perfect match

Gambee, so sorry to hear about the loss of your dog. I have lost a number pf pets over my lifetime so I know that it is never easy, even when you know that they are suffering and it is for the best to let them go. I am sure he has crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

 

Rainbow Bridge

 

 

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

 

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.

There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.

There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

 

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

 

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

 

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

 

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

 

Author unknown...

 

 

 

I also want to thank you for the tips on the Olympus. I plan to practice with it in the pool some more before we cruise, but there are no fishies there to take pictures of. Pool or bathtub toys will have to do, as the cat doesn't want to go swimming!

 

Your review, as always, is awesome! It's getting me even more excited than I already was about our Fantasy cruise that's coming up in 38 days!

We had booked a BVE on the Royal out of Ft Lauderdale several months ago on the Dec 15 sailing. We have friends who are sailing on that cruise, so we were really looking forward to it, and so were they.

 

Today I got a voice mail message that our BVE had been cancelled, and they would be refunding our payment. I called Princess to verify this, and also to let them know how disappointed we are. I was told it was for "operational reasons". I didn't really expect them to tell me the real reason for the cancellation, but felt that I was getting a lot of double talk around it.

 

I was totally planning to buy some FCC's for DH and I, and had 2 sailings I was looking at booking. The first Princess rep I spoke to seemed to offer some hope that I might be allowed to purchase my FCC's anyway, a sort of consolation for not getting to do the BVE. Unfortunately, the supervisor I spoke with did not offer me that opportunity. Feels to me that Princess doesn't want my business. At this point, I will probably just do an onboard booking with Disney on our cruise coming up in Sept since they do have a very similar itinerary to one of the ones I was looking at on Princess.

 

About the only good thing I can say right now is that at least Princess did give me notification now instead of waiting until Dec to let me know. Still, we are very disappointed, and so are our friends. :(

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise on the Dream. She really is a beautiful ship. We have sailed her twice now, and are anxiously awaiting our Fantasy cruise at the end of Sept.

 

We have loved our aft cabins on the Dream. We were in 7192 which is one deck up and one space to the port side of where you were for our first cruise. For our 2nd, we were in 8188, 2 decks up from you. OOn our upcoming cruise we will be in 9176, one deck above 8188. See the pattern here. Glad to hear the flagpole didn't present much of a problem for you, as I know how much you and your Mom enjoy your balcony time!

 

I just bought the same Olympus camera for underwater that you did, but I am not even close to the photographer you are. I am your basic point & shoot girl, so it may seem silly to you, but I am still struggling to figure it out. I can't wait to see what you were able to do with it.

 

I will be following along. I can't wait to read the rest of your review!

I just knew you'd have the Disney review up before I finished this one! I noticed the link appeared in your signature about 2 pages back, so I hurried to finish here!

 

I'll be heading right on over there, that is, if my eyes can still focus after all I've been reading here. I can't wait to see what you have to say about the ship that got DH & I hooked on cruising.

 

I can't leave here, though, without telling you what so many others have already told you - you've done a GREAT JOB on this review! When I finish with your Disney review, I'll be heading for your NCL & X reviews. Then, if I understand correctly, you'll be heading for the Carnival Breeze! Our friends will be boarding her the day you disembark, so I will get a taste of what they are experiencing through your review. Looks like I've got a lot of reading to look forward to!

Here's another one to look at:

 

http://costamaya-mexico.com/blog/

 

Timing may be an issue. No opinion on this one. And you'll have to contact them for the cost.

 

This one sounds like the tour we booked through Disney for our cruise this fall. The description sounds the same, the catamaran looks the same, the Mayan Wind. After searching for reviews of this excursion on several different forums, I've only found a few people who said they have been. They did say they really liked it, so I went ahead with the booking. I hope it's good!

 

I can come back and report on our excursion after we come back in Oct.

In case you would like to print one to take on board with you, attached is a blank Future Cruise Credit Form. As I mentioned earlier, there wasn't a rack of them available at the Future Cruise Consultant's office on the Grand. I was able to get the form at the Purser's desk, but that involved a trip down one deck (not a huge deal).

 

 

The form also gives you information about the program.

