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I do not doubt that some speaker said this, but I would like to know what kidnappings he is talking about. Also when were you in Belize that they had to barricade the bridge? I live here and have never heard of a kidnapping or a barricade. Yes we have had parents kidnap their own children (maybe three times in the last couple of years), but I have NEVER heard of a kidnapping of a nonBelizean. And barricading? Well that did happen in the 60s during Hurricane Hattie, but I do not think that is what you are talking about.

 

Belize gets a really bad rep from people who have never been here or who expect it to be Disneyland.

 

Every bad story about Belize that has even a kernel of truth has been so distorted by people with an agenda that many travelers are missing out on some beautiful country and wonderful experiences.

 

Practice safe travel habits no matter where you go, even the Grand Canyon in the great State of Arizona and you can go just about anywhere.

We've taken many cruises so I can't give the exact date but yes they did have to block the bridge to downtown with barricades and they had set some things on fire. As we walked in the port the day after, the radios were on and we could hear angry people talking about something be is politics etc. We have been to Belize on many occasions and have taken excursions but as with many of the Islands these days I don't need to venture out if it is not safe to do so.

Galveston is a perfect example. Carnival has been here for years bringing in larger and newer ships and now offering longer and different itineraries. Princess came in and NCL out of Houston. Lots of competition but Royal has the worst prices. We are diamond and haven't taken a cruise on Royal for a few years. I don't like the Dynamic Dining concept and from what I hear lots of others don't either. I don't eat at specialty restaurants because if I do they will add more. RC needs to decide who their passengers are and adjust to them.

FYI my son attended a work related security lecture where Belize was named as the place the speaker would never go to based on US kidnappings and crime. He mentioned that the drug trades have left Mexico due to crackdowns and are now running operations in other countries with Belize being one of them. So whatever you do be careful. Last time we were there they had to barricade the bridge to town so the protesters would not get to the downtown area so they set fire to it. Not a great place to venture out.

We have sailed many cruiselines! We were in a hurricane twice, on a cruise when the swine flu prevented us from porting at any ports, had a mutiny in the theatre by guests and almost missed our flight to catch a mediterranean cruise. We sailed Princess a few years ago and both of us wondered why it took us so long to find them!!! We have had fog in other ports not just Houston/Galveston. Had luggage missing from our shuttle because our ship was the last drop off . Had to go back to all the other ships in Miami to find it!! Have waited outside in Florida in the terrible heat, had our eastern itinerary changed as we boarded due to a hurricane, broke my ankle on a deck that had just had water drip down from cleaning the above windows and flew home the day of hurricane Sandy and had extensive surgery the next day. And after all that I am still cruising! You plan a trip, not knowing what the weather will be or who will be with you or if the ship is in good condition, if you will be in good health, if you will have the best crew. As for liquor prices.....who cruises just to buy liquor or perfume? In this day of the internet you can get it cheaper in the states. After all our trials and tribulations we never stopped cruising and have always felt that being on vacation was great no matter what occurred. I won't go into why it is so nice cruising from Houston/Galveston. Where else can you park a car and walk to the terminal? Where else can you arrive with NO traffic to speak of!!! Shuttle may be more if you arrive at Bush and not HOU but your TA should have told you that there is a big difference distance wise. I do my homework and I am in control of my vacation. I never leave it up to anyone else!! I'm so sorry that you had a bad cruise but you will be a happier person if you try to find good in something. Thank you for your opinion but.....I think you went a little overboard!!!

We were recently on the TRiumph in Late Novemeber. After the fiasco a few years ago they remodeled the ship. It now has Guys burger joint and blue iguana. It also has a taco bar. The ship looks good and we had a great time. They did have lobster/shrimp plate on the menu and there was also steak. You can order both for surf and turf! WE did the 5 day so we had a past guest party. Platinum gift is a black carnival insulated bag not the Tervis. Our only complaint was the wait at embarkation since my mom had to wait for them to get a wheelchair but other than that we had a great time.

Haha, we don't care where we go because we've been to so many places! So now we just cruise to cruise!

