erin_cruisers

Everyone...

 

Thanks so much for the nice feedback! This really was an amazing cruise and I highly recommend this itinerary.

 

Appreciate the comments , motivates me to keep going :)

Hi Kim! :)

Enjoying your review, and your pictures.

Keep it coming!

(I haven't even had a chance to upload the 1600 pics I took yet. Just barely got unpacked :o).

Re: The Lerwick situation. I think the tendering process went very well (except for my story below).

It was the surprise immigration check, and subsequent horrible lines that were the biggest delay I think.

We did have a rather tense few moments in the tender on the way over though.

I think our tender captain was fairly young and new at his job. As we neared the port, the fog thickened, and visibility dropped to about 30 feet or so.

Our tender driver kept the speed up, and at the last minute realized we were heading right for the seawall. :eek:

The fellow standing beside him grabbed the wheel and turned it hard to port, and we did a 360, found the correct dock and slowly headed in. People on the tender looked at each other, and simultaneously smiled and did a "Whew" .

The ride back was a little choppy, but I was happy that we could at least see the ship. :p

I made escargot in mushroom caps just this past weekend. This is our favorite way to eat them. I slice cheese and place over them. Yummy :D

I HAVE noticed that the supermarkets are only carrying cans of tiny ones, not the large ones we used to buy. :(

