Islandattorney

Hi,

We are sailing on Sirena on the 3rd June and our cabin is also PH suite 8000.

I will happily take some photos and share them with you.:)

Mklions

Great...thanks so much!

I'm just day-dreaming ahead of a cruise on Serena in August and trying to visualize this cabin, which seems to be the furthest forward on the port side on deck 8. I can't tell what's next to it or if view from balcony would be blocked to the right. Since these R's are all alike, I was thinking someone might have pictures from one of the sisters of the same cabin. Anyone out there have such a thing? Thanks...

Did you see this May 5 announcement about improvement in internet speed for Oceania & her sister lines, coming by July?

"A competition is brewing for the fastest Internet at sea, with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings becoming the latest cruise company to enhance its onboard Wi-Fi experience.

The company -- which owns Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises -- plans to quadruple the bandwidth across all three of its brands to meet cruisers' demand for stronger Wi-Fi onboard. Through a new partnership with Emerging Markets Communications (EMC), Norwegian will install multimillion-dollar bandwidth and performance-boosting technology on all ships before the end of June.

Among the upgrades are new satellite dishes and EMC's SpeedNet program, which, according to the company's statement, delivers popular websites at speeds that mimic high-speed fiber optic networks, similar to those available in homes and offices. The new services will complement the recent deployment of high-speed connectivity in popular ports."

It occurred to me that it might be useful to let folks who are on cruises stopping at the Crown Bay Dock know that there is a very good hair salon just a short walk from the dock, with reasonable prices, in case you are looking for a less pricey option than the ship's salon. Having lived in St Thomas for over 40 years, I thought this local spot was worth sharing. It's called Phoenix Visions and they have a web site so if you have Internet access, you can book that way. http://Www.phoenixvisionshairdesign.com, or 340-774-1944. I think it's $45 for a wash & blow out...

There is also a small grocery store in the same complex called Gourmet Gallery if you want to pick up a bottle of wine or some snacks for a beach picnic.

We were on a cruise that started in Manaus, slowly went east on the Amazon, stopping at a few small villages, then to Recife, and across the Atlantic to West Africa, finally ending in Barcelona (I think). Fabulous. I called it the poor man's around the world cruise. It was a Princess ship...not their biggest but certainly larger than an Oceania R ship. We went a few days early and took some tours into the Rain forest, etc. one highlight was a hike in the forest where our group ran into some children with local animals, including a sloth, that they handed over to gently "hug" the visitors...unbelievable.

I would like to disagree with the people objecting to taking gifts for the children..worrying about encouraging "begging". My husband grew up in the islands at a time of deep poverty when no child had a toy...we think that sharing some of that joy with children is fine, and have no qualms about some fear that they will be spoiled by this.

Just our point of view...

I was not joking about shoes/wardrobe...nor am I anything but heartbroken for the unfortunate victims and their families. You can never reduce your chances of being caught in a terror attack to zero, but you can absolutely reduce the risk percentage by doing all necessary to blend in to the local surroundings. And yes, avoiding speaking English out in public, knotting your scarf a certain way, carrying foreign language newspapers we have often passed for other nationalities when travelling at high-risk times. This is a basic safe-travel tool recommended by security experts. for decades...just like always scanning and noting possible exits or hiding spots.

 

My point being that no, we won't stop travelling or enjoying life but yes, we will take all possible precautions to increase our safety chances.

Avoid speaking English in public? Really? How does this extreme list of precautions fit with the notion that we "won't stop ...enjoying life"? I can well understand leaving the t-shirt with an ad or slogan at home, or even skipping the groups following the tour guide holding up a tassel on a stick, but I vote for continuing the basic things in our lives that make travel joyful.

I travel err cruise a lot with just my son. I recommend Coki Beach. I'm pretty sure outside the port, they gathered a bunch of us on to an open van to head up there. Great place to see fish.

Coki is a nice beach but it is not one I would recommend to a solo woman traveler...

But Diane in Ny is right..you can use the beach without a pass if you just bring a towel...

The hotel says you buy your pass on line at resortforaday.com.

We raised our kids on St Thomas and for little ones the ages of yours, especially since they like to swim, I think Magen's Bay is a perfect choice. There are almost never any waves, so the water is warm, gentle and perfectly clear. Such a lovely way for the smallest swimmers to enjoy a day. Sometimes they can spot small fishes around their feet, Even without a mask or snorkel.

I have a pretty big final payment due shortly & am trying to figure out if there are any benefits or advantages to using one card over another for this. Any thoughts on this?

We are wondering if the dock sites for O smaller ships in towns like St Tropez, Monte Carlo, etc have nice views of the town, so that perching on the balcony after a day (or half day) ashore would be pleasant...or will we just be looking at industrial port? Anyone done this itinerary on one if the smaller ships?

Ok, thanks,Cape Hernlopen...I'll hold my breath & take a chance.

Thanks all. I just booked my 4 excursions. Having to enter the credit card was confusing but you're right - it says 0 for total.

