewx]

Far out! Now I'll have someone to guide me to all those special spots!!!;)

(Yes, I remember Key West, too...)

[M&D]

Although I live in Texas where the winters usually on last a day or two, I've been stuck in the northeast (can we say Winter Storm Agatha?) and now I understand completly why everyone from the north/northeast is so excited to be heading to the Caribbean next week! I've only had a couple of days of freezing rain/snow/sleet/snow/snow/snow and even my anticipation level has skyrocketed!

Looking forward to it even more! Bring on the sunshine and warm breezes! :D

Mark

[MattInFLL]

Phil and Glenn - I am so glad to know you are both making it. Since I only got to wish you all a bon voyage when we first met in 2003... And one of our dearest friends here in FLL just booked an outside cabin today. He and his partner were supposed to be on the Atlantis Rio de Janeiro cruise, but had to cancel when the partner injured himself and can't travel right now...

 

I won't be able to turn a corner without knowing someone ... hmmm ... :)

 

I ordered "cruise cards" from VistaPrint last night. If you do a google search for "vistaprint coupon", you can find a link with 75% off their regular price of $19.99 for business cards... (I know they have the "free" ones, too.)

[Cruisydave]

matt,

i made our own cruise cards. 500 was WAY too many. made around 50 or so. 10 days to go. gonna start packing this weekend.

david

[Hobie]

Booking this late meant that it was difficult to get air transportation from L.A. to FLL.

 

I'm booked on the "red-eye", leaving L.A. at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday night and arriving in FLL at 5:00 a.m. on Sunday!

 

Any suggestions about what to do from 5:00 a.m. until I can board the CB? I don't mind waiting around somewhere but doubt that I can check my luggage and wait around in the cruise terminal that early.

 

Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

The info. at RSVP says that boarding starts at 1:00 p.m. Does anybody know when boarding will really begin? Noon?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Glenn

[Tim-n-Rick]

Would anyone be interested in me bringing printed copies of the directory to the meet and greet? Would anyone rather I not?

 

I have so much to do before we leave! I don't know how I'm going to get it all done!! I did find hats to decorate and am busy doing that. Packing and car stuff all next week. Having fun can be hard work.

 

Anyone have experience with the rent-a-tux company for Princess? I've been dragging my feet about reserving ours and I guess I need to get in gear.

 

Experienced cruisers - do you find that you eat most meals in the big dining rooms or the more casual eateries? I don't know how much "dress casual" to bring. I'd rather not wear pants that much.

[marathonr]

Hello all. I saw a post that commented that RSVP had told them that a passport was not required if you had a birth certificate and id.

 

I checked with Nick at RSVP and his comment was that "RSVP recommends that you travel with a passport. If you do not have a passport you can travel with a Birth certificate and photo id. The catch is if you need to be transported anywhere due to a medical or any other emergency you need a passport.That is what Princess it telling us."

 

So the regulation on making passport mandatory has been moved out to 2008 but only for cruises...so if indeed you have to return to the U.S. via air for emergency reasons, that will require a passport and during an emergency is not the time to be fighting with air officials about being let in without one.

 

Thanks

[Boytjie]

Would anyone be interested in me bringing printed copies of the directory to the meet and greet? Would anyone rather I not?

 

I will bring my own if you email it out.

 

I'd rather not wear pants that much.

 

Hmmm... should I go there?? Do you go around in dresses, undies or bottomless?

[RMS Olympic]

Your vacation is what you make it. Just pack one or two pants like dockers. Then you have flexibility. On the last cruise there were guys that ate every meal in the casual eatery...what they use to call the lido. Some did the shorts thing every night even on formal night...but then avoided the dining rooms where shorts are not desired. I can tell you I did see some guys wearing the same outfit every night...only changed their bathing suit or shorts during the day. These were the guys that boarded with back packs for the week. I will admit I did not get close to them to check out their cologne.

So wear what you want. This time I am leaving the Tux at home and wearing a new black suit. If there is room, I might stick in another suit, incase there is a need for it...which there wont be. Rest of the time.......tropical or camp shirts.

Costumes.....little if none...except my hat that I ordered. Too much luggage.....I ain't straight, I ain't a women....then there were those times after drinking too many margaritas without salt......

