kingstonKouple72

Anyone have any experience with Sunseekers Tours from LA?

http://www.sunseekertours.us/

We will be getting off our cruise in March at San Pedro and don't fly out till the next day.

Rather than going directly to an LAX hotel we'd like to do something. Looks like this company will pick us up right at the cruise terminal and then drop us off at LAX 8 hours later.

I always wear the Trans-derm patch and drink alcohol. For me, personally, I've not noticed any side effects. But you might want to check with your prescriber.

available in Canada without a prescription.

Thanks for the reply... I will probably chance it. :)

Next cruise is our first with the Alcohol package. We generally aren't big drinkers, but since the promo was offered, who was I to turn it down?

Question is how will that interact with the motion sickness patch? I wear patch every cruise for at least the first 3 days. I read the side effects and recommendations... says not to drink alcohol as it may increase your chance of side effects.

Anyone have any experience they would like to share?

Thanks

We are probably going to book the Nov 2017 Bliss Cruise, unless Couple Cruise announces a Full ship takeover soon. We would MUCH rather go with them than Bliss.... But will if necessary to get our LS Cruise "Fix"!! LOL

 

C&C

We are researching a LS takeover cruise as well.

We are currently thinking about the same cruise you are - Bliss Cruise November 25- December 2 2017. Celebrity Equinox from Miami.

I read a lot of negative ship reviews of the MSC Divina (most recent Couples Cruise).

My question is what makes Couples Cruise better than Bliss? Have you done both in the past? I have taken several vanilla cruises. Never on MSC (heard negative stuff about them in the vanilla world too).....

Thanks.

Summer is the worst in Freeport, not sure if OP is doing a leaf peeper cruise, its not as bad. Outlet store is still there, bargains change from day to day, got some real good deals there. Helps to be local. :D

 

One thing the OP should look for, is that none of Bean's store doors even have locks installed, let alone used, since they are open 24/365.

Leaf peeper? love it.

Wife and MIL leaving early Sep.

I get the honour of doing all the research and booking for them.

cheapest option?

Booking though the ship is a little pricey, and only allows 4 hours shopping.

any other options?

Thank you all for your input.

You have provided me with the answers I need... and the results are positive.

For those that say my wife will kill me if I only give her a few hours to pack... well.... she may get stressed out, but I think I will be forgiven. Besides.. we have a standard list of travel supplies, so it really shouldn't be that hard to pack for 2 weeks in a few hours.....

And really... She turns 45 tomorrow... and I was thinking of this being a trip for her 50th..... so I am starting to plan REALLY early.... I may end up just packing for her and leave after going for a birthday dinner. (haha.. THAT may not go over well....).

Been researching this and like the title says, I am finding conflicting information.

I am starting to plan for a milestone vacation (either a 50th Bday or a wedding anniversary...)... my goal is to tell my wife "we are going away tomorrow.. you have 4 hours to pack"...

I am leaning towards a Baltic cruise. Wife has always wanted to go to St. Petersburg.

My initial research found that cruise ship px don't need a visa to get off the ship in SPB if they are on a ship excursion.

I have subsequently read that it can either be a ship excursion or an excursion arranged by a "Russian Travel Excursion Company". If this is the case, then that is awesome, because the prices for Russian excursions through the cruiseline's seem to be absurdly high. I saw one excursion company which offered excursions for 4 or 5 ports (incl 2 days in SPB) for around $600pp. Yet a cruiseline excursion for just SPB was about $300/day pp.

Can anyone "in the know" give me the low down on the current rules.

I don't think it makes any difference, but I am Canadian.....

Thanks

This is weird.

I rebooked my cancelled cruise to March 5th.

my original booking confirmation showed promo code CHOB (UBP)

My new booking shows CHOO (?)

the fare is pretty close (slight diff due to CAD/USD exchange rates.

Indicates $75 total OBC (we supposedly had $50 originally, but I noticed it wasn't on the original confirmation), so it should have been $100 total.

The agent also emailed me an Amenity Confirmation showing both having the UBP,

Delivery Day "Day 1 in cabin"

Total cost: 776.83 each (CAD),

Balance: $0.

Status: PAID

I logged into MyNCL to see the info on the booking... it shows the 2x $12.50 and 2x $25 OBC, but doesn't show the UBP.

If I print off the Amenity Conf will that be enough when we check in to get them to add the UBP for free?

If they don't make me pay the Service Charge for the drinks I won't fight them on the $25 missing OBC...

I was under the assumption I could bring one bottle of wine per person in our carry on.

But researching it now it appears that may have changed.

Can anyone confirm?

thanks

We are in port with 4 ships:

1 Carnival and 1 Princess (assume Mahogany Bay)

That leaves Dawn and Jade at Coxen Hole. Is there enough room there for both to dock or will they tender?

