marys350

Thank you, Mary and pizzalady1. I think I'll probably book something with them and still have enough free time for strolling through town and eating a wonderful lunch. Lobster comes to mind....any suggestions?

Check out http://www.portlandlobstercompany.com

They are located along the pier close to Portland Discovery Tours.

Also check out http://www.gilbertschowderhouse.com

You go past this restaurant when walking from the ship to Portland Discovery Tours.

There are also a number of other restaurants in the Old Port area to choose from.

Everyone says you have to book a Balcony for Alaska, when's the best time to go? The islands we really want to visit is the ABC islands.

If you want to visit the ABC islands, check out the itineraries for Navigator of the Seas. I saw a 9 night cruise in April, 2017 for an excellent price.

I thought Canada New England only in Sept Oct and Royal doesn't do California I thought

Royal offered Pacific Coastal cruises on Jewel of the Seas in May, and also in September and October this year. We are doing an 8 day cruise in September. Other cruise lines also offer Pacific Coastal cruises.

Although many Canada/ New England cruises are in the Fall, I think that some other cruise lines offer a few sailings during May and the summer.

What I'm asking is only sailing to the Caribbean, but not going to Canada/New England, Alaska for your spouse?[/quote

 

Lots of options besides just the Caribbean. Alaska was beautiful during our July cruise, with extended hours of daylight, which should be good for those with seasonal affective depression.

Bermuda cruises during May through the summer months are also great. There are also

California coastal cruises and New England/Canada cruises during sunny warmer months.

If you go to the link that Marys350 gave you, you can find the combo tour and can see the times available for each part (trolley and boat). The trolley is 105 minutes long and the boat is 90 minutes long. You can select which ever times work best for you, ie: one after the other or more time between, etc.

Our ship was in port from 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. during September. We did the 9:30 trolley tour (9:30-11:15) and the 1:30 cruise, which gave us a nice amount of time for lunch and shopping between the tours. There are a number of restaurants and shops within walking distance of Portland Discovery Tours. We purchased our tickets in advance. It was a very enjoyable day and a great price.

The available times for the tours vary by season, but as pizzalady1 mentioned, you can select whatever times work best for you.

Mary

This is because they are Maine lobsters and it is affordable to ship them within America but much more expensive to bring them to Europe. Other products are much better and cheaper in Europe so I suggest to try something else / local, e.g. fresh salmon from Norway if you are on the Northern Europe itenaries.

The lobster served in the MDR at no extra charge on Caribbean cruises is warm water rock lobster. It isn't as tasty as Maine lobster, which I believe is available at an extra charge.

We did the Land and Sea combination tour through Portland Discovery Tours. It included a trolley tour and a boat ride. We did the trolley tour in the morning and the boat ride in the afternoon. We had time to go out for lunch and look around the shops in the Old Port area in between the tours. They also offer other tours.

http://www.portlanddiscovery.com

Check out the photos and reviews on Trip advisor.

What types of activities do you like to do?

We really enjoyed our port stop in St. John, New Brunswick. We rented a car for the day and drove out to St. Martins, where we spent time at the Fundy Trail Parkway http://www.fundytrailparkway.com/

There's beautiful scenery, walking trails, suspension bridge, waterfalls, etc. You can also check out the photos and visitor comments on Tripadvisor's review of the parkway.

We also stopped at the restaurant right at the Caves in St. Martin for a great lunch.

There are less tacky ways to say this. I don't appreciate being referred to as a "cow."

As someone who has done both ship excursions and private excursions, I don't think that Jane was referring to people as cows. Rather, the fact that many people often feel as if they are "herded" in very large groups on some ship excursions rather than enjoying a small group private tour. I much prefer private excursions for that very reason.

There are numerous reviewers on tripadvisor that were left with those same feelings about Captain Mike. That is a huge turn-off for me. I think I will book with another company when we go next year.

 

Thanks for your honest review.

We had an excellent experience with our Fury excursion. The vast majority of Trip advisor reviews are excellent and very good, with only a few negative reviews.

When I try this it only discounts the balcony for passenger 1. If the other passenger is on the same level as me do I need to call C&A to have their discount added or does it only apply to the first passenger? TIA.

The balcony discount is per cabin not per person so it is only listed under passenger 1.

