newzandile

re: taxis, be aware that the odds of getting all five of you in one cab are vanishingly small... even our minivan cabs only seat four people, with a flip-down seat in the back where a wheelchair can be placed. This is also the luggage spot though, so with five people unless you can hold almost all your bags on your laps it's not going to work. Three is the realistic number of people in a typical Prius cab with cruise luggage (a large suitcase and small carryon/backpack each).

 

Since your group is arriving possibly at different times, it's tricky to recommend the best option - how are the others arriving? In 2s, 3s, solos? Towncars/Limos/luxury SUVs seating up to 8-pax are also available at YVR, with fixed walkup rates (to Greenbriar use the Downtown/Kits line, so $53/61/93 - remember 5% tax plus 15% tip) - a 6-pax SUV costs pretty much exactly the same as 2 cabs.

 

As to the plans - all your spots so far are outdoors. While summer weather is usually dry and sunny, we aren't called the Wet Coast for nothing... if everyone is willing to walk around in the rain, no problem - but it might be a good idea to have a backup indoor thing to do just in case.

 

It is efficient to combine Grouse and Capilano - but even so I'd budget for at least two hours at Cap and three at Grouse plus an extra two for travel and lunch. Less time than that and you're kinda wasting your pricey entrance fees!

 

Joe Fortes IMO is not the best value establishment - that lovely decor and downtown address doesn't come cheap, so while there's nothing wrong with the food I begrudge paying extra for the decor. I'm really all about the food though, YMMV.

 

Sushi/noodles-wise, I'd suggest Hapa Izakaya on the next block of Robson as being likely to satisfy a craving for these and more under one roof. They also have more 'regular' food, though sometimes with 'funny foreign names' for the more conservative crowd (my dad's a meat & potatoes kind of guy and had no trouble with izakayas - they've got beer, wings, pork chops, ribs etc). If at least 4 of you want to try something more challenging, the $29.99pp 13 course tasting menu is hard to beat in terms of value! Most ramen-lovers of my acquaintance love Kintaro to bits - less than half-a-mile along Robson from your hotel - though personally I prefer Jinya in Yaletown.

 

Especially with a wide range of ages in tow, finding one resto that fits all 13 of you in terms of food and budget could be a real challenge - resos for 12+ are very hard to get in a lot of Vancouver restos on weekends unless you book out a separate dining room.

Thanks for all the detail on transport! I think we will taxi it (or possibly limo it, my DH loves to use limos and car services). Everyone is making their own flight arrangements which is why I'm not planning anything set for Saturday evening. I'll share info about transport with each couple/family and they can make their own choices, just planning on everyone seeing each other Sunday morning at the hotel if not prior.

Good point about outdoors, we are heading into Alaska so will be prepared for rain (and most of us are pretty outdoorsy types who have experience backpacking and camping in wet and cold conditions in the Appalachian mountains so we aren't easily daunted by weather). However, if it is torrential it would definitely impact things. We aren't really excited about the aquarium (although I'm sure it's lovely, we are just aquariumed out coming from Atlanta). I was thinking about Granville Market as one option, what are some other good indoor (or at least under cover) ideas?

Thanks for the restaurant options. Joe Fortes appealed to me because I loved the story of the real Joe Fortes (and I know he had nothing to do with the restaurant directly) and thought it would be a good opportunity to share that story (my family "loves" my obsessive need to learn everything I can about a place we visit and then inundate them with random and "interesting" facts. They will appreciate it some day!). I was also fascinated by all the different kinds of oysters on the menu. Coming from Atlanta and even having lived in Florida the only oysters I've ever seen on a menu are raw or fried. LOL the idea that harvesting them from different locations leads to different qualities is something I want to explore! However, I'm open to other options. We may take a walk over to English Beach so I can always talk about Joe there!

I do want to make reservations early for us all to eat together on Sunday evening, that will be our official launch dinner for the trip and we won't always be eating together as a big group but I'd like to at least that night and then the last night of the cruise.

Wish I could do what ya'll do for people visiting Atlanta but there's no cruiseport there!

Another vote for taxi from airport to hotel. It's $31 (USD$22) for the carload. Bus from subway station to hotel with luggage is a challenge and it's too far to walk with luggage (15 minutes/0.8 miles).

 

You can catch the Red Shuttle to Capilano at 8:40am to get to the bridge for the 9am opening...

https://capbridge-capilanosuspensi.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/January-2016-Shuttle.jpg

 

After Capilano, I would get some taxi's to travel the 5 minutes to Grouse. Otherwise, you can use public transit.

 

There is a Grouse shuttle, but I rarely see them do pickups outside the bridge because the Grouse shuttle is full. People do use the Grouse shuttle to get to the bridge AFTER seeing Grouse first. Then return downtown on the Capilano shuttles.

 

Why the urgency to be back downtown at 3pm? It's June, there's sunlight until 9:30pm.

 

Grouse can be quick or very long. To get full value... pay attention to show times...

• lumberjack show
  
• Birds in Motion
  
• Theatre in the Sky performances
  
• your assigned zip line time
  
• Does the Eye of the Wind interest you?
  
