MTL=CRUISEFAMILY
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Posts posted by MTL=CRUISEFAMILY
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FOR MORE OF MY PERSONAL VIDEOS: https://www.tiktok.com/@cruise_port_vids?lang=en
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Correction this was on Oasis
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Belly flop competition, on Grandeur, May 2019
(personal video)
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Hi all,
A collection of cruise ports we have visited throughout the years
All personal pictures
Thought I would share
Follow
instagram.com/cruise_port_pix
Enjoy!
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Fantastic review, Thank you
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Absolutely loved, loved , loved this....
I do the same thing on every cruise, I try and come up with a theme and work with it.
You were able to do multiple themes, thanks for posting, I got my cruise junkie fix for the day.
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We are considering booking this cruise for 2016. Curious how the weather was on the first and last sea days. .
Both days were perfect sea days, great anticipation on the first and relaxing, with good weather the last, no issues whatsoever..
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Yes, thank you for the nice review. We take this cruise in two weeks. :)
Was there any Reggae/Caribbean steel drum type music played around the pool? What type of music did the party band play?
You mentioned that self-disembarkation went well. What time did you get off? How was customs...time to wait in line?
No raggae type music, there is though a great dj and bongo player playing top 20 music, really good.
The party band played a mix of old and new dance music.
Disembarkation and customs was a beeze, maybe 10 mins,off the ship by 8 a.m at the airport by 8:30 - 8:45 ish.
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Was there a party band in addition to the Beatles tribute band?
Yes, there is a party band, usually in the Sky lounge, but also played near the pool area, atrium and other venues.
Quite good.
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Where does the taxi dispatcher come into play? Do you not walk to a taxi line and go from there?
Once you get your luggage, you go toward the taxi area, and the dispatch will get you a taxi according to your needs, (we were 6)
Well none of the taxi vans were immediately available, and she started screaming, "you need to split up, and take 2 cars", I said, lets wait a minute, one will be available, once again, screaming, "don't start with me, you need to split up, and move"
We are not animals, no one needs to be screamed at , and I let her know it, politely.
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Our 3rd Celebrity Cruise did not disappoint. We enjoyed 10 days of beautiful weather, islands, met some interesting people, saw some great natural beauty, and enjoyed some good meals with friends and family
Embarkation
Unfortunately the worst embarkation we have ever been, we arrived at noon, and quickly got in line, only to be held back for over 30 minutes, other categories were bottle necked. The agent at the check in was horrible, seemed miserable and huffing, all the other agents seemed to engage the clients and quickly transacted, our agent couldn't get our reservation to come up, then he couldn't get the right date, then he needed two supervisors to show him how to do it, another 20 minutes lost
Room
Our 3rd deck ocean view room was a nice size, probably the largest we have been. Very large main bed and pull out sofa, for 3rd and 4th guest. Nice size closet, storage space above bed and room to store luggage under bed, did not like the lack of shelves to store socks, underwear, polos, etc, bearing in mind we were four in the room.
Ship
Loved the layout of this ship, easy to get around, and easy to understand. Nice concentration of shops, on two levels. The ship itself is elegant with bright areas, nice decor and well furnished
MDR
Silhouette main dining room was large, tastefully decorated and easy to maneuver, chairs had deep back and low arm rests, not making it very comfortable while enjoying your meal. Our waiter was totally focused, and did his best to foresee our needs. Food was a little on the salty side. Portions are on the small side, on oversized plates. Presentation is acceptable, considering the amount of plates that come out of the kitchen . Good variety of entrees and main dishes. Desserts were equally good. Coffee onboard is Lavazza a good medium roast
Buffet
Loved the food station design, no long lines, but individual areas with different offerings. Liked the omelette station. Good variety of items, with small changes daily. Pasta and Pizza station was available all day long. Pizza was just ok, available were pepperoni, cheese, vegetarian and an additional different choice every day
Shows
The theatre was smaller than I expected for this size of ship, also the dark wood decor, and somber colour schemes did not add to the elegance of the ship
Comedian Carl Banks started the cruise with lots of laughs, highly recommended. Stay away from the first seats, you will be targeted for jokes, but all in harmless fun
Levonda singer was good high energy entertainment. Impressionist was hit and miss with some characters, but enjoyable nonetheless. The rest of the shows were production style, poorly executed with mediocre singers. Aerialists were very good. Magician displayed up close slight of hand performance, with few wows. Beatles tribute band was quite good.
Ports
St Thomas
Took a two hour tour, with some nice highlights. Short stop at coki beach, clear waters, clean beach
Ports St Maarten
Spent the day shopping. If you want tax free items, this is your island. Very good deals on jewelry, gold, silver, watches, and diamonds.
Ports St Kitts
Tour to Timothy's hill, spectacular mountaintop views of both Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean. A few hours touring the area with a beach stop at cockleshell bay. One of our favorite islands
Ports Barbados
Toured a few areas of this island, with a quick beach stop at Carlisle bay.
Ports Dominica
First time visiting this island, and lived all the green vegetation all over the island. Our tour gave us a glimpse of hot springs , falls, botanical gardens and some hilltop views of the coastal areas
Reception
Our few interactions were handled with ease
Animation team
Our CD (Paul) was very entertaining, and visible, his style was just right for this type of ship, Shauna did an ok job running activities, but her youthful high energy demeanor can be off putting to some.
Activities
Lots going on all over the ship, and poolside.
Dislikes
No pillow chocolates. No Sunday brunch bonanza.
Self debarkation
Easy, no issues whatsoever , well informed execution of the process.
Port Everglades taxi dispatchers are just awful, miserable employees, no decorum, civility or service standards. Taxi driver to the airport equally miserable.
Otherwise a great cruise with Celebrity...
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We just got off the Equinox Monday after spending 27 days on it. Most of it was very good, but there was a couple of clunkers in there. The Beatles tribute band was awesome! They played their regular show in the theater and another one in the atrium on Halloween. Both venues were packed. The production shows were good the first time, but they lost some of their luster the second cruise. If I hear one more Broadway show tune, I think my ears will start bleeding. Everybody who sang, or played an instrument did them. Add the one show the production cast did, and an afternoon matinee the two cast females did, and it was sensory overload. It's not that they were bad, I just REALLY don't like most of that music.
Was the Beatles tribute band a one time show, or do you think they will still be on ship in January?
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I do know from experience that the off-airport locations that Langley Cruisers posted above for Budget, Dollar/thrifty do have the free shuttles to the port, with no fee (except, perhaps, a tip).
Hope you have a great cruise!
Agree, but found better rate at enterprise, so short cab ride would be $10-$15 compared to a few hundred more (4 day rental)
Thanks
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Only Alamo/National shuttle from the airport and only if you are renting or returning a car from them. If need be, a cab between FLL and Port Everglades would be about $15.00 for up to 4 people.
Courtesy member MADflyer, here are the other companies at their off-site locations:
Hertz from Crown Plaza Hotel
Avis from Hyatt Pier 66
Budget on 17th in shopping center next to Renaissance Hotel
Sixt further up 17th.
Thrifty/Dollar just out western port exit.
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I think safest, cheapest bet is pick up and drop off at an off site non airport location and pick up a cab to the port
Thanks again...
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All of the major rental companies have "shuttle for cruise ships" locations that are off-airport and they will pick you up at the pier for free with a shuttle bus and take you to that location to pick up your car. These rental locations are usually really busy, depending on the day and how many ships are coming and going.
If you were to pick up at the airport, you'd be incurring a taxi or bus transfer charge, so picking up at an off-airport would save you at least that much and maybe some of the extra "airport" fees included w/rentals picked up there. Don''t know if you'd still incur those particular fees by dropping off at FLL, I would do a couple of "dummy" bookings to see all of the fees charged either way.
Good luck.:)
Do you know if you drop off the car at the airport , if you can hitch a ride to the port with the shuttle?
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We tried the 10 wines for $120 on our February cruise, and were pleased. These are by no means premium wines.
I do not remember names of ones we tried, but one that stuck in mind is the Montepulciano Red:
I found this description online that may help:
The Montepulciano grape is quite prolific. The Montepulciano grape grows easily in Abruzzo. It is plump with high amounts of juice. In an area this poor, this has been a boon to farmers wishing to take advantage of high yields. Unlike most other varietals, this grape makes nice wine even when produced in large quantities. The grape has a deep purple and ruby color to its juice. It has lower acidity (especially for an Italian varietal) and mild sweeter tannins. The resulting wines tend to be softer and more accessible than Chianti or Nebbiolo for example. Accordingly, the young wines are nice pleasurable reds that go as well with food as without it. Almost all of the wines at the low end of the price spectrum (and many can be found for under $8) are enjoyable. At the same time, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo can age brilliantly especially in the hands of the right producers.
You can repeat the same wines as often as you like, you are not imposed the red, white, rose quantities.
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I must say, it takes a lot of character to come back and express such positive spin on a cruise line you had previously not enjoyed.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Let me ask you, since you are, like us, a Celebrity fan, would you compare MSC more to RCI or Celebrity.
Still working on finding our next one.
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this could end up quite amusing. You took the time to make a post just to complain about somebody complaining about something in a magazine?
Lmao :p
bret
like!!!
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This is one of the best reviews I've ever read! Distinct, to the point and seemingly not biased. I agree with the OP, we are also big fans of Celebrity, but MSC is definitely a line that people should try. We find their ships to be some of the most beautiful on the seas, but the line does lack in some areas, especially in service.
Any pictures you wish to share?
Thank you...appreciate your remarks.
Will try to post some pix, separately, soon.
Leaving St Martens
in Cruise Videos
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FOR MORE OF MY PERSONAL VIDEOS: https://www.tiktok.com/@cruise_port_vids?lang=en