24butterfly

Different Patrick. The OP is referring to Papeete not Bora Bora.

hmmm---what does he (Patrick) do in Papeete?

There are alot of companies that are recommended by the CCr's here...Why not stick with them?

Are you able to use Euros in Turkey or do you have to use Turkish Lira? I am thinking mainly at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul or in Kushadasi. Thanks.

They like USD better than their own $$$$$.........

I realize that this is an old thread but here goes.....We did Patric's tour about 1.5 yrs ago...Did the bbq lunch, and in response to one poster, no, nothing was set up. That was the charm of it. It was all done right there....Went to a few snorkel spots--and the words out of my husband's mouth made it all worth it: when we were feeding the rays, he said, "this is worth every penny".

So, here's my question: regarding Christophe's trip, and thos who took Patric's--on Patric's we actually were able to feed and swim with the rays. On Christoph's trip do you get to feed the rays as well or just see them swimming? Thanks if you post!

I have been reading all the posts but I'm still a little confused about suites and amenities. Some of the posts say that if you are in a suite (i.e., Sky Suite) that you have access to Blu. Others say that is not the case and that you need to pay extra for that restaurant. Does anyone know the ground truth? We are in a Sky Suite and would like to know if Blu is included or not.

 

Thank you

Blu is NOT included in a Sky Suite for dinner, unless you want to pay $5 per person. A Suite does entitle you to BREAKFAST only in Blu--no charge....

Help, Celebrity just called I was on waitlist for AQ and one is open it is cabin 1501,, good and bad please with AQ on the Equinox for a 10 night cruise right under the treadmills it looks like,, HELP it is worth 316.00 for two people for a 10 night cruise and hae to worry about the fitness center above did pool above one time in a full suite and will NEVER do that again...

 

ALSO there is a waitlist for select dining only 8:30 would this upgrade help me move to select dining... I hate schedules on vacations

 

Thanks I love cruise critic..

I think this cabin is under the Beauty Salon? I think we were going to book this cabin, but a Suite came up. If it is, you may have a good chance of it being quiet. I stepped into the Salon to see just how busy/noisy it is, and it wasn't too bad...

Deck - Pool deck (whatever that name is...)

Cabin # - 2148

Class – Sky Suite

Starboard or Port Side - Aft

Bed near?(balcony or bath) – Bath

Quiet Cabin? – Listened very hard for noise b/c we were right under the bar area of the Oceanview Bar. Occasional muffled noise that sounded more like it was coming from a chair being dragged on the balcony next cabin over. No great shakes. Wasn't annoyed. However, at 1 am one morning, I was awakened by exhaust smell that took over an hour to clear. Air Tech guy came up to the cabin and said that about 20 cabins are/were affected by this. This happened once b4. Also, b/c we were in the back of the ship, those thrusters, when engaged, really shook the cabin. Wonder what the lower decks felt like? If you are annoyed by the noise of the wake, then don't book this cabin. But I know that my husband and I both fell asleep on the balcony at 1 point or another.....

Balcony View - 180 view. Really large balcony. Great when leaving the ports, as we saw where we were for quite a long time.

Was wind a problem? Not at all.

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? Not at all.

Any specific problems with this cabin? Nope.

Any other comments? While a suite is great, it's sort of a walk from the elevators to the cabin. It wasn't luxuriously decorated, nice bathroom, we had alot of extra room....We did it once, we were happy with, and will book again, a CC cabin, although being in a suite entitled us to eat in Blu, which my husband liked, for b'fast....He's not an adventurer when it comes to dining.....

They have a brand new "tourist" terminal with lotsa new shops---but no luggage storage places...

They were on the Equinox last summer.......

I've just done some quick checking and while I'm not finding a good return ferry schedule for you, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

 

HOWEVER, just in case, be prepared to take a land taxi from Positano to Sorrento for the ride back. At Sorrento you'll find frequent ferries to Naples (at least one or two each hour).

I would think the taxi fare from Positano to Sorrento would be EXPENSIVE........

