Beachdude

You only have to experience a ship with NOROvirus to see all the opportunities to catch someone elses illnesses. For example, the ship we were on with NORO didn't have any condiments at the tables. If you wanted salt or pepper on your meal, you waited for condiment person to come by and apply it on your meal for you. No drinking cups or glasses were set out either for risk of touching other glasses while you grabbed your own.

We haven't even got to the food stations yet. The safer way to distribute food is for the ship personell to hand each item via a spoon or tongs. But that requires a lot of personell during a time where cruise lines are cutting back on their food service personell.

Celebrity is introducing their new buffet service style of providing plates and baskets of meals ready for pickup. For example a plate of eggs and bacon or roasted pork or beef on a bed of rice or noodles. A lot of folks like the idea, but the disadvantages are cold food sitting too long and wasted food that wasn't desired with the rest of the meal. They have also wrapped each slice of bread so they aren't contaminated. That works pretty well, but the line tends to be long while passenter read what each slice is.

In the long run, going to the dining room is the safer way to eat. However, we have experienced extremely slow breakfast and lunch dining room service on both the Celebrity and RCL the last two years. Cruise lines are cutting back on staff, so even the dining rooms can be a challenge. Give yourself plenty of time if you are following a schedule.

Lately we have been ordering more room service, but that has it's own challenges. I think the best suggestion is to just not watch the other people and assume the best.

Burt

I'm not sure I agree with these. If by "better dining options" you mean more dining options, then yes. But if you mean better food, then I disagree. We have found that the quality of the food has gone down over the years.

 

I would have to think that adding cabins where there were none before does not result in "better passenger traffic".

 

And if by "better service management" you mean better service, I also disagree. Service is still good, but with the employees stretched thinner and thinner, I don't think it's better.

 

Just my opinion.

Yes, the OP was pretty good except for this part. But what I have noticed is many folks don't really want great tasting food, they want convenience and quick service like they get at home with fast food restaurants. I am amazed at how many cruisers rate the quality of a ship’s food by the taste of the pizza and burgers. And look at those threads of dressing for the dinner meals. Many folks today desire just going from the pool to the restaurant to grab a quick dinner. A dress code just gets in the way of a fast meal.

The new style is an advantage for the cruise lines. More self-serving style meals mean less waiting staffs. We notice a big reduction of waiting staff on our last Celebrity cruise and the service quality suffered greatly. In fact we saw a reduction in most of the service areas like cabin attendants. I keep thinking it is an American thing, but I wonder if the Europeans cruises are following the same trends.

Burt

Best meal I have ever had on my 20 or so cruises.

Burt

I wouldn't let your dog eat at Sloppy Joe's and for real ice cream go to Flamingo Crossing which has real home made ice cream and can't be beat.

 

Mike:)

Where would you let your dog eat? We will be spending two days in Key West before our cruise in October.

Burt

To save from the parking hassle, we are thinking of renting a scooter or bicycles. Are they safe to ride in Key West?

Are they easier to find parking? Any local protocols we should know for bikes and scooters?

Thanks

Burt

We had no issues with the scooters and have no motortcycle experience, the most important thing to remember is "take your time you are on vacatation so go slow and let the locals pass you if they want to.:)

The locals WILL pass you and in situations you would not think they could, just stay aware. that being said, once in a while the traffic backs up from a slow tourist who won't pull over. If you find yourself creating a traffic jam, be courteous and pull over as soon as you can find a safe place. There are many bus stops that make pulling over easy.

The Bermudians are the most courteous people you will ever meet, but they are used to a driving style that appears more agressive than American driving. Its not that they are more aggresive, they just expect courtesy from everyone. A car or scooter may pull out in front of you from a side road. In the states that would be rude, but the courteous expectation in Bermuda is to slow a little and allow room for the car. Well except the buses, give them a lot of room. LOL

I don't suggest riding in the rain if you can prevent it. A local told us rain is when most of the scooter accidents happen.

The rentals provide helmets with the scooter because they are required by law in Bermuda. But our experience is that a golf or baseball style hat under the helment helps them to fit more comfortably.

Burt

Call us a bit overcautious, but we would never consider driving north east (from Key West) on the day of a cruise. While, in nearly all cases, it would not be a problem if you get an early start, there is always the possibility of a road closing accident. We just like the security of being relatively close to an embarkation port when we wake up on cruise day!

 

As to Key West, DW and I love the place and have driven there quite a few times. But we always plan on driving back to the mainland the day before a cruise.

 

Hank

Yes, we typically arrive at our embarking port a few days before the cruise to enjoy the area. In this case we wanted to experience Key West and a little of the Fantasy Fest. That requires up to take a bit of a risk. If we leave by 8:00am, that gives us about 8 hours. Living on the edge I guess.

Burt

For what it's worth, I live in Key West and always drive up on the day of embarkation. I have never had a problem. Northbound in the morning, especially on a weekend, is usually painless.

 

The day northbound traffic will be heavy due to FF will be the Sunday after the parade. This year, that will be on Sunday the 26th. If that is the day you're driving north, I recommend leaving around 6-6:30 to give yourself plenty of time.

Thanks. We are embarking Saturday, so it sounds like we will be OK. How long do you expect the drive to take us (ie: How early do we have to get up after a night of Fantesy Fest)? LOL

Thanks again.

Burt

That was exactly what I needed, thanks Gangway.

Burt

Hi all, we are going to Key West for a couple days before our Princess cruise. We land in Ft. Lauderdale in the afternoon and plan to stop about half to make the drive easier. Any body recommend a good hotel in the Keys?