• Have you considered dinner at the Observatory? Your gondola fee is waived!
  
• If you are willing to do Grouse at 8:30am.... you can have Breakfast with the Bears. Please no feeding spouses to the bears.
  http://www.grousemountain.com/products/breakfast-with-the-bears
  

 

Love John's tours... http://johnatkin.com/

 

Thanks so much for all the detail! I'm giving everyone the prices for Grouse Mountain that include the ziplining and that just include the skyride because some folks may want to do the shows.

Wanting to be back by 3(ish) is just so that we have time to enjoy the city a bit as well and be open to other possibilities that pop up. I learned a while ago with trip planning that not building in buffer times can be problematic.

As far as not feeding spouses to the bears, I'm probably good with that rule since it will be the FIRST day of vacation. After 7 days of cruising and another 4 nights in an RV I might struggle a bit with that one!

UPDATE:

From the Cap Bridge you could take the #236 Grouse Mt bus right across the street from the bridge.

 

Fare is $2.75 for adults and $1.75 for seniors - not sure if the teens qualify for a student rate as I think it only applies to locals.

 

For the return you should be able to take the free shuttle back with your proof of lift ticket.

 

You might want to also see if there is a combine Bridge and Grouse ticket package. I seem to remember seeing an ad for it but don't remember the details.

 

Also check both web sites to see what constitutes a group - you may be able to get discount on tickets.

 

Dennis

Thank you for the public transport option! If we wanted to call a taxi from Cap Bridge will we have a long wait? I expect that part of the group will head directly back from Cap Bridge to downtown, not everyone will want to do Grouse Mountain.

Thanks again!

Thank you for the tip about the taxi! I expect we will all do Capilano but not all do Grouse mountain so those that want a more laid back pace or want to shop can come back on the free shuttle.

Thanks again for the quick response!

Hello, I'm organizing a trip for 13 people, ranging in age from 13 - 72 with 5 being teenagers and 4 retirees and everyone else in our 40's. The older 4 are in good shape and relatively adventurous.

We plan to fly into Vancouver on Saturday, June 25 and embark on the NCL Sun on Monday, June 27. Not everyone has booked flights yet but I expect everyone to be at the hotel by 7 pm or so on Saturday. We are staying at the Greenbrier Hotel on Robson (I know it has some mixed reviews but the larger rooms, location and really good deal I got make it worth the potential risk to us).

Is the skytrain from the airport a good idea (my family of 5 will be traveling together at least)? We will each have a full size suitcase and one carry on. If so, how do we get all the way to the hotel doors? What is the cost? Is there a better option? Our flight is scheduled to arrive at 5:40 p.m.

For Sunday - I'd like to do Capilano definitely (and we can grab the free shuttle from one block away from our hotel). I found the summer shuttle hours but the first one doesn't pick up until 8:40 am. What time does Capilano open in June? I really wanted to do it as early as possible and 9:00 a.m. seems really late since the sun will be up at 5:00 a.m. Will it be difficult to get a taxi(s) for 13 people if we can go earlier?

We are interested in the ziplines at Grouse Mountain, what would be the best way to get from Capilano to Grouse (I don't want to take the free shuttle for one back to Canada Place to pick up the other, unless that makes as much sense as any other option).

Am I crazy to think that if we do both, we could be back in downtown by 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. (maybe a bit earlier if Capilano opens earlier)?

Other interests are a walking tour with John Atkins (which I presume we can arrange at whatever time we like this far in advance), A walk through Stanley Park to the Totem Poles and back, and an opportunity to walk around Gastown and Chinatown (although we may do that on the walking tour). Not trying to wear ourselves out too much but once we board on Monday we'll have that afternoon and all day Tuesday at sea to chill for the most part.

A few of the older folks will want to shop although that is not a big draw for me.

I'm interested in Joe Fortes as an option for dinner Sunday and I know some in our group will really want to do a ramen and/or sushi spot.

I am planning on having the hotel hold our luggage after checkout Monday morning so we can grab it just before we go to the pier and if the weather's nice we could possibly walk to the pier right? Are the sidewalks conducive to luggage rolling? If the hotel won't /can't hold it what other options do we have to explore as much as possible before we leave?

Any suggested schedules or other sites or changes or restaurants or anything at all would be greatly appreciated!

I'm not too worried about the logistics but maybe that's just because I hadn't considered it. I'm more concerned about whether the tours are as fun and adventurous as they appear to be and which company does a better job.

The youngest in our group will be 13.

Here are the two I found:

https://fareharbor.com/ketchikanoutdoors/items/11128/

http://southeastexposure.com/boatsman_tour.html

Thanks for your input!!!

Anyone done any of these? How was it? Looks like there are at least two companies that offer it.

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Thanks!

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We are doing 4 days post cruise on our own (renting RV's from GAH). I've already booked our campsites at Savage River.

So, we'll arrive relatively early our first day in Denali (after an overnight in Talkeetna), I figure we can explore the area around Savage River that day. We then have 2 full days. I am thinking one day we'll take the free shuttle back to the entrance and sign up for a discovery hike and maybe find time to visit the sled dogs (or maybe do that when we initially arrive?).