Glenn

~~~~~

Sent using my mobile & Tapatalk

We're not paying $40.00 to get escargot. ;)

In that case we'll bring our own. A can costs about $5.00 here. :D

(kidding)

On our March Brilliance cruise, they were available, and we did have them every night.

The trick was to get them served suitably hot. The first night, they were served only warm. And those who eat escargot know - warm won't do. So.. back they went.

They went back 3 times, until the Maitre'd got involved and finally they arrived piping hot. And thats how they were served the remainder of the cruise. :)

Excellent service from our Maitre'd and Assistant waiter - In fact the best we've ever had on any cruise.

Speaking of S-car-go:

Zooom zooom!

From your hilarious blog to your incredible photos, a SailorJack (& SailorJill) report is an experience NOT TO BE MISSED! :D

Thanks, once again, for a most entertaining and enlightening report.

Cruisetrail ~ I'll add my thanks to the multitude who have thanked you, and so deservedly so.

I found your thread when I went searching for pics/info on our cabin 1044 on Silhouette and I'm happy to find its a good one.

My TA recommended it, and happy I took her advice. :)

Keep up the outstanding work.

I know this thread is almost 4 years old, but couldn't help myself - I had to re-read it & experience the belly laughs all over again. :D

Kory Simon is hands down THE best entertainer I've ever seen on a cruise ship.

I was on Freedom last year for two weeks, and this guy had a traffic jam in front of the piano bar every night he played. You had to come early to get a seat.

On the Brilliance last month, there was a woman playing in the Piano Bar, and after just hearing part of one song, we couldn't get away fast enough.

I'm sorry but I didn't even get her name. :o

We cruised Brilliance at the beginning of the month, and decided (rather spur of the moment actually) to get the premium package.

We're no strangers to the drinks package after getting it on Celebrity before.

However on RCI, water is not included and neither is the fesh orange or grapefruit juice (like it is on Celebrity)

But the biggest deal breaker is the wine selection.

By the glass - which is the only way you can order wine with the package, is very limited, and probably just ok if you like California wines.

But we prefer Italian first, French second, and unfortunately for us, there was only one french, and rather weak one at that.

On the plus side, it is nice to know going in what your total bar tab will be, and that you can decide any time to have a cocktail, try new ones without worry, and also not have to sign chits.

I read above where someone asked if you still get receipts and the answer is no. Nothing to sign, and no receipts.

Also, you can not order buckets, or order a few beers unopened to take back to your stateroom. :(

One at a time period, and if you want to order for your SO, then you need their card too.

Just back from our Feb 2 cruise on Brilliance, with a one-day stop at Guadeloupe. We had a fine DIY day in Pointe a Pitre, no danger, no problems, no hassles. ....

I posted this on another thread, but seeing there is another on this topic, thought I would post on this one as well, and have added a bit to it.

...We were just there on a Dec 27, 2012 port stop. We opted to walk around a few of the different markets that were within walking distance to the port (the ship had provided a simple map, but you can just start walking - we came upon several different markets and just went up and down whatever streets looked interesting.) We were 2 adults and a 9 year old and felt safe wandering around...

Thanks, both, for posting your personal experiences - very helpful.

Especially about the markets, and prices.

I will post of our experience after we get back from our March 2 cruise.

I'm posting this in every Guadeloupe thread, as I have just returned. Please do not be afraid of this port. We loved Pointe a Pitre.

Just back from our Feb 2 cruise on Brilliance, with a one-day stop at Guadeloupe. We had a fine DIY day in Pointe a Pitre, no danger, no problems, no hassles. We began by getting off the ship and picking up the map from the local tourist people almost as soon as we got off and before we even walked down the pier. The map is very accurate, and the Guadeloupe tourism folks are very helpful with info and advice, in English if you wish.

 

Since I was very interested in buying local madras fabric and spices, we first went to one of the ATMs marked clearly on the map. We chose in instructions for the ATM "in English" and were able to easily withdraw Euros in the amount we wanted. I looked carefully at the ATM to see if there were any suspicious hardware add-ons, but it looked just fine. The withdrawal process prompted us to shield our password. We have received no notifications of bogus charges afterward, so it's safe to do this in Guadeloupe.

 

Pointe a Pitre is easy to figure out as you walk along with the map. We easily found the market and had a good time looking at the produce and spices, with no harassment from vendors. That produce market then opens out to the fish market, where we had a good time watching the pelicans clustering around for leftovers. Within sight was a big square, with huge ancient trees and some history. Right near that (within sight) is the church designed by Eiffel, and that was certainly worth a look inside, although it's a working church, with people praying and going to confession, so we didn't barge around talking loudly.

 

From the church we were a little confused about which direction to go, so just headed generally back toward where the ship was and within a block or so found ourselves in another handsome square, with the spice/art market arranged in the middle under canvas awnings. But first, we sank into chairs under umbrellas in one of the cafes on the edge of the square to order ice-cold Cokes that came in the can, and use the restaurant's very clean toilet. This was my hubby's Waterloo, as two doors down was a fabric store, which I dragged him into. Here we were surrounded by many local sewing women matching their fabric swatches to zippers, threads, and trims, with narrow aisles between many bolts and rolls of fabrics. I was bewitched by the gorgeous madras plaids in rainbows of colours - plus my dilemma - what would I make from the fabric if I bought some of it? No problem, a saleswoman suggested I could easily make a tablecloth and helped me pick out a handsome plaid! Sold.

 

Back out on the square in the spice market, we found a big handful of vanilla beans in their pods, local curry, and really nice little variety packs of spices. Bought a whole buncha souvenir n gift spices for 20 Euros, and had just enough energy to walk back to the ship. Still had $45 Euros left, so made a deal with a vendor to buy three of those gorgeous big beach wraps that look like nothing I've ever seen in the Caribbean anywhere else.

 

The negative reports about Guadeloupe and Pointe a Pitre are false, and have attained an unfortunate urban legend status on CC. This port is clean, very civilized, very polite and very interesting. At no time were we unsafe or harassed in Pointe a Pitre. We had no problems with language. Many vendors posted prices in US$ and Euros.

 

I would go back to Pointe a Pitre in a minute. It was my favorite and most memorable port on this cruise. At our dinner table that evening I was so saddened to learn that one couple cancelled their scheduled excursion because they were afraid to even get off the ship. This is just wrong.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I, like most readers, read all the reviews, then make up my own mind about what do do at that port.

