rajones007

I believe she was the CD when we were on the Star last November. I remember seeing her photo on the wall and it said she was from Canada.

She was a good CD. She was very nice and really friendly when I spoke to her briefly in the elevator.

I'm always wondering whatever happened to Beantown Brian. He was Julie's assistant and he was quite the character. I would like to know if he made it as a full-fledged cruise director somewhere.

Each one that I have started was not completed, ever. So this time I started one by the pastor. What a lovely review... but again not completed. Seems like that is the norm, or I just chose the wrong ones to read.

That's what I was going to say. It's rare to see a photo review finished to completion here on the CCL board. Other cruiseline forums here at CC have their unfinished reviews too, but their incomplete percentage has got to be far lower than here.

A few months ago I went and bumped a bunch of unfinished reviews, just to see what happens. I don't know how many I bumped in all, but if I remember correctly only one OP came back and attempted to finish. However, all she did was post a handful of photos, and poof, she disappeared again.

Basic text-only reviews are usually done in one or two posts, but it's the photo reviews that cause the OP to eventually lose interest in continuing on with their saga. I agree it can be a lot of work, especially with photos and running commentary. But I wish if it becomes to be too much labour, then just post the photos only and be done with it. At least it's something.

I've always wanted to embed this video at the end of every unfinished review, but I believe they disable the embed codes here at CC:

http://youtu.be/gsqywc7fnqE

The Pearl is going into Dry Dock April 7-21st, 2013.

Thank you. I stand corrected! :)

I know it says chartered, but maybe that's a friendly way of saying dry-dock until they make it official. She'll have been in service for almost 8 years by that point, so she might be due for a modest refresher.

Just thinking out loud, that's all.

I am thoroughly enjoying your review....especially the pink top of the woman sitting in front of you. :D

Those were fantastic photos. Thanks!

I'm now considering a forward facing suite. I'll have to run it by my family only because I'm unsure how they'd react to the solarium idea as opposed to a balcony.

Just curious. Am I safe in presuming there is some sort of shade to pull down over the window in the show/bathtub? Or are they one-way windows or something?

It just seems funny because on port days we'll probably already be tied up at the pier by the time I'm in the shower. And it would seem strange to look down at the port area and see all the people walking around while I'm standing there in my birthday suit. :D

I thought that changed and nothing goes into the sea anymore. Anything that can be incinerated is and everything else is dealt with until the ship docks. That might have been a Travel Channel program.

I think I seen that program too. Only the ashes go overboard, and they're perfectly edible for fish and whatever else is lurking in the water.

I personally wouldn't throw anything over the side, regardless of what it was. It would just be my luck my chunk of bagel would catch a gust of wind and end up hitting the guy two decks below me right in the face.

Very nice, thank you.

Just so you know, you linked to the MOBILE version of youtube. So the layout looks kind of funny and unfamiliar to those of us on a PC (which would be the majority, I imagine).

I find it outstanding the number of Canadians who have contributed to this thread who haven't a freaking clue about what they are talking about.

 

Typical CC I guess.

:rolleyes:

I find it outstanding the number of CCers who didn't thoroughly read the thread, ignored the dates, ignored that the answer has been given many times, failed to comprehend those answers...AND still felt the need to puff out their own chest, call others out, and comment on it like the rest of the forums was anxiously awaiting their response just so we could have some closure to the topic.

Don't take it to heart. That, my friend, is CC to a tee.

I've never had extra charges, but on my last cruise, while traveling with a friend, we had gotten a $40pp price drop from booking early saver. On the day we got the S&S bill, the full $80 had been applied to my account, and my friend was stuck with all her charges. I had to go to guest services and ask them to change it. Not a huge deal, but I would rather have not had to stand in line with everyone else to get it changed.

Ummmmm... wouldn't it have been easier to just give your friend $40 cash and save waiting in line? Even if you didn't have $40 in cash, couldn't they wait until you got home, or found an ATM, or something?

At least that's how me and my family/friends would handle it. We wouldn't even consider letting somebody wait in line in that situation.

Outstanding photos! I am absolutely loving your review.

Great review! Thanks. Keep it coming!

I love this photo! (quoted below). You know why? Because, for the most part, all the seats are full!

Any time I walk up to the bar it is always filled out like this;

person, person, EMPTY SEAT, person, person, EMPTY SEAT, person, person, EMPTY SEAT, person, person, EMPTY SEAT, person, person, EMPTY SEAT, person, person, EMPTY SEAT.

And that really irritates my GF and I when we just want a drink at the bar...together...as a couple.

Embarkation Day Cont.

 

Some more pics from around the ship...

 

Bar and piano in the atrium

I'm really enjoying your review.

I can't believe you went to the cabana, hung around there for a while, then zip-lining, 4 wheeling, swam with turtles, then back to the cabana, AND still had time to lay around the beach (in the rain).

You're an active family, I've got to give you that. You, and your wife, deserve a pat on the back for raising your boys to be active. But man oh man, I'd be tired and sore for the next 3 days after a day like that. I'd want to go back to work so I could relax!

There's a deli on the corner of 5th and Ocean Drive that has some awesome looking sandwiches.....Karen and I ate there back in 2009 and we haven't been there since nor do we plan to return. I'm not much on knocking food, but I never thought I'd find a ham and cheese that I couldn't eat. They also have a weird ordering system involving pencils and scrap paper; apparently locals know how to order and they don't like to explain things. Just don't go there. ;)

Ahhhhh, it's sort of like the Soup N azi. ;)

Order it wrong = NO SANDWICH FOR YOU!

Direct links to photos and albums should work, even with privacy settings, if not I'll try and fix it. Did you try the link?

Oh yeah. I tried them at the time and FB gave me a "you're not allowed" message, or something to that effect. That's what made me think it's a privacy setting or something.

But they work now. Thanks!

I think only your 'friends' on facebook can see your photos.

Or maybe there's a way to make them public.

I don't know. I'm just saying. I hardly use facebook.

FYI the TD Bank First Class Travel Infinite Visa only covers you for 8 days of travel. The BMO World Elite MC covers you for 21 days. I switched after having to buy extra insurance for 9 or 14 day vacations.The BMO one also has better medical ie: private room in hospital etc.

Yeah, that's right.

There's also the National Bank Platinum Mastercard, which I always carry. It has 60 days travel medical for card members and their family (under 55).

If you don't mind, which VISA Card includes the Medical coverage?

thanks, Ken

It might be a Canadian thing, I don't know.

-TD Bank First Class Travel Infinite Visa (the card that I have)

-Royal Bank Infinite Visa (they have a couple different ones)

-CIBC Infinite Visa (they have a couple different cards too)

-Desjardins Visa has a couple cards too. They even have a no-fee card that has 3 days of travel medical included. It's handy for the 2 or 3 day cross border shopping trips many Canadians do.

In other words, it's the Infinite level of Visa Cards. I think in the USA they're called Signature Visa, but I'm not certain.

-National Bank Platinum Mastercard is the other one I have. It has great insurance coverage as well.

-Bank of Montreal has a World Elite Mastercard too, which apparently has top-of-the-line insurance coverage.

I have it, but i don't have to pay extra for it. It's built into one of my Visa cards. I don't even have to pay for my cruise/flight with that particular Visa to use the medical insurance. I'm covered simply for being a cardholder.

Cancellation insurance is covered too. However, I have to pay for the cruise/flight with that particular Visa if I expect to have that coverage. Which is never a problem, because it gives me a rate of return of 4.5% in travel points if I book my travel on it.

It includes travel, medical, cancellation, trip delay, baggage delay, hotel burglary, rental car collision/liability/contents, and whole bunch of other stuff like purchase protection (90 days insurance for items purchased that aren't covered by manufacturers warranty, like if something is stolen, or I break it, or whatever), and double manufacturer warranty (which came in handy after our washing machine broke just before it's 2nd anniversary). I'm always surprised more people aren't aware of the coverage that you can get just for carrying a Visa/MC/Amex.

(edit. I have a Mastercard with the same travel coverage too, now that I think about it. It also triples the manufactures warranty and has 180 days purchase protection.)

I'm fairly certain he'll all be okay. Enough time has passed.

From the Canadian Immigration website -

A. Convictions/offences outside Canada

 

If you were convicted of or committed a criminal offence outside Canada, you may overcome this criminal inadmissibility by applying for rehabilitation, or you may be deemed to have been rehabilitated if at least ten years have passed since you completed the sentence imposed upon you, or since you committed the offence, if the offence is one that would, in Canada, be an indictable offence punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of less than ten years.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/5312ETOC.asp#5312E3

(the rest of that blurb doesn't pertain to his situation. I reads, to me at least, that it might be a problem if the 2 offenses had happened concurrently. Your husbands are 8 years apart. And even if it did pertain to him, enough time has still passed.)

The only DUI-related offense that has a maximum imprisonment of over 10 years (which WOULD make him ineligible) would be if he killed somebody while DUI. Please tell me he didn't kill somebody :( .

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer.

EDIT. for clarity.

Thanks for the photos! We boarded the Star on the 13th, the day you took your photos (it seems).

Any chance you have these same photos in higher resolution? It's so nice to see our temporary home without crowds of people, so it's much nicer to look at your pics than our own. I can give you my email if you'd rather do it that way. Please let me know.

(We were in the Amber Suite, one of the 2 bedroom suites. We must have been on the other side as our suite was a mirror image of your photos.)

Ugh. I know I posted here yesterday, and here I am posting again. Just trying to kill time, I guess.

This video of the Star

I love the music, especially the 2nd song that kicks in at about 3:15. That song pretty much sums up any family vacation I've ever took...beginning from when I was a kid heading somewhere with my parents and my older brothers and continuing right up until today.

I am beyond giddy when it comes to the cruise. You would never know I'm a grown man. We leave Saturday morning for the airport, fly to Tampa, and then board the Star on Sunday.

It's a good thing that I'm self-employed because any other boss would have fired my ass by now. I've just spent the morning watching cruising videos and reading reviews. That's about all I'll do all week.

I've always been uneasy when it comes to flying. Airports make me feel the same way, I don't know why. So once I get my luggage off the carousel in Tampa and get outside those doors and take a breath of that humid Florida air...*sigh*...then I can relax.

All the discussion about the Princess coffee has me excited about trying it. I'm a coffee lover...but I pride myself on not only having good taste in coffee (we roast and grind our own beans at home) but also being able to force down the absolute worst small town gas-station vending-machine grey coffee and still be happy. First thing in the morning I don't really care. As long as it's a coffee flavoured beverage then I should be satisfied.

 

rajones - you read far too much into my statement, without any attempt to clarify:mad:. What part of "relaxing in the lounge down the hall" translates into needing a drink so badly that I need AA?

For the record, I was asking so that while my baby was napping during the day would I be able to sit in a close location and read a book. I often sit at the lounge to read on my previous cruises - the chairs are comfortable and during the day the lounge is usually deserted. In case you were wondering - no I don't drink while reading at the lounge, nor did I before having a child either.

You're absolutely right. My apologies. I should have stopped typing before I got to the AA comment.