Two very special churches:

 

Santa Maria della Vittoria- To admire the famous Bernini's statue of Ecstasy of Santa Teresa

 

San Pietro in Vincoli- To admire the magnificent Moses by Michelangelo.

Yes! Absolutely second those two. Santa Maria--check for the times when it is open--took us 3 tries until we got it. You won't be sorry. High Baroque church with an absolutely unbelievably amazing sculpture (Bernini) of St. Theresa in Extasy. S. Pietro en Vincoli is St. Peter in Chains---you can see the remains of a finger of St. Peter, and also the fantastic sculpture (Michelangelo) of Moses..... Highly recommend these two lesser visited churches.

Number up to 5...

 

5 more bodies found in Concordia cruise wreck

 

GIGLIO, Italy — Search crews in Italy have found five more bodies in the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, which struck a reef off an Italian island in January.

 

The development on Thursday raises to 30 the number of bodies found. Two people remain missing and are presumed dead.

Terrible. An absolute avoidable tragedy. I call do over.

This is reassuring to know. We have cruised only once which was Celebrity Century and were considering a Carnaval cruise to the Mexican Riviera but were not quiet about going with Carnaval. We decided to book an 8 day with Summit in April. Thanks for your report it confirms our decision to stay with what we enjoyed.

We did Carnival Splendor to the Mex Riviera, and I hate to say it--we hated the ship and the cruise. We'd done this on RC and Carnival (Exctasy and Spirit)---we have 15+ for Carnival....will go RC next time if we ever decide to do this cruise again.

Before this week we have been on Carnival 7 straight times...here's our review

 

WOW...need I say more, okay I will. We will NEVER cruise on Carnival again.

Rating system is based on 1-10 with 1 being I wish the ship would sink to 10 being the best of our 17 cruises. Some ratings will get explanations.

 

Room---sky suite 6119 - 10...size does matter...and so does being in a suite

Butler---Bart - excellent - 10. My mom (84 years young) was concerned about getting into the bathtub. We mentioned it to Bart when he introduced himself and within 2 minutes he brought her in a little step to help her.

Stewards/Asst - Miriam/ray - 10

Normandie---7/8...we ate there 2X. Guest in suites were giving a complementary dinner(excluding tip) for Sunday night. Then we ate there on tuesday again. IMHO Nick and Nora have better choices and better food then the Normandie. The presentation was a 10. Gaspar is a great and friendly waiter.

MDR ---table 479 late seating - 6... Try to avoid this table, the service was terrible always the last table to leave the MDR. Never got the orders correct, his assistant was never around and the food was just okay. Stay away from the meatballs, it was extremely dry.

The lobster tails on the second formal were great, but he offered to bring more for the table but then never brought them. Very dissapointed

Embarkment---10+...never had such an easy,stress free embarkment. Mom needed wheelchair assistance and they were just GREAT. We were the only passengers waiting on the "Suite" line so I would say from start to buffet 15 minutes.

Disembarkment---10+...We were scheduled to leave the ship at 8:30. By 8:20 we were on our way. Within 15 minutes we had our luggage and in the car.

Entertainment---10+...iBroadway was excellent, Bruce Smirnoff (comedian)was excellent, Antonio Salci (pianist) was excellent, The Neptunes (singers) were excellent and everyone else was too.

Bridge Tour ---10

Galley Tour--- 10

Staff ---10

T-Pool --- 10+...quiet and relaxing

Buffet ---10...never busy easy to find a table. Wife loved the ice cream

Passengers---10...very friendly

Kids---9+...for the most part they were very well behaved, with no running around paying with the elevators etc...except for to rude monsters who almost knock my mom down while the were running. When the were asked to stop running they called my mom an old lady and grandma and my wife a b#$tch. Unfortunately I was there otherwise they would have needed to swim back to there trailer park from which they came.

Captain---Kosta...10

Head Chef---Mesha...10 always around being part of the activities...who's cooking?

