Ngraham54

5 hours ago, Irule7 said:

Just make sure your Uber driver has been to the cruise terminal before and knows the rules.  We had one pick us up at the hotel and on the way to the cruise terminal we asked if he had been there before, he said yes, but he still REALLY relied on GPS to get there.  We get to the check point and they ask if he has a gun in the vehicle, he says "Yes."  Which doesn't bother me at all, however you CANNOT get passed the check point with a gun in the vehicle.  We had to get out of his vehicle with all our luggage and the security guard said you'll have to call another driver.  So we walk across to the other side, where the cars are leaving.  I'm trying to flag an outgoing taxi and then the security guard comes over and THANKFULLY says the gentleman in the Park N Ride bus will take us to the terminal for free.  

Oh my!   We've had no problem with this but will certainly ask from now on.  Interestingly, we were not required to go through a security checkpoint at PE last month for our Regal Princess voyage going out of terminal 2.  So guess our guy could have had a gun!

Just a few notes about using UBER which we use exclusively to get around Fort Lauderdale. We first used UBER three years ago. ( We don't even have a taxi service in my small town so using UBER for the first time was a little intimidating!)  Since then, we have used UBER in Boston and Chicago with no problems!  Only one time we got a guy that put his headphones on as soon as we got in the car!  😱 Obviously we were not having any kind of conversation with him!!

BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD THE AP ON YOUR SMART PHONE WHICH REQUIRES YOU TO GIVE A PAYMENT METHOD.   Read up a bit on how to use it before you actually use it. This will reduce your stress!

We stay an extra week in FLL staying 3 or 4 days before and after a cruise.  Once we have our luggage at the airport, we go outside, turn right and walk until you see the share ride sign.  When you pull up the UBER ap on your phone, it will give you choices of different rides and their associated fee.  The cheapest option may not be your best choice. We usually get UBERX for the two of us with two suitcases total and my DH has a back pack and I have a small roller bag.  Some of the cars are small so keep this in mind!  Once the luggage is at the hotel, you can use UBERpool and your rate will be lower and you may or may not actually end up with other riders. Once you confirm choice of vehicle, the next screen may ask you how many persons are riding and the rate will go up a bit for the each person...I think about 50 - 75 cents in our case.  I love the UBER ap because when you pull it up, it shows little black cars driving around on the map in your location which means there are rides!!  If no little black cars...not good!   LOL! But you'll have no problems in FLL!  Once you have been assigned a driver, you'll see only your driver's car on the map and it tells you how many minutes until he arrives.  Pretty slick.  Pretty funny too because you sometimes see the driver going the wrong way and then they correct themselves and eventually get to you.

From Embassy Suites to the 15th St. Fisheries, we paid less than $5 total for the two of us each way. One year we stayed about a mile south of Sunrise Blvd at the Soleado Hotel and we ubered to the Publix store up on Sunrise and it cost us $3.45 one way and $4.20 on the way back.  As you have seen posted, the rates appear to change based on time of day, and supply and demand.

UBER prices used to include a tip. Not anymore!  If you choose to tip, you can tip the driver directly or a message will come up on your phone after your ride asking you if you want to rate your driver, give him a message or leave a tip. 

When you request a ride, sometimes it takes a minute or two to locate a driver.  My son drove for UBER and he said you receive notice of people wanting rides and you can agree to take whichever one you want. When your ride is found, the driver's name and his rating (from previous riders completing info) come up on your phone.  Our drivers have always had at least a 4 star rating out of five. It cost about $12 from FLL to Embassy Suites.  From ES to the cruise ship is about $8 for both of us.  Compare that to ES Shuttle at $7 each and the hassle of riding with a van full of people and waiting for your luggage to be pulled from a pile of 30+ pieces!!  Also, I preorder our ride back to the airport the night before our flight.  UBER sends you a notification and says your ride will show up within fifteen minutes of your desired time.  (Keep that in mind!)  It also says if they can't find a rider by the end of that 15 minute time, they will notify you.  That was a little concerning the first time I did this but when I went to the front entry of hotel about five minutes before my desired time, I pulled up the UBER ap and a driver had already been assigned and he showed up at exactly my desired time!

