Chunder Worthy

No you don't (sorry, I didn't think 29 responses was enough).

I bring a harmonica and go out on my veranda when we are leaving the dock and play "Anchors Away".

Now THAT's some fun spirit!!! :):):)

New snappy (but belated) reply:

Q: What's the song equivalent on the tuba to the accordian's "Lady of Spain."

A: ANYTHING

OK, THERE's your REAL answer ifyouknowwhatimeanandithinkyoudo! ;)

Unclear on the concept. So uh, WHY is Uber including LGBs but excluding Transgenders...?

Sorry, I'm in the SF Bay Area so I guess we're used to thinking about that when we see those consonants. ;) "NOT that there's anything wrong with that....!" [seinfeld]

Just funnin'; otherwise, Happy Friday!

You could have had some real fun if you had replied, "we prefer to sit with those who speak real French."

 

Hank

LOL - TOTAL esprit de l'escalier moment!

Can I Bring My Tuba and play it on the Balcony ? Like after 11pm?

You can, but you may not.

Well Mel/OP, you seem to have had probably an unusual experience and I'm sorry you did. However, if cruising isn't for you (not that I've been on more than two myself) then it's not. It doesn't necessarily appeal to everyone and I'm sure you have other hobbies and distractions you can partake in to enjoy your life. Personally, my next cruise will be in, I dunno, 5 years? Honestly I can take it or leave it myself, there's plenty of fish in the living-life ocean! :-)

You know you've sailed with Princess too much...

...when you later look back at your cruise and say to yourself, "Meh -- I don't need to do that again."

My husband and I were booked in 2010 for a Mediterranean cruise and then needed to cancel it. We are now booked for Sept 2018. We purchased 4 of Rick Steves books in 2010......should we get updated ones? Is there that much that has changed?

I've used Rick Steves' books for more than 20 years and swear by them for providing the best value while simultaneously putting you in closer touch with the locals. And that's why we travel in the first place, right - to understand the lives and ways of other cultures.

That said, yes, absolutely things can change and have changed greatly. Besides the obvious pricing updates which you would be quite wise to keep up on (and negate any disappointment when you encounter the inevitable 2017/2018 price difference sticker shock), local hotels and restaurants DO go out of business and new establishments are always being introduced. Similarly, there have been tons of changes all across Europe regarding opening/closing times, procedures, and ticket acquisition information for major and minor sights that could save you hours waiting in lines if you are armed with the latest details. Rick refreshes information in these books several times yearly -- more than any other travel book series. How could anyone not take advantage of that? For perhaps $14 per book, it is a laughingly inexpensive and invaluable resource and you would be doing yourself and your trip a huge disservice by not acquiring the latest editions. If your books were one and possibly two years old, you could get away with it, but 2010 editions? C'mon...!

Make sure you get EVERY SINGLE BERRY you're entitled to and accept nothing less than FULL ACCOUNTABILITY! It's what Humphrey Bog-- er, Captain Queeg would have done on HIS cruise! :D

Hey all!

 

I am on December 1st sailing on Crown Princess to South Caribbean. I have a small drone that I would like to take with me. Aruba and Curacao allow it, Bonaire does not. Drone is small enough, when folded, to fit in a jacket pocket.

 

I know that drones are prohibited to be flown on a ship and I am not going to fly it there. Idea is to fly it at port of call, around some landmarks.

 

Was anyone successful bringing one without getting hassled by security? I'd rather not lose it.

Ha - I swear, when people hear the word "drone," their mind hears "gun" or "hand grenade." But of course in the early 1900s there was a lot of resistance for those evil horseless carriages too...

In any event, should you get past all the negativity and red tape with your evil drone, please remember to provide us a link to the videos you take so we might enjoy too! :)

 

More Details -

We were at muster - we always get places early so we can have a seat (we've both cruised before many, many times - so we know what to expect). Anyhow, we were seated at the front and there was a railing in front of us. An "idiot" stood leaning against the railing with his butt in my moms face. - she kindly asked him to move and he was extremely rude in his response to my mom so I told him to "Be nice that is my mom", he told me "Shut up Fat A**". The conversation descended from there. It was awful - both my mom & I tried to forget this experience but it's been hard. There were other encounters too. Simply awful.

OK, now that IS awful and completely despicable. I absolutely can't believe there'd be any reason to be rude to an elderly woman and her adult child (I'd say 'daughter' if I knew that to actually be the fact). You're completely justified in writing about that here and I wouldn't blame you if you quit cruising. But of course you know, these folks can pop up anywhere in life and you still should live it as and when you please. It's the same re terrorists, to which mini-category I place your particular lout in. Please continue to enjoy your mom and your activities. You are normal. The other person is, um... not.

