Parrot Mom

Do you see those windows on the front of the ship???? If it's the same ship.. we were in one of those cabins...the Captain on the other side...what a great crew..

When we first went to Bermuda on the ROYAL MAJESTY.. the Dockyard was a mess..now that has to be at least 15 years ago..there were some stores, etc. When we last went back it was well on it's way to becoming a major tourist area five years ago with the glass factory, the Arts and Crafts building ad little pubs. NCL has been donating $$$ to improve the area and the entertainment, etc. etc. Just a few weeks ago I read something new and exciting is happening at the Dockyard as of mid-May.. BUT I will miss going through the "cut", wandering the side streets of St. George and peeking into the gardens, finding the Princess Margaret garden for a few moments to sit..popping into Sinclairs. Most of our favorite shops closed along time ago..There was one funky gift shop on the waterside where I bought... a fabulous and striking parrot necklace (wonder why)..lol.. it's gone.. The powers that be did not want the "cut" sliced again.. I personally talked to one of those "powers" the owner/manager of a famous china/antique shop in Hamilton. He is against the cruise ships coming into Bermuda because in his words.. they don't spend the $$ that tourists at the hotels do.. Well, Mr. "D" what did he think I was doing in his shop...sightseeing..lol Somehow I wil find my way back to the original Swizzle Inn and sit on the patio and listen to the "Bermuda Symphony) and have my pitcher of rum punch, fish sandwich or maybe the chicken wings.. and top off my visit to the gift shop. Oh Yes. the Majesty was sold to NCL because the Greek owner had so many problems.. like hitting a whale, etc. etc.but boy was that ship run like a strict navy.. and the food. oh my.. the food was to die for as was the service...

We sailed the the Majesty from Boston to Bermuda when it was the Royal Majesty..incredible staff by Apollo.. Then the same week NCL bought the ship and there was a riot by the crew we were on it..lol. Engineers were on it from NCL planning....I believe 260 additional cabins were inserted..lol.. Love that ship..but people want bigger and better..will be sad to see it go.. We were always on the 6th deck not far from the Casino.lol which was a great location. Oh yes.. we were on that ship at least one dozen times..to Bermuda

Before Park West we were on the Majesty when we spotted a Matiros and fell in love and it's hanging over our stairs.(more than 20 years later).Now, if I see any of h is work they are way, way out of sight.. We have many Tarkey..at this point..lol We are addicted to art sales.. and going on Princess and willbe interested to see what they have to offer. We buy what we love. When searching for Matiros I "googled"him and found him in many galleries in CA.. He is now gone back to Europe and is no longer painting for the galleries..So many.. Chen, LeKliff, several of the Russian and Israeli artists A few cruises ago for whatever reason I ended up with so many "take offs' it was hysterical.. Can hardly wait until we attend our next.. within the week..

If anybody is interested somebody sent me their review today.. complete with pictures

parrotmom@verizon.net

Hi all

 

Just returned from my 28 day Amazon River Cruise on the Pacific Princess.

 

If anyone is interested in my review with photos or has any questions I am happy to share just let me know ann at century 21 vancouver dot com

HELP.LOL We are cruising from Manaus to Ft. Lauderdale on 4/10 and would love your review, plus.. plus..lol. Did you get to H. Stern for shopping? parrotmom@verizon.net

I don't usually get sea sick, but I do get a bit of a headache and nausea when I get migraines. I am thinking of ginger with me this time and see if it makes a difference.

Have you found the pills work better than the candy, or are they both about the same?

The problem is I love the sugared ginger but if I took it on a cruise I'd be eating it.. so I stick to the tablets. and mint tea

I have been using the ginger tablets from a health food store and take two as I step onboard the ship.. and every day at sea.. Ginger tablets works the same way as flat gingerale does/did when you were sick as a child.. Also, I bring along mint tea bags.. that settles your stomach.. So between ginger and mint tea I've become a decent cruiser..lol

Parrot Mom,

I worked on the royal Majesty for the better part of three years and loved every minute of it. Running aground was a tragic thing that happened and it pretty much killed the company. The rumor was that at the time, MCL was buying a second ship, but the money lost and spent to get the Royal Majesty back up took that out of play. I was not on the cruise where they hit, (and dragged) the whale, (I was serving as CD on the Dolphin IV for that one) but I heard about it...not pretty! I was told that they couldn't figure out on the bridge why they couldn't get full speed on the ship, until some fishermen radioed to tell them that a whale was stuck in the bulb.

I now work as a musician for Princess Cruise Line, but still remember every wonderful moment on that old ship.

 

Dave Soreff

We were on the Royal every year it sailed from Boston and I think 12 years ago we were on it twice.. Do you rememer Robert and Mandy? We were followers of them, they even hired a ship in Boston to do a mini cruise..They live outside of Boca now. There is now even a stronger warning to all ships, large and small to be on the watch out for whales who feed just under the waters edge. I can remember the fuss with the newspapers flying over by helicopter to record the whole thing. Have never done a Princess, but we are doing the Celebrity, especially trans-atlantic. I dont know why,but your name rings a bell..

Dolphin's old Royal Majesty is now sailing as NCL's Majesty. She was stretched but still is small, 1300 passengers, and just as much fun as she used to be because of her size. She sails for Caribean in winter, from Charleston, SC and goes to Bermuda May-Sept. from Charleston, Baltimore and Philly. We've been on her twice and are looking forward to cruising on her again!