Another note....UBER drivers are from all over the place in Florida.  I was surprised that almost all of them were using the GPS to find out where they were taking us.  I incorrectly assumed they lived in FLL and would know where all the major hotels are located.  Not so.  Many of our drivers live in Miami but prefer the FLL area because there is more business and easier traffic!!  How interesting.  So yes...if you can give a driver a tip about how to get to your destination, do it!  For example, the entrance to Embassy Suites requires you to go one stop further than what the GPS told our driver.  So the next trip we let our driver know!

Also, make sure you pay attention to the map that shows up on your phone.  It tells you your pick up point.  Make sure you are at the right location!  My iPhone has a blue dot that blinks on the map to show my exact location.  The pickup spot is on there too and they should match!  Know that you can contact your driver if you think something is not right.  You used to call him on his phone but this time it had you send a text.  It is pretty fool proof!   I have had drivers call me when they couldn't find me.  When the driver pulls up, he puts his window or the passenger window down and says, "Nancy?"...Yep...got the right guy!  LOL!

UBER DRIVERS will have an UBER logo (about 8" square) in their front window.  Give it a try!  Pretty slick operation in my opinion!

Terry,

I have enjoyed reading your posts on Athens. I have been researching Mediterranean cruises with Athens as a port of call but was undecided. Yesterday a high school classmate ('72) invited me to a classmates Greek Isle cruise she is organizing for September 2020.  Ironically, that is when I wanted to do the Med cruise and now I have to decide if I will join them on a Royal Caribbean cruise or continue my loyalty with Princess.  (Not sure I will ever get to experience cruising the famed Oceania ships!)  Your pictures of Athens with food and buildings has been so helpful.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to go to Athens but you have changed my mind.  It was very interesting to read about the fires last year. Comments about safety were somewhat concerning and I was anxious to read about your second trip.  It sounds like things have calmed down!  

Also, I loved the pictures from your 20 day voyage.  So much history in this world and not enough time to see it all!  Thank you and I will continue to watch for your posts!

Nancy in PA

Thanks for your review!  We leave 3/24 on the Regal for a Western also. Looking forward to the medallion experience and we can always find great food somewhere on the ship!!  

Very informative for especially first time cruisers. Leave in a week on the Regal!  Your Vlog has me pumped!  Thanks for taking the time to create this!

Thank you for posting your cruise impressions.  We have been on the Regal once and will be on her again in two weeks with this same itinerary.  This has been a great read but I sure hope I never witness a food fight and especially not over oysters!😂

We have stayed at several hotels over the years pre and post cruise and it all depends what you are looking for. 

We like Embassy Suites on 17th Street the best because:

-there is a separate living room so I can get up and not wake my husband

-great made to order breakfast

-nice evening reception with beer, wine and a few snacks

-the POOL area is the deal breaker for us.  Waterfall, koi pond, large pool. MANY lounge chairs in both shade and sun.

-Total Wine, Publix grocery, clothing stores and many restaurants within walking distance.

- An UBER is about $ 7 - 8 to the cruise pier (hotel also has shuttle but higher price)

It is usually more expensive than others but we feel it is worth it.

Hyatt is also good for breakfast and location but no place to hide from sun at a small pool.   

Hope this helps

Nancy 

Great pics Dana! We never made it to the Platinum/Elite lounge and I wish we had gone to that pool party. It looks so fun! Next time!

We have never ever worried about things going missing from our luggage.

For starters, we don’t have anything but junk. I would hand carry any valuables including nice handbags with me.

In nearly 2 dozen + cruises nothing has gone missing.

 

 

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Hey 4cats! We just can't get away from CC, can we!

I have no concerns leaving bags out with the 13 cruises I have been on. Princess is very efficient and bags are removed from hall quickly. Valuables are kept in my carry on.

Years ago I accidentally took the wrong suitcase on a trip to Vegas. When I got to the hotel I threw the bag on the bed and opened it up and thought...What the .....? :eek: The bags were identical! I called the airport and my bag was there. I hand delivered the wrong suitcase to the other person's hotel and had to pay the airline $13 for my bag to be delivered to my hotel. Lesson learned! I always use a mixture of colored ribbons now and always doublecheck before I take the bags from the carousel.

