STIguy

Does anybody know if Celebrity ships change time zones every day when doing a Western Caribbean itinerary round trip?

I believe RCCI stays on home port, but NCL uses local time.

Thanks.

Very nice place. Go!

S. Florida is in a hotel depression. Zika and the downturn in the Brazilian economy has resulted in a glut of hotel nights. Miami Beach may be quite affordable, especially in the slower months like July. I'd try Priceline, Trivago etc... good luck.

Not a fan of indoor muster stations. Two reasons to muster. Fire and sinking. I have no desire to be inside during any of these situations. As an aside, I could not believe the lack of courage by the so called men on the Concordia videos. There is no way that I would ever be fighting for space on a lifeboat with women, children and elderly struggling to get safely away.

Saw the homeowner on CNN. He is like one of those idiots that buy a house next to the garbage dump and then complain about the smell.

Growing up, my next door neighbor was Chief purser on the SS United States.

RIP Mr. Perkins.

I agree that having Caribbean/Reggae music enhances the poolside experience on a cruise. Even if they only did it at sail away, it would be nice.

+1 here too. Probably due to cost cutting-revenue enhancements. Band needs more rooms, food and pay. Really added to the exotic-ness of a cruise.

Keep in mind that Internet service on cruise ships is somewhat limited by things called the laws of physics. When you access the internet in land many of your connects have very short latency periods (the time it takes a packet to reach its destination. The average ground based latency is 29.6 milliseconds. When you are on a cruise ship you are dealing with satellite communications. That means that the signal has to travel from the ship to the satellite and then back to a ground station where it connects to the ground internet. A satellite latency is 20 times longer or around 680 milliseconds (mostly due to a little limitation called SPEED of LIGHT which is also a limit for radio frequency transmissions). Now normal network communications handshaking means that the sending computer sends a number of packets, then stops sending until it receives an acknowledgement (a bit simplified). So latency dramatically impacts the maximum performance of satellite communications compared to land. There are tricks that will allow the network to do better by modifying of the handshaking is done, changing how acknowledgements are provided, buffering approaches, etc.

 

However, while these help and the Celebrity internet takes advantage of a lot of these approaches, (especially for large downloads vs highly interactive connections), they cannot overcome all of the limitations introduced by satellite communications and as a result ship board wifi and internet will always be slow compared to just about any land based, including cell phones.

 

The new ship based systems are considerably faster than the old systems, they have substantially increased bandwidth. But while you can do things to handle the bandwidth, there are limits in things that can improve latency. So if you are doing things where you initiate a function and then let the computer handle things you will will reasonable performance. If you are doing things that involve frequent operator interactions latency will show up in a big way.

46000 miles round trip..... coupled to official ship business. Reports, financial transactions, maintenance, etc.....

Reminds me of the Louis C K bit about a complainer on an airplane.

"YOU ARE IN A CHAIR IN THE SKY!!!" "MOVING AT 500 MPH!!!"

Casablanca cafe on A1A.

South port raw bar.

Any Quartedeck, especially like the one on Dania pier.

Le Tub in Hollywood if it's still there.

Dockers on US1

Jaxsons on US1 for ice cream. There is also a chocolate shop not far on US1.

Follow Flymia and BlueHerons advice. Spot on!

Look up Padrinos or La Caretta. Not close to Ft. Lauderdale, but worth it.

Great hotel. Prime location. Take a cab or Über to Cafe Versaille on 8th St in Little Havana.

Old school Miami.

Enjoy.

On our honeymoon cruise on the RCI Majesty of the Seas, my new bride and I decided to do what newlyweds do before we left port. She was the "Initiator" and I didn't need to be coerced.

Well, the session lasted well into the muster. Eventually a room steward escorted us to the station.

So, if you were one of our fellow cruise passengers delayed by our antics in May of 1996, I err correction WE apologize.

I would also like to thank the Dunn's river fall guide who expertly positioned my wife in the cascading water to lower her bikini top.

Surprisingly, we are still happily married and still happily cruising.

Miami is a third world place with a better PR department. Especially downtown. As a native, I can say that.

If you value your vehicle, park at the port.

If you want peace of mind while enjoying your vacation, park at the port.

If you don't want to leave your keys with strangers, park at the port.

I have used off site parking at all the other Florida ports. Just not Miami.

I have no opinion regarding hotel parking options in Miami.

PS Enjoy your cruise.

The beer in my hand:D

TFLG,

Thanks for the info. You can have the wine. Just leave me some beer. :D

I second Maho beach on St. Marten. As aviation aficionados, we were very happy. Nice beach bar too. Quick and easy cab ride from the pier and usually other passengers will share the van both ways. Enjoy.

Newbie here to CC.

First time Celebrity cruiser. Four of us. Two sons 15 & 12.

Several other cruises on RCCI and NCL. Disney once.

We splurged for a suite. Had regular balcony rooms before.

Just curious how this line compares to the others? We are quiet and not party types. We enjoy good food, spa days and relaxation. The boys are happy with a pool and not much else.

Advice, tips and suggestions appreciated.

We are very much looking forward to a new cruising experience.

Thanks.