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Cant remember exactly which shp whether it was the Ocean Breeze or the Sea Breeze but it was our very first cruise and I think it was out of Aruba..and tht was 22 years ago... it hooked me on sailing.. the elegant service and the food..We were on the other ship a few years ago just before it was seized in Nova Scotia.. We had a forward cabin..lol.. two huge windows, two huge beds, a bathroom with a tub...etc.. and the crew had a heart of gold...One of the performers was the comic Lennie ?? who I last saw on the Celebrity Century in 2005... As for the Royal Majesty..we sailed on her the first year and Apollo was the caterer and it was elegant, elegant.. We sailed that every year, one year twice... and were on the ship the week it was sold to NCL (the Greek owner had many problems in Boston Harbor like hiting a whale and gounding on a sandbar).. there was a riot by the crew...NCL people were on board measuring, etc. etc.... We have been on the Royal/NCL Majesty a dozen times..How I miss that wonderful ship...the crew and the intimacy of it compared to the megaships nowadays.. BonnieJ. seems to have her facts straight..

A Bride and Groom...the bride wearing the gown EVERY NIGHT and the groom his tux every night... They ended up married on the beach in Bermuda

HaVE just finished reading your review of the NCL Dream and it is so funny that I actually wet my pants reading it and have passed it on to all my cruising buddies..It takes much for me to roar outloud at anything... and your review had me in stitiches..seriously.. Now, I'm sure your laughing at it, but did you the whole time...There are so many funny lines you must be a comic writer...lol We are scheduled to cruise her on 6/1/ to Bermuda and I will bring a few fuses..Sadlywe just got off the Celebrity Galaxy and we had the worst ports with their cancelling Casablanca..being ripped off by tour guides in Agadir.. Someday I hope we meet, your my kind of cruiser and fun guy.....BTW where in Atlanta.. parrotmom@verizon.net

We were on the NCL Sky her first trip through the Panama Canal when she scraped her side.. I do have the map/blue prints I think of that ship which I would swap for a Sky pin(if I still have it)..

If I am correct and I'm not sure (does it say NCL) it was the departed NCL Sea...I have an NCL SEA, but considering the NCL Seaward was the very, very first ship we ever cruised over 20years ago I would be interested.. I could swap you a Majesty if you'd like..

parrotmom@comcast.net

I have several Majesty pins...and would like a SKY....any takers?

We sailed her from NYC again....true her cabins were small and she was not a glitzy ship...but the staff couldn't do enough for you... When we had sailed her originally 21 years ago she was spanking new... white glove and french service..Our very first cruise and we fell in love with cruising. In 1998 I remember telling my steward the closet door was broken and I left the cabin for breakfast... when we returned.. it was fixed.. The buffet upstairs was a complete disaster.lol.. but what makes a ship is the staff and their staff loved that ship. We were on the ship when it was diverted to Canada..(I seem to have that problem lately..lol)... Doug.. I'm one that does not like mega ships..and the smaller ones,i.e. under 2200 passengers are just about right..It doesn't matter what the decor is.. Right now I'm upset and boy am I upset about the NCL Majesty that we just did for the 11th time..The ship and the crew were great.. but the food was absolute garbage thanks to the new menus...

Would any of you know anything about Seaward? My husband and I were on this ship for our honeymoon in 1988.

What do you call a blond with two brain cells?

Gifted. haha

 

OK, imagine a plastic shoe rack with pockets for each shoe. They are usually clear plastic, which is perfect to stuff little things in to, in a crowded cabin bathroom with little surface space especially. They are usually 4 pockets across by 5 or 6 long. You want the kind that hangs over a door. They come with 2 large "S" hooks. One part of the hook hangs over the door and on the other side (usually the inside of the bathroom) the rack attaches to the hooks through the grometted eyes.

Now you may have to cut a row or two off the botom to fit the door. Also, there may be a hook in the way for it to hang easily. In these cases, you can hang the rack from shoestrings, attaching them to the "S" hooks as to bypass the permanent door hooks. You'll have to experiment a bit as each cabin bath door is different.

This a very helpful hint. If you try it and dont like it, you're only out a few bucks. If it works, you'd pay triple for it!

Happy non-clutter,

 

John

Just printing off the list...my original "pack" list was from Calgon many years ago and I too have passed the Shoe Bag idea along.. what you need is one from Wal-Mart where they sell the material type that folds easily and Ih aven't had a problem in hanging them over the doorway..and there is no need to cut off the bottom.

the other thing I brought along with me because we were going to be doing a pre-cruise in Spain is the Febreeze.. but I found that going through smoking areas I was able to de-smoke and freshen outfits.(also for the bathroom-we take a new small unopened container each time so it won't leak). As for the toilet paper... here is what we do..and trust me we found it needed in Europe).. When your getting to the end of the roll..take the roll off.. flatten it.. and put it in a zip locked bag and Cottonelle wipes come in handy for y our hands and those bathrooms.

Add an extra pair of your prescription glasses...wooden clothes pins in a baggie (in your shoe bag). The Crystal Lite packages work great...I use the water from the ice cubes...in my bring along water bottles

We take two large mesh bags.. we put dark dirties in one and white dirties i the other.. and use the "dirties" for bringing home fragile items, i.e. liquor.. the suitcase is then left next to the washingmachine and whatever clean clothes are left to be put away.

A plastic container (like for catsup) that put Whisk in to pre-treat stains before they go into th dirties or going to be washed... and now a travel clothes line..

One of those large tacky plastic waterproof thngs tHAT I use for $$ and USE A SAFETY PIN to pin it inside my handbag/travel bag..

Have a "necessity bag" with the folding shoe bag and all the extras.. and if you use up your special shampoo or toothpaste before you pack it away on the ship place a sticky note with a list of the items you have to replace.