MOcruiserman

I remember those days when I carried my friends and relatives on the chairs at their weddings. I was ahem, quite a bit younger in those days. Now I'd leave the carrying to someone else.

Had a pot luck supper on Sunday with a bunch of people - not great for losing weight.

I'm going to a back doctor tomorrow to try to get some pain relief so I can get back onto the treadmill.

The good news is my next shipment of Nutrisystem is on the way!

Hoping to at least stay the same by Thursday's weigh-in.

Noordam is a beautiful ship and I enjoyed everything about it, from its fresh squeezed orange juice (free), its BB King performers, its fresh flowers, its beautiful artwork and more.

If you can't find Noordam videos its sister-ships are Westerdam, Oosterdam and Zuiderdam.

Glad your wedding went off OK. My wife is a wedding officiant and we know the cost of land-based weddings is outrageous.

So how was the cruise? The ship? The ports?

Could I join in too, please?

2014 I lost 18 lbs, slowly gained it all during 2015. Started the year with 5 months to lose the paltry 18 lbs, epic fail.

 

 

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I know you can do it! Keep checking into this forum - it's great motivation!

I am going to join up on these weigh-ins.

 

quick background, i was 300 lbs 3 years ago, got down to 208, hovered at 215/220 for 2 years, got to 232 on April 1 and it sunk in, i'm fat again so I am making a change.

 

Our cruise is in Jan 2017 so i have time to get to my goal of 180

 

This weeks weigh in was at 221.1

Slow but steady is the way to go. I was 240, went down to 200 and back up to 235. When I started my diet I was at 226. I'm also looking to get to 180 by January 2017. Good luck to both of us!

By the way, what diet are you on?

Does Celebrity have good evening entertainment? We like shows, don't have to be broad way shows. We enjoys comedy shows, live entertainment, etc.

 

Thank you for any feedback.

When I was on the Summit they had three production shows (singing, dancing, aerial) (excellent), a magician (okay), two comedians (one fair, one good) and a Four Seasons tribute group (good). All the shows were worth seeing.

Probably because there has only been one sailing and they just got back.

 

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I understand that. But personally I would not book with a ship that hasn't been well-vetted by Cruise Critic and its members.

When I booked my upcoming cruise I was considering the new HAL Koningsdam but I decided not to go with it because I didn't feel comfortable with a ship with no track record. Instead I booked a ship with over 900 reviews and an overall score of 80. That satisfied my comfort level.

Empress seems like one to avoid. One of the most valuable assets of Cruise Critic is its ship reviews and there are absolutely no reviews for Empress by either CC or passengers (in the reviews section). Personally I wouldn't book any ship that didn't have at least fairly good reviews on CC.

We were on the RCI Grandeur of the Seas in October and the Celebrity Summit in May. We liked both ships for different reasons.

Appearance of the ship. The Summit, no contest. Much more elegant and extremely well maintained.

Service. Equally good.

Food. Celebrity had a better buffet but Royal's main dining room was superb. I loved their Tutti Salad Bar at lunch.

Entertainment. Both good. Royal had a spectacular aerial show that gave it the edge.

Fellow passengers. Celebrity has older passengers and they are more sedate. You will rarely hear loud shouting or laughing. And folks who've had a bit too much to drink keep to themselves. On Royal the atmosphere is much more lively - fun but sometimes irritating.

Sounds like you had a wonderful vacation Diana. Very nice pictures.

Hey. Anyone recently back from the Summit...how is the air conditioning aboard the ship? We have been on cruises were there has been a rush on buying sweatshirts for warmth. How chilly are the public areas? Packing for this Sunday's sailing.

Thanks!

Cold, bring a sweater or a sweatshirt.

Wonderful verse, Belle, as we start the summer months. Hamburgers and beer - yes!

I have no cruises planned for the summer but I do have one booked for Jan. 15, and I hope to be at my goal weight long before then.

This week I didn't do so well - stayed the same at 197.5. I've been having back problems and have had to cut back on exercise. I still managed to get to the gym but I took it easy.

I hope everyone is doing OK.

