MrChocoholic

11 hours ago, Jammu2 said:

My humble opinion: Hollands niche is not that coveted in the Caribbean hence lower prices. Kids? Fun? Carnival or Royal. Entertainment? Royal or MSC. Every near-luxury line has ships there in the winter. Want a "premium economy" type experience? There's Celebrity. Holland has itinerary and service. Not that important in the Caribbean where the ship likely is the destination for most ppl.

You got that right. I'm a Miami-based bargain-hunter and your assessment of the Caribbean market is faultless. Fluctuations are common during Wave Season, indeed HAL's recent prices have dipped. 

On 12/8/2019 at 11:07 AM, eric1313 said:

Hello all!

 

i have a “reduced size ship model” collection of about 30 of them. I collect only the ones i sail on. Unfortunately, i am missing 4 or 5 of them from when i was too young to buy them! 
 

i have looked everywhere and cannot find the producer of these ships. I just know that they are made in China. The producers i have found in America produce them for 300-400$ which doesnt make sense because the cruise lines sell them for 39-50$US! 
 

anybody knows where i can find a website or manufacturer that makes them all?

 

thanks so much!

Thirty models? That's quite a cruise history. Mine is minuscule compared to yours. I have tried to track them down using the ship's stores' vendors. You can't buy them individually, only in lots. Some of them are ceramic showpieces, not exactly reproductions. I went crazy finding a Carnival Destiny model, found one slightly damaged on Ebay. Another source for small-scale models is https://www.1250ships.com/ where I found "Kungsholm," "Oceanic" and the yacht "Christina O." 

37 minutes ago, Bailey Boy said:

3 foot long wooden Carnival Glory for sale if anyone is interested if anyone is interested??

Hhhhmmm. I was aboard her last year and bought the authorized model. I might be interested in yours. Would you post a picture of it, maybe two or three showing various angles? 

Welcome to the Ship Model Collector's Club. I found three of mine on Ebay and two on 1250.ships.com 

Although I haven't been collecting them very long, it's really fun to hunt down the rarer ones and, of course, to buy them aboard.  This is my most recent addition, Dec. 2019, taking her place between Liberty of the Seas and Song of America. 

Good luck!

DON'T DO IT! Unless you have the vision and coordination required to perform precision plasticectomy surgery, leave it to the pros. Those clear holders are detachable and recyclable. 

11 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

A friend of mine used to be married to a CW star.  We were in Nashville and met them for dinner.  That afternoon, we had seen her star in the CW Hall of Fame.

 

So we walked up to the podium and found it was going to be a 45 minute wait, no one recognized her.

 

We were fine, as it was a nice night, so we stood outside socializing.

 

Then a stretch limo with dark windows came by, and she is peering in, and said, "I wonder if someone famous is inside."

 

And I am thinking, YOU are famous. 

Nice piece of writing. 

Sean Penn spotted aboard MSC Armonia Sept. 30-Oct. 7

I understand your "disgust" at a whiff of burning leaves. The problem is that the cruise lines fail to properly erect a well-ventilated perimeter in a clearly marked area that reduces the probability of your getting that whiff. Increasing separation between smokers and non-smokers is the key. Maybe vestibules would limit whiffs entering interior spaces whenever a door opens. Personally, I really don't like the aroma of cigarettes, but cigar smoke is heaven-sent. 

Thank  you for FINALLY covering an issue that's near and dear to my cigar-smoking heart.  I'm booked on this ship Dec. 9, after spending a week on the MSC Armonia. THAT ship is very tobacco friendly. 

Now I'm pissed off. I was looking forward to enjoying some fine Honduran leaf cigars on my Aug. 11 cruise including Roatan in a cigar-friendly place. Harumph!

I walked out of Percy Crew's show aboard Elation in 2014 after five minutes. His act was all about calculating the comic effect of saying "_uck" with predictable variations, such as "mother_ucker." Unfortunately I caught his show aboard Victory last March (2017). Simply not funny. Plays the race card in every bit. Telegraphs his punchlines with strange grunting sounds. Imagine my dismay having the same Chef's Table menu on Victory as Elation as being served with stale comedy.:rolleyes:

Checking out how solo-friendly Carnival is, I'm booked on Victory Feb 27. Can't wait to employ some of the strategies I discovered right here.

