Cro_and_Swan

I'm curious about these thermal spas....... our HA ship apparently has them.... but I need to see what they are exactly before buying time with it...... does HAL have steam rooms also?

I believe most (if not al)l ships will give you a quick tour of the Thermal Spa if you wish to take a few minutes to look yours over in person and find out what all is included. Here are the tile loungers that I loved so much on the BotS ...

I don't know, but feel free to ask for a bowl of fresh berries or fruit. It will be done. :)

I like this suggestion and will definitely keep it in mind for 'next time' because I was disappointed with most of the desserts I tried and rarely ate more than a bite or two of any of them.

My friend and I shared and sampled one another's desserts each evening so I tried several ... and I was not as impressed by most of the desserts as I had expected to be ... but its a 'texture' issue for me more so than a taste issue. Wayyyy too many of them had too much of a gelatin or slightly rubbery texture for my preferences.

I was especially disappointed to find that the tiramisu was like that ... the part that should have been a delicious yummy creamy layer had a very congealed texture. Almost every 'cream' or 'mousse' type pie/dessert had that same weird textue. And, the carrot cake was incredibly dense and almost clay like in texture, as opposed to being moist bust still sort of airy/fluffy and cakey. Though the icing and the nuts on top were delicious.

The absolute BEST chocolatey dessert I tried was the Bûche de Noël which was on the special Holiday/Christmas menu. It was VERY good ... yummy chocolate ... light fluffy cake, smooth creaming filling, etc. Definitely would recommend it ... with a cup of coffee!

And the blueberry/peach crumble was good, but I only ate the part that had vanilla ice cream on top ... if I had it to do over ... I would order it again but with extra ice cream.

One of the best desserts I had was simply strawberries with sugar free vanilla ice cream ... which didn't even taste sugar free ... and the berries were marinated in something yummy.

Cro won a $100 spa credit ... there were several $100 and $50 prizes given away at the spa tour on the first day.

On the positive side of things ... we were already planning to purchase a thermal spa pass and considering buying massages just depending on what the 'specials' and 'packages' were. So the $100 credit (off a $149 massage) was nice for us. And I thoroughly enjoyed my hot stone massage!

On the down side, the credit was only applicable to certain spay menu items (there was a decent selection) but if someone didn't want any of the available selection or didn't plan to spend any $$ in the spa at all to start with, then the $100 might have been of no use to them or only served to entice them to spend additional money they wouldn't have originally spent.

On RC Brilliance of the Seas (and I gather it's the same on most ships) ... ice, water, hot coffee (regular and decaf), hot tea, iced tea, lemonade and one fruit flavored ( 'sugar water') type beverage are available free of charge at a few different drink stations. Water/tea/coffee are also included with your meals in the main dining room. I found the iced tea in the MDR to be extremely strong and asked the waiter to mix it half & half with water and it was fine.

I had read the 'what drinks are free' info prior to the cruise but just was not sure exactly what would be available or when/where etc. so my travel partner and I both opted for the $8.50 per day soda package ... but I definitely could have done without it. I would have been just fine with the 'freebies' and probably drank more ice water than anything else while on board. On the other hand, he drinks almost nothing but Diet Coke so the package was well worth it for him.

We both had a couple of mixed drinks/frozen drinks from the bar over the course of the cruise and I had a glass of wine with dinner a few nights, but nothing that would come near making the 'alcohol' package worthwhile for us.

For some travelers the specialty coffee card (or a package that allows for specialty coffees) might be well worthwhile ... but I was happy with (free) room service coffee every morning and then coffee from the various self-serve areas and MDR at other times of day. There was always milk/cream and sugar/sweetener available. Sometimes hot milk, half & half, and hot chocolate packets. I didn't do do it on the cruise, but at work, I occasionally mix a few spoonfuls of hot chocolate mix into a cup of 'regular' coffee for an improvised mocha.

I don,t know if this posted already, but:Get a bowl of grits, salt and pepper, add some scrambled eggs, break up some bacon. Good eating.