I tried this yesterday but panicked at the point of putting in my credit card because the screen was showing thousands of dollars in cost. When did you see the "0"? Was it a later screen after cc info? (Surely someone at O could design a better system than this for using their included excursions.) after probably 25 years of cruising I can't recall taking one ship's tour, always opting to arrange our own, but with these included excursions, we want to use them, so we have to figure out the gauntlet they have laid down for us. Tips appreciated,

I have a very old guide book to France that says there is -- or was - a great brocante (which I translate as a high end flea market) every Tues, Thurs & Sat on Place Verdun in Aix. We love that kind of thing and wonder whether any of you with more up to date knowledge know if this is still true? We have a very fond memory of a visit to Lille during their city-wide flea market some years ago...anyway, would anyone know about this? Many thanks...

This is very helpful..how can we check on the number of ships in port on the day of our visit?

We are AQUA class cruisers on Celebrity. We love BLU. We just booked the same 7 night cruise on the Reflection in 11/16 that we took in 11/15. The ports are not really important to us - we love the sea. Due to Celebrity's price increases, the cruise is currently about $400 more per person than we paid in 11/15 which is troublesome. I received some emails from Oceania that are intriguing. One is for a 12 night cruise on the Regatta. Even upgrading the beverage package to a Prestige Select results in a lower per day cost than our Celebrity Cruise. Perhaps it is time for a change. One problem, though. We do not have the money to sail in a suite or a veranda on Oceania - I am comparing an inside on Oceania to Celebrity Aqua class. We have never sailed without a balcony in our past 12 cruises. While I know this is personal preference, do you think the new and perhaps superior experience with Oceania would outweigh the loss of a Veranda? Thanks for any opinions you may share.

We have cruised a number of times with O ...big & small ships...and recently had a first sail with X. We really enjoyed X. The one thing I would say to you is you will be very disappointed if you give up your balcony to try O, particularly since your love of cruising is tied to the sea, as is ours. You would surely be unhappy in an inside cabin.

We are just back from our first cruise with Celebrity after many years of cruising with just about everybody else- especially the smaller lines such as Oceana,Silversea, Seaborne - and we really liked the Summit. We were in a Celebrity suite which we found delightful with the much greater space than we have been used to on other lines, (but then we couldn't really afford their true suites.). We particularly liked the food in all the dining rooms. I think we may try them again but now I'm wondering if we should expect the same experience on other Celebrity ships, as I read reviews that described the Summit as being popular with "foodies", implying that the other ships might not offer an equivalent dining experience.

Would those of you who are true Celebrity experts share your views on this? Are we likely to find all their ships comparable for dining? Suites? Good service? Many thanks for your advice...

Read about this company and their half day catamaran excursions for cruisers. I did contact them but they want me to gather 18 plus people from my ship. My question is has anyone done this by just reserving a seat prior through kata mambo and not through a roll cal...etc.?

I think the requirement to gather 20 is to have a tour that picks you up at the ship & gets you back right on time for departure because I believe their regular departures require you to take a ferry for $7 to another place & don't work well with ship schedules We had someone on our roll call put up the proposal & over 20 signed up. It was really a lovely day...lots of dolphins, a stop to walk around St Pierre, a swim stop, snorkeling stop, lunch & drinks. Full day was 80eu. They met us a short walk from dock & got us back at 4 to comfortable make our 4:30 all aboard.

We just got back from a cruise that stopped in Martinique & had a very good time on a full day boat tour with a company called Katamambo. Someone on our roll call put together 20 folks which was their requirement to have a sail perfectly coordinated to our early departure (we had to be back by 4:30 & their regular sail comes back later than that). They picked us up near the dock & took us out to see schools of dolphin, to visit the old town of St Pierre where the volcano struck early last century, for a swimming stop & another for snorkeling. Lovely views of the island from the sea. They had drinks & lunch. Overall a lovely way to visit the island. It was 80Eu & could only be paid in euros but you could prepay on PayPal. Their website has photos & more info. Email for contact is katamambo.resa@gmail.com.

If you like physical activity, there is a fairly new tour that goes out by kayak to Hassel Island, just off St thomas with hike to historic spots & snorkeling. (http://Www.viecotours.com). There are many beautiful beaches other than Magen's (Smith Bay, Sapphire, Secret harbor) most with beach chairs to rent, restaurant...any taxi driver at the port can take you & arrange to meet you at an agreed return time to take you back to the ship. Just agree on price before you head out.

Toes_in_sand...how did your food tour turn out?

But may I ask, as I have been looking at a cruise on the jewel in a suite that shows a baby grand on the layout, if it is a "player piano", but you do play, can you play it in the normal way, or is it only operable by these discs? (With promises to avoid horrifying sounds for neighbors). Thanks

It is possible to do snorkeling, shopping & sightseeing on st thomas, but not realistic to do that with snorkeling at Trunk Bay (on St. John...too much time to get to that island, that beach, & back). Why don't you consider snorkeling on st thomas at secret harbor or coki point, & combine that with the rest of your plan?

I'm quite surprised to read the unhappy report above as we returned about a week ago from a cruise that stopped in Grenada and had a fabulous tour with Mandoo...actually, it turned out to be just my husband and I. He was such an informative guide, well versed on everything about the island. Comfortable vehicle, knowledgeable commentary (actually, we almost felt as if we were touring with a college professor). One stop was a spice plantation, and the guests on a ship tour that was stopped there broke away from their guide to gather around to hear Mandoo's far more interesting and complete explanation of what we were seeing. He was extremely courteous, even to these folks "auditing" his course. And, as someone else mentioned, very reasonable cost. We have taken tours on almost every island in the Caribbean, and I do recommend this one.