We're going to be in St. Lucia next January - the first time for us. We will be on a Royal Caribbean ship and are thinking of one of their excursions that takes you around the island by a replica Spanish Galleon. The description on the Royal website says:

Enjoy a scenic sail on the west coast of beautiful St. Lucia aboard a 16th-century replica Spanish Galleon, voyaging to the town of Soufriere, home to the Pitons (two mountainous volcanic spires) as well as mineral mud baths. Relax with camera in hand as guides relate the history and many interesting facts about the island. Sail past the famous Marigot Bay and the fishing villages of Anse La Raye and Canaries before setting eyes on the majestic Pitons, a St. Lucia icon and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Arriving in Soufriere, board a bus to the world’s only drive-in volcano. There, take time to soothe your body and mind at the therapeutic hot mineral mud baths. Then head to Morne Corbaril Estate, an 18th-century working plantation, for a creole buffet lunch. After, cruise up the gorgeous the coastline to a pretty bay for a swim in the clear Caribbean before returning to the Castries Harbor.

Sounds good to us, but there have been no reviews. Anyone ever take this tour? It's not cheap but we'd gladly pay if it's worth the money.

You will enjoy the ship - we had a great time.

The only negative aspect of the ship is that the Windjammer buffet has an awkward layout. And if you go there at peak hour (7-8am) it will be pretty packed.

The best things about the ship? The main dining room (loved the food) and the Solarium (my favorite place to hang out).

That definitely wouldn't be the Carnival Splendor, which looks like an explosion in a Barbie Townhouse factory. Pink and silver. Way too much pink and silver.

Hahaha :D :D

Shootr,

Good results - I'd love to be at 181.

Your photos are amazing - what talent! I see why you call yourself "shootr".

Hi Belle, thanks for the inspiring words.

I'm still plugging away. Lost two more pounds to 197.5. Down a total of 28.5. Only 3 more pounds to go until my BMI crosses over from "overweight" to "normal".

I hope everyone is OK and did well this past week.

Excellent comparison by sciteach603. I've been on both lines and I agree with virtually everything you said.

A few more things to consider.

The Solarium is a great feature of Celebrity ships that HAL lacks. Celebrity's smoke-free casino is a real plus.

On the other hand, HAL has fresh flowers throughout the ship, which Celebrity doesn't have. Also HAL ships have an outdoor promenade deck that circles the entire ship. The Celebrity ship I was on, the Summit, doesn't have that.

I've been on four different ships, with number five coming up in a few months. It seems like the newer ships are looking less like ships and more like floating apartment buildings. But most cruisers care more about how a ship looks on the inside. I'd rate my four ships as follows (interior only):

1. HAL Noordam

2. Celebrity Summit

3. HAL Veendam

4. RCI Grandeur of the Seas

My next ship, Jewel of the Seas, looks like it fits between 2 and 3.

Which ship have you been on that has the best looking interior?

There will be taxi drivers af both docks and in town offering island tours. The normal tour is 2 hours and costs approximately $25 per person.

Sounds just what we're looking for. Thank you.

You can easily go to town, shop, have a wonderful lunch and get a taxi to take you on an island tour. Easy, peasy. :D

Hey, thanks for the advice! Easy peasy sounds good!

We will be on a RCI ship that will be docking in Charlotte Amalie in January early in the morning. We want to spend considerable time shopping and eating lunch but we would also like to go on a short tour of the island. Our ship leaves at 5:30. Is there a tour that will take us around the island in a couple of hours and get us back to the ship well before 5:30? I didn't see anything applicable among the excursions offered by Royal Caribbean.

Interesting how people can experience the same thing and have opinions that are much different. I was on the Summit to Bermuda in early May and I thought the food in the main dining room and the Oceanview was very good. One dinner in the MDR, the herb encrusted haddock, was one of the best fish dishes I ever had. I also thought our inside cabin was very comfortable and I had absolutely no problems with the bathroom.

Each to his own, as they say.

I got home from my first cruise today and I miss it something crazy. It was a 7 day cruise on the Carnival Dream and I had some of the most fun I've ever had in my life!! Except now I feel really really bummed and as crazy as it sounds looking out a window makes me want to cry cause all I see is streets and trees. I miss the beautiful ocean something fierce (which is crazy cause pre cruise I was terrified) and we are 9 hours away from the closest beach. The gentle rock of the ship and the sound of the waves made me SO relaxed. We have another cruise booked but not till a year and I feel like I can't acclimate to land again!!

I know where you're coming from! We just started cruising in 2014 and we've already been on four - with another one scheduled for January. It's an addiction - seriously. The only way to deal with post-cruise depression is book another one.