bettyboop16

I am looking at 3 Miami hotels, Aloft Southwest 2nd Ave., Doubletree Biscayne Bay, & Homewood Suites Southwest 1st Ave. Has anyone stayed at these hotels? If so, how's the location? how far from restaurants? Are they in a walkable area? What is the general condition of the hotel/rooms?

Many Thanks,

Betty

Thanks for the info. :)

Should you go with Celebrity & you snorkel, Bonaire has the best snorkeling. Check out Woodwind Tours.

We take our first Celebrity cruise Feb. 2018. We have cruised HAL 3 times & they are a good cruise line....just they weren't a good fit for us.

We are taking our 1st Celebrity cruise in Feb. Has this cruise line gone to the same procedure as Carnival where your need to choose a time slot for check in?

Hi. We have just booked the Glory for 7th Oct, same itinerary as you. Any tips for what to do with a 5 year old, on board and ashore? We are from Scotland and are looking forward to some sun!

Mr. Sancho's beach Cozumel looks like a great place for children. I have read good reviews.

Take a look at Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas & read a couple of reviews. CRUISEBOY305 wrote a great review of his Hawaii cruise. His pics are beautiful.

The kids can still get pizza or ice cream and even sit on a lounger, but entry into the aft pool and the 2 aft hot tubs is restricted to adults only.

 

 

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Is this change just for the Glory? I have sailed on her 3 times & I was going to book the Glory for our cruise next year....till they made the change.....well I booked with another cruise line......not in the Carnival Corp. fleet.

On the June 1 Glory cruise, the Captain and the Hotel Director explained why they reversed the aft pool and hot tubs policy at the Diamond Captain's party . It's now back to adults only.

 

Great when a company tries something and when it doesn't work, it can go back to the way it was. When the change is for the better, wonderful, when it's not, go back to what was working. Adult only hot tubs make perfect sense.

Is the hot tubs just adult only or is the whole area hot tubs & pools adult only?

Yes that's it, thank you Bill

 

 

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Leonard's is almost directly across the street from Safeway Grocery Store. We missed it a couple of times, rode right past it. Building is small.

After the market we headed to Fish Hopper so I could get some lunch and Marie could get her ultimate bloody Mary

 

 

Kona Big Wave golden ale

 

 

And a seafood salad for me.

 

 

 

Marie and her "drink"

 

 

 

 

 

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WOW!! lunch in a glass!!

Okay, so we left off talking about the public bathrooms on Allure. They were very pretty but I like a little variety in design when I'm taking a powder, you know? So, this isn't a comparison review or anything, but I like Celebrity's public toities better than Allures.

 

Anyway, we've already established that I'm a bit weird. Got it. And clearly I have a bizarre sense of smell, because there is another smell I noticed. In. Every. Bathroom.

 

Have you noticed it? Is their bathroom cleaning lady named Mary Jane? Are they taking the POT in potty too seriously? Tell me, have you noticed...that all the bathrooms on Allure...smell like marijuana???

 

I'm guessing it's some sort of sanitizer they use- but holy schnikies, it really, seriously, totally, completely- smells like weed. Everytime I left the bathroom I had a weird craving for Cheetos.

 

Please, tell me someone else has noticed this...

Now that's funny!!!!:')

We have land vacation in Oahu several times. Your photos really capture the beauty of the island. Waikiki is becoming a mecca for the rich & very crowded.

Looks like a party bus ready to pick up the cruisers that are willing to crawl back to the ship either right before sailaway or after in some cases.

 

 

That is the Kukoo Kunuku party bus. Stayed in Aruba a few years ago with a large group and we did that one night. It was a blast.KUKOO KUNUKU

 

Do you know if you can book through the Cruise Line or do they have a website?

In a few years your children will grow up & then you will be like us (parents with grown children) & you will want a quite adult place to hang out also. The generation after you with their little families will say......Just Deal With It.....circle of life

Yes Viking Ocean

 

 

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Thank You :)

Remember there is no such thing as a free lunch......

 

 

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Yep, I do know that.

No - they frequently have good airfare deals if you book your air with them also. Two other cruises we are looking at include FREE airfare, but the "2 for 1" pricing is standard. I don't know why they price their cruises like that but they do.

 

 

 

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This is the Viking Line.... correct?

Most of our cruises have been with Carnival. Up until recently, I was very happy with the product for the price. We mostly pick by departure port. I really don't want to fly to cruise. If I'm flying - I'm going somewhere to stay. We like cruising from NYC. Carnival used to have 2 ships ported there. Now they have one and it's part time. We've discovered that sailing out of Baltimore is doable and we love the Pride. We're not fond of the Mega Ship floating hotel, theme park & shopping malls. 2500 on the Pride is nice - and for now, it still has a pool in the aft Serenity area. Don't know how long that will last.

