MTdreaming

We were just on the Royal for a 10 day southern Caribbean cruise. We did not have a problem with the anytime dining..but there were just two of us and always took at table for 2, I did think the food quality wasn't as good as in the past however. The theater, now that was an issue you really had to be there at least 30 minutes early (or more) if you wanted the first show, the second not much of an issue. The comedian, Troy Thirdgill was exceptional. Secret Silk was quite the production, the singer, although talented did not know her audience and was a bit of a miss. Our service was always good. The only two things.. I wish the International Cafe had more variety from day to day and we really really miss having a promenade deck where you can walk around the outside of the ship.. one of our favorite things to do on a cruise. I loved the itinerary and would sail the Royal again if the itinerary was something I would enjoy, however I would probably look for other ships first. I want to try the Regal to see if their somewhat modified promenade would be better.. it would have to be I would think.

just tried quoting a prior statement by myself... I am still of the same mind.. the afternoon teas are disappointing.

But what to do if you want to take pictures.. do you leave your phone in one of these locked bags attached to a chair...I know it slows things down, but it also seems that having one of these bags would make it more of a temptation as there would be an assumption there is valuable stuff in there. couldn't someone act like they were just clearing up chairs...or is that being overly cautious??:confused:

Just printed an Architectural Walking tour map. Might be of interest to you. Search walking tour Curacoa will get you where you want.

 

snow bunny

That was exactly what we were looking for!! Thanks for posting...We will be there in early April and love history, architecture and walking.. right up our street.

Thanks for all the input.. I hadn't really thought about the location differences between Hamilton and The Dockyard.. will have to investigate that further. It appears that all are recommending either HAL or Celebrity so that helps narrow down my choices. I will look at details of costs, and schedule to figure it out...I appreciate all the help on this and clarity from those that have done this itinerary in the past! I am sure it will be a great trip regardless. Another question if I can sneak one in.. my husband loves to golf.. is it worth hauling clubs for the few days we are there? he also enjoys history and cultural sites.. despises shopping, which isn't my favorite activity either.. so does that give anyone more ideas on recommendations?? Thanks again.

We usually sail on Princess, but they don't "do" Bermuda...have sailed on other cruise lines. Carnival and Royal Caribbean with the young adult kids, however our preference has been Princess. We like the food better, the atmosphere etc. although don't object to the other lines. Royal Caribbean is fun for families, with so many active activities, but we are now somewhat limited and that is not a big draw for us. I also don't like their central shopping mall areas.. to me just crowded and unappealing. So what is the recommendation.. I would like to stay on the island for at least 2 1/2 days, so don't want to do a transatlantic or a 5 day cruise. We have heard Holland America is for very senior types and gets pretty dead after dinner. We don't need to dance till dawn but do like to stay out and about until 11 or 11:30 or so. We also always cruise in a balcony cabin, and don't want one that opens up on the deck or in the center of the ship. We also have heard that NCL is a poor choice for those that like good food.. we aren't super picky but do enjoy a nicer variety.. So I am coming across kind of weird and picky here but wanted to give an idea of what we enjoy to help with recommendations. Thanks to all for any advice in advance, and please I don't mean to disparage anyones favorite cruise line.

We have done both.. like many have said they are more similar than different, however there are differences. Royal has more outdoor and sport things.. surf simulators, rock climbing etc, ice skating. They also have the indoor area, that some love but I dislike, a glorified mall. I think Princess excels in food and the International Cafe is consistently better than the similar venue on Royal. Entertainment varies. Princess has more trivia, madcap type of games to participate in as well. So... depends on what you are looking for. In the Med with a port intensive program, it probably for me would come down to price. Whichever you choose I hope it is a great and memorable trip.

So true. I think the main reason that Congress hasn't done anything about it is that the cruise industry has not lobbied to have it repealed. I'm still not clear on why they haven't lobbied to have it repealed, perhaps someone with a better understanding of the industry can explain that to us.