For the other day which shuttle should I book? I want to check out Eielson visitor center but I'd also love to see Reflection pond. How is the 2.5 mile hike from Wonder Lake? I'm assuming that is 2.5 miles each way?

If we book Wonder Lake can we get off at Eielson for a bit and then continue on to Wonder Lake (or turn around if the weather is bad)? If we do continue on with a later shuttle will we still have time to hike to Reflection Pond?

I'm anxious to book, the lady I spoke to when I booked the campground suggested I do it soon (we are a group of 9). Should I just go ahead and book Wonder Lake just in case and we can scale it back if we want the day of?

I think that is what I should do but would love to hear from someone who has been on that shuttle, thank you in advance!

We will have a group of 13 traveling on the NCL Sun to Alaska next summer (NB). I've only ever cruised RCI and Carnival with assigned seating which I actually really enjoyed. I figure we can pick a couple of nights to make reservations at specialty restaurants but for the other nights are there any tips for getting us a large table, or group of tables, at a reasonable hour without a large wait in the main dining rooms? I don't want to be killing time every night waiting for us to be seated if there is some way for me to avoid that.

Thanks in advance!

Love this review! Thank you! Looking forward to the next installment!

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You mentioned you were in a room with a pull down. Is this a bed that comes from the ceiling or wall?Their will be three of us ,the third person is my 9 year old daughter. Did you think it was difficult for your son to get into ? Last year on the conquest ,we had a sofa.I am a little worried .She kicks and talks all night. LOL

The bed came down from the wall, it is very sturdy as was the detachable ladder, the room steward set it up for us, my son loved it. I slept underneath and there were no problems. He was only 5 the first cruise and I felt he was safe that time too. :)

Can't help with the talking but she will probably be too tired!

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We had talked about doing a swamp tour on our way out of town the next day but we were exhausted at that point and ready to hit the road. It was a fantastic trip and I am so happy that my neighbors had a positive introduction to cruising!

New Orleans is an awesome port to sail from and it would be a crime not to explore the city either before or after! Thanks for reading!!

After dinner we split up, Suzanne and I were eager to do a ghost tour and Dominique volunteered to hang with the boys so we could go. I told the boys they could go if they wanted to but, as I expected, they were both leery and preferred to remain ignorant of the details of gory deaths and haunted spirits.

Suzanne and I headed over to a gift shop to meet up with our tour guide, we booked the Ghosts and Vampires Tour with http://www.neworleanstours.net/ghost.htm .

I highly recommend the tour, the guide was great and really added a personal element. He also told us about some of the more unscrupulous tour companies who "guarantee" that you will see evidence of ghosts and then use cheap tricks to deliver. For example, he said that some will have people blowing bubbles in a dark alley, the tour guide will tell folks to take pictures down the alley, and the flash on the bubbles come out looking like "orbs".

In contrast, the guide had some really cool evidence on his ipad that he had collected. The tour was fantastic but about 2 hours long. Suzanne and I were EXHAUSTED at the end of the day and eager to get back to the room. Here are a few pics from the ghost tour:

Muriel's Restaurant, the most haunted building in the city according to our guide.

The table at Muriel's that is set with bread and wine for the ghost who otherwise steals them from guest tables.

After the tour I went back and reviewed all my photos. Remember the one I took of the salt water pool in the courtyard of the hotel? Here it is again:

Look closely, I can assure you there was no one anywhere in the area blowing bubbles!

We also went to the Insectarium (http://www.auduboninstitute.org/visit/insectarium) . Not something I would have done without the boys in tow but they had a blast and I managed to deal with it ok. Although there was a lot of big talk leading up to it neither of the boys were actually willing to eat any bugs in the snack bar there and I couldn't bring myself to role model an adventurous spirit in that moment!

We had Muffalata's at Cafe Maspero (I think, I had to go to google maps to refresh my memory) because apparently we were too late for Central Grocery, it has very limited hours. They were great and I was again very proud of my son for being an adventurous eater this week (notwithstanding his refusal to eat bugs).

If I remember correctly we had some down time before heading up to Bourbon St. in search of dinner. We were in wandering mode and we realized once we were there that Bourbon street is a VERY adult environment so with the boys in tow we felt a little limited with regard to wanting to eat at some of the bar type establishments, there was already a very street party atmosphere and a lot of folks wandering with drinks in hand. We ended up at the Clover Grill which was quite a funky atmosphere all its own. It has been there for a very long time and has been featured in a couple of movies, including The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons. The advertise the World's Best Hamburgers and I can't say I'd argue with that. They are cooked on the grill under hubcaps to keep the steam in and the meat juicy. The proprietor was a bit fresh with us ladies but when I pointedly glanced at the boys he kindly toned it down a bit. I think it is part of his shtick and he was ultimately sweet and very eager to tell us all about his city!

