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smooth_sailin

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Posts posted by smooth_sailin

    Miami Pre-cruise

    in Florida Departures

    Posted

    On 3/23/2020 at 2:56 PM, VideoTech said:

    I would suggest any Brickell area hotel. Far more options for good dining and shopping, most within easy walking distance. Bayside market is just a tourist spot with the usual chain restaurants.

     

    Hampton inn and suites Brickell is very popular with cruisers. 

    I am also looking for a pre-cruise hotel in Miami and am interested in the Hampton Inn. The website says they have a happy hour - do you know what this is about? In the past when we cruised out of FLL we stayed at the Embassy Suites (also a Hilton property) and they had finger food and free drinks 5-7. Is this the same type of thing?

     

    Thanks for your info!

    Live Review from Adventure of the Seas October 14, 2017

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Joined Cruise Critic to thank you for the postings while cruising this week! It's been several years since we have cruised - and never with our kids. I'm feeling so much better now about our 11/4 sailing! We were just notified today that Martinique is now out and we are making the 1st cruise stopping at St. Thomas since the storms.

     

    Isn't that wonderful! We're sailing on 10/28 and were changed from St. Maarten to St. Croix to Martinique. I'm sure seeing the cruise ships again will be a real relief for the businesses that depend upon tourist dollars.

     

    HappyChippy thank you for this marvelous review! The resort on Antigua looks fantastic! Enjoy the rest of your trip - we'll all be watching.

    Birding & Cruising

    in Eco & Expedition Cruising

    Posted

    There are several sub-threads of birding here and there while cruising; so starting a more general thread where “all” regions can be included. This thread is in hopes that people will share their experiences of birding while they cruise!

     

    There are a few of us out there - let’s join forces, unite, and share information!

     

    Great idea, Heather! I'll follow the adventures of you and others. We usually cruise the Caribbean and will next sail at the end of October. We have a field trip scheduled on St. Maarten with Binkie van Es, birder and National Geographic photographer, so we're really looking forward to that.

     

     

    Dena

    Birding in the Caribbean

    in Eco & Expedition Cruising

    Posted

    Just came home from a Caribbean & Bermuda Cruise (via the Celebrity Summit)

     

    Here are our sightings from Sint Maarten (Dutch & French side); we hired Ilja of Seagrape Tours and she was wonderful!

     

    Wonderful list! We are visiting St. Maarten in October and tried to book Seagrape, but they were booked. they recommended another local birder to us, Binkie van es, for a private birding tour. He is a well known photographer, and we actually have mutual birding friends! Small world. Needless to say, we are really looking forward to our visit to St. Maarten!

     

    Dena Temple

    Atlantic Highlands, NJ

    Canopy tour through rccl

    in Antigua

    Posted

    Hi, it looks like no one replied yet, so here goes...

     

    I did this canopy tour thru NCL a few years back. We were bused there with LOTS of other groups - many ships in port that day. I am terrible with heights but decided this would be a good way to overcome the fear.

     

    The course is a series of 10 zip lines, if I recall correctly. I did only the first, then bailed and became the group's photographer. (Whew!) You are issued a harness, helmet and gloves - the gloves are necessary because you stop yourself at the end of each run by applying friction to the line. It's not easy - you need some upper body strength for this.

     

    The rest of my group finished the course, but they had gotten stuck behind a slowpoke from another ship at one point. When we tried to find our bus, it had left without us!! This happened in spite of the fact that they took a head count when we boarded! We inquired at the desk what the heck could be done. the OWNER OF THE FACILITY packed us into his personal car and drove us back to our ship!

     

    So, while I am still afraid of heights, I will recommend this excursion any time someone asks about it. That owner really went out of his way to save us from a huge problem. (It's also a pretty cool zipline course, too!)

     

    Dena T.

    NJ

    Birding in the Caribbean

    in Eco & Expedition Cruising

    Posted

    Did a quick Bahama cruise in October on Majesty of the Seas out of Port Canaveral. Did a half-day birding tour at Nassau with Carolyn Wardle (Google her). She's a Brit who has been on the island for 50 years.

     

    We drove around in neighborhoods, a wildlife reserve, seashore, and even sat outdoors in a person's back yard (Carolyn pretty much knows everybody on the island, it appears).

    (snip)

     

    Overall a very good day, highly recommended.

     

    Jerry

    Manassas VA USA

     

    Thanks for a great report, Jerry. I wish there were resources like this on every Caribbean island!