 

Let me try to sum up the way the Passenger Services Act works. The PSA (often erroneously referred to as the Jones Act, which applies to cargo instead of passengers) applies to itineraries that both begin AND end in the US. If the itinerary begins and ends in the SAME US port, the ship must visit any non-US port at some point in the itinerary to meet the requirements of the law. If the itinerary begins in one US port and ends in another US port, it must visit what the law calls a "distant" foreign port at some point in the itinerary. "Distant" is defined in the regulation linked earlier in this thread, but generally it means a port not in North America (so, not Canada, Mexico, or most of the Caribbean). The law analyzes an itinerary not by what is advertised by the cruise line, but by what itinerary the individual passenger actually takes. Hence there being potential PSA problems when a passenger disembarks early (even if it's by accident or because of an emergency), or sails a back-to-back itinerary. The penalty for violation of the PSA is a fine of a few hundred dollars, which the cruise line usually passes along to the customer. The PSA is a US law, so it applies to sailings from US ports, but some other countries also have their own versions of the PSA. In general these laws are referred to as "cabotage" laws.

 

Now let's take an example. Say someone wanted to do a back-to-back Alaska cruise, Anchorage to Vancouver and Vancouver to Anchorage. The passenger would get on in Anchorage, and get off in Anchorage, so the cruise would both begin and end in a US port, so the PSA would apply. Since it begins and ends in the same US port, the passenger would need to visit any foreign port, and since the ship stops in Vancouver, the itinerary would not violate the PSA.

 

Here's another example: Say someone wanted to do a similar back to back at the end of the Alaska season, except instead of returing to Anchorage, they want to stay on the ship for the repositioning to LA. The cruise would start in Anchorage, a US port, and end in LA, another US port, so it would need to visit a "distant" foreign port. Since the Anchorage to Vancouver and Vancouver to LA itineraries only visit a regular, not a "distant", foreign port, this itinerary would violate the PSA.

 

Now let's take that example that someone mentioned about the Hawaii-Tahiti-Hawaii back to back cruise, where some people disembarked early, in Hilo, instead of continuing on to Honolulu, where they had embarked. So, these passengers embarked in one US port, Honolulu, and disembarked in another, Hilo. So, to meet the requirements of the PSA, they would need to stop in a "distant" foreign port at some point during their cruise. Since they stopped in Tahiti, which counts as a "distant" foreign port, they met the requirements of the PSA, even though they embarked in one US port and disembarked in another US port.

 

I guess that wasn't really summing it up, but it's hard to understand how it works without seeing a few examples.

Best and most succinct explanation I have seen about this.. Thank You.!!:)

In many areas of the USA you can get an e-mail daily (not Sundays or holidays) showing photos of the letter size mail that is to be delivered to you that day.

 

see https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action

Thanks for that information... I had not heard of that service, but have now signed up...very good to know.

Another vote for brewed unsweetened tea!! When I am looking forward to a cold refreshing drink and get served a sweet tea.. it's even more disappointing than expecting chocolate chips in a cookie to discover it's raisins!! So surprised to hear about the Canadian preference for essentially what back in the day in the US used to be called instant tea...horrible stuff in my opinion...but that makes the world go around. I learned something today!

We really enjoyed San Juan, actually stayed 5 days. If you like history and charm you might consider Hotel El Convento...a lovely charming hotel in an old convent in Old Town San Juan. It is a bit pricey but is a real experience. Even if you can't make that work for you try to have lunch on their patio.. it is a lovely quiet spot with reasonable lunch fare. http://www.elconvento.com

We always book balcony cabins on a deck with cabins above and below us for less noise, I prefer mid ship, or mid aft, and lower down usually Dophin deck because of motion issues...we aren't super fussy but must have that balcony for the fresh air and a bit of personal space. As to walking, we actually love some extra walking to avoid the weight gain... everyone will have different ideas..

That site is fabulous.. had not come across it, just spent hours reading some of his many guides!!

