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arlybest

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Posts posted by arlybest

    Singleworld?

    in What Ever Happened To........???

    Posted

    On 1/17/2019 at 2:27 PM, Loves Wine said:

    Jeff, I might remember you...were you co hosting with a Jamie?  Would have been either Holdiay, Sovereign of the Seas or Celebration in late 80s, early 90s....

     

     

    As a former Singleworld group leader I wanted to thank all of you for nice comments and great memories.   My name is Jeff (or Jeffrey) and I worked for five summers as a Singleworld group leader onboard Norway, Mardi Gras, Festivale, Holiday, Celebration, Jubilee, Sovereign of the Seas, Skyward, Rotterdam, Carla C, Oceanic, Atlantic, Veendam and Volendam.   (Probably forgot one or two).   I spent most of my time on the Norway, Veendam, Oceanic and Atlantic - usually sailing NYC to Bermuda but also lots in the Caribbean.    The passengers made this the best job on earth (still can't believe they paid me to do it) and I made my career in the cruise industry now working as a maritime attorney representing some of these same cruise lines.    I still get occasional Christmas cards from some of my former passengers - THANK YOU ALL FOR THE BEST JOB ON EARTH!!!

     

    VIKING SEA ROLL CALL: June 10, 2020

    in Viking Ocean

    Posted

    Itinerary:

     

    This is a "reverse" itinerary...anyone else flying into Rome early or has anyone done this in the past. Any tips/suggestions greatly appreciated.  We are looking at Air BNB for rooms; but are open to local hotel sites also.  No big name brand hotels! :)

     

    Hint One:  I am packing only half a suitcase (or trying to anyway, ha ha) - one thing we learned on our first Viking experience (River Cruise 2018) is that weather is not what it has been historically. We hit  unseasonably hot weather for October in Europe. Most passengers had packed mostly "cool weather" clothing.  On this cruise, we will be hitting many great shopping spots, I will buy what I need when there AND have a souvenir!  Now to keep to that plan!

     

     

     

     

    Our MAGICal B2B with a side of ELATION cruises (with pics) - 10/7/17.

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    I want to do that too! Do you know how much it was?

     

    I know this is a bit late (time wise) We just got off the Magic on Saturday and I did do the Fish Spa at Mr Sancho's. It was $20 -they wash off your feet/ankles and you have about 15 min in tank (it was awesome, felt like bubbles). Then they use an exfoliating cream to get the rest of the dead skin off (sounds gross I know) But it turned out well. I asked how they cared for the fish and I trust this place. Do NOT do the place in Costa Maya!

    Alaska newbie - cruise choice input needed!

    in Alaska

    Posted · Edited by arlybest

    Hi, You will LOVE Alaska,

    We went last September 2016

    Did the land portion ourselves and saved a bundle. The only issue you may have this late into the year is getting a place to stay in Denali.

    Buy a Northern Star Coupon book - BOGOs for train ride.

    If you have AAA or AARP, the Alaska railroad gives you 10% off full fare of the GoldStar (no BOGOs for that one)

    We arrived in Anchorage a few days early and used the coupons for train TO Denali - Goldstar. Train back Adventure Class BOGO and then used the BOGO for ANC to Whittier. The train depot is literally across the street from the Port! AND you get there just before boarding starts. If you book thru the cruise lines, you may not get to Port until 7 PM and then miss most of the day checking out the ship. LOL

    I would not recommend Princess Island...not impressed with them at all. I mean, how do you even RUIN Escargot! and so much more...

    Feel free to email me with questions. We stayed in an AirBNB the first night in AK and would highly rec that if coming in late. The hotel we had booked had no room for our first night. Vancouver is awesome and I would allow 2-3 days to see that and Victoria at the minimum. Booking your own tours is best; you save LOTS of money and AK towns are so small no one has EVER been late getting back to ship.

    Alaskan Cruise help

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    My wife and I will be celebrating our 30th next year 2017. We are looking into an Alaskan cruise and right now are considering Princess but not locked into them.

     

    - What is the best time to cruise, weather wise or scenery?

    - Is a balcony a must?

    - Is their an itinerary that is best?

    - Which ship may be the best?

     

    This will be our 5th cruise so we are aware of a lot of information but they have all been Caribbean cruises.

     

    We are just in the preliminary stages right now, but looking forward to a great time.

     

    Thanks for any help or suggestions.

    We just returned from our First Alaska cruise on the Island Princess. Our dates were 9/7-9/14-16 Southbound Whittier to Vancouver. Here are OUR thoughts:

    1) Alaska is beautiful and shoulder season can bring iffy weather. Prepare for clear, cold sunny days to gloomy, cold rain (drizzly) days. The week before our cruise, we were told it was clear and sunny the whole week. We had lots of gray and rainy days; but some sunny days also. We are from FL - so for ME - it was a welcome relief, lol

    2) Choose a different ship than the Island - although it was our first time w/Princess, we have read not so good reviews since the retrofit last year. I was not impressed with service, food, or friendliness of staff (Many could not speak or understand English well)

    3) Don't spend the extra money for the Princess land tour - book your own fun. Alaska RR has trains that connect ANC or Fairbanks to Denali and you can find coupons in the NORTHERN LIGHTS entertainment books (buy online) GREAT SAVINGS for a lot of things in there! The Princess connection to the ship from Denali gets you in very late on day of embarkation. We got there at 1230 and had the ship almost to ourselves until about 5:30 PM! The train from ANC to Whittier is only about 2.5 hrs.

    4) We had a balcony and liked it (when the weather was good) and when it was really COLD, all we had to do was step back into the cabin to warm up! Take binoculars! If you go during warmer weather, you may use it more. We had booked the Sanctuary Deck for our Glacier Bay day and it was shut down due to bad weather.

    5) We also stayed over in Vancouver/Victoria a few days before flying back home. Feel free to email me for any questions!

    How do you deal with (someone else's) unruly kids?

    in Ask a Cruise Question

    Posted

    One cruise we were on had a big "family reunion" going on. The young kids were going around on deck trying to find "Stuff" in everyone else's bags (so, if you were in the pool and not watching...) I stopped the kid who was basically trying to steal and reported it to security. I told security I wasn't paying for a cruise to stand by and let some unruly kids steal from me because I wanted to enjoy myself in the pool or hot tub without worry. They needed to police it (and the parents who were probably sending the kids out to do it!) It stopped.

    Island July 20

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    We will be on the Island in September SB from Whittier. Wondering if anyone has any information on meal served in MDR the first evening. WHY? We may decide to do our Specialty Dining that night vs later in the week.

     

    I think the first formal night is the 2nd night. Can anyone help with info?

    Greatly Appreciated!

     

    Can hardly contain our excitement. First time to AK and first time on Princess!

     

    Arlette & Steve

    A hearty breakfast?

    in Florida Departures

    Posted

    Hi, It's been a few years since we've stayed in South Beach; BUT, all along the strip (which I believe is Collins Ave) there are dozens of places to get a good breakfast. One (maybe two) suggestion(s) for value over glitz...look for CUBAN breakfast joints and/or go one street over in your venture. Not sure if this link will work; but here is a start: https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=south+beach+fl+restaurants+breakfast

     

    Also, ask at the front desk of the hotel where THEY go for a good breakfast. Not touristy, etc. Some good food over there!

    Have fun!

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