For Sunday we booked another walking tour, this one with http://www.mondecreole.com/ - The Insider's French Quarter." The tour was led by a historian and focused on telling the story of Laura Locul, a creole woman who also ran a plantation where they do another tour (we couldn't make it to the plantation this trip). The tour was VERY informative and interesting. We again had a rainy day but it wasn't pouring and it kept us cooler so I was fine with that. This particular tour takes you to lots of nooks and crannies you can't get to in a more standard tour, and it included St. Louis Cemetery #1. Unfortunately the rain had stopped completely by the time we got to the cemetery (which was a little distance from the French Quarter) and the heat was insane with the sun bearing down on us. I would recommend an umbrella for this tour and I'd recommend you keep it up when the sun shines too!

Here are some photos:

When we got back to the hotel our door was wide open! Not just unlocked but actually open! We panicked when we saw it from below but nothing was disturbed and nothing appeared to be missing. I searched the room from top to bottom! It was creepy and we were all certain the door had been locked when we left.

Thinking about the haunted history of the hotel I went exploring with my camera in hopes of catching some evidence:

What do you think? Anyone see anything?

After dinner we wandered around Jackson Square enjoying the sights and the people. Many of the street artists were packing up as it was dusk but there was a fun magician who did a great job of entertaining the kids with a layer of double meanings running to keep the adults chuckling too.

We took some pics of the square and cathedral...

We then made our way to Cafe Du Monde, which was packed! We stood in the take out line and ordered beignets and milk to go.

We walked across the railroad tracks and over to the riverside. We found a bench and sat and enjoyed our beignets and watched the pedestrian and river traffice in the twilight. I didn't take a single picture here but I think it was because my fingers were sticky with powdered sugar and I didn't want to touch my camera!

On the walk back to the hotel we popped into a Christmas ornament store and saw these. I have no explanation, but offer them simply for your enjoyment:

After we got back to the port we loaded up the luggage and said goodbye to Warren and Michael. Warren had to head back to Atlanta for work and Michael had a very important swim meet, so they were leaving us behind in New Orleans.

One advantage of our long wait to disembark was it gave me a chance, since we were back on the cell grid, to make some plans. I had scouted things out ahead of time but hadn't actually reserved anything other than our hotel. I made a call and got us booked with a free walking tour (http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/new-orleans-tours/# ) of the Garden District and Lafayette Cemetery that afternoon. At the time I thought we'd have plenty of time to meet it but after the parking lot fiasco we were feeling rushed to make it. We headed over to the French Quarter which was not far from the port and found our hotel with no problem.

We stayed at Hotel Provencial (http://www.hotelprovincial.com/) which I had booked because we wanted historic, French Quarter, walking to everything but not super expensive. Their rack rates aren't so cheap but they have a non-refundable prepay option that was very reasonable, right at $100 per night if I remember correctly, for a room with two beds. We were also able to request connecting rooms so we had two side by side upstairs overlooking the pool. AFTER we booked it I discovered that it is one of the ten most haunted hotels in America (http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/toptenhaunted/toptenhauntedhotels/)!

The adults discussed and we decided to keep that little tidbit secret from the boys until AFTER we checked out, we figured as long as there were no supernatural disturbances they'd sleep like babies and afterwards could brag to their friends about it. I knew that if we told them ahead of time they wouldn't sleep all weekend or we'd have to put up with every light on all night long! The only issue we had was that every ghost tour in the French Quarter stopped in front of the hotel to talk about it so a few times we had to slip the boys past those groups when we were coming or going and distract them so they wouldn't realize it!

The hotel is very quaint, not fancy but pleasant enough. The furniture and bedding is a bit worn but given it's history it feels atmospheric. The gas lanterns are really cool after dark. The parking is valet only. We got checked in, hauled all our bags up the stairs (oh yeah, the other downside of truly historic hotels, no elevators!) and freshened up so we could get to our walking tour. We quickly discovered that the Garden District is NOT an easy quick walk from the French Quarter (kind of the whole point actually when you learn about the warring factions that occupied to the two zones) but we didn't want to call the car out of valet again and try to race through the crowded, narrow streets feeling stressed so we called a cab. Our cab driver was a character, he told us all sorts of stuff about Katrina on our way over and pointed out a lot of buildings that have never been fixed and never will be, that are just waiting for demolition. The city has come a long way from what I understand but you can't look far without still seeing evidence of Katrina.

We were all starving at this point and it had started to rain. I must tip my hat to all of us though, we were all so excited to be there that nothing could dampen our spirits! Our guide was meeting us at the corner of the cemetery across the streets from a little sandwich and coffee shop, we quickly grabbed some refreshments to walk with and choked down a sandwich and ran back into the rain to meet our guide. As it turned out it slowed to a drizzle and eventually stopped altogether so we still had a great tour.

Free tours by foot really is free. They just ask that you tip at the end whatever you feel is fair. The guide keeps the tips (maybe something goes back to maintain the website) and folks probably tend to be generous since they are definitely getting their money's worth and you know it is going to your guide.

Our guide was great, I wish I could remember his name. He had a very in depth knowledge of the history of the area and got to know us as we walked, and then tailored the topics to our interests. He walked our tails off! All through the cemetery and then all over the Garden District. The sidewalks and cobblestones were kind of a mess and hard on your feet, you had to really watch where you were stepping but we saw all sorts of cool stuff. Here are some pics:

Here we are visiting France, with our right hands anyway, by sticking them through the consul's fence into French territory!

