NouCruzer

3 hours ago, island lady said:

 

OK...I will stop killing you all now.  Not really sure what the Protective aid is though.  🤔

 

 

Well, being of the male gender, I know exactly how I would use the protective aid.....  😜

Enjoying your 1492 TA reports.  Perhaps the Titanic lectures are appropriate since the singer seems to leave you with a sinking feeling.  Also, check the library for anything by Jules Verne; my understanding is that he wrote some pretty deep tomes.  Of note, autocorect changed that to times but didn't catch my omission of the second "r" in autocorrupt (er, I mean autocorrect).  So I agree with you; "May the inventor roast in pieces".

8 hours ago, Denversail said:

Now I do prefer Baileys but it is too pricey in my opinion. I have found Carolans to be a great alternative at half the price.

If you have a CostCo in your area, try the Kirklands Brand Irish Cream.  $18 for 1.75l (at least in our locale), but I'll bet that you won't be able to tell the difference from Bailey's at 3 times the price.

2 hours ago, Husky1987 said:

 

They'll allow passengers to drink 15-20 frozen mojitos during the day, but heaven forbid they let one bring a CBD roll-on for their sore back.

 

What a joke.

But 15-20 frozen mojitos is likely a more effective treatment for back pain than CBD.  😉

Actually, the Chefs Table menu changes quite frequently, if measured in geologic time.

Been the same since our first dinner in 2015.

We are booked on a November cruise on Explorer OTS and I see that the coffee card drink package is being offered for $31 per person for the entire 8 day cruise (for a maximum of 15 drinks per person).   This would be a no brainer for my DW and I, as we could easily have 2 capacchinos (or specialty coffees) per person each morning and maybe an espresso after dinner.  But I also recall discussions in the past where some beverages have been charged double for certain coffees.  

Looking for first hand experience regarding how RCI handles this offer.  For example, if a capacchino requires 2 punches on the card, it's a no go; not worth it.  If not, we're in.

Thanks.

On 8/30/2022 at 8:56 AM, time4u2go said:

If you are asymptotic, then you'll never reach your goal.  (Sorry, couldn't resist! 😁😉)

Yes.  Asymptotic means you are very close to being sick without actually being sick.  The OP lost her ma,  think.  

19 hours ago, Tank412 said:

They ran out of ice tea after 2 days, most of the time you had to try several places for a diet soda. I have been on several cruises and never had these problems before. Is this a Celebrity thing or a post Covid thing?

It's a diabolical plot to get you to purchase the drink package on board.  Next, there may be a shortage of water from the taps and taking showers with bottles San Pellegrino to rinse your hair.  Will it ever end??   

Do I need to add a 😏

6 hours ago, directionfinder said:

Hallo Mary,

i have some more questions! 

Did you do any snorkeling? Or was the water too cold? Is this offered at the Flora and do they offer wet suits? 

Are there offered different tours/hikes each day?

On the photos you are wearing a lot of clothes, so I suppose it wasn't too hot outside.

When I was there years ago in March, it was on some days very hot, too hot for long hikes, but just perfect for snorkling, which we did a lot. 

 

 

Directionfinder,

We were on the Inner loop itinerary just after Mary, late May into early June.  Flora provides shorty wetsuits, masks and fins; these are fitted to each passenger on the first day and used throughout.  We did just about every snorkeling excursion that was offered.  The crew did not say that the water was cold, rather defined it as various degrees of "refreshing".  Chilly when one first entered but after a minute, we were comfortable in the shorty suits.  We were also told that the cooler Humboldt current arrived early this year and that the water was cooler than usual for May/June.  Again, nothing that made us uncomfortable; we typically stayed in the water for up to 45 min on each excursion.  One positive note is that the cooler waters meant more varied marine life.  One one excursion, we were able to snorkel with a 10 foot manta ray.  One last note; deep water snorkeling meant that you entered the water directly from the zodiac rather than from shore; don't expect to be able to stand with feet on the bottom; depths ranged from 10 - 40 feet.

There were multiple excursions offered each day; one could easily participate in three per day.  If you didn't want to snorkel or take a long hike, shorter hiking options or zodiac rides were offered.  As for the hikes and other land excursions, our daytime temperatures were in the low 70s.  We wore shorts and short sleeve tops and were very comfortable.  Just remember the hats and sunscreen and you shouldn't have to worry about burning.

1 hour ago, dani negreanu said:

The only difference would be the itinerary.

 

Personally, I'd go with one which includes North Seymour [I've been on Xpedition when it carried 96 passengers].

 

Elizabeth Bay is also amazing.

 

I'll second North Seymour and Elizabeth Bay.  On Flora, this would be the Inner Loop.

