alphakitty

We did not get our drinks replenished during our time in the cabana. No one offered.

If you are in a cabana, they pick you up and bring you back to the tender area. We asked that they come last minute, but there was still a long line. We found a few chairs and hung out until the line was just about gone. It wasn't that bad really.

Is there any good snorkeling off the beach there?

 

I read somewhere that you could swim out to "the point" (to the left of the ship), where they have snorkeling excursions(?).

I am not interested in doing an excursion but want to be realistic as to what to expect. We are bringing our own gear.

We snorkeled for a bit, but no good snorkeling off the beach. We saw about 3 fish all day.

Originally Posted by SueG View Post

I have a question...

Since I am going to be with my 10 year old daughter who wants to be closer to the water park area, which cabana number should I try and rent?

Thanks

I would go for one of the first few in the line ..that would be closest to the water park.

The procedure and pricing must vary from ship to ship.

 

On Destiny in Feb 09, the excursion desk opened at 12:30pm. We were there before that so we went to the purser's to book a cabana and they said we had to wait for the excursion desk to open.

 

Now you guys are going to make me post my HMC pix....lol!

Mary: Who's that hanging around my cabana?????[/QUOTE]

 

LOL I don't know! Looks like he was talking to you guys no?

What time did you get in line for a Cabana? What time did the excursion desk open?

Got in line at noon, desk opened at 12:30.

The cost was $225 for 4 of us. (Original post said $215??). Transportation by truck is provided to the cabanas AND you are offered the first tender to the island.

We had Voilet #15, the last cabana in the row. It was a bit of a walk to the bathrooms, but not bad and believe me I hate walking too far. ;)

Snorkeling was about nil on the beach, we saw about 3 fish.

Food served in the cabana was 2 large bottles of water, 6 cans of soda which they will ask what kind when you sign up. A melon tray, chips and salsa/guacamole/sour cream. Vege tray with dip and oranges.

We thought it was well worth it.

I can't choose, can I just alternate weeks; 1 with Joe and 1 with Ranger? :D

LOL Another Stephanie Plum fan here. I think this is the best answer and seems to me that is what Stephanie thinks too! :) Grandma Mazur is the best character ever! LOL I know what you mean about laughing at the pool.

Just FYI....Evanovich also writes books "between the numbers" of the Stephanie Plum series...Plum Lovin, Plum Spooky, Plum Lucky are a few of the titles.

I also enjoy reading Jennifer Weiner's books....Good in Bed, In Her Shoes (made into a move), Little Earthquakes, and right now I'm reading Certain Girls.

You might also check out Carl Hiaasen. He has a similar style of writing and I enjoy his books. I especially liked Skinny Dip.

Another Outer Banks photo...afterglow

As always, I love your photos aplmac! :)

A beautiful sunset on the Outer Banks of NC...not on a cruise.

Unfortunately this may be the case for you, and that's great, but being the World's Lightest Sleeper, earplugs wouldn't cut it for me. I have the highest-rated (decibel-wise) earplugs but they're very hard to sleep with because they tend to pop out. I can also hear things with them. I sleep with a white noise machine ON MY PILLOW, flipped upside down so the speaker is facing up, and volume on 10. I still get woken up from the slightest noise. Someone talking in a cabin next to me wakes me up. If it's the slightest sound that I can hear when I'm awake, it's guaranteed to wake me up when I'm asleep. Chairs dragging around above me would be absolute torture.

 

It sucks to be me! :)

I dunno amybeth....I think I could compete with you as the lightest sleeper. ;) I do the same with my white noise machine...except mine has a headphone jack, so I wear headphones plugged in and blast the noise. I can't hear any outside noise that way. Not even my husband's snoring and that is like a Harley coming through the room!! He better wake me up if the alarm sounds. :)

Thanks Doc for posting the IOS. I'll be sailing on her this year.:D

I sailed on the Pre-Inaugural of Indy out of Southampton. All my photos are here if you are interested. :) http://good-times.webshots.com/album/563288702TpMeic

Lots of ships in port in Miami

Carnival Destiny anchored in Half Moon Cay

Carnival Destiny in Grand Turk

Carnival Spirit in Acapulco

Carnival Spirit in Zihuatenago

I don't think so becca...no combining of most discounts unless the cruise was booked before Dec 31, 2008 and even then they will give you a tough time of it..trust me on this.

I just read this and it it good to read positive things about stock in RCCL and Carnival:

Should You Get On Board the Stocks?

Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise have had their stocks pounded in the wake of this rogue wave that rose up against the cruise industry, Royal Caribbean more so than Carnival. Royal Caribbean is near a year low trading at $6, down from $40, while Carnival, the bigger and stronger of the two, has held up a bit better, trading at $20 down from $43. Carnival’s profits have held up better, but both are expected to still make money going forward. While you might not want to take the plunge yet and jump into the waters on these stocks, (particularly watch Royal’s operating cash position, as it may take a couple of years to fully return to the previous industry levels), the likelihood is that both Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise will weather the rough seas of the recession and please their many happy passengers as they set sail onto happier, smoother seas.

http://community.investopedia.com/news/IA/2009/Cruise-Lines-Battered-But-Not-Sunk-RCL-CCL0223.aspx

Define investment. The classical definition is an expenditure of money or capital with the express purpose of gaining income, increasing capital, or both.

 

I presume that when you bought your shares, the company was paying a dividend. So you invested $600 with the express purpose of collecting income in the form of regular dividend payments. You also collected income in the form of OBCs. And finally, you had the opportunity to see your capital increase in value. Sounds like an investment to me. ;)

 

The fact that the shares were at $6 has nothing to do with it not being an investment; it just sounds like you made a prudent move that limited your risk (loss) to a few hundred dollars while having the ability to completely recoup your cash outlay rather quickly (dividend yield + OBC).

Well thanks BadBoy, you make it sound so good. :) I suppose I should have said, not much of a cash outlay for an investment. ;)

On the contrary, it's about the easiest thing in the world.

 

Write a check for, say, $700.

 

Take it to your local Scottrade office and open an account. They will explain how to buy and sell on the computer.

 

You need to wait about three days for the funds to clear.

 

Then a few clicks on the computer and, voila, you are a shareholder (100 shares).

 

Your entire cost for the process is $7. No big brokerage charge.

 

Seems to me, however, that if you are not aware of how to buy, you might not be aware of the ups and downs of the stock market. It may be a good time to buy, but then again it might not be. The actual buying of a stock is the easiest part of investing. There's a lot more to it.

Well, something screwed up for us and I'm not sure what it was because my husband handled it....but it was a hassle and it didn't seem very easy to me. ;) Ours was probably not a typical experience though and I should have said so.

We did decide in the beginning we could live with the loss if the stock went belly up. We bought at around $6.00 so not much of an investment really. 6 cruises worth of OBC's and it's paid for itself. IF they don't stop this benefit, it will be worth it to us. If they do discontinue it, oh well. <shrug>

It's not as easy as it sounds. We recently bought stock from RCCL...our first stock purchase ever. We contacted a local broker with Ameritrade and they helped us with the purchase.

I tip out of POM because I want to, not out of fear, though we too have had the porters threaten with lost luggage and/or ask for the tip. We tip the shuttle driver who handles our luggage, the porters who handle our luggage. We tip most everyone who provides a service to us to make our vacation better. We always keep a good stash of $1's with us when we cruise. :)

Not all ports or porters make you feel like you HAVE to tip. We cruised out of San Diego last year and we tried to tip the porter there, but he refused the cash and said to my husband, "spend it on her". Hubby tried to insist he take the tip, but he man refused.

Right now these pics are just wonderful as I dream of my next cruise coming up soon! Here are a few favorites. :)\

Sunset leaving San Diego for Mexican Riviera cruise

Acapulco

Friar's Bay Beach, Saint Martin

I've often wondered, since these things so happen from time to time, why the ships aren't better equipped to handle it. Why don't they have bars that could lock bottles in place? The shops too...what about the galley and the furniture. Why aren't the TV's in cabins secured in many cases? Surely, there should be a way to lock down these most vulnerable, breakable objects when the seas warrant. :confused:

This is a fav of mine, though picking ONE photo is tough!

Taken in Grand Case, St. Maarten while cruising the Triumph in Feb 07.

And so back to our regular service :D

 

Thought some of our Indy cruisers might like to see this jacket I wore for the Pre-Inaugural

 

Loved the jacket Liz :) that's how I knew you were you when getting ready to board. It's even better in person.

And so back to our regular service :D

 

Thought some of our Indy cruisers might like to see this jacket I wore for the Pre-Inaugural

 

Loved the jacket Liz :) that's how I knew you were you when getting ready to board. It's even better in person.

We prefer late seating....don't want to miss those beautiful sunsets at sea. :)

Did everyone see this video:?

 

 

Pretty Kool. I put it on the main page and then remembered this thread.

 

Hey Liz, do you like Indy better than Liberty?? Is the art neater??

 

I have a hunch about the names, but your Ken has one of them...good luck AlphaKitty

Thanks Becci! Win or lose, we had an amazing time on Indy and that's a big win to me! :) I like Oasis too! ;)

I'm sure it was as we were all there! :) The others were seated at the end of the ice rink, facing the stage-like area. I guess we are all familiar to the online cruising world now. So much for anonymity. LOL

It was a great trip....I'm still not over the jet lag I think. :D

Not sure about that Build em Bigger, as we were sitting to one side with only two of the other winners, but the ice show was fantastic! :)