There is no longer a need for a slot for key cards with the newer systems. Most hotels I have stayed at have eliminated the slot and you just place the card near the door and it opens. Hilton properties now have a Digital Key built Into the Hilton Honors app. You check in using the App, pick your room, choose digital key and use your phone to open your room door. There is no need to stop at the desk when checking in or checking out. I love it.

 

 

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I agree! It is great! Select your room on your IPhone and technically check in before you get to the hotel. Your phone lets you know when your room is ready. Hassle free after a long trip. Just say hello as you walk by the front desk! Put your phone up to the sensor on the door to your selected room and you are in! Sweet!

Thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures. We'll be there on the Royal in April. Sad to see the destruction but nature cant change the color of the water! So blue! Can't wait to get there.

Nancy

I just booked Nachi this week for next March. (I don't want the chance of it being oversold.) As other posters have stated, it does now accept 130 persons. This place is the sole reason I booked a western cruise!

I am hung up on trying the AI resorts because I dont see much about them review wise for the day passes. They are all a bit more for the day 20-30 more than Nachi, so was just weighing out value. If we dont make it to them by 1 and have 4 hours to stay and cant enjoy the food I wasnt sure about the price. Maybe we just had bad luck with Nachi last time or maybe I expected too much!

We have only been to Nachi once. The beach was litter free. Our loungers were under a palapa (natural umbrella). The reason we loved Nachi is because we wanted to sit and read, nap (DH) or just walk the beach. They advertise they won't allow a spring break atmoshphere. There were definitely young couples there and families too. Peaceful. Uncrowded. Paradise. Huge beautiful pool that you could choose to sit by and there were only a couple of people in it. The swim up bar was full...maybe 8 ppl. We are in our early 60's and this was perfect for our needs. Buildings on the property were clean and in a beautiful setting. This place does not look like much from the road but once you get through the vegetation and see the property it is beautiful. The property beside it which you cannot see or hear but can walk to along the beach to is for the people that want to party. Also... our food was excellent. We started with homemade guac and chips. Later DH had a seafood soup with a big crab leg in it and I had a fruit plate. I can't remember what we had for lunch but we loved it. We did not have room for the fourth course...dessert. I think we each had four drinks. We felt this was a real bargain at $55 per person. I just booked a Western Caribbean cruise for 2019 just so we could go here for the day. Taxi rates are posted and it was a 15 minute ride. We were there for about 5 hours. A waiter is assigned to you when you pay. You are asked where you would like to sit based on where you see empty loungers. Get there as early as you can as the beach front loungers obviously go quickly but there is no bad location. We had an excellent view of ocean and we chose to sit towards the back where it was more private and quiet. They limit the beach to 130 ppl but they do hold private events with over 200 ppl and there appeared to be that many loungers! Just your basic plastic lounger though. The massage tents looked very professional and inviting. Next time I would like to do the snorkeling ($38). We felt it was a steal for $55.

I have Apple "airpods" which are wireless Bluetooth ear buds. You plug in a Bluetooth transmitter to the head phone jack of the TV (or any headphone jack for that matter) and it broadcasts the sound to the airpods wirelessly. No bothering anyone else. Works great for late night TV too.

 

This is the one I have, works great and has great range. It can handle two sets of airpods so you and your mate can listen at the same time. (or just use one airpod for each of you)

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0769Q8YW1/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thank you for this info.

We are looking for a beautiful beach, with a pool close by with food and preferable an open bar. Last year we bought this excursion form a guy in Cozumel and it was not a good beach and there was food but not included in the price we already paid, so it got expansive.. I have heard that you can just go the beach and there are plenty of places to eat. But I don't know if that is the best option... Does anyone have any helpful tips or could refer a good beach??