8 hours ago, longterm said:

I know it's not for everyone, but watching the Tour de France is an annual treat for me;

Vive le Tour!

Same here.  I enjoy watching European cycling.  Many of my friends and relatives think that it's just boring.  But then again, they watch golf.

I haven't had the opportunity to see a TdF stage, but years ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to see the finish of a Giro d'Italia stage in Genoa.  The route ended with 4 laps around the city, so we got to see the peleton pass by 4 times before the sprint finish.  Impressive stuff.

Carole,

We just returned from Flora two weeks ago.  What I recall is that there is a small retail shop onboard with a limited selection of clothing and other paraphenalia.  There is also a one table massage room available.  The only expense that we incurred was for a short visit to Medical for a minor issue. 

Our TA sent us an Amazon gift card pre-trip and a Shutterfly card post-trip which were a better option than OBC in our opinion.  However your situation works out, you will have an outstanding trip.

Thank you for the review.  Very helpful since we depart in 2 weeks on Flora.

4 hours ago, twangster said:

 

 

Nice pear...

IMO, there needs to be a consensus with regards as to what an RT-PCR test actually is.  An RT-PCR test detects viral genetic material and is the most sensitive of the covid tests that are currently available.  It relies on amplifying a portion of the viral genetic material and RT is simply an acronym for reverse transcriptase, which is one way to accomplish this amplification.  There are several other approaches however, that also amplify viral genetic material and that don't specifically use RT.  Together, these tests are collectively known as NAAT tests, and according to the CDC, all are highly specific and sensitive.

Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAATs) | CDC

My question is whether Ecuador specifically requires the RT-test or will accept any of the NAAT tests.  Interested because we're booked later this Spring on Flora.

If not already reported, test results an be accessed at www.mynavica.abbott

Log in to your Navica account and results are available.  Ours showed up here almost immediately after compleing the test.

Let me clarify and add a few more details.  We were given a $750 allowance for booking flights with the X air service, but since we wanted to arrive in MIA a day early before the flight to Quito, the allowance  did not cover the initial home to Miami leg.  We independently booked a one way flight to MIA for this.  On the return,  our Quito to Miami and Miami to home flights were both covered with the allowance, since these were connecting flights and we will not spend an additional night in MIA.  Quito to Baltra round trip flights were included in the cruise fare as stated in previous posts.

6 hours ago, as3369 said:

We were on the 10 day Galapagos from Oct 29-Nov 8 on Celebrity Flora.  Basically, EVERYTHING is included other than airfare to get you to Quito. 

For our upcoming cruise, airfare was also included.  There is a $750 per person allowance to book flights through Celebrity's air service.  It's all inclusive.

22 hours ago, rawtravel said:

I should add  that the “deep water” snorkeling was in open water near the shoreline. So it was easy to find your direction.

Thanks for the info.  One additional request; can you give us your impressions about the quality of the food and service that were provided?  Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

On the topic of snorkeling, can you describe a "deep water" snorkel excursion?  Is this open water snorkeling?  Are currents a concern?  We're scheduled on Flora for May 29, so just starting to compile information.  Thanks for your help.

Looking forward to your reports; we're booked for late May/early June next summer, so it is encouraging that things seem to be going so smoothly for your group.  Can you clarify; you initially booked the 11 day  trip but the pre-cruise day in Quito was cancelled?  Is the free day after the cruise also cancelled?

1 hour ago, WeMissSeaView said:

Back in the 90s, I was on the Viking Serenade out of Southern California.  We caught a surprise winter Pacific storm that caused everything to fall off the shelves in the shops.  Most of the liquor store bottles broke when they fell and liquor flowed under the door and down the hall.  I understood that a lot of grown men cried that night.

There were still plastic straws in the 90s, so what was the problem??

29 minutes ago, xpcdoojk said:

It is called a Slingshot Hover Glide Foil Wake V3.  You can do it behind virtually any boat.  I bought a new tritoon about 3 weeks ago since cruising and vacations are no longer a thing, so I keep adding toys.  

 

Anyway, would love to hear thoughts and opinions about my current insanity.

So how many cabins does the tritoon have?  Any specialty restaurants?  Is this the model with the Bionic Bar?  Asking for a friend....

5 hours ago, dbancroft said:

We like everyone else spend some time looking at old photos. Thought it would be nice to see other pictures of snow on your cruise. This was Quantum February 2nd 2015

You folks are cruising from the wrong cities....

Think airfare!!  As long as the de-icing process works, you're good to go!  If not, wing it....

38 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

Biggest draw back is that blue light kills people also. 

Yeah, but what a tan you'll have before you go...