cruznduo

Cruisefan123 ~ Thanks for your reply.  I have always thought of an emerald as darker green, but are those more expensive and more rare than the blue green ones?  I actually would be fine with either, as my favorite color is more blue than green.  Sorry if that is confusing, but I guess I am confused.  I would not want to spend more than what you did for sure, and would be happy if I found something I liked in a lower price range!  From your input I do know that I can afford to buy something nice and not break the bank. We like to travel, so I would not want to put a ton of money into a piece of jewelry at this point.  I would rather upgrade my diamond another time...lol!  I have looked on the Mr. Emerald site at their designs and have seen some very nice ring styles. Sorry, but another question.  Is Mr. Emerald located in the old, walled city?  I was just looking at ways to get around in Cartagena to do our shopping. We are considering the hop on, hop off trolley.  Did you do a land vacation?  We are doing a Panama Canal cruise at the end of September.  It's my husband's bucket list trip...mine was the Mediterranean, totally different, but I think I will end up liking mine better!!!  Except for maybe buying an emerald ring that is!

On ‎3‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 4:39 AM, cruisefan123 said:

Crznduo - they come in all sizes and price points. I had a really good idea of what I was looking for before I cruised as I didn't want to be overwhelmed.   Do you want a solitary Emerald or with diamonds? Light green or blue green?  I chose a solitary Emerald that was blue green in a bezel setting ( emeralds are softer than diamonds so I wanted to protect it).  I paid $3000 for it.   I think it was close to 1 carat and in a 14 k setting.   I had a tough decision as I really liked another ring that had a smaller light green Emerald with diamonds that was $1400.  I liked Mr. Emerald for its reputation and service.   Not pushy and they answered all my questions.  They have a website that might give you an idea of style and price.   What  I didn't like about the other stores is that it was a hard sell without giving me time to look without interruption - constant barrage of "you like" "buy now" etc.  Hope this helps.  Happy to answer any more questions.  

SimplyMarvie ~ Just wondering how expensive rings are as I am thinking of purchasing an emerald ring on our trip in October.  Is the price for a decent ring in the $1000 range, or would I need to think more in the $3000 range?  Also, did you feel that Mr. Emerald was more reputable than the Emerald Museum, or was it just the hard sell that helped you decide?  Is the selection pretty good at both places?  I have also read about Lucy Jewelry, but their merchandise looks pretty upscale and maybe out of my price range?  Thanks for any info.  Linda

I hope we get a great ship on the west coast. We've been on the Miracle so many times and while we love it, change will be good. We've done the Splendor from out here, too. It's nice and we will sail it since we like to drive to the port and air fare is sometimes way too much, although we do fly to Florida fairly often anyway. I hope Long Beach and/or San Diego don't get ignored...we want a fabulous ship on the left coast!

Thanks to all of you who took the time to answer my questions. Your info is greatly appreciated. I am going to let my husband decide what will work best for him. If all else fails, we can just hang out at the port shops and have a drink or two!

I would really appreciate it if someone can tell me how long the walk along the "blue line" is into the historic downtown? My husband has a mobility issue and can't walk long distances. Also, if the walk is too much for him would we be able to take a pulmonia to downtown each way? Would we have to arrange for the ride back if we take a pulmonia into downtown? Thanks for any help you can give me.

There isn't an actual Asian restaurant on the Conquest, but there is an area in the Hornblower buffet that serves Asian food. It's on the port side of the ship.

TSFranklin is supposed to hit in the Gulf of Mexico. It won't affect the Pacific coast or ports...Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Bon Voyage! :ship::tropical-drink::champagne-toast:

14 days from tomorrow...can't wait! Miracle here we come! :D

Oh no! I just read this and saw that the Miracle is leaving Long Beach...she is one of our favorite Carnival ships. In fact, we will be sailing on the Miracle again, for the 6th time, on June 3rd. Does anyone know which ship is coming to Long Beach. I hope there will be a ship to replace the Miracle out here??? My husband's dream is to do the Panama Canal cruise as soon as he retires or can get off work for that long. I'll have to check out the January 18th sailing. :loudcry:

Twilight Zone!

Tandemcruzr ~ I think you may be correct in saying that we need a different PVP. I called our current one again and she still said to hold on to the FTTF. I called Carnival and spoke with a much more knowledgeable PVP who told me I would be eligible to be a Platinum cruiser on our upcoming trip. She also helped me with another issue and even checked with a supervisor to confirm information for me. My question today is this...do you have any info on how I can go about changing to a different PVP? The one I have been using is nice, but doesn't seem to ever go out of the way if I ask questions. I think it's time for someone different!

that you guys have the facts regarding turning platinum on a cruise. I am currently at 71 days and doing an 8 day cruise in 2 weeks. I called and asked my PVP what my status would be on the upcoming cruise and she advised me (on two different calls) that I shouldn't cancel my FTTF because I won't be able to take advantage of early boarding until after this upcoming cruise. i will finish registering for this next cruise and check to see what the documents say. I have used the same PVP for most of our cruises, but I am not sure she is savvy about details. Thanks for your help!

c-leg5 & eandj ~ Thanks so much for your information and input on St. Kitts. I am going to check out the videos and the rest of the stuff you both shared. I really appreciate your help and the quick response.

c-leg5 ~ we will be there in February, too. We are sailing on the Carnival Conquest on February 18th. Which ship will you be sailing on? Can't wait to walk on the ship and have a sail away drink!