Go to Nachi Cocum! It is a private beach club with unlimited drinks and a four course meal that can be ordered as you feel like eating it. We were there last year and ordered nachos and guacamole at 10, seafood soup and a fruit plate at noon, lunch at 1 and dessert at 3. Our waiter brought all our food to our loungers but we could have eaten in their open air restaurant. It is so beautiful there and you are assigned a waiter and a lounger. It is $55 per person. I booked last night for a cruise I am taking in March of next year! They only take 130 adults and the place could easily hold double that. I actually booked the cruise just so I could go back to this place! Beautiful large pool and hot tub with swim up bar. They offer massages and water sports for an additional fee. Well maintained property with showers, a little gift shop and a new building with lockers. I forget how much the taxi cost but not bad. They do not allow a rowdy crowd. There is another beach club before you get to this property and that is where the rowdy crowd goes! They have a facebook page.

Just got back the beach is in Great shape. There were people snorkeling. No food service yet. A couple of portopotties no showers. Chair rental and snorkel rental is available. No fee to get in yet. Crystal clear water.

Thank you Bosjoe. We're heading there in six weeks. Good to hear the water is clear!

Sunlovernw...thanks for all the info from St. Thomas, St. John and St. Maarten. We will be visiting these ports in April. We have booked the St. John snorkeling with Princess although I have seen a few posts saying the snorkeling is not good. We really love Trunk Bay so will go just for the beach. We normally do the taxi run to Red Hook but decided to sit back and relax! Still undecided about St. Maarten but will probably do an island tour to see how things are coming along. I love these islands and it is going to be hard to see the destruction but I feel it is important to see the progress. BTW...pic of taxi rates very easy to read!:)

Thank you for such a good read! I cant believe all the time you spent sending all the great photos, menus, patters, answering questions. You're in the wrong business! You should be a travel agent, tour guide...something! We have been going to Maine each summer and really enjoy the fresh lobster. When I saw that lobster tail from the CG on your wife's plate (for her birthday dinner), I couldn't believe it! I even showed my husband the picture. Unbelievable! I've worked many years in food service and a plate like that is simply unacceptable. I'd be hesitant to send even a high quality tail to the table without some enhancement.

We were on the Regal last March and will be on the Royal this April. Looking forward to all there is to do on the ship. Anything beats the snow and frigid temperatures we've had this winter in Northwestern PA. Thanks again!

We were on the Regal this year in cabin M409. The seawalk was one floor above us and just around the corner so passengers could not see into our balcony. Wonderful room with larger balcony but the noise from the pool party and the movies kept us awake until 11 pm. Marina deck is cheaper because of noise level so yes going to dolphin is considered an upgrade. We booked our exact same cabin one floor lower to reduce the noise and we will pay more.

Just back from the Regal Princess, cruised Feb 12 – 19.Thought I would share some of my miscellaneous thoughts and opinions as Ienjoyed reading everyone’s posts about the ship leading up to my cruise. Thiswas a great cruise overall (of course I’ve never had a bad one).

 

Some background: I cruised with my sisters and there were 4of us total. We had side-by-side mini-suites on the Marina deck, mid-aft area.We previously sailed on the Crown Princess (2014), Celebrity Eclipse (2012),NCL Pearl (2007 and 2010).

 

Embarkation: we flew in the night before and stayed at theEmbassy Suites in Fort Lauderdale. We had a boarding time of 2:30, but wechecked out of the hotel a little before 11:00 and went straight to theport. We dropped our luggage witha porter and got were in line at about 11:10. We got through the check inprocess and were sitting and waiting to board by 11:35. We sat for about 10:00minutes and then our group was called. We were on the ship before noon. Someonedid try to direct us up to the buffet directly, but we headed into the piazzaarea instead.

 

We wanted to have lunch at Alfredos, but the secret is out!By noon it was already full. The host was directing people to either the buffetor to the open dining room (sorry, I’m not sure which one was open that day).We really wanted to eat at Alfredos so he suggested we wait at Bellinis nextdoor and he would come and get us when a table for 4 opened up. We had abellini while we waited about 15 minutes for a table. Lunch was delicious and itwas a great way to start the cruise.