 

Smokeyham, thanks for the link to the FCC form. Sorry it has taken me a while to get to it. We have a cruise coming up in 44 days (but who's counting?!) on Disney and I'm way more focused on that right now. Our BVE is in Dec. I have downloaded the BVE form and will get to it once we get back from our cruise. I'm sure it will save us some time having it already completed so we can spend our BVE time enjoying the Royal with our friends who will be sailing on her.

This thread is great! Glad to find it.

 

We will be in Cozumel for our first time on the Disney Fantasy the first week in Oct. I have been doing my research, and was thinking about Chankaanab, but DH wanted to spend some time on dry land. Since we, or at least I, will be in the water at every other port, I went looking for something I knew he would like.

 

What I found was Fly High Zipline Adventures. It is associated with El Cid, developed by them, I believe. We will take a taxi from the pier to the ziplines. We do a total of 12 zips, 2 trips around their zipline course. When we are done, they will put us in a taxi to El Cid to spend the rest of our day there. Seems like a good compromise to me. Their website is www.cozumelflyhighadventures.com if anyone wants to check it out. I will come back after we go if anyone is interested in a report.

Good luck getting your husband's medical issues under control. I hope you are able to find a solution that will allow you both to continue to enjoy cruising.

Thank you for choosing Princess Cruises.

This letter confirms that we have received payment for deposit in the amount of 100.00 USD towards a

future cruise with Princess.

When you have decided on your next cruise, please contact your travel agent to arrange your booking. Your

travel agent will assist you with final payment schedule, and any questions, additions or changes you might

have regarding your cruise. You may also contact Princess directly by calling 1-800-PRINCESS. Upon

making your full deposit towards your booking, the appropriate shipboard credit will be applied.

Future Cruise Length Per Person Shipboard Credit

17 + Days $125 Inside, $125 Outside, $150 Balcony, $150 Suite

11 - 16 Days $75 Inside, $75 Outside, $100 Balcony, $100 Suite

7 - 10 Days $25 Inside, $25 Outside, $50 Balcony, $50 Suite

3 - 6 Days $15 Inside, $15 Outside, $25 Balcony, $25 Suite

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A copy of the FCC confirmation is delivered to your stateroom.

 

Thanks for the info about the amount of OBC given per FCC. I'm looking at 2 potential cruise options. One is 10 days and the other is 11 days. Sure makes the 11 day option look even better! :D

This review was really helpful! We are doing our first BVE in Dec on the Royal and I now have a much better idea what to expect.

 

I especially appreciate the info about filling out the form to buy our FCC's that we didn't know we wanted when we cruised in April. I was expecting we would be meeting with someone who would be trying to sell us a cruise, or at the very least a FCC. I was concerned about that taking up too much of our time on board. I am really glad to hear that is not the case.

 

Lots of other good info here, too. I may just print it out so I can put it with our boarding passes so I will have it for easy reference.

 

Pam, loved your idea for dinner after your BVE! :p

Caribill, thanks for a great review! I'm trying to talk DH into doing exactly what you did on your cruisetour. Your review has made me even more determined to make it happen! Loved your pictures!

Nachi now takes credit cards for the balance. It is on their website.

 

Any fees for using your credit card at Nachi?

Kim, I want to thank you for another great review and pictures! Our close friends have sailed Carnival Dream several times so I knew they loved it, but they never had pictures like you do to show me why they liked it. Now I see why they keep going back, and I guess I see why they're sailing on the Breeze in August.

 

DH and I have done several cruises, but will be doing our first Western this fall. I have been going back through some of your previous reviews because you seem to like the same kind of shore excursions as we do. So far you have helped me rule out Nachi Cocum because of how hard you said it was to walk in the soft sand. Last time I was on a beach like that I was gasping for breath just walking from my lounger to the water. Not like me at all! Based on your reviews and my own research, at this point I think we are going to Chankanaab. Yes, like you I am a bit OCD about my research! :D As long as my fussy DH can walk down the stairs there and swim without having to walk over rocks to get into the snorkel area I think we will really like it there. Your reports really have been a big help to me, so thank you so much for all you share.

We did it! Booked a BVE for the date our friends are sailing the Royal our of FLL in Dec!

