MYMOTHERSCHILD

More cruise to book what would it be?

 

A bit of backtracking: in May 2015 I became very sick with what turned out to be vistibular neuritis, a condition like Menieres, or a bad case of sea sickness that just never ends.

 

I am currently on disability from work but the reassessments with the insurance companies are frequent and stressful. After 4 MRIs, ER visits, a specialist in a city hospital, a neurologist, weekly physio therapy and regular appointments with our family doctor and two cancelled cruises I wonder if life will ever be normal again. I just received a disability sticker from the Ministry of transportation.

 

We are thinking our next cruise will have to be a river cruise, preferably a Christmas market Danube voyage in early December 2017. But if I can only do one more ocean cruise what do we chose? I won't know it is my last cruise until after I disembark and see how, or if, it affects my balance and ability to function.

 

Cruises on my bucket list are:

1. 
   

• 21 day Antarctica
  
• Complete voyage of the Vikings
  
• Circumnavigation of Australia
  
• Japan and SE Asia
  
• A segment of a grand voyage
  
• 21+ Mediterranean
  

 

Any all opinions/suggestions welcome! :)

Try Vitamin B complex, beginning a few days before the cruise. It works for me

any one remember or sail on the Gruziya from Tampa? to Honduras/Belize/Cozumel( playa del carmen)?

 

carmen

My first cruise ... Round the World on the Oriental Carnaval in 1972...a cargo ship...28,000 miles. It seems I sailed on the Gruziya shortly after that. Ports were primitive and a joy.

I very rarely leave the ship anymore, unless it's a port that I totally enjoy. (Usually leave the ship in Key West because I rarely get there.);) I've done 55 Carnival cruises, mostly in the Caribbean, and about 60 cruises on other lines, so I've been there, done that.

The ship is GREAT when in port and most of the other passengers are ashore. I can have any lounger I want, the hot tubs are empty, and I can enjoy the buffet without standing in line to get extra french fries. :D

Try it,,,you'll like it!

 

"SKY"

I, too, remain on the ship while in port these days...a quickie Carnival out of Tampa on Sep 12 is coming up. Many years ago, I enjoyed "primitive" ports on freighters until they opened up to cruise ships which spoiled all that. Around the World in four months on a freighter in 1972 can be "exciting" if you get your jollies being hung up on a sand bar for hours in the middle of the Orinoco river, or renting a car in Durban and getting lost in Zululand or risked your head being blown off in the Gaza Strip, or love floating on the Dead Sea, or your stomach can take a TransPacific in the winter. Jugolinian freighters offered 12 passenger accommodations and great conversation which was the only "entertainment" on board.

Good ole days??

I just stumbled onto the 55+ Forum and my head is reeling after having read all the postings since sometime in 2005! You all may be interested in reading the letter I recently emailed to my many cyberfriends in Canada, the US and in Europe and if you have questions, don't hesitate!

 

Musicus

In searching for a last minute cruise to I Don't Care Where, your post popped up. Your birth date bolstered my belief that August 22, 1925 makes me a little chickadee with years to dance the night away before I drop dead, but never, never "assisted living." I'll assist myself, thank you.

Liz

According to board rules, your Roll Call, located here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2297629

 

is the proper place to arrange this. You are correct, it is probably a very long shot.

Thanks for this, Bruce. I had no idea.

I've arranged with the ship to disembark in Costa Maya on March 11 and I'm heading for a vacation in Merida, one of the great Colonial cities in Mexico. It's a long shot but if anyone else is considering such a thing, we could share a taxi. Respond here or with email address and we'll chat about it.

Liz

I called Carnival and I have to wait until morning for further help. But I'm anxious, so if anyone has any thoughts or experiences with the following, please help!

My friend has had this cruise booked and paid for and she booked with her friend (2 people in the room.) Her friend is very sick and has offered for me to take her place on the cruise, so she doesn't have to cruise alone. The cruise leaves this coming Monday. So I just called Carnival to do the change and she said I have to call back in the morning because the ship is at capacity and if she cancels the lady off, she won't be able to add me. So my questions are:

Are these daytime people really going to be able to help me?

Does anyone see any problems making the name change this late and at full capacity? (I am replacing someone so it kind of makes no sense. :-)

 

Thanks for any thoughts. I just want to rest easier tonight. :-)

If answers don't make sense to me, I ask to speak to a supervisor or the president!

