Lee & Mike's Cruise Notebook

[tiptop33]

Mike:

 

We noticed you posted pictures of your pre-cruise stay at the "W" hotel in Fort Lauderdale. As this is a new location, unfamiliar to many like us, we are hoping you will include a review of it along with your cruise when you are able to post a review on your trip. We look forward to it (especially having just read an article on the chain in the NY Times, which focused on the business rather than the tourist side of the story).

[ottawapuppy]

We noticed you posted pictures of your pre-cruise stay at the "W" hotel in Fort Lauderdale. As this is a new location, unfamiliar to many like us, we are hoping you will include a review of it along with your cruise when you are able to post a review on your trip. We look forward to it (especially having just read an article on the chain in the NY Times, which focused on the business rather than the tourist side of the story).

 

We've had the great luck of ending up in W Hotels a couple times in the last year, once in New York through an extraordinary flight/hotel combo deal on Expedia and once in Fort Lauderdale through Priceline after our Oasis cruise.

Love, love, LOVE those hotels!!

The rooms are very comfortable and I love the trendy decor. The public spaces are always very cool.

These hotels are usually pretty expensive, so we are ecstatic when we can find deals on them.

 

The location in Fort Lauderdale is great, right across the street from the beach. The pool area is amazing, on the Sunday afternoon there was a pool party going on with a disc jockey playing and lots of beautiful people laying about on pool chairs. The floor of the pool has glass panels in it that was the ceiling of the lounge/bar area below, and the shimmering water above created a cool lighting effect. There is a nice patio area off the bar overlooking the street and the beach. In the evening, the lobby bar area was "corded off" and was turned into a trendy club. (I don't think the likes of us would have been let in!) The emmenities in the bathroom are from Bliss spa in New York, the kit they provide each night sells in the store for about $25.

Our patio was on the side of the building overlooking the Hilton next door but we did have a nice view of the beach and the ocean.

I am sad we only got to spend one night at this hotel, it really was great.

 

Mike

[tiptop33]

Thanks for the tip on Priceline and the helpful information on the W in Fort Lauderdale. It looks like a great place to stay and I have not heard anything about it until now. What a terrific way to start a cruise vacation, making you feel like a king both on land and at sea!

 

Rick

[tbjl24]

Okay, the site is back up. We have lost a few older podcasts in the transition, but all is somewhat back to normal.

They call it an upgrade...sounds like a marketing term for "something that will make you crabby until you can figure out what has happened to something that was working fine up until that point".

But I'm not bitter. ;)

 

Mike

 

Hi Mike

 

I listen to your podcasts quite a bit and just noticed the older ones were missing.

 

Are they gone for good?

[ottawapuppy]

Hi Mike

 

I listen to your podcasts quite a bit and just noticed the older ones were missing.

 

Are they gone for good?

 

Unfortunately, yes. We lost the Sovereign and Brilliance podcasts. No biggie on the Sovereign ones since the ship has left the Royal Caribbean fleet. Too bad about Brill though...

 

Mike

[tiptop33]

Mike:

 

I downloaded the Brilliance podcasts a long time ago. Could I not email them to you somehow and then you would have them again? I would be glad to do so.

 

Rick

 

 

Unfortunately, yes. We lost the Sovereign and Brilliance podcasts. No biggie on the Sovereign ones since the ship has left the Royal Caribbean fleet. Too bad about Brill though...

 

Mike

[ottawapuppy]

I downloaded the Brilliance podcasts a long time ago. Could I not email them to you somehow and then you would have them again? I would be glad to do so.

 

Hey Rick,

Thanks for the offer.:) I have the original files from a backup, but the software chokes on these particular files during the publishing process. I've tried playing around with them but it appears there is something in the older files that prevents them from publishing properly. I can't figure it out but am glad that at least everything else is working now.

 

Have a great week,

Mike

[twarpula]

Mike & Lee-

Just got off the Oasis on Sat. and was so impressed! My fav. spots on the ships were the Solarium, the Solarium Bistro, Park Cafe, Central Park, Vintages & The Viking Crown Lounge. So sad to get off!

 

We took your advice on priceline and ended up staying at The Riverside Hotel (NICE) in downtown Ft. Lauderdale for $105 a night (their price ranged from $499 on up) eek! We rented from Hertz at the Ft. Lauderdale airport. This was a total nightmare. I checked in online etc.. We along with 100 other people waited a good hour and 45 min. to get the car. ugh! And then they have NO shuttle to the port, just an FYI. But for $11 I really shouldn't complain.