Any idea?

IAH had better times, non stop service and a lot cheaper than Hobby....BUT now I'm not sure how to get to the ship. Taxi's are $100....anybody know of a shared shuttle??? It's 2 possibly 4 people. Thanks!

Rent a car. There is an Enterprise a very short distance from the airport, and a drop off in Seabrooke, very close to the pier.

I am picking up my car on Wednesday and dropping it off on Saturday. costing me under $100 USD.

NCL Jade. Feb 6th from Bayport

We are using Super Shuttle. Since there will be hundreds of people traveling directly to the airport, it should be a direct shuttle. I can't imagine they will "forget" people when we're all boarding the shuttles between 8:00-10:00 a.m.

I wasn't speaking of leaving people behind.. I have read reviews of them not even showing up at all....

Assuming I don't bother arrange transport from Bayport to IAH before the cruise... anyone know if there will be taxi's available to take me to the airport, or will I need to pre-book?

UBER isn't an option, because I can't use data on my phone in the USA.

I haven't heard of many other options. Super Shuttle has bad reviews. I hear they have a habit of leaving people stranded.

There are three in our party.

We only need from Bayport - IAH. We are renting a car from IAH and returning in Pasadena before the cruise.

edit:

emailed excursion company. 15 isn't a problem.

Just back from Cozumel and wanted to share our experience for anyone looking for something different.

 

We ended up booking Cozumel ATV Jungle Adventure through CozumelCruiseExcursions.com as this was the only company who had something that fit our schedule (1:30-10:00 p.m.). Booking process was very easy and communication was great.

 

Arrived and took a taxi to the meeting spot, Playa Uvas Beach Club for $12 - total, not per person. Were allowed to use the facilities, had a pool, beach chairs & umbrellas, bar & servers walking around and free WIFI. The beach was small and rocky entrance so we didn't go in. The resort also offers snorkeling w/ those who go on their own w/ the $12 the entrance fee, but not sure if that was included w/ our tour (we didn't have to pay the entrance fee)

Hung around for about an hour and our taxi arrived to take us to the tour, this was included. Got to Wild Tours in about 20 minutes.

 

There were 4 in our group, and 2 others there. Helmets, gloves and goggles included, lockers available for rent for $5. Quick instructions & off we went. Ride was absolutely AMAZING!!! Our guide Francisco was great, stopped a few times to talk about ancient Mayan culture and gave us water. Went in an underground cave & saw a natural spring. Drove around a tiny ruin, didn't stop to talk about it, and when I say tiny, it was super tiny. Bumpy, dusty, fast ride, no mud though (bummer). Not for the weak for sure. The only negative, and a small one, after the tour they wanted to talk to us about how tequila is made. Sounded cool, but turned into more of a 30 minute sales pitch, included a few free shots though. When we were ready to go, our taxi was there to take us back to the ship, again, this was included.

 

$65 p/person, but was well worth it. One of the best excursions we've ever done. Would highly recommend it for those looking for an adventure.

do you know how picky they are with ages? Their website indicates must be 16. my son will be 15.5 yrs old when we sail. I think he would like this excursion, but not if he must be a passenger.

Need to arrange transport from Bayport terminal to a hotel close to IAH on Saturday Feb 13th. Haven’t booked the hotel yet. (We have no need to a return trip, as we are renting a car pre-cruise and dropping it off close to terminal).

There are 3 of us.

Best options for the one-way travel? Would it simply be easier to grab a taxi at the terminal? Are there even taxi’s sitting there waiting for fares? I recall a while ago I did a fare estimator and it was something like $100 each way. Is that normal? Any suggested (cheaper) alternatives?

I arranged a rental car to be picked up a few miles from IAH and dropped off at the enterprise at 1815 bayport blvd Seabrook (not very far from the terminal).

It may work for you, but the Seabrook Enterprise location is not open on Sunday's.

If you pick the car up at the airport it is obscenely expensive. But get a cab to Will Clayton Pkwy Humble to save a lot.

edit: found my quotes: 1 way rental from airport for 3 days, 350.01.

same 3 days from the Will Clayton location: $173.09

We stayed at the Best Western Seabrook last April and plan to stay again next April. The receptionists are friendly, the rooms are spacious, the complimentary breakfast is awesome, and the room price includes shuttle to the port. The only drawback is there are no nearby restaurants and none in the motel. So you have to depend on their free 'within 5 miles' van or nicrowavable goodies from vending.

Anyone know if BW Seabrook checks to see if you have AAA/CAA if you book with those rates?

Thinking of booking Feb 6th out of Houston. Superbowl is 7th.

being able to watch game is a dealbreaker.

anyone?

Go Bills!

