Photos from our 11/30 sailing on the Solstice

[tbmrt]

The most amazing I've seen yet!

[pierces]

Hi Dave,

 

You are so quick with posting your photos! It was so nice to meet you wandering around the ship taking photos so early in the morning on day 2. :D I hope to get my pictures available this weekend.

 

Your pictures are amazing! You have such a keen eye for taking unique and beautiful pictures.

 

Thanks to you and so many others here for the kind words. I am glad everyone is enjoying the photos.

 

Do you have a favorite picture?

 

Michael

 

A favorite...hmmmm. That's like asking which child is the favorite! :D

 

There were several that made me glad I brought my camera, but this one is my current favorite from the trip:

 

Rose Wall in Blu shot through a hole in the central support wall.

 

 

Thanks again to everyone!

 

Dave

[pierces]

Dave, I am so humbled by your beautiful photos......I almost feel silly giving my little review of our week.

 

Nonsense! Words are as valuable as photos. You simply paint with a different brush. :)

 

Thanks for sharing your pictures, as beautiful as they are, they don't do her justice, do they?

 

Deborah;)

 

No, not really...

 

This ship was a lot like Alaska...you do what you can with a camera, but she has to be seen to be truly appreciated. Not enough senses involved, I guess. I couldn't possible take a picture of the "new car smell" in the elevators or the odor of burgers at the Mast Grille!

 

Dave

[cvat]

Thank you much for your pictures with awsome comments.

 

St. Kitts looks very traditional caribbean and still has this flair, interessting people,too, esp.with this no smoking sign.

 

Thank you for showing this!

[sunnyjack]

Thank you for taking the time to share all of these wonderful photos. I really enjoyed all of them.

[RealDeal]

Awesome pics, Dave.

 

Two questions: What beach was that in St. Maarten where you saw the planes come in?

 

Which is the better side of the ship for this itinerary? I selected a starboard side balcony, as I was told the ship backs in ....any suggestions?

[pierces]

Awesome pics, Dave.

 

Two questions: What beach was that in St. Maarten where you saw the planes come in?

 

Thanks!

 

The planes come in over Maho Beach. All the taxi drivers know where it is. We got a taxi for five people for $8 per person each way. He was very accommodating and picked us up for the ride back to town right on time. We were there from about noon to 1:45 PM and had three "heavies" come in and one leave. They post the daily schedule in chalk on the official surfboard for reference outside the Sunset Bar. Nice bar to hang out in while waiting for the fly-overs.

 

Which is the better side of the ship for this itinerary? I selected a starboard side balcony, as I was told the ship backs in ....any suggestions?

 

We were on the starboard side and spent a lot of time in port looking at the ship next door. This may vary based on which slip they park in. As I remember, all inbound approaches to the ports were port-side making all departures on the starboard. The ship always docked nose-in.

 

Hope that helped.

 

Dave

[kentalope]

Dave,

Beautiful pictures. My favorite was the shot of the USCG Cutter Vigorous in Puerto Rico. That is the ship that my father spent good portion of his military career on. It is also the ship from which his ashes were spread after he passed. It’s good to see here again. I have not seen her since I was a kid. I hope she is still there on 27-Jan-09 when we sail in on Solstice. Thanks.

Ken

[pierces]

Dave,

Beautiful pictures. My favorite was the shot of the USCG Cutter Vigorous in Puerto Rico. That is the ship that my father spent good portion of his military career on. It is also the ship from which his ashes were spread after he passed. It’s good to see here again. I have not seen her since I was a kid. I hope she is still there on 27-Jan-09 when we sail in on Solstice. Thanks.

Ken

 

Ken,

 

Here is a link to a full-resolution copy of the image. View it full-size in IE, FireFox or whatever and right-click on it. Choose "Save image as" and save it to your local computer. You should be able to see far more detail than the web posting.

 

http://www.pptphoto.com/images/CGC627.JPG

 

Dave

[kentalope]

Ken,

 

Here is a link to a full-resolution copy of the image. View it full-size in IE, FireFox or whatever and right-click on it. Choose "Save image as" and save it to your local computer. You should be able to see far more detail than the web posting.

 

http://www.pptphoto.com/images/CGC627.JPG

 

Dave

 

Thanks, Dave. I'm going to send this off to my brother. I'm sure he'll enjoy seeing here again too.

Ken

[tomatopa]

Dave,

 

Oh, My Gosh!!! What wonderful pictures you took and the labeling, so much fun to read...

 

Thank you so much,

 

Judy

[KevinNYC]

Holy Toledo! Absolutely superb from start to finish! Thanks for posting those -- you really have an eye for it and that's a real gift (which, try as I might, I'll unfortunately never possess -- LOL!!!).

 

Thanks agan...... :D

[pierces]

I'm a little (lot) overwhelmed....

 

You have all posted such nice comments and have apparently looked at most of my Solstice galleries.

