Charles4515

It really depends on the port. The local authorities have to clear the ship. They get the passenger manifest to look at. It takes time to set up the gangway. Both the ship and port have to have their people in place. In Mexico they inspect for agriculture. They have a sniffer dog sniffing passengers. Also in Mexico they make you walk through a maze of shops. That can slow down debark. My experiences have run from 10 minutes to an hour. Cozumel is one of the longest times to get from the gangway to the taxi stand. Sometimes the ship arrives earlier than the published time and passengers debark early. Other times we have been lined up waiting in the halls to get off. I would say on average about 30 minutes.

The port schedule is in local time. It usually takes about 30 minutes for the ship to clear with the port authorities.

There are three docks. Puerta Maya https://www.puertamaya.com/port-schedule.aspx is the one Princess usually uses.

We had it happen 3 or 4 times in over 60 cruises. I seem to recall it was because Cayman was on the itinerary and it had to do with Cayman always being on standard time. Mexico is now always on standard time.

I find it easy to believe. Been there done that. Does it matter? Yes, you need to pay attention to the return time on the gangway. The tour operator should adjust for that.

If the tour operator doesn’t know the ships arrival time in a port I would hesitate to book them. At a port like Cozumel they should have the port schedule. So it would not matter if the ship was on ship time. The port authority would have the actual time.

E-readers have a distinct look. The screens are black and white. They look like a printed page. No you can’t tell what book I am reading but people know I am reading a book. The one I have is in the link but there are less expensive models. I like this model because it is waterproof and has buttons that can be used to turn the pages. I do have the slipcover which is extra. It is small. It fits in jacket pockets. https://us.kobobooks.com/products/kobo-libra-2?variant=39523827417158

I never had to show my pass but I was always well known to the Captians Club people. I also never brought sny.one else so I don't now how that would go.

At all the tender ports I have done on Celebrity as Elite and Elite Plus no tickets, they had us meet the Captains Club host in a lounge and the host took us to the tender before general tender boarding.

I would like to see an improvement of the forum experience on Smartphones. The mobile browser experience is bad. Either improve the mobile bowser or have a Cruise Critic app. I am pretty much stuck now to using a computer or an 11 inch IPad.

The $7 per ride minibus shuttles to Horseshoe are still running. They run back and forth all day. I don’t anticipate them ever going away as the private owners have invested in them. I would not be surprised if prices increase soon for shuttles, taxis and public transport.

The hotel is closed and the furnishings sold or given away. The Saudi prince who owns the property is trying to sell. One or two or the restaurants may be open. I have lost track of that. The National Galley of Art in Hamilton. Is worth a visit.

Politics and religion could be discussed on vacation but should not be discussed at the MDR because there is no escape. Not easy to get up and leave. In a lounge or bar if it is a friendly discussion I would find it possible but don’t try to convert me. I will ignore or walk away. In the MDR we are generally trapped so that is a no, no.

I don’t think it matters if one reads print books or electronic books. It is the same thing. The important thing is reading books. I know so many who don’t read books. I know several people who only do audiobooks. I can’t get into that. I tried a few and I had to go back read the books. I can’t really immerse the book with the audio version. The ereader pages look and read just like the printed pages. E-readers have improved. The print is sharp on mine. When traveling it is really handy. I don’t have to lug a bunch of books. I have a iPad too that I bring and it is great for short news articles and videos but my eyes get tired reading a book on the iPad. That is why I got the ereader. It is great for reading fiction and non fiction for hours. But I would never tell people they should switch to a e-reader.

The concierge knows everyone’s cabin numbers so having it on the spreadsheet is not necessary. Also the concierge usually does not deliver any physical invites. They are sent to the cabin attendant to deliver.

I have seen a place for cabin numbers on some of those spreadsheets but I always leave that out and I notice others do too, No one seemed to mind.

They can be had pretty cheap. Mine was a little more because it is waterproof. We have a pool, a shallow pool with floating chairs and a hot tub so sometimes I read in the water. Can’t do that with paper.

When people see me reading with the Kobo they know I am reading a book. A Kobo has an e-ink screen. It is basically a Kindle but not from Amazon. I can borrow books directly from my local library so I prefer it over Kindles. A lot of people have e-ink readers, mostly Kindles in the US so they know I am reading a book. I don’t know about Kindle but my Kobo does not do emails. Another feature for me is that I can adjust the font size. These days I find it difficult to read paperbacks. The print is too small. I can read the print in hardbacks but I don’t want to lug around hardcovers when traveling. Also usually on a cruise I read a book every day or two. So the ebook reader works better for my reading habits than packing paper books.

I read ebooks at home and on the ship. I have lots of e books and can borrow directly from my local library on my Kobo E book reader. I used to also read paper books that I got from the ship’s library. Loved discovering something new that way. Unfortunately the mainstream cruises seem to have stopped stocking libraries. Sometimes when someone sees me reading on the Kobo they brag they only read paper books! Sort of like the folks who only use flip phones! But often they ask me what I am reading. That can be a good conversation whether reading paper or ebooks. A book is a book whether on paper or e-ink.

Jobson’s Cove is another possibility. Protected and no surf. No amenities. You could take a taxi or #7 bus and probably would have to take a #7/bus back.

You would need to take a taxi or a #7 public bus and you probably would have to take the #7 bus back but don’t take a 5 or 7 year old to Church Bay. The surf is too rough. I think for that age group Horseshoe Bay is best for an 8am to 4pm day. If you are there when the ferries to St George are running you could do Tobacco Bay.

I think you have not explored all the search options, there are many tips in the thread. As far as overhauing or updating the software used is not custom made. it is off the shelf software used by many businesses. There are certain modifications possible but Cruise Critic did not write the software. Search and the way it is done s going to be built into the software. Changing anything could cause unintended consequences.

That is basically the parking lot for the west end of Warwick long Bay. Taxis don't hang out there because thereare no facilities. You could luck out and catch a taxi dropping off but you could also be waiting a long time. Irregularly there is a concession set up in that area. Who knows about this season, none can't say yet. Sometimes there has been a porta potty. I have also seen a porta potty near the next beach to the west. Porta potties are portable so they do get moved. I usually get dropped of nat Warwick and walk the beach and beach trails to Horseshoe. The only thing consistent is that Horseshoe has facilities and plenty of transit options..

I live in a lock and leave building which requires a fob so get into and a fob to use the elevators and a fob to access the parking garage. From the parking garage to the parking garage elevators also requires the fob. When I order a car service I don’t give them my unit #. They have to pick me up in the lobby drive. The lobby has a 24 hour concierge. So I feel safe leaving for any length trip.

You can do it with a name but I don’t post my last name on Cruise Critic and in the guidelines we are discouraged from posting those. The social media that is a problem is Facebook. Roll calls are popular there and I would say dangerous. You can use a fake name there but it is against their policy. Facebook has no privacy, they make money off of tracking you and knowing everything about you. I will stick to Cruise Critic roll calls.