Cruisin'Christine

Hello,

I will be on the Getaway in another week and I can't wait!! My parents-in-law will be on the cruise too and they had a great time last year on the Getaway with a bartender named Santos at the smoking bar (Sunset bar?). Does anyone know if Santos is still a bartender on the ship?

Hi,

I was on the Norwegian Getaway about a year ago with my husband and in-laws. My in-laws are smokers and spent a lot of time at the Sunset Bar. They really enjoyed a bartender named Santos. We are going back on the Norwegian Getaway next month and wondered if anyone knows if Santos is still there? Thanks.

I am wondering if there will be private or small group tours available at the port without needing to pre-book or is this a stop I should have something pre-booked? Thanks in advance!

Thank you so much! I think we will try the Tours4Cruisers tour.

My husband, father, and I will be in Vigo, Spain for a day in May on our transatlantic cruise. We have never been to Vigo before and are interested in a private tour that will customize something for us. Has anyone got any ideas? Thanks!

I have read about taxis that will go from Le Havre to Honfleur for 30 euros. Are there any private tour companies that will take you from Le Havre to Honfleur and maybe a couple small towns also?

Hi Sam,

 

I sent you a private email. Thanks for the comments on the video. Everything on the video was seen in a one-day tour. We did not go into Pena Palace, but Carla can customize your tour as you desire.

 

Enjoy,

Ron

Hi,

I would love to get more information on who ran your tour, if you don't mind sharing the information with me, and how to contact the company. Thanks.

Christine

Pezz was on the cruise and doing the FlowRider when I was on the Allure last year. He is really good!! I think he must cruise (and surf) a lot.

One of the best animal encounters I had was swimming with the manatees in Cozumel at the national park Chankanuub. It was awesome and very unstructured! What gentle animals! I also loved the swimming with the sting rays in Grand Cayman, which is done out in the ocean on a big sand bar. Very cool!

I would just wander around the town yourself, without a tour. My husband and I wandered around the town after we did the Crab Fishermen's tour. The crab boat tour was great! Really interesting and great photo opportunities.

I have been on a couple of cruise ships more than once and have enjoyed it. However, I would try the Norwegian Epic, if I were you. I have sailed on that ship and it was wonderful! You've got to realize that some people will complain about anything and you have to take reviews with a grain of salt (or a whole salt shaker). Princess is a wonderful cruise line too. I'm not sure what issue your friend had with it, but I have been on Princess twice and loved it.

I would definitely go with the longer cruise. The longer the better, in my opinion. The inside room is not bad and I would choose that over a balcony, if it meant more days on the cruiseship.

I prefer the ports in the Eastern or Southern Caribbean cruise itineraries. I am not as keen on the Western Caribbean (Jamaica, Mexico). My favourites have been St. Maarten, Dominica, and Tortolla.

I will echo the fellow cruisers on this board and say that I have never seen anyone giving LGBT passengers a hard time or treating them differently. Most people just want to have a great vacation! I know that Carnival often hosts LGBT get-togethers regularly, usually in one of the lounges/bars. I understand your concern, because the world has become a scary place lately, but I don't think you need to worry about your cruise vacation.

I would opt for a taxi, if I were you. The shuttles can be a hassle. Another option which we have used a couple of times, is arranging for a private car service. That way, the service meets you at a set time and takes you directly where you want to go. In my experience, it was surprisingly affordable.

Hi,

My husband and I have mainly done Caribbean cruises, as well as Panama Canal and Central America. However, my absolute favourite cruise was Alaska!!! Really, it was beautiful. I have never seen such gorgeous scenery anywhere, especially Tracy Arm Fjord. Also, it was amazing to see the wildlife. I went on a whale watching excursion in Juneau and saw tons of whales, sea lions, seals, and bald eagles. In Ketchikan, we saw the salmon trying to make their way upsteam and we saw a sea otter. In Icy Strait Point, I did a fishing excursion and had the excitement of catching two halibut. I liked that it wasn't the typical Caribbean/beach/warm cruise. The weather was on the chilly side, but not bad if you dress for it. Plus, it was nice to come back to the ship and have a hot cup of tea to warm you up. My recommendation for you is an Alaskan cruise. It was also great to see Victoria, Nanaimo, and Vancouver, BC. Although I'm Canadian, I had never been that far west and loved seeing the beauty of BC.