Thanks for the information, much appreciated.

I would never stiff a dealer, but I think that NCL is screwing their dealers.

Tips are given to dealers from us customers in appreciation of good service. Tips are intended as an "extra". Last time I was on an NCL cruise playing poker, the rake was 10% to a max of $25 per hand. This is obscene. The cruiseline is making a sh!tload of money in rake, and then, when the winner tips the dealer a buck for the win, NCL uses that money for his wage???? No. This is wrong. Don't know exactly what his wage is or should be, but tips should be over and above. And using that money for parties? That should be a crime.

Not exactly sure how things are run on land based casino's. I suspect not for all. I have been to several casino's where the tip bucket stays with the dealer, and as he/she moves, so does his/her tip bucket. I've also been to some where the tips stay at the table.

Anyhow, I appreciate the info. I was curious about how it worked. Not that it really matters, because until NCL changes its $25/hand max rake, no way in he!! will I play poker there again.

Cheers all!

I read somewhere quite recently - not here on CC, been trying to find it but cannot - that on NCL the dealer tips were confiscated by the casino operator. I say "casino operator" because I believe some lines contract out operation of the casino and don't run it themselves. I could be wrong. I was on HAL in july and spoke with a dealer who seemed to indicate that a separate company ran the casino operation.

Anyone know anything about how it works on NCL (or really - any line) for dealer tips? I haven't been on NCL in a while (although my wife and I think we will stay with them in the future), but if all the tips get confiscated, well let's just say their rake is the highest I have ever seen, they don't need any more of my money.

Cruise review

Embarkation in Vancouver:

Easy. Organized. Efficient. We got there very early as we always do. I think we might have even been the first to drop off luggage with the porters.

Got in line to go through customs. There were people from two ships in line. The Zaandam and a Celebrity ship. We were the first to be called through. US Customs was pretty easy as usual (well.. ever since wife got her Travellers Redress number through Homeland Security….-another long story of mistaken identity).

After Customs we sat in chairs in rows until check-in was ready.

Check in was a 3 minute process… produce travel docs, “no we haven’t been sick”, get room key etc.

Then go sit in more rows. Met a really interesting couple from New Zealand, we talked the whole time, so it didn’t seem like that long. In reality it was possibly 45 minutes. When they were ready to board…. We were on in minutes.

Room was ready when we got on board. We had an oceanview on Deck 3. Lots of storage. Clean. Bathroom looked like it needed a little TLC. The shower handle leaked.

Muster drill was the most organized and efficient of any cruise I have been on in the past.

Ports:

Juneau: Weather was fantastic. We went to Mendenhall Glacier. It wasn’t what I expected. Cost to be shuttled there was $10pp each way. We took the bus there (total cost: 4 people, $7 – but we had to walk about a mile and a half, and it was hot. On the way back we took the shuttle. Much better idea.

Skagway: Did the White Pass Summit train ride. WOW! The scenery was amazing. I only regret I didn’t have a better camera. We didn’t see much wildlife, but it was awesome! Afterwards we walked around Skagway a little, found the library to get on wi-fi and send an email-update back home, and then went to the Red Onion Saloon and Brothel. We had a beer and a rootbeer. Best rootbeer I ever had. Apparently they make it themselves. Something not to be missed. Weather was great here as well. The morning was touch and go, with rain threatening, but in the end it turned out to be a great day.

Ketchikan: We hadn’t researched this very much, which I regret. As a result, we just wandered around many of the shops. We ate at the Fish House, which I think was a massive disappointment. $50 for two meals that 4 of us shared. Wasn’t good at all. My local fish and chip shop makes fish 10 times better for no where close to the price.

Apparently just a short walk “behind” the shops was Creek Street, which is where “real Ketchikan” begins. Next time we will be sure to go here, as I heard it is a nice nature hike.

Ship Impressions.

This was a smaller ship, so it wasn’t that hard to navigate. We learned relatively quickly where everything was. That doesn’t mean we didn’t take wrong turns every now and then and end up at the wrong end of the ship once in a while.

Our deck had a washer/dryer and a few ironing boards which was a pleasant surprise. We did all our ironing after we got our luggage before the muster drill so we would be done ironing for the whole week. There might have been another laundry room on deck 1 (not positive).

The ship was quite elegantly decorated. We were very happy with the way it looked.

Entertainment.

Was not impressed

On previous cruise lines there has always been lots of organized activities to do during the day. Not so on the Zaandam. I mean, sure, there was a couple of things on towel animals and cooking, but nothing that interesting. We ended up spending time on the Lido reading in lawn chairs if we weren’t in port or taking in the scenery.

The house entertainers “the HALcats” were pretty bad too. The singers could sing just fine, but the dancers? All the girls would do is flip their head back and forth making their hair fly, and wiggle their butts.

