ireneadler

The law was created many years ago to protect US shipping. It only applies to non US flagged vessels.

I see, so it's protectionism. Ok. I thought there could be an abstruse national security issue involved somehow. Everything seems to be security these days. :)

 

3) a cruise between two different US ports. Has to stop at a distant foreign port as defined under the law.

 

But... WHY? I can't see the rationale behind it.

really, someone can't walk by a cigar lounge for fear someone might open the door? between the over concern about germs, smoking, rum runners, manners, dress for or against formal nights. poor food/menu in the mdr, chair hogs, seat hogs, bra straps, on and on I'm glad I haven't run into any of you folks.

:D To some people, it does seem that cruising is more than a chore, it's a unmitigated tragedy and a natural disaster all at once. :D :D :D

I like to have fun and see others having fun. Until they truly interfere with my personal space... if not, then I give LOTS of leeway to other people having fun.

Love cigars! Did not know I could take my own. So I'll definitely take my own. :)

Membership cards? We're platinum and have never received membership cards. should we have???

Just a reminder: this is a 2007 thread.

Many things may have changed since then (though yours is a valid question, of course, and I can't answer because I have no idea).

My apologies if there was any confusion.

Bumping this thread from 2007 because I've been getting the same error message as the OP:

"We were not able to complete your request for Crown & Anchor enrollment. Please try again later."

That's since yesterday. Ok, ok, I'm in Brazil and I'll find a way to call them, even if I have to use Skype (where's my password?).

Still... Seriously, RCI? Since 2007?!?!?!?

Labadee has a 2 main market areas.

 

One is indoors, and is more low key. There is SOME art there, but not very much at all.

 

The other area are the outdoor huts/kiosks. There are dozens of them. However, in one area, you will find all of the art. It's a large area with approx 10-12 seperate vendors. All of the art pieces are nailed to crude supports and are not framed. When you buy one, they will take it off the stretcher frame, and roll it up for you. There are some world-renown Haitian artists - you wont find their work here. You will find paintings which are very "Haitian", and typically depict fantasy, or every-day life. Here are some samples of my favourite ones which are very close to the 9 pcs I have purchased (so far):

Thank you VERY MUCH! I love naive art anyway, and the Haitian style seems to be a wonder in itself. I'll definitely buy something. Now I'm even more excited about my trip! :D

But, for what it is worth--we had a similar situation for our first RCL cruise. I found a picture in my photo album with us posing with the life preserver and ship name. They gave us credit. :D

SERIOUSLY? How cool! So then it will be easy. Unfortunately, that is not what most airline companies do, they want to make the process as difficult as possible so that accumulating miles becomes a hurdle. Very nice to see that RCI can be so accommodating.

Yes, I do have emails from that reservation, including the ID. I'll call them soon. I tried registering for it online but it said "it can't be processed this time, please try again later".

Thank you all!

I kept the seapass as a souvenir, never thought it would be useful. Back then I thought that earning enough points would take 5 decades, but now I saw the point system and found that it's not so difficult after all.

I'll be doing a B2B this time, 9 nights, so that adds up to 20 points. Not shabby, I think, considering how low my expectations were. Might as well gather points and see what it gets me some years from now. :)

I have sailed with RCI once, in 2011, for 11 nights in the Med. I did not register for C & A program back then, but now I have another crusie booked (THREE WEEKS, YAY!) and would like to register those days to count as points. Can I do that?

I did keep my seapass card, but can't find the contract. Will the seapass suffice as proof of travel?

I have a group of friends who love RCCL, therefore I travel with them and we have immense fun. But I prefer X, being an adult with no children. I think that for the price difference, it's worth it for the better food alone. But then you also get a calmer environment, and not necessarily dopey. It really is for grown-ups like cruisinggator2 said.

RC does not serve powdered eggs. :)

Oh, at least once it did, at the Vision of the Seas, in the Med, 2011. Because that's how I came to know that powdered eggs event existed. This was at the WJ at breakfast, the made-to-order omelette.

Also, powdered eggs. I had never eaten powdered eggs until I boarded a RCCL ship for the first time and my expression of absolute horror is a joke with my friends many years later. :D I didn't even know that such things existed. At Celebrity eggs are real.

Also, powdered eggs. I had never eaten powdered eggs until I boarded a RCCL ship for the first time and my expression of absolute horror is a joke with my friends many years later. :D I didn't even know that such things existed. At Celebrity eggs are real.

I must be the only one who appreciates Haitian Art. It's one of the few unique items at Labadee. There is a whole section full of art. I find the art very moving and beautiful. Most other items (with some notable exceptions) are found in other ports - just with a different country name engraved into the wood.

Hello, Toddcan,

I just googled "Haitian art" and found some incredible pieces of art. I'd be interested to purchase some. But is it the kind of thing that you find in that port? Or rather, could you tell where I could examples of what those vendors sell? Thank you.

My mom fell and broke her hip on a ship. She had to be evacuated back to the US at the next port of call. We all know how insane it can be when everyone is waiting to get off the ship at a port, but when the ambulance drivers brought my mom out of the medical center and to the gangway, everyone just parted and made a aisle for mom's gurney to be taken off the ship, and they all stopped and applauded for her all along the way to the ambulance. It was very touching.