My husband and I have been to St. Kitts on previous cruises and have done the tours we knew we would enjoy. We really aren't pool/beach people, meaning we enjoy it for a short time, but not all day. I have looked at the Palms Court Gardens and it looks really nice. If we just want to look around there and possibly have lunch and a drink, is it necessary to have a reservation? We aren't opposed to making a reservation, but if it's really not necessary the money could fund more cocktails! Opinions please?!

Also, is there enough shopping, etc. at the cruise pier to keep us amused for a couple of hours? I honestly can't remember what's right there for some reason. Again, any suggestions from all of you would be very appreciated!

Firemanbobswife & Mcarney ~ Thanks for the quick replies. I am going to fill in my online documents to see if Platinum actually shows up on them. i would love to have that extra $$ from FTTF for some "slurpy" drinks on the ship! I so

appreciate that everyone shares their info and knowledge on CC! Thanks, again!

I will become Platinum during our cruise in February. I didn't realize that my status would change when I purchased FTTF. I spoke to our PVP about it and she said I shouldn't cancel the FFT since I am not Platinum until we are actually sailing. I have read on the Carnival boards that FTTF isn't necessary if a passenger turns Platinum while cruising. I'm confused for sure. Any comments, ideas, knowledge will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Mitsugirly ~ I am wondering if you can give me some info on renting a golf cart on Grand Turk. My husband has had a knee replacement that is giving him lots of problems, so we won't be able to do a lot of walking or even managing the sand on the beaches very well this trip. Where did you rent the golf cart and do you have an approximate price? Also, is driving the cart on the island easy and safe? My DH can certainly manage the driving of the cart since he is a golfer, or will be again if his knee ever recovers. Any info you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi all...I received an e-mail saying that I will be eligible for a Premier Cruise that will be available on January 2nd. The e-mail says that I can preview what the offer will be, but I can't open the message any further. It seems weird to me. I sent an e-mail and left a message for the Casino number, but have never received a reply. I finally got to speak with someone in the Promotions Department who told me that I won't be able to see the offers until January 2nd. I am wondering if anyone else has had this experience and not been able to open the e-mail even though it says to view the info before the official date? I hope someone can tell me if this is normal? Thanks, and a Happy, Safe & Healthy New Year to all of you!

My DH and I will also be on the Miracle for the 3rd time next Saturday. We have done 2 cruises on the Miracle and loved both of them. It's very convenient for us since we live near San Diego...no plan fare! We love the size of the ship and the staff has always been friendly and helpful. I'm sure you will have a great time. I will also be sailing on October 30th with 3 girlfriends and I am not at all sad about doing yet another trip on the Miracle.

Final Countdown....6 days...Woot! Woot

Thanks for the info NCTribeFan. We are taking a Bounce Back" offer in September, so I guess I won't get any other casino offers until after that trip. However, hope springs eternal so i will keep checking "just in case!"

Do you find the Premier Cruise offers in the "Manage my VIPF area, or are they listed under another heading???

We did one on a Celebrity cruise and it was a lot of fun. There were lots of cruisers on our Roll Call and most of them showed up. Everyone brought something which related to their home town (magnet, calendar, t-shirt), and we picked numbers like the OP mentioned. It was a lot of fun, and Celebrity does a great job of facilitating these events. Unfortunate, Carnival still doesn't come close. On our April 24th Miracle cruise we signed up, but were never notified of the event. Oh well, maybe next time!

I thought I might be the only one who loves the planning of every cruise, but I see that I am (thankfully) not the only one. My DH chuckles when I find new stuff about our upcoming cruise and share it with him, but he loves that I find things that I know he will enjoy. We are booked for our 3rd Miracle cruise in September and I am already on countdown! We have been on many cruises (Carnival, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Princess), but living in San Diego makes the left coast cruises. We enjoy the Miracle because it's a smaller ship and takes us only an hour and a half to board. The staff on the Miracle are among the friendliest we have found on our cruises. I can't wait until September 24th!

We did the Miracle sailing on April 16th. It was our second time on the ship and we enjoyed it very much as we like that size of ship, not big fans of the huge new ones. Last night my DH and I were talking about the cruise and he mentioned that he really didn't think that not having Guy's Burgers on the ship was a big deal or a deal breaker, and the same goes for me. We have done the Mexican Riviera a lot (we live near San Diego, so it's convenient), and always enjoy the ports and don't feel nervous. Just stay on the beaten path and you will be fine. We did the overnight in PV and we were able to do the Rhythms of the Night excursion. We loved it! If you do the PV overnight, think about booking it as seeing the island lit up with only candles and torches was amazing, and the show is great, as is the boat ride there and back. We rarely do excursions in the Mexican Riviera anymore, but it was so worth it. No matter which ship you choose, have a great cruise!