Jimmyjames

Don't forget the cheese!!! :)

If you like a good Bloody Mary ... and you like spicy things ... always ask for your BM made with whatever hot/spicy pepper vodka is available. Sooooo much better than 'plain' to me. (and I still add a genrous grind of fresh cracked black pepper if available. And extra olives to nibble on! )

The very best are made with in-house infused vodkas ... black pepper corn is my favorite but hard to find around here .... a local place makes a good infused vodka using a blend of Grey Goose vodka, red jalapeno, fresno and cayenne peppers. I don't know how many ships would carry a pepper vodka but I think several brands have a pepper or spicy variety but I can only think of Absolute at the moment.

Not 'gourmet' food at all ... but you can create a passable Improvised Chicken Parmesan pasta on almost any buffet. Top a serving of whatever pasta is available with a few breaded and fried chicken fingers or chicken nuggets ... top with whatever 'red sauce' (marinara, bolognese) is available ... sprinkle liberally with Parmesan if available or whatever cheese comes closest or you like best. It's not perfect, but will do if you are craving the dish ... or if you have grown tired of the normal offerings.

You can do a veggie version similar to eggplant parm if there is a vegetable you like ... just experiment :) Or make a sandwich of whatever your favorite roll (a hard sturdy one works best) ... topped with some pasta sauce, meatballs, chicken fingers, or other meat of your choice ... and cheese. Add veggies from the salad area if you wish.

A lot may just depend on the local weather at the time you are there. I was in Tampa over the weekend and the temps were in the 50's (brrrrrr for FL) because of a cold front moving through but they are supposed to be back up highger during the week. I'd say you can go by some 'averages' or 'when we were there' reports from here on the message boards ... but you may also want to keep a check on the weather for Tampa and Cozumel a bit closer to time.

When we cruised form Tampa to Cozumel in December the weather was plenty warm for shorts/t-shirts and being at the pool and on the beach during the day. I needed a light wrap or sweater with my summery dresses in the evenings if we spent much time on deck.

And one comment that stuck with me as far as temps & being sure to have a light jacket or wrap for being on deck, especially at night on the ship .... someone was responding to a person complaining about it being cool and windy ... and said something to the effect of "Well yes, you are on top of a 10 story building ... and it's moving!!!!! you have to expect some wind." LOL

Just thought I'd post back that we ended up at The Pub ... an English Pub style restaurant at International Plaza and Bay Street. It was good basic slightly upscale small 'chain' type Pub food. Nothing great but nothing bad at all. I'd read some good reviews and I'd say my impression was fairly good quality but nothing particularly unique or special.

There are a TON of other restaurants in the immediate area, so for anyone else who happens to stumble across this thread looking for a restaurant near the Tamp Airport, check out International Plaza for the Cheesecake Factory, Capitol Grille (yummmm), Bar Louie, Ocean Prime, Cooper's Hawk (which we did see and I remembered the recommendation, but Cro was more interested in the Pub) and many many more. I'm not sure which would be considered more local ... most seemed very 'corporate' maybe 'small chain'-ish ... and of course a few like CCF are definitely chain. But anyway, decent meal.

After reading your post I'm thinking of getting a professional gel mani-pedi for my trip to Cancun next month. What is the ballpark price for a gel mani-pedi these days?

Good Luck! I hope you like the gel polish if you do try it. Around here (rural Georgia) most places add about $10-$15 to the price of a regular manicure for a gel mani. My favorite place does a gel mani for $28 ... I was hesitant because of the extra cost, but since it lasts so long, I justify it.

Some people say gel 'damages' your nails and/or that their nails broke more easily after a gel mani ... and I honestly cannot refute that. But for me, it's a worthwhile trade-off or maybe the 'lesser of two evils'. I have had thin brittle nails that break easily all my life ... for me, gel is an improvement and as long as I keep a gel mani, my nails are GREAT! If I do try to go without gel ... I usually cut my nails short, just to the tips of my fingers, and apply clear polish and keep them short till I decide to go with gel again ... and then I can let them grow. I don't think I could grow them long without gel or some other 'overlay' type product.