Premier Beverage Package $68.99 per person, per day

What a complete rip-off. Obviously it makes more sense to purchase a few daily as you go (or bring your own).

$70 a day on drinks?! OMG! That's why I still have to believe the AIBP is a complete waste of money. Three or four drinks a day one at a time for under $40 is not as convenient, but not only saves the destruction of your wallet, but your liver as well... Otherwise, two or three CruiseCaddys with a liberal amount of your favorite whiskey, rum of poisons of choice in your luggage is the way I'd go (and did).

I presume you mean Homarus Americanus. They are not limited to Maine or the USA.

Hmm, "Homarus Americanus." NOT that there's anything wrong with that! [seinfeld]. But yes, you are right of course. Most folks here in America believe that lobster comes solely from Maine, the way they believe all facial tissues are "Kleenex" or all motorcycles are "Harleys." Just a convenient term (or in this case, geographical location). Thank you for the distinction -- delicious from the USA OR Canada(dian Reds). Any port in a storm, so long as it's the sweeter cold-water lobster; Yumm-O!!(y)

Love your name! Just don't think I would ever know the difference between cold or warm water lobster. The mere fact I'm offered lobster is enough for me!

Ha - you're one of only a few that knows what it means or deigns to look it up. Uh, you can call me "Chun" BTW. Otherwise, to remove myself a little from sounding elitist (and I'm not EVEN from New England anyway; was only stationed in the area for 3 yrs.], unless you grew up w/cold water lobster, if you DO have and like warm water lobster, by all means enjoy as the Good Lord intended. Otherwise, once you cold-water crack, you can never go back....

But there IS little better on Earth than to have an entire Maine lobster (body, claws, tail) with some clarified butter in front of you. Then do what comes naturally (I'm an "expert" with our Dungeness crab here in the SF Bay Area), that is, remove all items that aren't meat and eat! Actually that reminds me of what they say about how to make an eagle ice sculpture: Just chip away everything that doesn't look like an eagle! :D

Mike

If you've ever had REAL cold-water lobster (Maine) you can never completely enjoy second-rate (no claws!) spiny, pre-frozen, warm-water lobster (from the Caribbean, Mediterranean or Asian). You'll only get the tails on the latter as that's the only part available to eat. With lobster, always buy (or ingest) AMERICAN!

Just be careful you don't frighten them to the point they shoot up their tails. It's quite rare but of course Steve Irwin was killed by getting stabbed this way.

Unless you drink a lot -- and I mean a LOT, you'd have to have a drink in your hand maybe 4-5 times a day to recoup your initial cost outlay. If you have money to burn, want the convenience, and are a real or borderline alcoholic, go for it. Otherwise, I'm sure you'll find buying a drink at a time is unequivocally wiser (and leaves you time to dry out and actually enjoy your cruise sober for a day or two).

As I'm sure was said earlier (don't feel like reading the responses), the buffet food is different than the MDR. I wouldn't recommend skipping the MDR as it's an integral part of your fun cruising experience, and yes the food is more high-end and elegant. You may have to pack more formal clothes for it, yes, but you're on a ship and not on a land tour with several different hotel stops and re-packings, so that small amount of extra effort shouldn't be too much of an inconvenience. Otherwise, just sign up for a late dining time and you should still be able to enjoy all off-ship excursions in a leisurely fashion.

If you'd like to have it both ways, of course folks aren't so universal anymore in wearing formal clothes to the MDR - I've seen t-shirts, baseball caps and shorts! -- so long as it's clean and business casual you should well-fit in - and no extra packing of tux's or evening gowns.

If this wasn't what you were alluding to then, uh, never mind. (haha).

You pay the full price for any drinks over the $10 limit.

Yup, the AIBP is a total scam.

All I can say is...

What we do is go maybe 20 minutes or so before it begins, get a seat and usually a few minutes before it starts the cocktail waiters will come around and get your initial order. The staff really hustles to get those drinks out to the pax.

I completely agree with the above, only that I've showed up a mere 5 minutes before and got a table -- and the server would appear within a few minutes. Bingo! I'd then sit and watch folks arriving 10-20 minutes after opening and note they always had to wait for tables and drinks while I was leisurely quaffing mine. Easy-peasy!

Wow. Just read this. Between one needing to imbibe a constant and inordinate amount of drinks to come close to obtaining one's moneys worth, and some drinks no longer even qualifying evidently, the AIBP is unequivocally a complete sucker bet. But if you're rich enough where the convenience and bragging rights mean more to you than the fact that you're unnecessarily throwing your money down the toilet, by all means, enjoy!

Wow - that's taking the 'do-it-now-and-apologize-later dictum a bit far, huh? Probably, 1 in 20 just go with the flow and accept the reservation and these snake-oil salesmen "steal" a rezzie every now and then that way. Gotta love capitalism.