Also, we plan to drive back to the ship from Key West on the departure day. Any problems driving North from Key West. That will be during Fantasy Fest, but I thinking all the traffic will be going south.

Thanks

Burt

Breakfast outside is really nice.

 

We eat breakfast as often as the weather allows on the balcony for all our on cruises. But we once got upgraded to a Princess suite and had a room service breakfast on the balcony before disembarking the last day. That was very nice.

Burt

I took a tour with byway tours (Heidi). It was 8 hours long and we went over the whole island. The tour included lunch, admission at Gibb's lighthouse & ice cream at Bailey's. We made many stops and we thought it was a very good value at $100pp. My personal favorite stop was Palm grove gardens. Heidi made sure we stopped at attractions when there was not a herd of tourists there. My husband and I had a wonderful time and there was only 6 of us on the tour.

 

 

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Is that the best fish sandwich you ever had?

Heidi is an interesting person. Her great grandfather, grand father and father were the lighthouse keepers of the Gibb's lighthouse.

Burt

Burt: if you want to expand your available shopping for Christmas, look at John Hardy. Similar items. I have some of both, love it all!!!

Wellllll it sounds a bit risky, BUT OK!

Thanks.

Burt

Cruise Critic only represents a small portion of the cruising population at best and more often than people only post a review if something went wrong so you're just best to go with an open mind and check things out for yourself.

I gotta admit VixbCC, I wouldn't have expected so many odd replies like this one. I have to say that Cruise Crittic is letting us down today. There can be a lot more to enjoying a cruise than just going with the flow. :confused:

For example I think everyone should try a breakfast and dinner roomservice meal on the balcony at least once. You would surprised how relaxing they are.

I saw someone else say this somewhere, but instead of standing and waiting in line for dinner, go to a bar or a location to relax to music 30 minutes before dinner and wait until the line has gone. You wouldn' think a few minutes of relaxing before dinner would be a big deal, but I was surprised that even my teenage kids said that it put them in a more relaxed mood.

Those are a couple lessons we've learned over the past 15 years of cruising to make our cruise more enjoyable.

I will think of more.

Burt

It's not normally available apart from the special Crab eggs Benedict for a surcharge. You could also try writing the regular kind on the bottom of the door hanger menu though, ask nicely and they may deliver :)

We wrote it in and got it. It was pretty good. I usually tip and that always helps with good repeat service.

Burt

Well it seems folks are reluctant, but I'll take a crack it.

Arrive at your departing port city at least a day or two before departure to enjoy what that city has to offer, and to not stress over making the ship on time. We have found that enjoying the port city for day can sometimes be so enjoyable that it becomes half the experience of the whole trip.

Burt

How far is the walk from Horseshoe to Warwick?

Maybe 15 minutes if you don't stop to look at the view, which is impossible. It is a slightly hilly trail near the shore. We also noticed the path is shared by trail horses that can be rented somewhere. They stay in a group, so they aren't bothersome.

Burt

Check out Turtle Bay Resort on the north side. It is very nice and quiet.

Burt

If photography is important, I would suggest taking the helicopter tour with the doors the doors off. I forget which company does that, but there is one helicopter used for the purpose. Pictures of the Napali Coast alone will make you a hero to your photography friends, and that's not including the other beautiful shots of the island.

Personally I think paying for a tour in Kauai is way overblown if you don't mind driving. Kauai is easy to drive and most desinations are easy to find if you do just a little research before the cruise. There are several good guide books that explain not only where to stop, but the history behind the stop. Then you can use the money you save for a Helicopter tour.

Burt

I do agree that people shouldn't be selling their tours on board.

!

I'm not sure what that means exactly, but how many times have posters been advised to find their roll call when they ask for advice on excursions or tours? I'm starting wonder the purpose of roll calls.

Burt

If you are not on a budget, then I would consider Hawaii. Spend a few days on an Island and then pick a cruise that does the islands before heading home, or do the cruise that just does the islands and then fly back home. We like the Carribean a lot, but think Hawaii is special for honeymoons.

Burt

If you are a history buff, the History of Bermuda is fascinating.

Burt

Bermuda is exactly what you are looking for. It is very Caribbean with plenty of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen next to Hawaii. And maybe better than Hawaii. Where Bermuda is better in our opinion is that the Bermudians take very good care of their island. You won't see huts with extreem underclass people families. Every house appears to have fresh paint. When you learn that that most houses are over a 100 years old and many are 300 years old, you start to respect the pride for their island.

Bermudians are very friendly polite and not pushy at all. Shopping is a different experience than the Caribbean for that reason, at least to us.

The Summit is a nice ship as well. Be sure and add a couple days in New York City to make your vacation extra special.

Burt

Was this really an OMG! moment, plus 3 exclamation points. Why didn't you use all capital letters, and just scream at the OP. I've seen people bring plastic palm trees and put them on their balcony. Who cares what people want to bring with them if they have room. Make suggestions like, be sure you bring them in when you leave your balcony, because they will get crusty with salt spray, or they may be a fire hazard from a cigarette thrown overboard. People ask for advice on this board, not OMG! No!

Good post.

Burt

The whole basis of this exercise was to compare the cost variance in the progression from inside OV, OV to balcony and what those categories receive or don't in extras compared to what suite passengers receive.

Hmmm, this doesn't correlate with your original post at all.

It appears from the trend of your posts that you feel justified with your Elite perks because they were earned through loyalty of repeated cruises with Celebrity. You have less respect for suite perks because they were bought at a price instead as a reward for loyalty. I wonder, how would you feel if Celebrity offered the Elite perks to any cruiser for an extra charge?

Burt