 

My itunes still has the Brilliance podcasts... it's a good thing because we are sailing the Epic out of Barcelona in 2012. I love going back and hearing your tips & experiences.

 

ps. since we emailed back & forth about Disney- We have taken our children and are booked on another in May. But really do NOT even consider going on that ship without kids. The head count on the Wonder was at 800!! EEK! Loved everything about it, but would never (unless it was free) board without children. It's a mad house. Don't get me wrong I loved it, food was ok, not great, entertainment top notch. But not for the kid-less traveler. :)

 

Thanks so much!!

-Tanya

[aloisia]

Your web site is amazing! Our family is heading to LA on the Sapphire & reading your postings are so helpful + The photos are great. Look forward to reading more on your next MR trip.

Thanks. :)

[twarpula]

Mike & Lee- just noticed that your site is down (4.14.11) wasn't sure if you were aware....Hope you all are well. I look forward to ALL the upcoming podcasts.

-Tanya

[Schplinky]

Mike & Lee- just noticed that your site is down (4.14.11) wasn't sure if you were aware....Hope you all are well. I look forward to ALL the upcoming podcasts.

-Tanya

 

 

It's back up

 

cruisenotebook.com

[tiptop33]

Hey Mike and Lee:

 

We are three weeks away from our cruise on Allure of the Seas. We had a question about the pools, and thought you might know the answer based on your experience with Oasis. Did you try to find a seat by the pools and did you find it possible to get one in spite of the seat-saving that always takes place? The pool areas on the Oasis class, based on the photos, seems much smaller than the pools on Mariner of the Seas and that type of RCL ship, which we have sailed on. Thanks!

 

Rick

[Schplinky]

Hey Mike and Lee:

 

We are three weeks away from our cruise on Allure of the Seas. We had a question about the pools, and thought you might know the answer based on your experience with Oasis. Did you try to find a seat by the pools and did you find it possible to get one in spite of the seat-saving that always takes place? The pool areas on the Oasis class, based on the photos, seems much smaller than the pools on Majesty of the Seas and that type of RCL ship, which we have sailed on. Thanks!

 

Rick

 

 

The pools are a little smaller but there are a few of them. The beach pool was our favorite and it was not impossible to find seats, especially if you go early (before 11, I'd say). The seat saving didn't seem as bad as usual because they monitored it.

[tiptop33]

Thanks very much. Was it my imagination or did Mike post a review on the Oasis on your web site? If so, I cannot find it there anymore.

[Schplinky]

Not yet. We're a little behind. The short summary is we loved almost everything. Advance reservations for shows are strongly advised!

[tiptop33]

Many thanks! We will send you our review of Allure when we return.

[twarpula]

Tiptop-

We sailed the Oasis in Jan. The pools were crowded by afternoon during sea days. We tended to spend most of our time in the Solarium (my fav. part of the ship), and those fill up really fast. They allow you to "hold" a chair and be gone from it for 30 min. This is SO annoying though and I did have trouble one of the sea days finding any seats.

Another thing RCCL is doing is making you use your card to get a towel. Not sure if this is new. It wasn't a problem, but there are not many towel stands.

Book your shows now, it will be so much easier for you. The people who did not do that were having to wait in line for 20-30 min. We went to every single show and they were all great. Esp. come fly with me and HairSpray, which will be Chicago for you.

Overall this is the BEST ship I've ever sailed, and now it's hard to sail anything else. ha!

[Schplinky]

Tiptop-

We sailed the Oasis in Jan. The pools were crowded by afternoon during sea days. We tended to spend most of our time in the Solarium (my fav. part of the ship), and those fill up really fast. They allow you to "hold" a chair and be gone from it for 30 min. This is SO annoying though and I did have trouble one of the sea days finding any seats.

Another thing RCCL is doing is making you use your card to get a towel. Not sure if this is new. It wasn't a problem, but there are not many towel stands.

Book your shows now, it will be so much easier for you. The people who did not do that were having to wait in line for 20-30 min. We went to every single show and they were all great. Esp. come fly with me and HairSpray, which will be Chicago for you.

Overall this is the BEST ship I've ever sailed, and now it's hard to sail anything else. ha!

 

I think that having to sign out towels is likely a good thing. It means people won't leave one on "their" chair and go off to bingo, lunch and whatever else and expect "their" chair and towel to still be there in three hours.

[twarpula]

Oh I totally agree about the towel policy, it also saves water by not having to wash as many. I just wish they had added a station to the front of the ship, it seems like there were only two in the middle and both always had big lines. :)

Looking forward to your next podcast about the Oasis and want to hear about the NCL you just did. Glitches and all. ha!