We have yet to miss a port because of bad reviews - we just take extra precaution. In nearly all cases I've found the bad reviews unsubstantiated.

Our plans are to head to St- Anne first, and afterwards, explore the town.

I guess being a reader and doing research before I visit a strange island makes no sense to you but it does to me. I research and then make a thoughtful decision as to what I am comfortable doing. Do a little research. The last I will say on this topic to you is that Guadaloupe has France's highest crime rate. The highest crime rate on the island is in Pointe-a-Pitre. The highest crime rate in Point-a-Pitre is around the docks. The crimes are petty but no one wants to experience any kind of crime on vacation.

My point is to be aware not to not visit the island...just be aware as you always should be.

My FIRSTHAND, PERSONAL experience with the people of Guadaloupe is they are very rude. We had 2 groups of 300 on board over the length of the cruise. They would not look at anyone, would not smile, would not speak, would not move over in the hallways, would cut in front of people at the buffet and the elevators, would literally run into people if they were in their way. I can't imagine that the people on the island were much different.

Our waiter, the night we were in Guadaloupe, said tomorrow we would be in Antigua and we would like it...it was nothing like Guadaloupe. When someone in front of us mentioned to the greeeter in the Windjammer that they never used the Purelle, the greeter said that they were from Guadaloupe and they did what they wanted to and didn't do what they didn't want to do.

As I said before, glad you had a good experience. Glad we had a lovely day on the ship. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe cruise.

Unfortunately, because you did not personally visit the island, and are simply repeating second hand information,

I cant take you comments as seriously as I would someone who WAS there, like the aforementioned poster. :cool:

Thanks to all the recent posters sharing their experiences and pictures.

MUCH appreciated.

I am now looking forward to this island even more than before.

The very fact that it isn't a "cookie-cutter" / "me-to" Caribbean island is very appealing. I have no problem with bringing Euros to purchase items with, or using my somewhat limited French.

We will spend an hour or two at the pier, then head over to St. Anne's for the afternoon.

Thanks again for those who provided some insights. :)

Thanks for posting the pics. Prices aren't that outrageous, really.

I was expecting them to be higher. :)

We stopped in Guadeloupe last year. Our early morning walking tour on our own in Pointe-a-Pitre: Vegetable and fruit market, next door to fish market, through the park to the flower market in front of a church whose iron interior was desigend by Eiffel and from there to the spice market.

 

In the port, a group of dancers and musicians welcomed us, young people in orange (?) polo shirts handed out maps of the city. They were also present at various spots in the city to help cruise passengers. Downtown is in walking distance to the cruise port building. Many cruise passengers looked downright frightened although there was no reason.

 

Point-a-Pitre is a busy city, full with local shoppers who are not interested in cruise ship passengers. I love being in a 'normal' city instead of one geared towards cruise passengers. However, this is not a very pretty city because of earthquakes in the past. Only a few truly historic buildings remain.

 

The closest beach is in St. Anne. That's were the hotels are. We stayed there about 30 years ago for a week, so I have no up to date information.

Thanks for posting your experience there. Much appreciated. :)

As usual - another excellent review!!! :D

Love your style, Jack! ;)

I have not seen a coffee maker in Balcony cabins we've had.

However the last few cruises we've taken a Junior Suite, and there was a coffee maker AND Kettle each time.

The Kettle worked out great for making nice hot tea for DW.

The coffee maker not so much. For one thing the coffee was too strong, and I guess I could have asked for less strong coffee, but also the bags they supply too big for the coffee maker.

After much anticipation - the coffee still didn't taste all that great.

I don't know if its the water... or what.

But after every cruise, I just can't wait to get a Tim Hortons coffee. :D

I might just follow critterchicks advice and take my own coffee maker and coffee.

We just spent two weeks on the Freedom of the Seas, and bumped into him several times in the elevator or promenade.

He is one of our favorite CD's by far.

Its all good, there is no bad or ugly. :cool:

IMHO

Can't really say anything bad about him... except maybe that he's Canadian... :D....

Thats probably why he is such a GREAT CD. ;)

It had to happen eventually - a Chair Hog Dog!

Wouldn't he only be a chair hog dog if he left to go play fetch or water the grass for longer than 30 minutes? :D

Good news! - I think I found your dog on our Baltic cruise.

He's not dead! He's just pining for the fjords. :D

"Waiter! - Another milk-bone over here"

Mike - Are you okay? :p

...I was on this cruise with my family and had the good fortune to be asked to join a small forum to discuss the new menu with the head of food and beverage for the whole cruise line and a couple of his staff. Approx 12 of us spent 90 minutes with them and were rewarded with a $50 obc. They were asking about the presentation of the menus, their content, did we want to dine in the MDR, what makes a perfect experience and what we might like to see in the future. They were interested to hear that I had heard of the new menus through cruise critic and what items were being discussed...

I was thinking that based on the menus presented, and the "themes" that this was the case.

I figured that they might be "trying" many different items, and eliminating ones that are unpopular,

before finallizing the menus for fleetwide roll-out.

Good plan. And how great for you to be able to participate in it.

(hope you said good things about the escargot, and crab dish :D )

Many thanks to those who took the time to post menus and pictures. And thanks Eel for the PDF which I have printed to take with us soon!

I'll second that. ;)

I'm looking forward to seeing the new menu for myself in a month. :)

Thanks for taking the time to post the new items.

I'm REALLY liking Thursday night. :D

Q ~ Can you tell us if Escargot was available again?

(it's a favorite. I think I could have escargot and a Caesar salad every night) :p

VERY happy you are writing a review of Freedom. :D since I have two cruises booked on her in September.

I think its a pretty cool thing to do for your daughter. ;) Keeping it a secret and all.

I like all the pics, and can't wait to read / see more.

Good bye Oasis!!

Loved the horn. :p

(...getting excited for my Sept cruises)

I think I have the solution. This should make everyone happy, even the Eco-weenies.

There is a company in the states that makes edible gift baskets. You don't like the candies and nuts? Fine, eat the basket.

Instead of a ribbon, tie on a small bungee cord - useful for keeping things open or shut.

Instead of the paper stuffing which gets tossed anyway, how about a small cheap golf towel - perfect for reserving chairs poolside.

There - problem solved. :D

To me, a gift is a gift. Be gracious and say thank you. And if you don't care for it, then share it with someone else that you think might like it.

Well said, and I agree 100%

What has this OP done but to stir up the pot a bit.

I hope RCI DOES read this thread, and continue to give the majority who appreciate them, gifts such as these, and....

...gives the OP a lump of coal on her bed next time. :D