A tip about the removal process ... DO NOT let the salon make you 'soak' your entire finger tips in a bowl of polish remover. Uggggg! I went to one salon that did that ONE time ... never went back. Much too harsh on your cuticles and the skin of your finger tips. Most salons (at least as far as I know) will 'rough up' the gel polish with a very coarse emery board and then place a piece of cotton soaked in polish remover over the nail. Then they wrap it (usually with a small foil square) and you soak the polish that way.

I found many of the posts in the "What I wish I'd known ..." thread to be very helpful ... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1086757

I commented at length there on a few observations from my recent first cruise, but the parts that most relate to packing (based purely on my 'first' experience and preferences) are:

DO NOT OVER PACK! You do not need everything in your closet. Plan mix & match and possibly to re-wear items. I took 5 mix & match outfits of casual tops/tees and skorts/capris ... I didn't even wear half of them. (Similarly, my travel partner packed WAY too many pairs of jeans and pants ... in addition to his shorts and swim trunks.) I'll pack much lighter next time. I spent almost all day most days in my swimsuit and cover-up dress. Plan just a few pair of shoes that will coordinate with multiple outfits. I enjoyed having 3 dresses and being able to dress up a LITTLE for dinner several nights, but they were fairly casual and I wore one pair of neutral wedge heels all three nights. I chose not to bring a super formal dress, but one of my dresses definitely would have been okay, just not impressive, if we'd opted for formal night. I am happy that I took two swimsuits, and if i were young and hot and really loved showing off in a swimsuit - I'd probably have taken a bunch of different bikinis ... but as it were, two basic suits were fine for me.

On the non-clothing side of things ... I found some of the suggestions that I had seen in 'first time cruise videos' on other items to bring along to be a bit excessive. I'm glad I had some basic first aid items and OTC meds, even though we didn't need any of them except the Tums. But I personally don't think you need to try to pack something for EVERY possible situation imaginable. I didn't even bring a power cord. For us the TWO outlets were fine, we had two phones two phone chargers ... that was about it for really needing an outlet. When I needed to use the hair dryer or my flat iron, I unplugged one phone and used them. No biggie. (But someone else might find a power cord/extension more essential than we did.)

A small pair of scissors came in handy several times as did the wine bottle opener but other than that I can't really think of much other than personal care/grooming items that we needed at all. We had our reading glasses, books, Poo-Pouri for the bathroom (which I prefer over Febreze or other aerosol sprays), cotton swabs, sunblock, etc. but to me those are basics ... And, i did find the magnetic hooks suggestion to be worthwhile ... there's a ton of storage in the room, and 4 hooks on the bathroom door, but extra hooks for hanging bathrobes, swimsuits, etc. did come in handy!

I'll SLIGHTLY disagree with one of the comments in this post ... someone said something abut taking advantage of ALL of the entertainment/activities on the ship. (And this may just be a matter of 'wording' and not even true disagreement ... ) I'd say take advantage of all that YOU want to and that fits into your schedule ... but don't drive yourself nuts trying to make it to every little activity/presentation, etc. I feel that to some extent we wasted a lot of time the first day of our cruise scurrying from one activity to another ... they all sounded interesting and informative or fun, etc. ... but I soon realized that rushing from one end of the ship to another for 15 minutes of trivia ... or missing an hour on the deck to go to (basically) a 'sales pitch' wasn't for me. By the second full day, we'd figured out to some extent what was and wasn't worthwhile for us ... and took a much more relaxed approach.

If anyone hasn't tried a Gel manicure and is curious about it, I would say at least give it a try. (Not artificial nails of any kind ... but just the Gel polish.) I *LOVE* that a Gel polish mani usually lasts me 3 weeks with no chipping or peeling.

I usually go for a new mani at about three weeks because the polish will have started to grow out from my cuticle area well before there is any noticeable wear or problems on the rest of my nail.

I kept turning down the 'gel upgrade' at the salon because I didn't think it would be worthwhile ... figured there was no way it would last as long as they said it would .... but once I tried it, I've rarely NOT gotten it. I've read conflicting things about whether it is 'good' for your nails or not ... but for me it seems to be great and my nails grow better than ever.