     

    Best regards,

    Dena (smooth_sailin)

    NJ

    Western Caribbean Cruise Compasses

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Here is the link for the Compasses, Kids Compasses, Schooner Bar Drink Menu & Room Service Breakfast Menu.

     

    I am seriously so obsessive about cruise planning that I LOVED reading the compasses before I boarded.

     

    Cheers everyone!

     

    https://www.dropbox.com/sh/80gym92g0mv15im/AAAEQK-VGawOcq2n4t8UTnxca?dl=0

     

    IF it's not too much trouble, can you re-post the compasses? I love reading them in advance - I'm also obsessed with them!

     

    Thanks, Dena (smooth_sailin)

    Show us Your Aft!

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    We sailed 9/20 on NCL Breakaway with an aft on Deck 11 - We had quite a bit of soot on humid nights (which was every night practically), but we also had a HUMPBACK WHALE off the stern on sailaway from NYC! Bring your binocs if you are lucky enough to have an aft cabin!

    Birding in the Caribbean

    in Eco & Expedition Cruising

    Posted

    Well, I did something I never thought I would do. I joined a 'Carefree Birding cruise' with Ken & Linda on the Equinox last March. James Currie was along with his cameraman Jeff filming episodes for his Nikon Birding Adventures which is on Destination America channel. He also was the Enrichment Speaker. We hit 6 ports and 6 birding sites. It is not your usual birding group. There were 18 of us and we birded: Cartegena on a private ranch, Colon on the old US Fort with Carlos Bethancourt from Canopy Towers, Puerto Limon rural area with local guide; Queen Elizabeth Botanical Park, Grand Cayman; Cozumel; and Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, Belize.

     

    It was a blast and I may do it again someday.

    Cinda

     

    This is a GREAT idea. Not everyone wants a hard-core birding experience, but what birder wouldn't want to look for birds in a new, exotic place? And have deck buddies looking for boobies (the feathered kind)? I will be checking this out for sure. If anyone else participates in one of these trips, I hope they will also share.

     

    Thanks, Dena

    First Cruise Questions- Breakaway

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    Can you sail in September? The prices decrease significantly.

     

    MUCH less expensive in September. We're booked on the Breakaway on 9/20/15 in a B1 aft cabin (overlooks the stern). These cabins have a huge balcony, large enough for loungers I understand, and we're paying $1059 pp including the free drink package and prepaid gratuities. That cabin level is now $1089 but it's still a steal.

     

    The only consideration in choosing an aft cabin is deck location (make sure you're not right under the buffet or other public area) and mobility - from the stern of the ship it will be a LONG walk anywhere, so wear comfy shoes and enjoy all that exercise!

    Explorer propulsion problem....

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Just read this entire very informative thread - a lot of reading in one sitting! I want to ask about an earlier post that alluded to other problems on the Explorer - namely, "toilet problems" and "Code Delta."

     

    We were on Explorer in 2011 and spent the better part of the cruise talking with fellow cruisers about the "poo poo smell" in the aft elevator shaft. Is this the toilet problems you refer to? I thought this was fixed.

     

    Also please elaborate on "code Delta" problems - isn't that at-sea disaster with multiple casualties???!? :eek:

     

    We are cruising on Explorer on the 10/23 last round trip out of Bayonne, so I am anxious for answers.

     

    Thanks in advance,

    Dena

    Private cab for Bermuda exploration

    in Bermuda

    Posted

    My DH and I are birders/cruisers visiting Bermuda for the first time on Oct. 25. We will be docking in Kings Wharf and are interested in visiting Spittal Pond, about 1/2 hour from the pier. I'm sure cabs are available at the dock, but will a cab be available at our destination to take us back to the ship?

     

    As an alternative, are car rentals available near the pier?

     

    Thanks in advance for any good info!

     

    Dena

    Birding in the Caribbean

    in Eco & Expedition Cruising

    Posted

    Just found this post - searching for "birding" in the cruise critic forum. So glad I found this!

     

    Doing the Panama Canal cruise over the holidays and we have arranged private tours (birding) for Cabo San Lucas, Puntarenas (Costa Rica), and Colon (Panama). I will report back when once we have come home!

     

    Looking very forward to these private excursions, the Guides come highly recommend from a variety of sites.

     

    Heather

     

    Heather, can I ask what sites you visited to find the birding guides? We just came back from Aruba and Curacao and I was not able to find sites for these locations that featured birding guides. I did have a field guide that included birding spots, but we were reluctant to have a cab take us there for fear of not being able to find a cab back in more remote areas.

     

    Thanks in advance,

    Dena

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