 

Rooms: As I mentioned we had side-by-side mini suites on theMarina deck. The cabin itself is nice. Very roomy with plenty of storage space.The beds were comfortable. Our room steward was Richard and he greeted us andbrought us each a glass of sparking wine. We did not see him much during theweek, but he did a good job keeping the room made up so no complaints.

 

Balconies: Yes, they are small. I knew they would be becauseI had read so much about them but it is still disappointing when you see them.The mini-suite balcony on the Crown felt more spacious. We always bookadjoining cabins so we can have the balcony divider open and have one longbalcony to share. In this case, the balcony divider folded back and blockedpart of the door of the other cabin. It made it very hard to move from onebalcony to the next, and my sisters had to go in and out of their doorcarefully as it was partially blocked. If I ever figure out how to postpictures on this site I will, as I took a couple showing how it blocked thedoor. Nevertheless I love having a balcony, even if it is a small one!

 

Because of our location on the Marina deck, there was quitean overhang above the balcony. I thought this would bother me, but it reallydidn’t. I noticed also on this class of ship that when you look straight downto the water you really see the lifeboats. I don’t remember that from theCrown, I think they were tucked under a bit more. Just an observation.

 

Our cabins were located under the Horizon Court/HorizonBistro area. I heard some scraping noises once or twice, and the occasionalrattling noise from slight vibration, but nothing too bad. A light sleepermight be more bothered by these noises but I still slept pretty good everynight. We are also early risers, usually up around 5:30 or 6:00, so if yousleep in later you may hear more noises from above as people start going to thebuffet for breakfast.

 

AIBP: We all purchased the all-inclusive package and I’mpretty sure we got our money’s worth. We did not get off the ship in PrincessCays or in Jamaica, so in a sense we had 4 “at sea” days. I liked havingeverything paid for upfront.

 

I was actually impressed at how much was available under the$10 limit. Very few things seemed to be over. We really enjoyed Vines and Ithought they had a very nice selection of wines by the glass. I just countedand there were 28 different wines available by the glass on the Vines menu thatfall under the AIBP. There were also a couple of wine flights that were under$10 too.

 

My favorite cocktail to have in the evening was a Bennett.It’s basically a gimlet with a dash of bitters. I liked that I could get aHendrick’s Martini covered under the package. Nice Bloody Mary selection backat the Outrigger bar. Plenty of tropical drinks available too. I had to try“The Isaac” because, after all, this is the Love Boat!

 

Crowds: Where were they? I was worried that having so manypeople on the ship it would feel very crowded but it never did to me. In fact,it felt much less crowded than the Crown. However, I was talking with a man atthe next table during dinner one night and I mentioned how uncrowded the shipseemed and wondered where all the people were. He laughed and said they allmust have been in front of him because he saw nothing but crowds!

 

I admit we tend not to do the things on ship that draw themost crowds so that may account for some of it. We don’t go to the productionshows, and although we did Anytime Dining, we only ate in a main dining roomfor dinner twice. I remember on the Crown we were never able to find chairs forMUTS because people staked them out so early. This time on the Regal therealways seemed to be chairs available when we looked. Vines was larger than theone on the Crown too. We had a hard time getting a table in there last cruiseand this time there were always open tables when we wanted them. Same for theatrium piazza area. I never had to wait in line for the International Café. Atmost there might be one or two people there ahead of me. The times it felt mostcrowded was muster, of course, and the buffet if you tried to walk through atpeak breakfast or lunch times.

 

Spa/Enclave: We decided to book the Enclave for the week.They had a special running with a reduced rate if two people booked. I think itwas normally $150 per person and if two people booked it was $125 per person. Ithought I would use it a lot but I only ended up going there twice! It wasreally nice, with a wonderful large whirlpool, steam and sauna rooms, and coolmisting showers. There were only a couple of other people in it when we werethere. I thought I would go there a lot but somehow the days just flew by and Iguess I was busy doing other things.