Hy husband and I recently took 3 of our teen grandkids on the Breeze and on the very first AM of the 8-day cruise, one of our grandsons fractured his ankle."

 

 

Cruise lines will stall and compensate as little as possible, if at all. Even bad publicity runs its course. We sail at our own risk because there's no such thing as the good ship, "Integrity."

I hope my daughter and I aren't sailing on a ghost ship. Where are the rest of you? We're both old ladies and not looking for rich husbands, and certainly not poor husbands, but who will be joining us on the dance floor when the music starts playing?

MMC

Very sad situation. .....

 

 

 

 

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2015/04/articles/social-media-1/hal-jumps-the-gun-again-calls-deaths-a-murdersuicide/

Grandma Liz, daughter Leslie, grandson Colin (33 years old) sailing on RYNDAM March 29, 2015, two weeks. Grandma looking forward to dancing the night away.

(Just kidding...I haven't "boogied" in decades.)

 

So, one of the things often discussed about HAL is it's lack (or shortage) of a nightlife. They roll up the decks for the most part after the late show, some even come up during or before.

 

I was thinking, might many passengers be more inclined to stay up later (and shell out some discretionary cash) if the ship docked in port later (10:00 am, say), but also stayed in port a bit later (say, 8:00 pm). Most people would be back aboard by 6:00 or so anyway for dinner.

 

I think one reason that people retire early, relatively speaking for some, is because they want/have to be in port (beach, shop, excursion) as early as possible. I know, duh! Right?

 

Now, I admit I haven't thought this through completely. I am on my third glass of Pinot Grigio after all, but what say you on this idea?

I retire when the music stops playing and I have to stop dancing. Still, even if there are a few people in the Crow's Nest, many on board can be sound asleep by 11 or earlier. On one occasion I had reason to speak to guest relations at about midnight, so I trotted to the elevator and through hallways in my pajamas and didn't see a soul. All was eerily quiet in the atrium and I had to ring a bell at the desk to awaken someone and problem was solved. I'm bringing the same pajamas on board in March just in case.

MMC

Very few passengers have signed on to the Ryndam March 29, 2015 roll call. Please share your experiences on HAL ships, and fun activities in ports, particularly singles who may not enjoy exploring alone. I'm tagging along with my daughter, a personal trainer, and her son who's 33 and, it seems to me, is addicted to collecting college degrees. This is his 5th cruise on HAL with me and has always had a ball with the few others on board who are his age. I'm OLD which means I do and say what I damn well please including dancing by myself after I've worn out my grandson. MMC

This thread has moved past the talk of preparing for seasickness, but I wanted to offer one other quick remedy.

 

If you have a sudden bout of seasickness hit you, take a whiff of rubbing alcohol (I carry little individual wipes with me). It will instantly calm your stomach, and this will give you a reprieve until your medicine kicks in, or may resolve the problem completely.

 

My dentist told me about this and it works so well. They use it when patients are nauseated after surgery.

I'll remember that. Also, B complex has been a life saver for me. I keep Vitamin B complex on hand for any stomach problem. I've spent close to a year at sea since 1971 and never been seasick.

Just a couple of thoughts:

 

 

What works well for me is one carry-on per person. I've packed for ten days using one suitcase that fits in an overhead airline compartment.

Yeah for you! I've used that size whether for a week or a month...anytime, anywhere. I've never needed more even for 4 months on a freighter trip around the world. I often wonder what's packed in those trunks, huge hanger bags, hat bags, make up bags and how one recuperates after lugging all that stuff back home.

Hi All,

Do you think we'd enjoy Holland America? Can anyone comment on the activities and other passengers? What about the Veendam, I understand it's an older ship?}

I'm one of the "older" but my grandson, now 32, sailed with me a few times on the smaller HAL ships and had a great time. What happens is that the younger set tend to gravitate towards one another, hang out on board, and plan port excursions together. You could find that you make more friends than you might where there are hundreds of couples in your age group.

MMC

The cruise lines typically have excellent pricing for the one-way flights required with trans-Atl cruises....)

 

I've been on line and phone for hours trying to arrange flight back to FL but either airline charges more for one way than for round trip, both HIGH, (British Air) or the layovers are long and out of the way, making it an extremely long flight. Any ideas?