Touching indeed! Very nice. :)

I'm posting this here hoping it will be useful for first timers.

This happened in my first cruise: Vision of the Seas, 10 nights in the Med, departing from Istanbul.

I won't get into details, but this is important for the subsequent story. I spent three days alone in Istanbul. Loved the city, but I had problems with all the three times I rode in a taxi. On the very first day I actually opened the door as the car moved and ran with my stuff, leaving lots of lira behind, and even then the driver ran after me. On the last day, before embarking, now feeling safe inside the Port, I slammed the door and screamed YOU'RE A THIEF to the stunned driver who had purposefully taken me to the wrong port 30 minutes earlier. He was deeply offended to be humiliated by a woman in front of 20 people... but he deserved it.

What can I say... perhaps I was particularly unlucky. But mishaps with taxi drivers happen everywhere, and perhaps in Turkey they do not respect foreign women walking around solo... so who knows. Still, I was VERY glad to enter the ship and meet about 20 friends that had come from all over the world. Big hugs all around.

Ten days later all of my friends departed as early as possible and I slept until later. My plan was to be the last to disembark and pick an authorized taxi from the port to go to the airport. Flight at 4pm, so I had plenty of time.

Got up late and had breakfast at the Main Dining Room, with some British couples. They were nice to me, even though they were friends and I was at "their" table. But we didn't talk much. Such a contrast between being among 20+ friends and then solo!

Killed time as much as I could then picked my luggage and got up to leave. Disembarked. Where are the taxis? There were no taxis. Some vans were arriving to pickup passengers to take to hotels. I asked at the port for a taxi and they said they could call someone, but that it might take long, all registered taxis were far away. Then I saw a driver outside the gates waving at me. I thought "that's it. Alone, carrying heavy luggage, this guy will take me to the airport passing through Thailand and New Zealand... I'll pay billions of lira". Plus, the indignity of it all. I was DEEPLY irritated with all those thieves who take advantage of defenseless tourists, and with all that luggage I was particularly vulnerable.

As the crowds thinned, I started to ask around to see if any of those vans would take advance payment and take me to the airport. I inquired a driver and he said "I've been hired by that couple over there". It was 15-seater van, or something like it, and guess what: it was one of the British couples. So I gathered all my courage and asked "listen, I need to go to the airport, there are no taxis, only that one over there, and I've been ripped off here more than once, I should have planned this better but there are no taxis, how do I leave this port, so maybe if possible, well..." The guy smiled and said: of course you should come with us. Give him your luggage, let's go! I was so excited I almost left my backpack behind.

I could not express my gratitude enough! That's the story: one British couple hired that huge van and invited a second couple. Then they invited little me, who they had just met hours before!

And that's how I got a free ride to the airport of Istanbul!

Of course I offered to split the cost, but they wouldn't hear of it. They were genuinely happy to help me, because they noticed the situation I was stuck in.

So, moral of the story: to this day I have a soft spot for elderly British couples. :D No, wait, the moral is: some people are just nice. And I try to pay it forward whenever possible.

For 1st cruisers: cruisers can be a particularly nice kind of folk. :)

Old timers: any random act of kindness that you could share with us?

Loving your answers, folks. I feel much more confident now. Thanks!

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zelly2, I think only a tiny subset of cruisers will be here at CC, so you can't really tell what your shipmates will be like at the Serenade at such a small sample. Of course it would be ok to get to know people beforehand, but don't let it discourage you.

I'll be going solo also at the Liberty (16th Dec), for the first time, and that's what I'm saying to myself. :)

Please explain to the n00b...

Has the gentle rocking of the ship you were in ever interfered with your workout?

I'm a free weights and machines kind of person, I don't use Bosu balls... but are they used in ships? Will hilarity ensue? Pretty please? :D

And if the sea is nasty, will they close the gym?

But has anyone ever been affected by the rocking while at the gym? What happened? Are there specific safety measures at the gym? I suspect there isn't a squat rack, at most a smith machine, right? They wouldn't want anyone bending the bar in a ship... I think. Not that I do those... but would they allow Olympic lifting, for example?

So, in comparison to your local gym, how is the gym of a ship any different?

Eagerly waiting for more! I'll be going solo on Liberty and December so I'm very interested on what you have to say.

Are you dining at the MDR? How is that going?

Thanks for the review! I cruised on Vision in 2011 in the Med and liked a lot for its small size and quaint charm. Hope they refurbish it nicely. Thanks again!

Please do tell us how it went!

I'll be traveling solo for the 1st time also, but with a twist - I'll do a 4-night cruise to the Caribbean in a group of 34 people... and then they'll all leave the ship and I'll be on my own for more 5 nights. My choice of course, unless one of them chooses to do this back to back with me. So I'll go from being surrounded with friends to total loneliness. :)

Oh well! Life is made of contrasts! :D

Liberty of the Seas, 16th December 2013, Caribbean.

First time solo also. Anyone in this ship, just say HI.

Thanks everybody for the details. Now I NEED to do this tour. :) And I'm even getting acquainted with the fact that the pics will cost USD 75. :( But if you can't take your camera, well, you really have no option, right? And it's enough cool to last a lifetime, I think. :) So I'll buy the pics and I'll post some here.