I think New Orleans are getting a little tongue and cheek about all the tourists roaming their streets!

After our long walking tour we caught a cab back to the French Quarter and grabbed a very yummy dinner at the Gumbo Shop!

Sorry sorry, I dropped off the face of the earth for a few weeks, whew, it's been a brutal couple of months with work, but now I'm only 28 days away from my next cruise so I feel like I really need to finish this!!!!

We went ahead and put our bags out the night before rather than self assist. Our carry ons were enough trouble (although not nearly as heavy without all the water and sodas). We did not end up drinking all of the stuff we brought on board, we left it behind and used the space for souvenirs, including a few souvenir cups that we like to break out from time to time :D The Disco ball is my favorite!

We did the last adult comedy show that night after putting our bags out, the kids were playing in one of the cabins, they were pretty worn out and ready to just lay around a bit I think! The comedian was Mutzie, he was great again, we really enjoyed him! Standing room only in the aft lounge, I really wish they did the comedy club in a larger venue, the crowds were a total crush each night and it was kind of stressful feeling like we had to rush to try and find a space really early.

We had a very high number for disembarkation, I don't remember what exactly, just that we knew right off the bat that we wouldn't be off for a while, we were ok with that. We grabbed some breakfast and then cleared out of our rooms. I thought I'd be happy to be on the ship longer, however, since you have to be out of your rooms early, you are saddled with your carry ons and nothing is open or happening entertainment wise so it got kind of boring. We just hung on the promenade eating ice cream from the soft serve machine until we were called. Customs wasn't super fast or super slow, it took us a little while to find our bags but nothing extreme.

Instead of paying a lot for a van taxi or for two taxis for all of us and our luggage Warren and I just grabbed a taxi for the two of us and went back to the hotel to get the cars and left everyone else to wait with the luggage. Remember the waitress at the hotel who warned us not to leave our cars parked there due to break ins? Well, there was no broken glass but the battery on the minivan was totally dead. It took us some maneuvering (in the very hot New Orleans summer sun) to get the cars situated so we could jump the battery. We actually had to push the minivan to another spot. As soon as the battery came to life so did the minivan's car alarm. So, we presume, that someone set off the alarm which apparently dissuaded the theft but then ran down the battery. I feel bad for the hotel guests whatever night it happened! Now we are standing there with the alarm blaring and we can't figure out how to turn it off. We also can't find the owner's manual. Finally, we called Warren's wife (and of course they are wondering what happened to us as they are standing in the heat and exhaust outside the terminal with all of our bags) and she suggested that we try putting the key in the door. Voila! it worked! Whew! Finally, after about an hour longer than we intended we were on the way back to the port to pick everyone up!

Moral of the story: park and stay is not worth it without SECURE parking and a FREE shuttle! The tiny amount we saved on parking (if we even saved anything) was definitely not worth the added stress and time!

A comment about food. I'm not a foodie, I enjoy specialty dining and I'm willing to try anything but I'm also very happy with a PB&J. The only thing that was noticeably disappointing to me all week was the apple pie one night, it was like cardboard. Everything else I graded from very good to excellent, but I don't have a very discerning palate.

A comment about drinks. This was not a drinking cruise for me as I was traveling with my step-mom and son and bonding with them (the next cruise on the other hand......watch out!). I did have a couple of cocktails over the course of the week, all were tasty and decently poured, not super strong but seemed fair for the price.

A comment about laundry. We did the laundry special, got an amazing amount of clothes into those little paper bags by rolling them up tight. Everything came back clean and fresh and folded, really happy with the service and we got a lot done for the $15 and it was great to have a suitcase full of mostly clean clothes when we got off the ship, especially since our trip lasted another couple of days.

Our wait staff was good: quick and responsive. They did not knock my socks off though and they seemed tired and a bit stressed. I just finished reading Cruise Confidential so I think I understand why! There were no problems though.

Our steward was fine, but again, didn't really go above and beyond. I don't have complaints, just wasn't "Wowed".

Ship in general: Carnival decor is almost comical in its gaudiness but compared with pictures I've seen of other ships this one seems downright elegant. It was a nice size, especially for my neighbors as it was the first cruise. Seemed huge to them but was very manageable and I felt comfortable giving the kids their freedom because it wasn't hard to find them (or for them to find us). The only major complaint was the elevators, especially the glass ones, being VERY temperamental. We relied more and more on stairs as the week wore on which isn't necessarily a bad thing!

Overall, we had a fantastic time and I was excited I'd already booked another Carnival cruise for the whole family!

Coming up: a few days in New Orleans!

Haven't forgotten about the review, I will come back, it's just been a brutal week at work! I'll finish up later today when chores are done!:D

Alright, on to the last Sea Day. I was very excited about the Behind the Fun Tour. I had booked it the day we boarded and had to go back a couple of times because I was so eager I tried to do it before we left the dock and they said they couldn't and then when I went back another time they were having computer issues but if I recall correctly I got it booked sometime the evening of embarkation. It was $55 on the Elation (it is more on 7 day itineraries, or maybe it is more on non-Fantasy class ships, don't know why the number of days would make a difference but the size of the ship might). They said to budget about 3 hours and there were strict guidelines about shoes (NO open toed and definitely no flip flops, I wore sneakers and socks), warnings about lots of stairs, and warnings that NO cameras or phones would be allowed. We were told to meet at 8:30 a.m. in the library.