 

The images have received an amazing 67,000+ hits since yesterday at noon.

 

Again, thanks to all. I'm flattered and a bit stunned!

 

Dave

[Eliz]

What fantastic pictures!! We were on the 11/30 sailing also and you captured everything we were oohing and aahing over. What a gorgeous ship. We enjoyed every moment and can't wait to sail her again. I'll be showing family members your photos instead of mine! I do have a fantastic shot of my champagne glass with the sun setting behind/within it...my only interesting picture. Thanks so much for sharing all of yours with us.

 

Elizabeth

[hylasgirl]

Ken,

 

Here is a link to a full-resolution copy of the image. View it full-size in IE, FireFox or whatever and right-click on it. Choose "Save image as" and save it to your local computer. You should be able to see far more detail than the web posting.

 

http://www.pptphoto.com/images/CGC627.JPG

 

Dave

 

 

What a super nice gesture! Very much! Happy Holidays!

[nothriver]

I just spent almost 2 hours enjoying your wonderful photographs. I can't wait to look at the rest of your albums. Thank you so much for sharing!

[sammamishcruiser]

WOW! FANTASTIC PICS! I started with Solstice and just got totally caught up with your pictures of Alaska. I just spent an hour looking through all of them! We were there this past Sept. - The last ship in most ports! You brought back so many great memories for us. You do beautiful work and love the captions, too.

 

Thanks again and happy cruising!!

Melody:D

[FinelyCruising]

I'm a little (lot) overwhelmed....

 

You have all posted such nice comments and have apparently looked at most of my Solstice galleries.

 

The images have received an amazing 67,000+ hits since yesterday at noon.

 

Again, thanks to all. I'm flattered and a bit stunned!

 

Dave

 

I couldn't be happier for you!:)

[N&B]

Your pictures are awesome. Really enjoyed looking at them. Can't wait until we board on 12-21-08

[pierces]

This thread has almost run it course, so I thought I'd close out by thanking everyone for their comments and compliments. I love photography and though the pictures I take are (perhaps somewhat selfishly) primarily for my own enjoyment, it is gratifying to know that others appreciate what I do with a camera.

 

To those of you who have already sailed on the Solstice, I hope the photos reminded you of good times and a beautiful ship.

 

To those of you yet to sail, I'm sorry if your pre-cruise anxiety has taken a hit!:D

 

Thanks again,

 

Dave

[PhoenixCruiser]

What a ship, just beautiful!

 

Thanks for sharing your pictures :D

 

###

[The Grumpus]

Thanks!

 

The planes come in over Maho Beach. All the taxi drivers know where it is. We got a taxi for five people for $8 per person each way. He was very accommodating and picked us up for the ride back to town right on time. We were there from about noon to 1:45 PM and had three "heavies" come in and one leave. They post the daily schedule in chalk on the official surfboard for reference outside the Sunset Bar. Nice bar to hang out in while waiting for the fly-overs.

 

 

 

We were on the starboard side and spent a lot of time in port looking at the ship next door. This may vary based on which slip they park in. As I remember, all inbound approaches to the ports were port-side making all departures on the starboard. The ship always docked nose-in.

 

Hope that helped.

 

Dave

Dave, so the Sunset Beach Bar is reopened, eh? I remember reading it was closed do to a ownership change and their website says they won't reopen till May 09. If so, that's great to hear, it definitely makes it worth going over there for a couple hours.

[rolfecms]

Dave, so the Sunset Beach Bar is reopened, eh? I remember reading it was closed do to a ownership change and their website says they won't reopen till May 09. If so, that's great to hear, it definitely makes it worth going over there for a couple hours.

 

It was also open during our visit on the 11/30 cruise. It was fun - in a sort of juvenile stealing cookies from the cookie jar sense - watching the people get blown away by the jet exhaust, even though there are signs clearing warning of the dangers.

[pierces]

It was also open during our visit on the 11/30 cruise. It was fun - in a sort of juvenile stealing cookies from the cookie jar sense - watching the people get blown away by the jet exhaust, even though there are signs clearing warning of the dangers.

 

Ever read a pack of cigarettes? :D

 

Dave, so the Sunset Beach Bar is reopened, eh? I remember reading it was closed do to a ownership change and their website says they won't reopen till May 09. If so, that's great to hear, it definitely makes it worth going over there for a couple hours.

 

The Sunset Bar was indeed open. In the photos you can see the "office" and "store" was about 10'x12' with no windows and the non-patio area had restrooms and construction. The bar was in full swing though and at $3 per beer and the aerial entertainment, it was one of the best excursions we've ever been on. (That's Dave, the photo guy talking. Kim the shopping specialist was impressed, but somewhat less so.)

 

All-in-all, a great day on St. Maarten.

 

 

Dave

[Ma Bell]

Dave,

 

You've really outdone yourself with these beautiful photos. We just returned on Sunday and you really captured the beauty of the ship.

 

Joanie