 

Dining: We had Anytime Dining, but we only used it twice.The day we were in Cozumel we were not scheduled to sail until 10:00 pm.Because so many people stayed off the ship, all three dining rooms were openfor Anytime Dining. We decided to go to the Allegro because that would be ouronly opportunity to see that one since it is normally traditional. We went at8:00 and got a nice table for four at the back, had a friendly wait staff and agood meal…however…we kept hearing pounding and thumping noise throughout thewhole meal. Nobody could figure out what it was until the waiter came over andexplained that there was a Zumba class going on right above us! So strange. Ihope that was a one-off and didn’t happen every night. Otherwise I would feelvery bad for the folks who had traditional late seating in that section.

 

The only other night we dined in the dining room was thelast night. We went to Symphony around 6:00 and there were around 6-7 peoplewaiting. We waited a couple of minutes and then someone came and led us all theway back to the Allegro dining room again. I guess when it is busy, and thereare openings in the Traditional dining room because people choose to dineelsewhere, they will move some Anytime diners into the Traditional dining room.

 

We dined at the Crown Grill one night and it was very disappointing.I was really looking forward to it because we had such a great experience onour last cruise. The location of the Crown on the Regal made it very open andit was very noisy. Our waiter seemed in a hurry to turn the table and was notfriendly at all. The food was fine, my steak tasted good. But it was just notan enjoyable evening, especially when you are paying more for it.

 

We also dined at Sabatini’s for the first time and it was awonderful experience. We had a great waiter, Julia, who took the time to goover the menu and explain things, and talk about the special they had thatnight. The location was quiet and elegant, the food was very good. It made merealize what a difference a good wait staff can make.

 

Food overall: I thought the food was good and comparable toour experience on the Crown. I am a big fan of the International Café. We wentdown every morning, between 5:30 and 6:00 to get tea, coffee, and donuts tohave on the balcony. I liked the panini sandwiches they had in the afternoonstoo. And delicious chicken salad! A minor nitpick...no chocolate donuts! I kept waiting for them to show up but they never did. They had many other good sweets, but I was really craving that chocolate donut. ;)

 

Pizza by the pool is a good snack. I wanted to try theTrident Grill, but I never seemed to be hungry at the right time. Alfredos wasgreat! I loved the pastas. I had one of the pizzas there too and it was verygood. We ate there twice and I would have liked to have gone again but wheredoes the time go??

 

The ship itself: I really enjoyed this cruise, and there areso many positives, but there were things I didn’t like as much too. None ofthese are new…I didn’t like how small the balconies were. I really missedhaving a true promenade deck where you would walk all the way around the shipoutside. That is a big one for me, I understand that is not a big deal to manyothers. I missed having any sort of deck outside at the front of the ship. Ingeneral, I like the design of the Crown better for these reasons. I wish Icould blend everything I liked about the Regal with everything good about theGrand Class ships! I liked the bigger piazza area on the Regal. I liked thatbecause the ship was bigger it did not feel as crowded. And it is a beautifulship. I would sail her again but I would choose a different type of cabin.Perhaps an aft-facing deluxe balcony instead of a mini-suite.

 

Debarkation: This was really slick! We had a 11:15 flightscheduled and decided we would do the walk-off. We submitted our paperwork andwere given “Group B” which was to meet in the Concerto Dining Room at 6:30 am.We went down promptly at 6:30 and before we could even sit down, they werecalling our boarding group. We walked off and were through customs by 6:40.Wow.

 

A couple of notes: once you exited the ship into theterminal, they were strict about only letting you take the escalator down ifyou could show that you had one had free to hold the handrail. Otherwise youhad to wait for an elevator. We all had a free hand. All four of us had signedup for the Mobile Passport App as we thought it would save time going throughCustoms. There was confusion about this with the folks working in the terminal.One of the workers told us we still needed to fill out a paper form so we did.The next person said no, we didn’t need a paper form. The next person said wedid. The last person said we didn’t…but the Mobile Passport line wasn’t staffedthat day so we did. Good grief. There was no line though, so even with theconfusion we were through in no time.

 

Ok, I’ll wrap it up now. Sorry for going on for so long butonce I got started it was hard to stop! It was a great cruise. I haven’tcruised a lot, but so far Princess is winning in terms of overall cruiseexperience.

Thanks for the detailed review. We sail in less than three weeks. Looking forward to that blue Caribbean water and sun!

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