Ok: that reminds me, other than my complaint about no one knowing where the orientation for the kids' programs was the first night, my only other real aggravation on this ship was the library. I can't recall which night it was but there was some evening where we had some downtime before a show and our group congregated in the library. There are cabinets with books and games but only one was open and there was nothing good inside. All of the games we might actually want to play were in a locked cabinet. There was a phone so I called down to guest services and was told that no one had a key. Excuse me?????? That makes no sense. Especially since guest services was LITERALLY right underneath the library off the atrium (I could have leaned over the railing just outside the library and shouted to them as opposed to using the phone), it would have taken someone about 2 minutes, if that, to run a key up the stairs and unlock it for us. It was beyond frustrating to be sitting there with nothing to do and the resources for a fun activity inexplicably denied to us. There was absolutely no interest from the guest services desk in addressing the issue. Was it a major issue? Not really. I think I would have been ok if there had been SOME effort at an explanation (i.e. the key had been recently lost, they were very sorry for the inconvenience, they were planning to replace the lock shortly) but we were simply blown off as not worth two minutes to inquire. Ok, sorry for the side bar, moving on!

I was very on time and no one else was there initially. In fact, the guide didn't show up until about 10 minutes after the meeting time and the rest of the participants were even less concerned about arriving on time. Thankfully they had a spread of coffee and pastries in the library and we were all invited to sit down at the largest table and partake while they went over the ground rules and passed out lanyards with our Behind the Fun Tour passes. In addition to being late, the last group to arrive also had failed to read the instructions so had the wrong shoes and all had cameras so that necessitated people running back to cabins while we all waited on their entitled selves. I took a deep breath and relaxed, as long as the tour wasn't cut short I didn't really need to care I decided and I don't believe that it was. They had ended up scheduling two tours but they overlapped and had different guides so ours starting late didn't impact the other one, they went in a different order I think. I wish they had advertised the pastries and coffee, I had rushed to the lido to grab breakfast prior and had been in a hurry so I wouldn't be late thinking I otherwise wouldn't eat till lunch. I wish I had known I needn't have worried so hopefully that is a standard thing and you can rely on it in the future!

When we were finally ready to depart we were all searched by security and off we went. I LOVE stuff like this. There was a time that I wanted to be a nautical engineer (and then Calculus turned my brain inside out and I changed plans) and I'm absolutely fascinated by large and complex machines. A ship is one of the largest and most complicated human / machine interfaces in the world. One more aside, years ago, as a senior in college I took a Spring Break cruise on the Regal Empress, a ship long since retired and much smaller than modern cruise ships (this was in 1995). Things were much more relaxed back then. I was traveling with two tee totalers so I was hanging in a bar alone one night and got to chatting with one of the officers. I asked so many detailed questions he asked if I'd like a tour. In hindsight the parent in me sees all sorts of horrible outcomes to this scenario but in reality it was awesome, he actually assigned a crew member to me and I got to see EVERYTHING. Not just the engine control room but the engines themselves. He had me climbing and descending ladders and shimmying through water tight hatches on my hands and knees. I will never forget being on a catwalk suspended just over the spinning propeller shafts and seeing where they went through the aft hull of the ship. It was awesome but sadly something that no reputable cruise line would allow now (and was certainly against the rules back then too!).

So, knowing I wouldn't get to see the actual engines I was still excited. I loved everything about the tour, the only thing that was a struggle was understanding the accents. Our guide took us to the training center where we learned about the training that the crew goes through and also learned that they have a lot of educational opportunities and resources available on board (not that I'm clear when they have the time!). Then we toured different departments and in each department the tour was led by the head of that department. In the kitchen there were demonstrations by the pastry chef (and we all got tuxedo chocolate covered strawberries) and by the buffet chef who carved several different vegetables into beautiful flowers in a matter of minutes while the head chef talked. The Head chef's accent was SO hard to understand though and it was quite noisy in the galley even though it was a down time. The acoustics are very echoing and no matter how close I tried to get I just couldn't understand. He talked about how they manage supplies and avoid waste which was interesting but I missed a lot of it. We also toured the store rooms and learned more there about how they anticipate what they need to thaw and how they communicate with the kitchen during meal services. The meat is all frozen but takes 3 days to thaw (in cold thawing rooms so it's not frozen to room temp suddenly) so they run things very scientifically with regard to choosing how much they need for a particular day. Any food waste is ground up very fine and ejected from the bottom of the ship and enjoyed by the fishes. We learned about all the recycling and environmental initiatives. We saw I-95 the corridor up the middle of the ship. The laundry rooms were amazing as were the automatic towel and sheet folders. They even had a completely separate set of facilities to wash linens or clothing from rooms where folks had been quarantined for illness. I was very impressed with the cleanliness and organization we saw everywhere. The engine control room was much quieter and even though the Italian engineer who was there to talk to us was also hard to understand it was quiet enough that I didn't feel so bad ask him to repeat or rephrasing a question. Elation is an older ship so the control room seemed kind of retro, not a lot of digital. The control panels for the HVAC was amazingly complex and the guy in charge of that (it is a full time position) walked through and asked us all if we were comfortable in our rooms and then said we had him to thank :-)