We have sailed multiple lines for 39 cruises. A few years ago we tried Princess and said "why didn't we sail them sooner?" For us who are "young "seniors it has the right blend of music, entertainment and food! We've loved all our 39 cruises but there are definite differences among cruise lines. Unfortunately we are trying now to get enough cruises in to reach the higher captains circle level.

On the Triumph there were signs saying you could only smoke if you were gambling. That is because smokers did not want to go outside and crammed into the casino instead.

I book a cruise for my parents anniversary every year after they visit us for Thanksgiving. They are 90 and 88. We can only do short cruises due to their health. This year we sailed the week after Thanksgiving. The worst part was getting on the ship. Although we rent a wheelchair we have to wait for Carnival to bring one to us so we can get on and then get out rented chair. We are Platinum and that meant nothing as far as a wheelchair was concerned. We waited close to 1 1/2 hrs for one. That's ridiculous. It has never happened before. We got on and had very long lines in the Lido. We usually get there early and are onboard before the crowds which is much easier when a wheelchair and baby are concerned. Yes we had 3 cabins and only 2 had flat screens! Not a big problem but you would think side by side cabins on the same deck would have the same equipment. Cabin steward was great and we had a baby with us. Dining room staff really catered to us and the baby, so no complaints there. The cruise was warm for a change and we liked that! Yes music was loud as usual! The Triumph did not have many children on it so no issues there. The Triumph serves a purpose for us and is the only short option out of Galveston. I wish they had moved and renamed it after the trouble so it could have a fresh start. When will Carnival realize that putting it's worst ships on short cruises is not a good idea. I see the Magic will be doing some short cruises out of Galveston while the Freedom will do some 7 days. Interesting.

It all depends on what they are smoking. we stayed on deck 8 on the Magic and at times we could smell smoke but other days no one was smoking. It depends on how many smokers are on the ship.

On another board someone mentioned that they booked SIlvermoon through their RCCL ship. I was wondering if anyone knew if they were now contracted by RCCL.

We have done Silvermoon 12 and 24 passenger cruises many times. All of the catamarans go to the same areas for the turtles and shipwreck. So they are about the same no matter which company you use. There was not a big difference between the 12 and 24 passenger tour since the vessels used are different to accomodate the amount of passengers. The food is delicious on Silvermoon starting with the banana bread as you board and ending with the pina coladas after lunch. Not to mention the delicious salads, chicken and flying fish! Silvermoon was the first to do this cruise and we enjoy working with them but I'm sure Calabasas is just as good! We sailed on the mega sails with tons of people and would not do that again. 24 is the largest number of passengers we would like on board.

Thanks for the info

Is the Triumph in yet?

Only if boarding pass and luggage says priority or if you are paying their sign and sail. I emailed Carnival to get verification for my parents.

Does anyone know if we can opened the balconies to make one big one?

We sail out of many different ports. We are looking forward to Bayport since its closer to us than Galveston and cuts the travel in half. Those flying into Hobby airport (HOU) will find a short commute to the port vs those flying into IAH. We are NY transplants and we find the people on cruises from Houston to be be wonderful! The crew always mentions that if they could stay on a ship out of Houston they would because the passengers are so nice. So to me a happy crew means...... a happy cruise. As for the fog, it does not happen often but did happen on the early cruise and the Christmas cruise. Cruising out of Houston is also much more casual than FLL in our opinion. Right now there are limited port choices and FLL has many more. Each cruise we take is different and we have had both good and bad from many ports.

Not all can be viewed from above!

From our experience, deck 7 where the suites are also located and the best cabin stewards or deck 9 convenient to the pool. Best to choose a deck with cabins above and below!

I'd go for the wrap around balcony on deck 7 or 8! We had one on the Victory and loved it!

Yes, they did change a few things on some of the ships so you have to check your specific one!

The only connecting cabins I see are OV on decks 1 and 2.

Empress near the suites or Lido near the pool.

Do the slot machines on the Conquest accept cash as well as the sail & sign card? We have an 18 yo wanting to try his luck.;)

 

TIA,

Elsie:cool:

You can put in all the cash you want but....if you use cash and win you don't get cash back from the machine. You have to save it to your sign and sail card and go to the cashiers window to get your winnings.

Since the Magic is coming to Galveston Oct.2011 , I bet the Conquest is sent to NOLA.