 

I'm not yet platinum (not that it really matters) but I am Carnival stock holder - that doesn't carry much weight with them either apparently. But the cruising experience we had back in 2002 when I did my first Carnival cruise, isn't getting any better, that's for sure.

 

Carnival has been dropping straws on this camel's back for some time now. I didn't complain about the switch from decent chocolate to crappy chocolate on the pillow. I didn't complain when the chocolates disappeared all together. I didn't complain much when they switched from live music to DJs, or when they dropped (and then reinstated) the shrimp cocktail from the menu, or when they moved the comedy shows into small venues that you have to stand in line for. I didn't complain at all when they removed the lobster from shorter than 6 day cruises, because we do 7 days or more. But I did note it!

 

I grumbled a LOT when they switched to the (downgraded IMO) American Table & removed the table cloths. No, the food doesn't taste any different, but it makes for a nosier room and stuff slides around. It's just not as nice a dining experience compared to before.

 

I'm still grumbling about the cards you have to fill out concerning the room maintenance. The price isn't any lower - I want twice a day tidy ups, beds made, towels changed, etc. And I KNOW there will come a time when you do not have the option for both. I've heard people complaining about being told they have to choose.

 

I was not happy about them not delivering the liquor the night before, although I've heard they switched back on this bad decision. And all the questions about the 24/7 ice cream - you know that's going because some parents don't want to parent on vacation.

 

Although we haven't experienced this yet, I am not at ALL happy about getting the S&S cards in the mailbox. That's just asking for trouble! And I'm not happy about the cut backs in staff - those people all have to make up for the missing workers and I've noticed it affecting a lot of areas of service.

 

Still I continued with Carnival, and we have a cruise on the Sunshine in Sept to Canada. We will probably book another cruise on the Pride when we're looking for a cheap getaway, but I won't count on the experience being what it used to be.

 

Things change. I get that, but I can adapt by changing as well. This last straw of doing away with adult only pools (Loved the one on the Splendor) may just be the proverbial Last Straw for us. It's not so much the loss of the adult pools, but Carnival sending a message that they don't really care what some portion of their customer base wants. It seems they are saying to adult cruisers with no kids or grown kids - like or or lump it.

 

I can only speak for myself, but we spend money on cruises. Because of the cheap base price we upgrade to premium balconies. We have 2 in a room, so we're not packing it to get the cheaper price. We drink, but don't get the Cheers package because it doesn't work so well for us. We order a bottle of wine with dinner. I like the umbrella drinks. DH drinks Thirsty Frog. We do the specialty restaurants - usually more than once. We get FTTF. We buy photos & a WiFi package. We often do shore excursions and get a cabana at Half Moon Cay. But hey - if Carnival doesn't want us, there are other lines that do!

 

Not really interested in NCL or Royal with their Mega Ships. I might look into Celebrity if they've got some smaller ships around. But the line we are more and more drawn to is Viking. We did a river cruise with them this past August and it was simply phenomenal!

 

Yes their cruises are pricey, and we mostly have to fly to cruise with them. But they frequently offer free or low cost airfare. We have West Indies cruise booked with them and the airfare is $45 pp round trip Newark to San Juan. And they meet you at the airport and take you to the ship, and take you from the ship to the airport at the end of the cruise. Their Ocean ships are all new or fairly new with a passenger limit of 930 people. They are ALL veranda. All passengers must be 16 or older.

 

If they are anything like the staff on the river cruise, they treat you like royalty. Your fare includes: 1 shore excursion in each port, beer & wine with lunch & dinner (champagne for mimosas at breakfast), all specialty restaurants, bottled water when you leave the ship, little snack, fruity drink & towels when you return, spring water in the room, WiFi all over the ship, specialty coffees 24/7, gelato bar, great food with a choice of dining options, aft infinity pool, lovely pool with a retractable roof mid ship, wonderful array of toiletries in the bathroom (replaced as used), in room coffee maker - and I'm sure I'm forgetting some things.

 

There are no points to "earn" as you cruise. ONE cruise - either river or ocean - gets you entry into their Explorer Society. We were able to buy 2 for 1 future cruise certificates on our river cruise - $100 gets you $200. You get $200pp off your next booking if you do it within the year - $100pp off after that. They have a referral program, where you and the person you refer each get $100 off the cruise price if they book. And we will get an invite to the Explorer Society reception on our ocean cruise.