Hmmm ... could it just depend on the individual baker for each batch and how generous (or not) they are when adding the seeds? I loved these rolls in December and the ones I had were covered in pumpkin seeds.

I guess it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway LOL .. do whatever YOU like ... :D

But since you asked for opinions ... I think what you mentioned sounds pretty and great for a cruise. I personally have not found a blue that I like on my skin tone ... though I LOVE to wear blue clothing. But the tropical blue and coral combination sounds beautiful ... my DIL gave all her bridesmaids two bottles of nail polish in their wedding colors (a pretty coral, and a coordinating blue/sea-grean color) and told them to 'have fun' ... they all went for mani/pedi's but she left it up to them which color they used in what way ...

For our recent cruise, I matched my dark burgundy-red polish for my fingers and toes ... and I tend to prefer to match. But I also like BLACK nail polish ... but I don't like it for my toes ... so whenever I do black fingernails, I do a red on my toes. Just personal preference.

Also ... there are a ton of 'first time' and 'what do I ...' threads, so you'll gather a lot of good tips (and conflicting information, lol) just by browsing the boards.

One I particularly enjoyed reading and adding to is titled "I wish I knew before..." - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1086757

Hi daydrmblvr! I can't speak for NCL ... and I can only share my opinion/personal experience, you may decide something else works better for you ... but since you asked ;)

On the drink package question -

On RC Brilliance of the Seas ... ice, water, hot coffee (regular and decaf), hot tea, iced tea, lemonade and one fruit flavored 'sugar water' type beverage are available free of charge at a few different drink stations. Water/tea/coffee are also included with your meals in the main dining room.

(I'm guessing the 'free' drinks are similar on NCL but I can't really say.) I had read this but just was not sure exactly what would be available or when/where etc. so my travel partner and I both opted for the $8.50 per day soda package ... but I definitely could have done without it. I would have been just fine with the 'freebies' and I probably drank more ice water than anything else while on board. We both had a couple of mixed drinks/frozen drinks from the bar over the course of the cruise, but nothing that would come near making the 'alcohol' package worthwhile for us.

Excursions - if you don't plan to do one through NCL, do spend some time researching your options on-line, especially here on CC ... there may be plenty of alternatives to booking a NCL excursion ... but you'll probably have a less stressful day if you've at least researched your options before hand and/or made plans/reservations or at least know where to go. We had no problem at all booking a tour and enjoying our day in Grand Cayman with absolutely no 'prior planning' ... however Cozumel was a bit less successful ... my own fault, not blaming anyone else ... but 'next time' I will definitely have a plan in place and/or reservations made beforehand if we're visiting Cozumel.

ETA: even just to have a nice 'day at the beach' ... you'll want to know WHERE you want to go ... HOW to get there (taxi, most likely) and/or is it within walking distance ... do you need CASH for the taxi-fair (we had assumed we could use a credit card, and that was an issue) ... will there be an admission charge for the beach, etc. It's nothing to 'stress' over ... you can be go-with-the-flow ... no need to be all control-freaky ... but just having some basic info would have been majorly helpful to me.

Meals - again, its completely a personal preference kind of thing ... if dining in a specialty restaurant would be a 'treat' then it might be worthwhile for you ... but we decided not to spend $ on specialty restaurants that we could spend on the spa, drinks, shore activities, etc. Our logic was ... we can go to a great steak restaurant or sushi place, etc. any week of the year ... on the cruise there were enough 'included' dining options that we did not opt for a specialty restaurant package or visit this time. But we might 'next time' ... but for 'included' you will have several options ... on the Brilliance this included the main dining room (with a full menu and multiple choices each meal), the buffet (unlimited choices from salad, 'real food' entrees/sides, burgers/hotdogs, etc.), a pool side cafe with salads, sandwiches, soup, dessert, etc. and room service (free/included, except for certain specialty items and possibly a late-night deliver surcharge if ordering from midnight-5 am ... and a tip for the delivery which for some reason is not included as part of the pre-paid/mandatory gratuities that cover most other service staff.)

Everyone like something different, so I can only share my opinion/experience ... but ...