We are sailing on the (HAL) Nieuw Amsterdam April 8 from FLL. We disembark May 4 in Venice!! But some are getting off in Barcelona on the 22nd if you can't swing the whole time (there are still five ports + Barcelona).

Wonderful advice from all. I'll check this out, as well as return flight with cruise line. Thank you.

we are going on Thompson dream april 14th Jamaica - spain :D

Couldn't locate that cruise but will keep trying. May I ask fare?

Any repositioning cruises to europe or transatlantic in april, 1915?

Thank you everybody. Now I'm off on the long journey of searching the internet. Having trouble finding flight back to Florida.

Any repositioning cruises to europe or transatlantic in april, 1915?

Just off a 7 day cruise with my husband and two younger daughters (9 & 12). For the most part, we had a really nice time but there were a couple things that surprised me that we experienced on board. I realize it was a small part of the experience, but just curious what you would have thought.

 

First was in regards to the photo sessions. There was a couple we walked past at about 8:00PM that were hard to miss. They were posing in various sexual positions and the photographer was snapping away while their group of friends were cheering them on. My kids were like - why is he doing that to her? Yeah....

 

Second was during the main dining room. On the last night of the cruise there was a toddler running around in just a diaper (no other clothes or shoes). I realize that not everyone likes to dress up for dinner, but come on.

 

We also ate at the steak house. The food and service were great, but two tables over had a one year old doing laps around the parents table. She was pulling things off of the surrounding tables while the parents ignored them.

 

Also - are non-potty trained kids supposed to be in the pools? I know on Disney they had a dedicated toddler pool that was drained and refilled nightly for obvious reasons. Keep in mind I have kids and they have been on every sailing with us since we had them. I just make sure they followed the rules of the ship with dress code, etc.

 

Maybe I should mind my own business, but am I crazy to think that's over the top a bit, or are people "just on vacation and anything goes?"

This stuff comes with the territory, and the crowd, when you cruise on Carnival. Expect it.

hey all!

I thought i'd start a new thread here, since i am bored at work and need some more entertainment!

 

Everyone post their favorite picture of all time from any carnival cruise. Just one overall, not one from each cruise :).

 

One picture that either sums up the entire trip, cruise experience, or breath-taking surroundings (with the ship name and itinerary of course)

 

i'll post mine as soon as i get home and have access to all my pictures, though it may take awhile to just pick one.

 

 

(another idea in the future is to post your favorite ship picture and have ccers guess which ship it is, but i went with this one first :) )

 

grandson diving into cenote on the yucatan....from carnival...

 

Have fun!

Do it! Once upon a time I did Around the World on the Oriental Carnavale, (and several other trips) long, long before containers mucked up the decks and cut shore time from days to about 8 hours. Still you meet extraordinary travelers and visit exotic ports.

Search the freighter sites, read newsletters and forums, then call the agents.

If I weren't restricted by age limit, I'd be on a freighter right now.

MMC

Google Freighter travel and lots of info will pop up. Ordinarily they take 12 passengers-- more and they require a doctor on board. Age limit...79 on some. I've done Around the World on the Oriental Carnaval cargo liner (200 passengers) many years ago. MANY. I preferred freighters for the exotic itineraries and "surprises"...once itinerary changed so had to disembark in Trieste and offered air fair to scheduled destination...Amsterdam. Instead, we flew to Israel and took our sweet time getting home. I enjoyed a Meditterean on the Lykes line (containers) in the '90's for the great ports, but always had to rush back to ship, especially in Alexandria where we were docked so far from the gate, we needed a navigator to find our way back.

Before containers we were in port two or three days as all cargo was loaded by crane and the decks were clear. Now containers are plopped on the decks so fast, you're in port no longer than cruise ships. Still the passengers scorn cruise ships, are likely to be more cultured, more adventurous, read a lot or play cards and must love the sea because you have to entertain yourself or sit on a tiny deck and watch the wake. Food is not gourmet but when I used to "freighter," the kitchen was always open to raid. Cabins are large. The fare is similar to cruising which I still don't understand but it's an altogether different experience, one you should share with someone close.

I loved the Orinoco when there was never another ship in sight.

MMC