 

I was surprised we were able to book it this far out. The info in the link Pam so kindly posted with the info said you could only book at 120 days out or less, but the Princess BVE desk was happy to take my booking. :cool:

 

We are referring to our BVE as our Dec "Port Excursion". We are going to the port and getting on the ship for a few hours instead of disembarking the ship while it is in port, so it's kind of backwards. :D I know I'm not going to want to get off that ship when it comes time for us to disembark!

 

I'm sure that as time draws closer I'll be back on this forum with questions for those of you who have done BVE before.

Thanks for the link to the BVE info We are thinking of booking this when our friends sail out of FLL in Dec, but I couldn't remember what it was called. That sure made it hard to find the info. Now, problem solved! I just have to convince DH that he wants to make the drive to FLL on the day our friends are sailing! Too bad for us Princess doesn't sail from Canaveral. That's much closer for us so doing BVE would be a no brainer!

On the return home from one trip, I decided I didn't need to keep my travel folder in my carry on since it was bulky and heavy. My checked bag had plenty of room and was below the weight allowed. I kept our airline boarding passes, but left the claim ticket and coupon we would need to get our car out of the lot at our home airport. So of course our checked luggage didn't get home the same day that we did! We arrived at the airport on one of the last flights in for the day so everything was starting to close down. We were afraid we would never get our car back. Fortunately, the parking attendant took our word as to when we parked our car and charged us that rate instead of their maximum rate like their policy says they will do if you don't have your claim ticket to prove when you parked there. That would have been really expensive! I did lose out on the coupon discount at the lot. Our suitcases did show up the next day, delivered to our home by the airline. I will not make that mistake again!

Finally got a chance to catch up! Great review, Chris! I think your review has convinced me to try Celebrity sometime soon, so add me to your list of potential bookings from your review!

I saw you, too! Great camera time! Did you "request a wave"? We have done that for our sail away next week on Ruby Princess, so I hope we get as good coverage as you did.

 

I'll be following your review, as Celebrity is a line I'm thinking of trying soon. Actually, I have to go back & start reading your review from the beginning! I can tell already it's going to be a great review! Hope you have a great trip!

Norris, thank you so very much for all the work you put into posting this awesome review! I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute I spent reading it. I will be looking forward to reading any future reviews you may decide to post. I am selfishly hoping you get to take a lot more cruises so I will be able to read more of your great reviews! Happy sailings!

Norris, I'm still here, too! I've enjoyed every minute of your awesome review!

Norris, another awesome installment! I know I jumped the gun watching your whale video before you posted the link, but I'm like a little kid - I just couldn't wait! I've been using the link quoted below that MilliesMom posted on page 5 of this thread which takes me right to all of your videos and have had no problem seeing them.

 

Norris ... so strange about youtube. If I click on your name in YouTube, it doesn't show the the Bear II but if I click on your full list of uploads it is there.

 

If anyone wants to see all the videos in one spot:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MrPortavogie/videos?view=0

 

It is amazing at how close you were to the bears. Beautiful animals.

Kim, I want to thank you for an excellent review. I hopped over here from the Destinations board to read about & see your pictures of Costa Maya & Cozumel - and stayed for the whole review! It really shows that you put a lot of time and effort into your review, and I enjoyed every minute of reading it! Like you, I'm a planner. Isn't that half the fun? Your photos & insights will be a big help to me, so thatnk again for taking the time to share them.

Nancy

Norris ... so strange about youtube. If I click on your name in YouTube, it doesn't show the the Bear II but if I click on your full list of uploads it is there.

 

If anyone wants to see all the videos in one spot:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MrPortavogie/videos?view=0

 

It is amazing at how close you were to the bears. Beautiful animals.

 

Wow! I just watched the whales from MilliesMom's link to all Norris' videos! Totally blew me away!

 

Thanks for the link, MilliesMom, and for the video, Norris!

Awesome review, Norris! Loved the bears! Reminded me of a hike DH & I went on along Skyline Dr in Virginia. Mama bear & her cubs crossed the path we were hiking on about 25 yards in front of us. We came to a dead stop while they passed. Fortunately, they just kept going. My hands were really shaking trying to take their picture. Needless to say, what I got was nowhere near the quality of your pics!

 

I am really looking forward to seeing your whales!

Awesome start, Norris! Can't wait to read - and see more! :D