[tiptop33]

Mike and Lee:

 

We just got back from our cruise on Allure. You are going to love it! I can't compare it to Oasis, not having sailed the latter (that will happen next year) but it was an immaculate ship with incredible attention to detail and the needs of its passengers. Rather than go on, I thought I would post this link to a video on the Allure that I think you will enjoy-- it is by far the best and most comprehensive I have seen (reminds me of your podcasts):

 

http://www.wtsp.com/travel/story.aspx?storyid=160385

 

Rick

[Rstamper]

Will you be posting any new reviews of your cruises on the podcast? I have not seen any for a while on the podcast. I love listening to them.

 

Brenda

[jtvmi77]

Lee and Mike,

 

My wife and I are huge fans of your website and reviews. We have taken a few cruises together (3 Caribbean, 1 Med) on Princess, Celebrity, HAL, and RCL. I've also done one of those short three day jobs on NCL Sky with some of my guy friends (the wife was having her own European trip at the time with a girlfriend :O) ). Anyway... we were curious..

 

You guys have done numerous Caribbean itineraries, Mexican Riviera, Europe, and a TA, and are more well-cruised than we could hope to be. There seems to be only one of the main cruise areas you haven't hit. So....any plans to go to Alaska, or does your Canadian-ness prevent you from wanting to go where the weather might not be great for your holiday? I can relate, as I was stationed in North Dakota in the Air Force (US) and haven't wanted to vacation to a potentially cold climate for many years because of it. Anyway, we are just curious, as we are considering Alaska for maybe 2013.

[Schplinky]

For us, it's not so much the climate as the experience itself. Whenever we look at Alaska cruises on the Travel Channel, it seems like many of the ports are very "themed" in an EPCOT sort of way. It just seems like there are a few ports that feature Ye Olde Klondike Saloon and Woodsman Show. The other thing that detracts from our going is that the really good excursions are just so expensive.

[jtvmi77]

For us, it's not so much the climate as the experience itself. Whenever we look at Alaska cruises on the Travel Channel, it seems like many of the ports are very "themed" in an EPCOT sort of way. It just seems like there are a few ports that feature Ye Olde Klondike Saloon and Woodsman Show. The other thing that detracts from our going is that the really good excursions are just so expensive.

 

I've had similar thoughts when watching those programs. I don't think I'd be interested in the lumberjack shows or any of that stuff, either.

 

I do think that the scenic cruising would be nice. I guess I'll just have to do more research.

 

How did you like the TA? I enjoyed your London and Paris pics. Kathleen and I just got married last October, and as she is a teacher, we can't really take an extended vacation until the summer. This year, we are doing a trip to Paris, Burgundy, the Loire Valley and Normandy for our honeymoon. We had debated doing a Baltic cruise on Celebrity (the 14 day); however, and this is really from our experience in the Med. on RCL's Navigator, we don't think that a cruise is the best way to see Europe. We've both done land trips to the UK and the continent, and for us, I guess we a prefer a more immersive cultural experience. We liked the cruise, but probably won't do it again in Europe. Caribbean cruising has been our favorite way to relax, though, and we thought Alaska might be similar. I dunno...

 

Time will tell for our post-honeymoon vacay. I usually get so irritated at work after coming home from a vacation that I'll be looking for a cruise to book shortly after we get back from France.

[Schplinky]

I've had similar thoughts when watching those programs. I don't think I'd be interested in the lumberjack shows or any of that stuff, either.

 

I do think that the scenic cruising would be nice. I guess I'll just have to do more research.

 

How did you like the TA? I enjoyed your London and Paris pics. Kathleen and I just got married last October, and as she is a teacher, we can't really take an extended vacation until the summer. This year, we are doing a trip to Paris, Burgundy, the Loire Valley and Normandy for our honeymoon. We had debated doing a Baltic cruise on Celebrity (the 14 day); however, and this is really from our experience in the Med. on RCL's Navigator, we don't think that a cruise is the best way to see Europe. We've both done land trips to the UK and the continent, and for us, I guess we a prefer a more immersive cultural experience. We liked the cruise, but probably won't do it again in Europe. Caribbean cruising has been our favorite way to relax, though, and we thought Alaska might be similar. I dunno...

 

Time will tell for our post-honeymoon vacay. I usually get so irritated at work after coming home from a vacation that I'll be looking for a cruise to book shortly after we get back from France.

 

We loved the TA. It was a great trip. We thought it would be dull, in a good way, but we found we were busy the whole time.

 

We have seen a few great Europe trips that would allow a more immersive experience. The Constellation is doing one where you overnight in Bilbao and Bordeax. One day...