(Oops- not fast enough. Three all replying at the same time.)

I can't help you with a shared shuttle because I don't take them.

 

We always do private transportation to and from San Pedro, and have used ontime1.com many times. Clean vehicles, and very professional and courteous drivers. The usual rate in a town car is $55 for all of the people plus a tip.

 

They have always been on time.

 

Enjoy.:)

Husky61,

Thanks for your information about On Time Transportion. I just checked out their reviews and found that many people reported excellent experiences like you have had.

:) Mary

We're trying to decide whether to book a shared shuttle (Super Shuttle or Prime Time Shuttle) or a private sedan (Execucar or Go Sedan) to transport 2 adults from the World Cruise Terminal in San Pedro to Los Angeles Airport for a 12:30 p.m. domestic flight.

Has anybody recently used Execucar or Go Sedan and what was your experience? Would also appreciate feedback about the shared shuttle services.

What time do your parents usually like to eat dinner at home? We like My Time Dining because the first traditional time is too early for us and 8:30 is too late. When we do My Time Dining at around 6:30-6:45 we are always available to see the shows.

I am unable to make MTD reservations for my August 30 cruise on Navigator. My cruise planner shows only specialty restaurants available to reserve...no option for the MDR. Cruise is 91 days away. Does Royal still allow MTD reservations in advance, or do they open them up closer to the cruise date?

Yes, it's still possible to make MTD reservations in advance. My understanding is that each ship may be different in when they start taking advanced reservations. Keep checking your sailing and they will probably open soon. I recently made MTD reservations for my September 18 sailing on Jewel of the Seas.

Hi Bill and Marie,

I'm enjoying your live report and all of the beautiful pictures. I hope that you have a wonderful time visiting Butchart Gardens during your port stop today in Victoria, BC. We are planning to visit the gardens during our September Pacific Coastal cruise. Enjoy your last night on the ship, too!

:) Mary

You may want to check out http://www.cuddlduds.com.

They carry a variety of adult's and children's clothing for layering, hats, and accessories. I just checked their website. Shipping is free. Some items are on sale, including reasonably priced top and bottom sets for children ($7.99). Cuddl Duds are also sold in department stores and online, including Walmart.

I'm trying to decide what we need to bring with us enough to purchase it for possibly this trip only. We will have windbreakers that fold into their own pockets (and do well in the rain according to reviews but we haven't worn them in the rain). For other layers will jeans with long sleeve t-shirts under sweatshirts be enough or should I buy at least the kids long underwear? If so would we want them often enough that I should buy more than one set or would one set suffice? Should I buy a sweatshirt for me to bring on the ship for our initial sailing days or will long sleeves and the windbreaker be good enough for me to wait for a souvenir sweatshirt in Juneau?[/quote

 

 

During our July Alaska cruise, the weather was sometimes warm enough for capris and a light sweater or cold enough that we wore jeans and needed to layer long sleeve shirts and a sweatshirt or fleece jacket. Layering is the key, so that you can add or remove layers and stay comfortable. We both brought one pair of "Cuddl Duds" light weight silky long underwear (top and bottom) that added warmth without being hot and bulky. One pair is enough, as they can be hand washed in the sink and dry fast. I'd also recommend bringing an inexpensive pair of light weight gloves and a hat or headband style ear warmers. It was cold when we were viewing the glaciers. Have a great trip.

Why not consider a taxi? We hired one to take us to Fort Clatsop and didn't have the issue of worrying about not docking, which is a possibility considering the wave/weather issues there. The taxis need to be called in many cases. The shuttle is $8 for the day and takes you to the major places inside the town. It is not free.

Markanddonna,

We're thinking of using a taxi to visit the Astoria Column and a few other local sites. Did the taxi charge by the hour or distance when you hired them to take you to Fort Clatsop? Also, do you know if the $8 shuttle for the day goes to the Astoria Column or just from the cruise ship to the downtown Astoria area?

Thanks,

Mary

Thanks for all of the information so far! My daughters will be 16-25. Barbados is our "bonus" port in some ways. I booked this cruise mainly for St. Kitts, St. Lucia and St. Martin - which I had already been to. I knew nothing about Barbados so this will be fun to explore Barbados!