[Cruisydave]

tim,

john and i eat in the dining rooms mostly. it's just so nice to be waited on. always eat breakfast in the d.r.

sometimes, if we're sitting around the pool at lunch time, we'll just do the buffet. don't have to change. just a bathing suit and t-shirt is enough.

but if we're inside, doing something else lunchtime, it's off to the dining room.

and dinners are always in the dr as well. so much easier that trying to find a table in the buffet, putting your stuff there to "reserve" it, grabbing a tray, walking the line for food, coming back and setting the tray down, foraging for an iced tea........(and heaven forbid, if you want a cocktail, that's an entirely other schlep). so we go to the dining room. dressed casual.

khakis and a polo, or even dressy shorts (don't go there.......<g>) and a shirt.

and on tuxedo night, we wear elegant shirts and slacks........i'm on vacation....don't wanna play penguin......we have enough drag with the activities........LOL

[MattInFLL]

Marathonr - I am a big believer in "get the passport already!"... but for those who are booking last minute and can't get one in time, it is OK to go with the birth certificate and ID. Cruise ship pax get an extra year to comply with the new rules. Yes, there will be a hitch if you have to fly home for some reason. However, the major news outlets have been interviewing Immigration officials and they have said that during this time of transition they are not going to "strand anyone". If I were bleeding all over the place, would I want to rely on that? Probably not, but I do think they are aware of the fact that this can happen and are ready to deal with it. Let's hope none of us need to worry about it! :)

 

One of our friends is going to spend all day in Miami today at the passport office to get his... obviuously not everyone can take a whole day, or has a passport office nearby.

 

Glenn - have you thought about getting a "day room" - so many of the major chains allow you to pay for a few hours, to get a nap and a shower... I would bet the Sheraton by the airport does it... I am almost positive I have heard the Hyatt Pier 66 offers it, too (right by the port).

 

Officially boarding begins at 1... but you know an anxious queen like myself is going to get there at before 11am... they always say "after 1" and I always seem to be on board by noon... although just a warning - there are EIGHT big ships in port that morning, one or two more than usual for a Sunday. So the port will be crazy. If you hate crowds, arrive after 1:30.

 

http://www.co.broward.fl.us//port/cruise.htm

Ship calendar: http://www.co.broward.fl.us//port/pdfs/cruiseguide/cruise_guide_2007_shipcalendar.pdf

[Hobie]

Matt,

Thanks for the good advice. I'll see if I can get a room for a few hours. It would be nice to get a shower after flying all night so I'll be fresh and presentable when I meet you guys.

 

Which would you recommend? The Sheraton or Hyatt? Is the Hyatt close enough to the cruise terminal that I could walk from there to the terminal? Probably need a taxi huh?

 

Thanks again.

[MattInFLL]

Oh Tim - meant to mention my 2 cents on food/dining - yes we do usually do the dining room or a specialty restaurant most nights... but so many people just do the buffets at all times. One thing is that you can wear shorts in the dining room for breakfast and lunch, and it is often quicker and far less crowded than the buffet for those meals. The buffet area on all Princess ships is called the Horizon Court, and all Grand Class ships basically have the same layout... so I can tell you from experience on the Diamond Princess - the layout of the buffet food area is just dumb... crowded and chaotic. However, Caribbean Princess does offer a special area towards the back with sushi (may be extra cost), but also two or three nights a week (including the first night) a seafood buffet with crab legs, lobster claws, etc (and it is *not* extra cost). This special area (I think it is called "Caribe Cafe" on the deck plan also does some special Caribbean offerings for dinner at least one night - so don't feel like you *have* to do the dining room.

 

For tuxes - all the major cruise lines use the same vendor for the tuxes. I have used them 3 or 4 times now, and it's always there the first day. But try it on right away - The only glitch I ever had was once they gave me size 32 pants (and I haven't been a 32 since ... hmmmm, let's not go there)... and I discovered it right before dinner. Thankfully, they keep extras on board and I got it switched in time.

 

I am only packing a sport coat and slacks and maybe a tie... the rest of the week its slacks and nice shirts for dinner.

 

Glenn - the Hyatt is spitting distance from the ship, but I do not think they allow "walk ins" with security... but the Hyatt most certainly does a shuttle... the Sheraton probably does, too. I would rate them about the same.