We went to the bridge and I really enjoyed seeing how the navigational systems worked. Despite all of the technology that they have integrated up there they also simultaneously track and maintain their position at all times on paper charts as well, there is a lot of built in redundancy. The captain was very gracious and we had our picture taken with him. It appeared in my cabin later along with more chocolate covered strawberries but I haven't scanned it yet, I'll try to remember to do that so I can post it.

We finished the tour in the crew bar, just inside from the crew pool which is right in the bow of the ship, hidden from sight from passenger areas. It was much smaller than a pool but a big bigger than a hot tub and they had some loungers out there as well. The crew bar was quite comfortable but I could see it getting really crowded. They had us complete a survey about the tour and we got cards that included interesting facts about the ship as well as the recipe for Warm Melting Chocolate Cake.

No pictures this post although if I scan the captain picture I'll add it. The rest of the sea day was a typical sea day. I spent time by the pool and finally read my book a bit. I missed the towel folding and towel theater because of the Behind the Fun Tour but my companions went and said it was really cute and they came away with the towel animal book. We packed up our bags that night and left them outside our rooms after dinner and if I remember correctly we took in a late night adult comedy show that was great. There were two comedians on board all week. Mutzie was AWESOME. Our kids thoroughly enjoyed him for the family friendly shows and his adult only shows were great too. He is VERY interactive with the audience so don't sit too close if you aren't willing to be a good sport! I can't remember the name of the other comedian, she was a woman and we went to one of her family friendly shows where most of her jokes were about divorce and/or at the expense of her ex husband or men in general. I'm divorced and I am a divorce lawyer and I wasn't crazy about her theme at all, not in a crowd of children, many of whom have divorced parents. It just seemed crass and tired so we didn't attend any of her other shows.

Next Up: disembarkation and NOLA!

Thanks for the positive comments guys! I've been ignoring the kids pleas for dinner though (wow, I'm NOT coming across like mother of the year here am I) so I need to attend to them. Next up is the last sea day (including the Behind the Fun Tour!) and then two days exploring New Orleans! We've checked off the Tiny Dancers and the Gestating Dolphins but the Haunted Bubbles are still to come!:eek:

For the rest of our day we wanted to enjoy a beach and I'd struggled mightily trying to make a decision before the cruise. We had the three boys, so wanted someplace they would enjoy too, but did not want a place that was shoulder to shoulder lounge chairs and so geared toward children that it was like being at a water park. Really, a beach in and of itself should be plenty sufficient to entertain the kids, places like Paradise Beach just seemed over stimulating to me.

I was torn between Nachi Cocom, the Money Bar and Playa Palancar. We ruled out Nachi Cocom because we realized we were likely to only have about 3-4 hours tops at the beach after Dolphinaris (and that ran long so we spent more like 3 hours at the beach) and an all inclusive didn't seem worthwhile for such a short stay. Money Bar was appealing for snorkeling and I really wanted to take my DS for his first snorkeling trip but it doesn't really have a beach at all and seemed like it might be small and crowded so Playa Palancar it was.

Playa Palancar is toward the south end of the island not far from Nachi Cocom so it is a bit of a cab ride but not bad. Our driver was awesome and he actually ended up hanging out at the beach and came and got us when it was time to return to the port so we wouldn't be late. We took the obligatory Sombrero photo when we arrived and then beelined it for the beach. It was more crowded than I had hoped (but there were tons of ships in port that day, including one of the Oasis class ships from RCCL) but we found loungers close to the water and adjacent to a table with an umbrella and chairs in short order. Our waiter materialized almost immediately and was very attentive. The drinks were reasonable and the food was delicious and plentiful. The boys had a ball playing in the sand and enjoying a water trampoline that was a little ways out from shore, that was all they needed.

I inquired about doing a snorkeling tour by boat but we would have been cutting the time to close to get back to the ship so I decided to just rent some snorkeling equipment for myself and DS instead. The attendant was very eager to please and offered to walk us up the beach and give us a guided shore snorkel. I asked how much but he waved me off, I really think he was eager to share his beach with us and ensure a good opinion (and of course I tipped him after). We headed up the beach and hit the water, he took pictures for us.

The snorkeling was not great, too close to shore with a lot of sand stirred up by the surf but my son had NEVER snorkeled and he was so excited to be in the water with live fish it was fun to experience it with him. Now that he has the mechanics he'll be ready for some boat snorkeling on our next cruise!