Royal, Nov 30, 2017.. 10 days Caribbean Medley...new islands for us

Oh this makes me so happy!!! I missed the cancellation clause yesterday as well, and was bummed when I read it on my contract!! Now I am happy again with my booking...I am now glad I did book, and I do intend to keep it barring medical issues or some such.. thanks for posting..:-)

I did not pay close enough attention and booked a red white and blue.. and yes I see a cancellation fee...really bummed as the fare is quite high..my bad...but also a tricky on their part. dang

Thanks for posting. Another North Texan, hoping to do this TA either next April or at the latest the following April. Really am enjoying following along on your trip.

For historical interest I would do the Southern Caribbean, especially on cruises starting in San Juan - Old San Juan is fascinating, we took a tour with an historical architect that was amazing. Lunch on the patio at Convento hotel is great as well, stay a few days extra. We enjoyed Barbados, St Kitts etc. I am not a beach person and do not like to shop, don't want more stuff! We really enjoyed our time.

My husband has carried his in small carry ons for years, several different types of machines and carry ons, all without problems. Many come with their own padded travel case as well. I would not think a full size piece of luggage would either be needed or convenient.

We were on her sister ship the Ruby in April on a Mexican Riviera 10 day.. I don't use insulin but do use Forteo injections and they also need refrigeration. The refrigerator worked fine, what I did was boost it a bit by keeping the ice bucket full in the fridge just to keep the temp down a bit more. I really had no way of actually testing the inside temp of the fridge but it certainly felt cool enough. I had asked a similar question prior to our trip and several folks with insulin shared that they had done that and had no problems. The steward also provided a sharps container to dispose of the used needles. Hope you have a great trip.

Several years ago the Port of Houston "bribed" both Princess and NCL to sail from Bayport which had an unused modern cruise terminal just a few feet from parking.

 

The "bribe" consisted of a significant financial payment as well as a waver of many fees.

 

So at that time Princess, which had just returned to Galveston after an absence of a few years, switched to Bayport until the contract ran out.

 

For the reasons others have posted, Bayport was not the ideal place to sail from.

 

With both Princess and NCL gone, the cruise terminal has been modified and can never again be used for that purpose. I think its current use is for storing and processing imported cars.

 

In my mind it is doubtful that Princess will return to the Port of Galveston, even with the newly completed cruise terminal there.

 

o With more ships being sent to Australia and Asia, there is no ship available to base in Galveston.

 

o Galveston already has multiple ships from CCL and RCCL sailing from there. There are only a limited number of ports that can be reached from Galveston on a seven day cruise and there is really no need to have another cruise line going to Belize, Roatan and Cozumel.

You were right about this process. I still wish they would return to Galveston, as I much prefer them to the RCL and Carnival. If they would rotate going east to Grand Cayman, and Jamaica it might mix up the itinerary but you are right about that too.. not a lot of destination options, which is a bummer.

I have tried the free tea a few times, and have always been disappointed. The service is very random, the food just so so...I really enjoy a nice afternoon tea, but these feel like they are a rushed side note. Nothing special. I have been happy with the food on the ships in general, but not the tea. I am wondering if the upsell tea might be worth it and at only $10 might be worth a try. As someone mentioned it can easily substitute for a meal.

We have had this combo twice...we had a suite and the other party had a balcony. We were on the same booking so that might make a difference, but when we showed up we mentioned at the line that we had priority and they did not, we were told to all go through priority embarkation. Hopefully with your situation they will do the same. This was on RCI in Galveston. Just noticed this is way out of date..let us know what did happen, in case others have this question as well.

We will now consider sailing with HAL, the smoking policy had been a huge negative for us in the past. I am sure there are folks on both side of the issue where this is a go/no go situation. It was for us. To us it wasn't just the preference but a health related issue.

have sailed on both lines. My husband and I prefer Princess but when traveling with our young adult children we choose RCI - they enjoy the surf simulator, rock climbing wall etc. We are beyond that stage of life :-). I feel Princess has better food and better set ups for games like trivia and mad gab. The International Cafe is far better than RCI's option, with more variety. Movies under the Stars is better and has more options as well. But we do enjoy cruising on either line and will pick based on itinerary, departure port and costs as well.