I think the softer/treated water on the ship actually did wonders for my fine/thin hair ... it looked better on the cruise than normal :D Or maybe i was just relaxed and happy and accepted the fact that it was going to be windblown and unruly and didn't fret about it as much :rolleyes:

Anyway ... I didn't really care for the shampoo/conditioner combo that was in the dispenser in our cabin shower ... but I had brought my own in tiny travel bottles and used it. I also applied a leave in conditioner while sunning on the deck during the day ... and just rinsed my hair and didn't actually shampoo it every time when showering.

But I don't suffer the company of folks with whom I'm not compatible. No one should.

Hi HtP ... forgive me if I'm reading the incorrect tone into your message ... so much 'non-verbal' communication is lost on the boards it's often hard to tell if someone is upset/offended or simply sharing an opinion/experience.

But, I honestly don't think anyone on the thread is saying anyone should 'suffer the company ...'

Just for clarification (on my part)

The original post was about the sharing tables in the buffet dinning room ... which seems to be a common practice on at least some cruise ships which is NOT a common practice for many of us in our every-day lives. (It had nothing to do with MDR nor other 'assigned' seating. And was in no way intended to say anyone 'must' do anything nor that they owed anyone an explanation.)

My intent was to give a 'heads up' with those who might not have read anything about sharing tables at the buffet and might be surprised by it ... and possibly to start a conversation of sharing tips for making the situation less awkward if one did feel it was awkward. Of course anyone who chooses not to share for whatever reason (or no reason at all) is free to do so ... I'm not the table police. It is simply a subject that was a surprise to me the first time it happened and I thought might also be useful to others to at least know about ahead of time and not be caught by surprise.

Sorry ... thought we walked past a Hooters right after getting off the ship ... but apparently not.

I'm resurrecting this ancient dead thread ... because I'll be in Tampa during Gasparilla later this month and decided to search the CC board just to see if I could find any info/thoughts/ideas about attending some of the festivities ...

I thought the 'heads up' might be useful to others who will be in town during the event ... mainly January 28th, 2017 ... but there are 'pre' events too ...

And if anyone has any helpful input or suggestions for me about enjoying Gasparilla, PLEASE post :D (I'll be staying in Brandon, a bit outside of Tampa ... and I've already been told ... UBER is our friend LOL )

Are the Jeep rentals CASH ONLY or will they take a credit card?

I ask only because we were surprised in December when we were told that the taxi fares were CASH ONLY and we had assumed we would be able to use a credit card like we did in Grand Cayman and have at other places on other vacas. (Not blaming anyone else, I simply had not researched it ... I'll know better 'next time')

We enjoyed the Solarium, great bar and fun design with Elephant columns.

:D ... the very first picture I took on the Brilliance was of the elephants in the Solarium Pool ... to send to a friend who is elephant-crazy ...

Totally off the topic of closet space ... and please please forgive me if you feel I'm hijacking the thread ... but noticing that you have so many people in the rooms ... I thought I'd mention that the gym/spa locker room showers might be a worthwhile consideration if sharing the tiny shower/bathrooms in the cabins becomes an issue.

If some of the group doesn't mind walking down to the gym, the extra space, tons of towels, etc. may be worth it!

I mention this because 8 of us rented a 4 bedroom beach house ... there was an unexpected disaster the first night of our stay ... the owner moved us to the Sonesta Resort but put all 8 of us in two double rooms. Four middle-aged women trying to shower & get ready to go out every night in one hotel room was a hassle ... and the hotel bathrooms were at least twice if not three times the size of a ship bathroom. Anyway, one of my room-mates and I just showered in the spa locker room each evening ... much more room, total privacy at that time of the evening ... it worked out great for us.

Number of nights.

Ah ... thanks ... that helps ... :)

I know there can be legitimate health/physical issues that might factor in that I don't know about ... but :confused:

I thought it was funny to hear two women gripe to one another about "why do they put the gym on the second floor (i guess meaning second up from the spa/locker rooms) ... I hate having to climb all these da**ed stairs" ... and then ... wait for it .... walk STRAIGHT to the stair climber machines and get on and start stepping!?!?!?! :eek::D