I have been on the Breakaway and have found the spa pass to be worth the money. The ceramic heated lounges are lovely and the other wooden loungers with cushions are comfy too. They limit the number of people with spa passes, so you'll be able to get a lounger. The hot pool is fabulous, with jets on the sides that you can use for aching muscles. If you like steam rooms and sauna, they have that too. I bought the passes in advance, as it is $20 cheaper online.

I am one of those folks that likes to dress up for formal nights, but I still find that I can keep to one suitcase. I bring two bathing suits, so one can dry, while I wear the other one. For shoes, I bring one pair of heels, fancy sandals, running shoes, and beach shoes. I often book excursions through the locals, unless it is a place I don't feel is safe to do that (like Jamaica, Honduras, or Belize). Always bring more money than you think you'll need, but leave it in the safe in your room and only take what you need out for each day on shore.

I would recommend Celebrity to you for Alaska. I took the Celebrity Solstice on a cruise that went from Seattle to Vancouver and it was amazing. The food was also really good. For food, I prefer Celebrity and Princess over Norwegian, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Costa. It is a bit more upscale. For excursions, I would definitely recommend whale watching in Juneau. I can't remember the price of that, but it was nothing outrageous and it was fabulous (many whales breeching). I also took the White Pass train excursion and the deep sea fishing excursion from Icy Strait Point. In Victoria, don't miss going to Beauchart Gardens!! The excursions run from about $50 to $150 for the ones I did.

Sounds like a great cruise you are going on! I think you are on the money, no pun intended, about taking some US dollars and Euros. The US dollars on the ship would only be used for tipping (for room service or if someone goes above and beyond and you want to tip over the automatic daily gratuity) and the casino (if you intend to use that). Everything else goes on your shipboard account. Tips for room service are usually just $1-2 each time. The casino money depends on your playing habits. I usually just play about $40 per cruise. For your stops, you will need Euros for any food you buy off the ship, souvenirs, entries to museums, etc. or for any private tours you arrange. I would allow a couple hundred Euros per stop, but that is really dependent on your plans at each stop and whether you are a shopper or not. Of course, you can use your credit card for most things too and the exchange rate will depend on the rate at the time. Have fun! It is always better to have too much money than too little. I typically keep my money in the room safe and only take out what I expect to need at each stop.

I personally like to take an over-the-door shoe holder, which I use to keep all the odds and ends, like hairbrush, suncreen, bug repellent, books, hair elastics, camera, memory cards, sunglasses, etc. Some don't find this necessary, but my husband and I have been on 15 cruises and find that it helps to keep us organized and not to have stuff scattered across the cabin. Just my opinion.

For Cozumel, I would consider going to Chankanaab national park on your own (by taxi). There, you pay a fee to get in, and then can use the pool with swim up bar, ocean for swimming and snorkelling, beaches, etc. Also, you can pay an extra fee to do swimming with the dolphins or swimming with the manatees. So cool!

For Belize, we took a private tour to the Belize Zoo, which was really good.

I know there is some kind of preventative medication called dukoral, which helps to prevent traveller's diarrhea. You take it ahead of the cruise at specific intervals. That may help. Other than that, handwashing and hand sanitizing are the most important things. Perhaps using the dining room more than the buffet (where passengers touch the serving spoons, etc) would also help.

I have done many Caribbean cruises and one Alaskan cruise. I have not cancelled the Caribbean cruises in order to do another Alaskan cruise, but I can truly say that the Alaska cruise was my favourite cruise so far. My family is planning to go back for another Alaskan cruise next year some time. They do tend to be more expensive than Caribbean cruises, so we still like to get a good deal and go to the Caribbean. Also, we live in Canada, where our winter tends to be long, so the Caribbean is sometimes a necessity to escape the cold.

My husband and I did this drive a couple of times for cruises. We stayed in Syracuse the one time, as we had a late start. I can't remember the name of the hotel, but it was right next to a Quaker Steak and Lube restaurant (where we ate). The other time we drove straight through, with just restroom and food breaks. We usually get there the day before the cruise and then stay at a hotel not too far from the cruise terminal. That way you can do long-term parking at the hotel, for much more reasonably than parking at the cruise terminal, and then just get a taxi to the cruise terminal.