They brought in a few professional entertainers. Leon Etienne, magician. He was phenomenal. Only wish his two shows were longer, and a woman (can’t remember her name – Patricia? Trish?) who did music comedy, doing impressions of other singers.

Food

Food was good. Portions in MDR were fine.

But overall we were not happy with the food availability on board… and here is why:

MDR:

Food: no complaints. Portions were excellent. We had any-time dining and we generally got there at about 5.15-5.30. We didn’t leave hungry or stuffed, which is the way I like it. I never like being stuffed.

I was surprised, however, how relaxed the MDR was. I generally wear a tie to dinner, even if it isn’t a formal night. One day I looked around and I was the only person in a tie.

Lido:

Food selection: -just ok. There were several different areas for “Italian”, “Asian”, etc and within each area there were 3 or 4 options. Some were consistent every day, and some changed. While there wasn’t a lot of selection, there was always something we could find that we liked. The food itself tasted great.

Lido Hours: STUNK! Lido buffet and outside grill closed at 8pm. Earliest closing time of any cruise line I have been on. It reopened at 11-12 for “late night snacks.” I was not happy with this. As I said before, l never left the MDR stuffed. We did the early show. And when we got out at around 8.15pm or so, we often wanted a light snack. But the damn thing was closed! TERRIBLE.

SALMON BAKE DAY ISSUE:

Port day, we returned to the ship and didn’t feel like getting changed for dinner in the MDR. There was going to be a salmon bake on the Lido by the pool. Food staff did a lot of work getting the bbq’s out there and setting up the tables. However…. Neither myself nor my son like salmon. No problem, we figured, we can just eat in the Lido buffet, while my wife and MIL eat their salmon.

Nope.

Buffet was closed.

Lido Grill was closed. ***??

I expressed my concerns to guest services, who said every Salmon Bake Day there are people who aren’t happy with the food options. (well.. then fix it for crying out loud! Keep the buffet open!). He suggested I order room service. I expressed I don’t come on a cruise to eat my dinner alone in my cabin. While he expressed empathy, the MDR or room service was my only option.

So, my son and I ate in my cabin. I ordered a steak sandwich with FF, he ordered a burger with FF. I received a steak sandwich with potato chips. He got a burger, no side. That wasn’t the end of it…..

My cabin phone rang about 8 times from guest services and kitchen staff giving me updates on the food (“putting a rush on it”, “was told it is on its way”, “has it arrived yet”). I actually got the “has it arrived yet” call several times, many after the food was consumed. No one ever asked if they got the order correct however…..Seems they have a communication problem.

Other

At one point during cruise, I was in casino and noticed the gates to the store were closed, but there were people crowding behind the gates all around the perfumes. Dealer told me it was a “crew sale”. The next day, almost anytime I walked by a crew member, I could smell the stink of his/her newly acquired perfume. Fortunately my cabin steward didn’t partake, because if my room stank of it, we would have a major problem, as my wife has allergies to perfume. The cruise line management should enforce 100% no perfume amongst the crew.

The passenger complement was different than I have ever experienced before. We have always cruised out of an American port, and so the majority of passengers have been American. This time, cruising out of Vancouver, we were told that 60% were Canadian. I think, and this is just my opinion, that of those 60%, most would not identify as Canadian. You see, it has been my experience that Americans are American first, and <their country of birth> second, and they learn and adhere to American customs and social norms. Not so with Canadians. It seems that when someone immigrates to Canada, they identify with their country of birth first, then Canadian second. And God forbid they are asked to assimilate into Canadian culture. Many of the cultural norms they refuse to give up are perceived as offensive by much of North American culture (budding in line, ignoring women (or worse, pushing women out of the way to get to the front), chewing with mouth open, yelling across tables and not respecting that other people are trying to have conversations in the dining room as well.. to name a few). Anyhow, guess what I am trying to say is that there were a lot of “non-Canadian” Canadians on this cruise. We think in the future we would prefer to sail out of American ports. We are accustomed to North American culture, and if the majority are Americans on board, this is generally what we will get. (disclaimer: We are Canadian's).

The casino wasn’t very busy. I like to play a little poker on board, but there were never any games. Not enough people. Although the casino staff were awesome (including one very cute Czech blond… ). Blackjack was popular as was roulette and craps. Even the slots (ugh) weren’t very busy.

On the whole, we had a great time, but I think that was in spite of the ship issues. We will find alternative options to HAL in the future.

We will be on the Zaandam in about a week. Want to buy my son a tablet for a grad present, but would prefer to do it on board if it will be cheaper.

I don't recall ever seeing electronics on any of my previous cruises, but this is the first time with HAL... and well.. you never know....

thanks in advance.

M