Cruise Director---10...apreciated not having to hear the same CD jokes

iCelebrity...10

 

There is probably alot that I left out so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

As an ending note, Celebrity has won over a future cruiser on their line. It was a great cruise and Celebrity knows how to do it...bye bye Carnival

Just got off of the Equinox. As in July 29th. We went Concierge Class. We have had 15+ on Carnival--a floating Las Vegas. Just wanted to shake things up a bit this year (we've also gone Princess--itinerary based--Royal Carib, Renaissance when it was in business.) All I can say to what you posted is---DITTO. (I wish I had your line about the little dears going back to the trailer park handy as a little sh*thd was banging on the back of the booth that I was sitting in. Asked him to stop NICELY---he did--as he banged once more b4 he went to his mommy dearest 2 ft. away who asked what the problem was. Then when they left, he banged YET AGAIN on the back of the booth I was sitting in, and, I guess they don't let these people out very much--and she states something stupid like--enjoy your bad sense of humor!

Ravenna is famous for being the first place for tiles (black and white)...Also, it's either San Appolinaire en Classe or The Galla Placidia (or both--I 4got) is there --for those who like art. Very quaint town .

Can you buy the card on the ship? (as vs. buying it via TA or b4 the cruise online?)

I'm hoping that someone who's done Princess will chime in here.

 

Taxis are cheap from the airport, and the port is close by. Some take USD although there is a currency exchange right in the airport. Depending on the day of the week, the Papeete market should be in full swing, and it's a real treat. Since the ship is often in port the night before, you might be able to drop your bags off there for storage, but I can't confirm that. What is the published embarkation time?

Wow--thanks! I had just posted a ? regarding this....We are scheduled to arrive at 5:30am on the 28th of December 2010. Going on Princess --I think it's the Royal. Am so very much looking forward to it. And we have another cruise scheduled in the summer of 2010.

As a rule of thumb on RCL, I only play the slots the first two days. After that, seems they do not pay anywhere near what they did those first two days.

Thank you. Another party found my theory to be of some truth........

Does anyone know what the payout percentage is on casino slots on RCCI cruises? I know most land based casino's pay out anywhere from 80 percent of their takings up to the high 90's.

Because it is in International waters, there ae no regulations, as in Vegas...I LOVE the slots, but I know that on cruise ships they're stingy. I have found that on the first 2 nights to lure you in, the slots are paying out, then it's tightened, and especially on the last night--forget about it!

The Windsurf is stopping in San Remo Italy for a day.

Has anyone been there?

What is it like? Is there anything to see on your own or should I book the ship excursion.

 

Thank you,

molly23

Yes. We took the train from cannes and got off at this stop. Don't

remember the street, tho'. There is a GREAT street market there, that has great designer fakes (beware tho--it's Italy and YOU can get fined for buying it--but THEY don't get fined for selling it...)

From Civitavecchia, are these places accessible by train? I don't think we'll be renting a car when we dock in Civitavec'ia---don't care to do Tarquinia....

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Could we get there by train?

From Civitavecchia, are these places accessible by train? I don't think we'll be renting a car when we dock in Civitavec'ia---don't care to do Tarquinia....

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Has anyone visited the port of Messina (Sicily) ? Can anyone suggest something that would be interesting to do or see .

Go to Taormina. There's really NOTHING in Messina. IT's not a tourist town like Rome or Paris. Messina is just a port.

Thanks so much for the information. We contacted a private tour company and they wanted 320 Euros to go see Mt. Etna and Taormina. Seemed expensive to me. Do you think it is worth renting a car and driving to Taormina and then driving around the area. Our ship is there from 7am to 2. Which we will need to be back by 1pm.

Thanks

You will be cutting it awfully close. IMO it would be best 4U to take the ship's tour--no hassles--no worries. Taormina doesn't really "open" until 10-11am. It's also at least 1 hour or so to Taormina. Also, for you to go to MT Etna AND Taormina in that short of time is literally impossible--esp. since you don't know where you are going exactly. No cars are allowed in Taormina--i.e.--it's not a drivers town. You will also have to park down below and take some sort of ride to the top where the town is. To save a few bucks and try and outsmart the cruiselines when you have so little time in port--you'll miss it all.