Head Shot

I am a firm believer that if you didn't like a port then you just didn't do your homework and find the right thing for you.

 

Unless you got robbed at gunpoint during your port stop ;) there is really no real reason to skip ports. All countries have their own unique experiences. Someone that just steps off the ship in the port area (which is often not very attractive areas) and just says "I'm here. This is it. Now what?" is not going to have a very good time, no matter the port.

I like your attitude

I feel the same way about every port I've been to.

I've only stayed a week in Ocho Rios, never experienced the cruise version. That island is such a dream to be in. Traveled many miles there and every turn was a new experience. I loved the nightime walks in Ocho, you really get the full flavor that way.

Yes, lots of weed, not a bad thing either.

San Juan was another port that captivated me, especially the nightlife in Old San Juan.

There have been no ports that I was disappointed with, even Cabo was an overall grand experience.

That's more stuff than we ever packed . . . and we didn't need 1/2 of what we packed.. WOW !

View towards Aqua Theater from the top deck - vertigo inducing:eek:

Note the high-dive platforms at the upper edge of the frame.

Petri Dish art hallway

There are public areas aft on deck 7 and 14 too. We sat on Deck 7, one deck up from the theater for the Aqua Theater show. Great views from here. Don't sit in the first three rows at this show unless you are ok with getting a little wet. ;)

A little bit of illustration

Petri Dish cost $ 250 and up

Now I know the wild guy on that 70's night on the promenade:D

Solarium had 2 nites with outdoor DJs playing well past 2 am. One of the night, they had to end it at 2:35, even though many were still there wanting to party till the morning.

It's the best place to dance and mingle.

Blaze was also excellent. The Feb 13th cruise, the Jazz club was the quietest of them all. There were more participating in On-Air than in the Jazz Club on any given night.

Head Shot,

 

Let me see if I can help with your confusion...first I think you forget to mention the stuffiest of the lines...that being Cunard.

 

Anyway..the lines that are not stuffy are Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Princess.

 

Here is an example of stuffy...I was on a Norwegian ship sailing out of NYC (Manhattan) and docked right next to us was the Cunard QE2. When the QE2 backed out before us they had a guy playing the bagpipes...passengers were dress in business casual...guys had sports jackets on and waiters were handing out glasses of champagne....on the NCL ship the barbqs were smoking away...the steel drum band playing and passengers in shorts and tee shirts were drinking beers out of the bottle and the drink of the day...it was a party atmosphere as compared to QE2...hope this helps you...

 

Mark:cool:

Thanks Mark,

You greatly clarified this confusion of mine. I usually associate this difference in behaviour that you describe more of a class/etiquette difference. Now I know that when I hear that term it means upper crust class.

Thanks again.

It's about people who think their poop don't stink.

I may be dense, I'm trying not to make a literal analogy but I'm just more confused by this:confused:

I have often read that word "stuffy" when it comes to describing Holland, Crystal, etc. What is that supposed to mean. I'm not sure I understand that meaning very well.

For every excercise activity we participated in, we got one ShipShape dollar. At the end of the cruise, you could trade in 10 ShipShape dollars for a free SOA sun visor or tee shirt. My DW liked to sleep in, so I got up at the crack of dawn - areobics on deck, jogging laps around the deck, etc, etc. I managed to collect enough ShipShape dollars by the end of our cruise to get free sun visors and tee shirts for both of us! Man was I ever stiff after doing all that excercise! :)

 

This brings back memories. I think I even have a couple of ship shape dollars tucked away somewhere and I bet I still have the bright yellow t-shirt too. Wonder how much those are worth. I also remember that not only did they have formal nights and casual nights but they had a couple of "semi-formal" nights. Oh the planning that went into packing.

Wasn't there also a costume party- voting after parading each couple's entry? My memory isn't what it used to be, but I could have sworn that there was a couple's costume party with prizes and dancing.