If you want to do a brief scenic tour of Barbados, including Bathsheba, and then spend some time at a beach with the opportunity to snorkel and swim with the turtles without doing an expensive catamaran trip, you might want to consider the suggestion of two posters from Barbados in the following thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2079472

Also check out "The Boatyard" for information about this popular beach.

This may be the least expensive way to see some of the island and enjoy beach time.

I suspect that a new "sale" will start when the current BOGO sale ends on April 30th. It will be interesting to see what they call it next time.

We booked a Freedom of the Seas cruise (April, 2016) for a fabulous price last May when the first BOGO sale came out. At that time our balcony was priced at $735 before our Diamond balcony discount. I have been tracking the price ever since. Here are a few examples to show the recent pricing trend:

$854 (11/17/14)

$904 (2/5/15)

$914 (2/13/15)

$1,003 (2/17/15)

$984 (2/21/15)

$1,003 (2/23/15)

$1,103 (2/24/15)

$1,113 (3/26/15)

$1,412 (4/3/15)

$1,449 (4/6/15)

$1,933 (4/22/15)

With the large price hike in the last month, I expect that the price will drop down a little and they'll call it a "sale".

Edited to add: I just checked the tracking site to double check one of the prices that I had listed, and low and behold, the price changed for the second time today back down to $1,449. LOL

Once again, wrong information.:roll eyes: I just made MTD ressies for my upcoming cruise and there were slots available for 6:30, 6:45, 7:00 pm. Are these times unpopular? Not for me.

Don't know why you need to roll your eyes and say "Once again, wrong information". The cruise line often holds back slots for booking onboard between 7:00-8:30, which is a very popular time for those that don't want to eat too early or late. Whenever I've made reservations online there have always been time slots available before or after that window of time.

It is incredibly busy in the summer - but they never sell out. You can just buy your tickets at the gate no need to buy ahead online.

Thanks Cruiseryyc!

:) Mary

We'll be docked in Victoria from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on a Saturday in September. We've rented a car and plan to visit Butchart Gardens and do some sightseeing in the Victoria area. Will we be able to buy tickets at the gardens or is it best to purchase them online in advance?

We will be the only ship in port during the day with more ships docking in the evening. Just wondering if tickets ever sell out at this time of year or is it busier in the summer?

Thanks,

Mary

Mary, we're sailing on Celebrity Eclipse in January and it's our first time in southern caribbean too. I've checked on ship excursions but I can't find one that does what we want to do! We'll have 9 hours, we're 4 adults and we want to see the Andromeda Botanic Gardens; Sunbury Plantation, Harrison's Cave, and a photo stop at the windward coast. Is that doable in 9 hours? I've contacted Sun Tours but would also be interested in company you used. Can you give me a ballpark figure as to cost? Thank you.

Hydrokitty,

I'm not sure, but I think that visiting Andromeda Gardens, Sunbury Plantation, Harrison's Cave, and a photo stop at the windward coast (Bathsheba?) may be rushed and not enough time to enjoy each site at a relaxed pace. You would also need to allow time for lunch, too. I have not been to Harrison Caves, but I think that it is at least an hour tour and that the waiting lines to get in are sometimes long, especially once large tour buses start to arrive. People recommend visiting the caves first thing in the morning before visiting other sites.

In April,2012, we did the "Little England" tour with Glory tours, which is a 1/2 day tour to Hunte's Gardens, Bathsheba, Morgan Lewis Windmill, Cherry Tree Hill, and St. Nicholas Abbey (current price of that tour is listed as $74 per person U.S. dollars, including all admission fees). Hunte's Gardens and St. Nicholas Abbey are highly rated on Tripadvisor.

In April,2014, our party of four adults did a 4 hour custom tour with Cameron Reid (http://www.cameronbarbadostours.com). We paid a total of $140.00 U.S. dollars for the tour plus the cost of admission to each of the sites that we visited:Flower Forest($12 U.S. dollars per person), Bathsheba (free), St. John's Church (free admission/voluntary donation), and a brief stop at Rockley Beach. I'd suggest e-mailing Cameron about your proposed plans. I'm sure that he'd let you know if it was doable and would give you a fair hourly price. His e-mail address is listed on his website. Please let me know if you have any more questions.

Enjoy your day in Barbados!

Mary