maynard123

Sorry - just saw this.  It was a very personal and selfish choice.  When we went on Calabaza we didn't know it but it was my late wife's final cruise as cancer took her within the year. However, it was at her urging that eventually I returned to cruising, but somehow it felt disrespectful to sail on a boat that has such wonderful memories.  Now I have wonderful memories on Silver Moon too.

Both operations are top notch and will do everything to make sure you have a wonderful time.  I don't think there is a bad choice either way.  

Just remember to hold the ones you love close because you never know what may rise with the sun.

I apologize for being maudlin.

I've been on both and will say that you will have a great time on either one.  That being said the next time we are in Barbados I think we will try Silver Moon again.  Ah, memories!

They finally responded to my e-mail and I have this booked.

Has anyone had any recent experience with land sailing in Aruba? The threads I found were 7-10 years old. I found Aruba Active Vacations on Tripadvisor but they do not respond to e-mail.

Any help is appreciated. Perhaps I should just call?

Has anyone tried land sailing recently? The thread I found was from 2010 and I wonder if there is any more recent experience. On Tripadvisor I found Aruba Active Vacations but they do not respond to any e-mail requests.

Any suggestions - or should I just try to call?

My 8th cruise, but my companion's first - I had tried to share all the intelligence I could with her before she packed. Lo and behold my luggage showed up but her bag never did. We finally received a note that if we didn't claim her bag by 8 PM we would have to go to guest service. It was 7:58! We flew down to the naughty room with me relentlessly teasing her about being caught her first time. Bags were still there when we arrived - spotted hers and they asked her what she had in it. Turns out she had been so concerned about the limited number of outlets in the room she brought an extension cord. They offered her a tag to reclaim it but she told them to keep it. My companion, the smuggler!

I tried to have flowers on my last cruise in January - started trying to order in November but kept freezing up as described above. Finally gave up.

Thank you Bob.

I know I can bring two bottles of wine on at boarding. My question is whether I can bring additional bottles on board in subsequent ports?

I've stayed there post cruise before. Takes away all the worry about getting to the airport on time. The room we had was clean and really nicer than I had been lead to believe by some reviews. There is a restaurant but we didn't use it. Morning continental breakfast the day we were there supplemented with to order eggs / omelets. That was in January 2016. Staying there again in January and have re-confirmed my reservation.

"Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever." - Napoleon Bonaparte / Jeffrey Paul "Jeph" Jacques is an American cartoonist who writes and draws the webcomics Questionable Content, Alice Grove, and DORD. Hello Hucifer! Hmm - it seems I read somewhere that THIS is your eighth cruise and you are Platinum going on Emerald. I have the same condition. I keep cruising until I get it right. Evidently there is a steep learning curve, or I am quite slow. Pardon me while i comb my eyebrows while I wait for your next installment.

"What's the point of havin' a rapier wit if I can't use it to stab people?" Jeph JacquesHucifer - It's taken me to page 8 to weigh in - your review is outstanding! Like a mini-series I wait for the next installment to savor. My next cruise (number 8!) is in January - reading reviews helps me mentally prepare for the pain and suffering I must endure while sailing pointlessly through the azure waters of the tepid Caribbean. Thank you for your review!

I contacted AC Marriott yesterday to confirm my mid-January reservation. Spoke to the desk and they verified my reservation and sent me a confirmation via e-mail. Originally made and confirmed the reservation in July. They said they were working on reservations to contact guests to confirm unless the guest contacted them first.

I contacted AC Marriott yesterday to confirm my mid-January reservation. Spoke to the desk and they verified my reservation and sent me a confirmation via e-mail. Originally made and confirmed the reservation in July. They said they were working on reservations to contact guests to confirm unless the guest contacted them first.

Last time I was in St. Croix we went to Sand Castle on the Beach. I think $25 got two lounge chairs and two drinks. They have food as well. They also have a webcam so you can wave to friends back home.

www.sandcastleonthebeach.com

Cleopatra - I am at the same place as you are. I lost my DW in January just before our scheduled annual cruise, which I cancelled. Next January is already scheduled and mostly paid for. I too have struggled with canceling or going. Losing your best friend and traveling companion is really hard - everything becomes a new "first". My DW was the social one - she never met a stranger while I was the reserved one. I have been working on expanding my comfort level which I need to do just for my own peace of mind. I haven't joined my roll call yet, but have been monitoring it. One step at a time. I will be sailing on Jewel, which is a sister ship of Brilliance. They are both good size ships - lots of things to do and exposure to the other passengers, still lots of space for alone time. Good luck Cleopatra.

I have enjoyed the review also. Great pictures. I probably spend way too much time reading reviews - but they whet my appetite until my next cruise. Which is always too far off. Thank you for taking the time to post.

Our first cruise was Serenade when she sailed from San Juan. Second cruise the same. Next we tried Adventure - but felt it was just a little too large. Brilliance was up next in the rotation and then Jewel for the next three. We love the outdoor seating in the Windjammer. On Adventure, the Promenade was neat, but it was often so crowded it was difficult to get through. Radiance class for us.

DW and I went with Calabaza three years ago. It was the best excursion ever. They really make you feel like you are in the lap of luxury. And they take lots of pictures and post them. They took one of my DW and I lounging in the stern that I blew up and framed, and have hanging in our family room. A specially wonderful memory now that my wife has passed away.

Nat - I have the same list, except I add Beach Boys Kokomo, and Bobby McFeron - Don't worry, Be Happy!

Oh - all of our cruises have been Radiance class, except for one on Adventure. We have been on all of the R class except for Radiance itself.

The open area on Radiance class is wonderful - at night it can be very romantic - if you are into that sort of thing. Our last cruise in February on Jewel this area was closed off the first night. The second night the same, so I asked one of the officers if there was a problem. She answered no - they just weren't staffed for it, but we were welcome to go back there if we liked. So we did. The doors will open manually and close automatically. We found a few other people back there. We did bus our own table afterwards. One night we did find they were cleaning, so we passed that night. But all the other nights we enjoyed the sea, night sky and pretty much solitude.

Several years ago we had an interesting experience on AOS. We were up very early the morning back in San Juan - roamed the ship, enjoying the quiet and empty space. We were sitting in an alcove and a security person walked by us (our backs were towards the direction he came from). A moment later, another one in black uniform, this one with a full gear - pistol, taser - the whole thing. Then a dog and handler, then another full gear and finally a ship security. They turned down the next passenger hallway. DW and I waited a couple of seconds, and "let's go" and we followed. We turned the corner into the passageway to see them all gathered around a cabin door. They pounded on the door "Ship security -- open up." We were far enough away we couldn't here the response from inside. More pounding. "Open up." Evidently they said something about the bathroom as we heard "Have them put a towel on and exit the cabin, now." "Who is in there with you?" "That name isn't registered with this cabin." To say it was tense is an understatement. DW and I decided it was time for us to be going. We never heard anything about this. Drugs? Smugglers? Stolen towels?

An excellent review. You got it right - things I wished I had known before my first cruise. Thank you for taking the time.

We sailed on Adventure in 2012 and noticed a strong odor on deck 3, but not in our stateroom. That being said, we always take one of the small fabreze air freshners for the bathroom. They don't take any space in your luggage. Might be an idea to take two - one for the bathroom and the other for the stateroom.