That accounts for the vast difference as well as the smaller difference that is still meaningful. I have never seen prices for "the whole cabin," only p/p d/o. I extrapolate that to calculate in ppdo halving the quote for each cabin category you listed. For example the int. cabin would be $454. Am I correct? That would be a savings around $35., or the price for a dinner in the steakhouse. Please check my numbers and see if I'm way off base. I'd love to go solo at this rate. Thanks.

There's quite a difference in price. Why? Is it because I'm getting discounts for Fla. Resident and Latitudes and over 55?

Current past guest prices for the 4/23 sailing are $1098 interior, $1218 OV, and $1608 balcony. The 4/30 sailing is $908, $1098, and $1378.

Are you sure about those prices? That's way higher than the ones I'm getting from Carnival's website. Example: Western Caribbean Cozumel Plus 4/30 depart $419 (int.) $509 (o/v) $659 (bal) $1054 (suite) at "Best Price"

Now THAT'S cheap for a 7-nighter. I'm considering going solo which starts at $818.

Thanks for the tip!

Very cool. How great a deal? I'm only nine nights away from moving into the next tier.

Unless your spouse has had a heart attack.

Almost all of HAL's sailings have between 150-165% solo supplement. If you catch one of RCI's "second person sails for 1/2 price" type sales, you can get a single for less than the usual 200%.

 

I was on Liberty of the Seas last year and the internet was horrendous. You need to have one of the newer ships with the amazing (for sea) internet.

 

HAL has a thermal suite package. Also, their newest ship (Koningsdam) has some single cabins. HAL also has a number of quiet places to get away from crowds.

That's the heart of the matter. Thanks for getting to me that is exactly for what I was searching.

I was completely blown away by your cruise aboard the "Evangeline." Got photos? Movies? I have some personal memories of her as a kid, spotting ships sailing out of Miami. I even have an old postcard of her in Nassau.[/color]

I was completely blown away by your cruise aboard the "Evangeline." Got photos? Movies? I have some personal memories of her as a kid, spotting ships sailing out of Miami. I even have an old postcard of her in Nassau.

Thanks for all the suggestions on how to cruise solo economically. Next person.

Interesting point of view. I'm learning the ins and outs of solo cruising now, and I appreciate your sharing your views. What I don't understand is, what is "satisfying enough?" Does that means you would, or NOT, book another cruise on Oasis?

Absolutely, unless they converted it to wood. I was on the former "POA," which was converted to the NCL Sky, and it held my stuff for four nights, with one a bit rough. Unbelievable!

Excellent information! Thanks!

I've done it twice now, once for a 4-night and most recently on a 12-night. The studio cabins are impossible to stay in for more than like--7 nights, as long as you wear two sets of clothes twice. Nowhere to put anything. You can always use the bathroom in the spa to take real showers. Speaking of "nature," get used to sitting on the toilet sideways, NO knee room. Betting you'd be better off splurging for a standard inside and pay the solo supplement (unless you know how to beat it). As for "nature," (I'm interpretation what you mean) there are PLENTY of women available for your company, following THEIR natures. If you can dance (even badly) you're IN. The lines have some kind of social activities for Solo/Single Sailors. If your nature reference is about norovirus, FORGET IT. You're either going to get it, or you won't. It's easy to be around people who have had it or about to get it and it won't even touch you. NO HANDSHAKING, only fist-bumps. Liberally shower yourself with quarts of hand sanitizer. If you are adventurous (not necessarily extroverted) you will meet like-minded people on shore excursions. If you like eating with people rather than staring at the empty seat across from you, the maitre d' will hook you up with some simpatico people. As long as you smell good you'll be accepted by a small dinner group that could become more.

My late older brother was the consummate model-maker. This paper model in the display box shown here is of the first ship we were ever aboard as kids, he somehow found a European manufacturer and put this together. Now that nearly a half-century has passed since we cruised to the Bahamas out of South Beach, I've started a little collection limited to only the ships on which I've personally set foot. Two more are on the way as I write this, the Oceanic/Big Red Boat and the ship in the paper model--the ms Rustringen/Calypso Liner/Lucaya Queen/Carib Queen/Fiesta. I tried like hell to buy one from NCL a couple of days after my Pearl cruise. Fat chance. Now I've learned: if you don't get it when you're on the ship, it's gonna cost you a whole lot more later.