 

When we did the river cruise, we did extra days pre-cruise on our own so they didn't meet us at the airport, but they met us as we got out of our cab, whisked our luggage off to the ship and escorted us down the pier. Check in was like at a hotel. There is no S&S card, just room key. Our cabin wasn't ready yet, but we had lunch on the ship, then went off to do another museum. Except for the special German-themed buffet dinner, there were no lines anywhere, and I've been told their Ocean ships are the same.

 

Sorry for rambling on, but I have a lot going through my mind with this latest Carnival issue, and with an upcoming Carnival cruise and an upcoming Viking Ocean cruise comparing the two is an irresistible force ;p A Viking cruise is not for everyone, that's for sure. Like Carnival, they are targeting a market, and unlike Carnival WE are in their target market.

 

There's no casino. There are no photographers in your face - there are none at all, but crew members are more than happy to take a photo with your camera. There are no assigned dining times, nor assigned tables. You do need to make reservations for the specialty restaurants, but there's no up charge. You are free to bring as much wine, beer, liquor, soda on board as you like. No hassles, no corkage fee if you prefer your own wine and bring it to dinner. All but the lowest price cabins have soft drinks in the fridge that are replenished daily. You can let them know your preference. The upper price levels have alcohol replenished daily also.

 

There are no hairy chest contests or Marriage Game or bingo. There are no announcements encouraging you to by gold by the inch or anything else :cool:. They do have a night club on the Ocean ships with live music. They have shows & movies, a really nice gym and spa (some spa services are included - sauna, steam room, therapy pool). But if you need all of the contests, bingo etc to have fun, well, you're not going to like Viking. We had a blast on our river cruise. Met some great people, saw wonderful sights and had fun.

 

For those looking for an alternative to mass market lines, check them out. We're not abandoning Carnival just yet - though they seem to be telling us to walk the plank - but you get what you pay for, in most cases. And I'd rather get more value - things I deem valuable - than Carnival wants to offer.

 

Ranting ramble over ... I hear the sighs of relief. ;p I'm sure there are many thinking, "Don't let the door hit you!" Don't worry - I won't :D

Was the $45.00 charge for your flight a misprint?

It's so interesting to read the things people say about this topic. I am going on the Conquest next week and also am not happy about the change. We sailed the Conquest two years ago and had a great time. The one thing I didn't like is the fact that it is one of the only ships that doesn't have the Serenity deck. I never really go in the pools or hot tubs, so the people referring to it being just that are ridiculous. I believe most people who seek out the adults only areas are not just dying to go in the water, its more about the whole vibe of the area. I'm not a bad person for wanting a couple of hours without kids screaming and splashing water on me. I cruised plenty of times with my children when they were younger and I don't dislike kids. I love Carnival and am not interested in a quiet, boring cruise line, just a little bit of adult only time since I've already raised my children and don't need to constantly be annoyed by unsupervised kids. Bottom line: they should have waited til they got the Serenity deck to make the change on Conquest.

I agree with you, I don't get in the hot tubs or pool. This area is also great to get away from the blaring wide screen tv. Sometimes the serenity area can be to windy just as the inside of the ship can be to cool. You can actually have a conversation & be heard. I generally like all areas of the ship for a short amount of time.

I was going to book the Glory for next year......not anymore!!! I don't get in any of the swimming pools. I enjoyed the area because it was quite & had an excellent view. You have a bar for your drinks, some ok pizza, & ice cream.

We decided to forgo our winter cruise this year & go to an "all inclusive resort". We went to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Plenty of resorts to choose from & beaches were beautiful. Many cruise excursions to take while there. We used Hispaniola Aqua Adventures.

Jamman.....How long was the ship docked in Colon? Where you able to take any excursions while in Gatun Lake or Colon? We did a partial canal cruise 2010 on HAL Zuiderdam & was offered an excursion that went through rest of the canal on a ferry to the Pacific Ocean & then was transported back to Colon by bus. It was a great excursion to see almost all of the canal & the Centennial Bridge & Bridge of the Americas without doing a full transit by cruise ship.

Yes, they can & do dispense all different types meds. They can do blood work & give you an IV if needed

We stayed at Bay Harbor. They have a shuttle service for the airport & some places near by. I think they have a shuttle to the port for $10. pp

We stayed at the Bay Harbor a couple of years ago when it was the Best Western. Never had a problem with any of the staff members. Check in was quick. Guess they made some staff changes.

Beach Bar was then Hulk Hogans Beach Bar. It was filled with his wrestling memorabilia. I notice in the pics it was all gone.