By the time we got back our companions were waving us in from the beach and it was a mad scramble to jump back in the van and high tail it back to port. We were dropped in a shopping area across the street from the port (and we tipped the driver extra for waiting for us and dragging us off the beach in time). We had done no shopping yet but it seemed like we had a few minutes so we power shopped. DS had a bracelet made for him that had the Falcons on it and I picked up an embroidered blouses and a purse for my step-daughter. By the time all of the transactions were done (and we did some good bartering because I ran out of cash so in the end they accepted what I had) we heard the ship's horn and panicked. There was an escalator that took you up to a walkway over the road and then down to the port to head out the pier. The elevator going up was not working, we were running up the stationary escalator in flip flops burdened with towels and bags and my son tripped. He had injured his right knee just prior to the cruise (it was skinned really bad) and we'd been struggling with that all trip with him being in and out of the water constantly and when he tripped he tore up his left knee. The edge of the escalator stair cut him badly and there was a lot of blood. It was awful, I had to dig deep and tell him to dig deep because we had to get back to the ship no matter what. He was very brave and stoic after the initial shock and we ran for it. When we finally got within sight of the ship there was a HUGE line to board and there was no need for us to have rushed to begin with! At that point I don't think I realized how bad it was and we even took a photo before re-boarding. Looking at it now I can't believe he was being so brave! There was blood running down his leg just outside the photo!

Just when I was thinking I needed to walk him to the front of the line, show his knee, and get them to let us on we were close to the front and it was moving. We got back to our room and pretty much wiped out what remained of the first aid kit we'd brought. In hind site I probably should have taken him to the infirmary, he possibly could have used stitches, but we did stop the bleeding so we decided to just monitor it. Now, over 6 months later he has a scar but it's not too bad, the summer of 2012 just left its mark on both of his knees!

Between his two knees and our companion's youngest son cutting his ankle it was a slightly bloody cruise. The ankle injury occurred when the door of one of the bathrooms outside the restaurant closed on his ankle as he was going through the door. The corners are very sharp and it probably also could have used stitches but our boys are apparently very tough! Watch out for those bathroom doors though!

Hey guys, I'm back! Not sure if anyone is still reading but it's time for Cozumel!

We had booked with Dolphinaris directly, pretending that we were staying at a hotel when we booked through their website. We saved some money this way but I can't recall how much. For me it was more about wanting a less "herd like" experience and I thought we could get there early and enjoy our time before the crowds arrived. We did get there early, nothing was going on when we arrived, the taxi ride was much shorter than I expected. When we checked in they immediately assumed we were cruisers but I denied it, not wanting to get charged extra for the way we booked. Then we realized that the kids had their safety wristbands on and we kept trying to hide them. I felt kind of ridiculous. Ultimately all of the cruise ship folks arrived and we ended up being grouped with them anyway and I don't think it was necessarily worth the whole cloak and dagger routine.

Dolphinaris is BEAUTIFUL and I loved their website. I did some research and was reassured by the fact that they haven't wild captured dolphins in years and they have a very successful husbandry program. They feature each dolphin individually on their site and offer a lot of information about their care and well-being. It is education and conservation focused. By contrast the dolphin program at Chankanaab is ugly and looks like a prison. Their website is completely revenue based and doesn't even pay lip service to the dolphins themselves. The initial impressions really made a difference to me.

This is a promotional photo that was on our CD of pictures:

We were very happy with our Dolphinaris experience. Even though the cruisers caught up to us we were in a reasonably sized group once they divided us after the orientation (our group of 7, plus two more couples and one child). Before we walked to our area we got a chance to look into the nursery pool where a baby dolphin was swimming with his mother, if I remember correctly he was only a few weeks old at the time.

We entered the pool after stashing our belongings in some storage benches adjacent to the steps. We walked down some steps and stood on a very comfortable shelf under water that was covered in sand. We were sharing a large pool with another group but we were down at the end and there was no interference with multiple groups. Our trainer was in the water with us along with a red cooler which contained fish for the dolphins (each one had their own cooler with their name on the side) and photographers and someone who seemed to be a supervising trainer walked back and forth along the edges of the pools.

The trainer introduced us to our dolphins and they each came up to hold still and show off different features of their anatomy. Both of the females in our group were pregnant and showing a bit. It was really neat but it didn't seem to slow them down at all! We each did a "hug" that looked like this:

We also each did a "dance"

And got a kiss!

In between each person taking a turn the dolphins also did several "swim bys" where we pushed off the shelf and treaded water (in life jackets) with masks while the dolphins swam passed us. We could watch underwater or we could run our hands down their sides as they went by.

Finally, we each did the dolphin swim part, it was so exhilarating and a little scary at first but the dolphins seemed so patient, you could see them slow down and wait for the little kids to get a grip before turning on the speed, it was really sweet!

After we were done we got rinsed and changed and headed over to the photo viewing area, it was a little crazy with everyone in there but they had staff walking around the kiosks where you could view and select photos and they were very helpful. We made our order (one CD for our group with only a handful of selected shots) and then had to wait a little while for it to be ready. You can buy lunch there and the seating area is lovely and overlooks the dolphin pools but I was eager to get to the next part of our day at Playa Palancar and we wanted to enjoy lunch on the beach. There was a steady stream of cabs pulling up but they wouldn't let me grab one until our entire group was standing there ready to get in which makes sense, it was very quick once we were ready.

My DS, waiting for our pictures: