Robinsoncruiseso

Leave cell and valubles in you cabin safe. We have a cheap digital waterproof watch set to shiptime. Most drivers licences and credit cards are watersafe or you can get a waterptoof pouch and take them with you. We have a credit card with a set low limit to take on shore for small purchases. If something happens to it not only are you protected by your credit card company but there is also not much of available credit. Sometimes it is hard to get a low limit on a card but some companies will or issue you a separate card with a set limit

You sound like me four months ago. I am a planner and tend to overthink everything, but one day I came across a good deal, price and itinerary. For what its worth, we chose the Feb 7 sailing on the Regal Princess to the Western Carib.

 

We have sailed Royal Carribean, NCL, HAL, Carnival and Princess. We are post kids (me 48 and DH 58) and enjoy Princess the most. We do not need the amusement rides on RCL, NCL or Carnival, and HAL was a little too old for us. We enjoy the less kids and the group activities such as trivia, etc Princess offers. We also like to visit the disco, which is usually not full of drunk 20 somethings. I am a really "non-foodie" so I don't even try to give a review of food. I did not eat butter or marinara sauce until my 20's!

 

After booking the cruise, of course I immediately started looking at the ports and excursions and found some great reasonably priced tours in each port, (Princess Cay, Grand Cayman, Costa Maya and Cozumel).

 

While I am sure there are several other ports and ships which are just as fine, but personally, I chose the Regal because I have been really really wanting to sail on her since she was being built. I have heard she has some quirkiness to her, but if you can fall in love with a picture of a ship...guilty!

Was on the Ruby in May and will be on again in September. She is a beautiful ship. My kids are grown, so I can't comment on the programs, but the rooms look fun. The layout of the ship is great and it is full of energy (but not drunken energy). It is a fun cruise line for all.

If you are planning to snorkel, please be sure to use a coral safe sunscreen. They are more expensive, but will not harm the coral or other sea life. I am not some crazy environmentalist or anything, but I do care about protecting sea life.

I have had an Olympus Tough for a couple of years. Has traveled to Florida, Hawaii and Alaska...great camera.

Our kids are now grown and we are both still working. This allows us to travel much more. We choose not to indulge in fancy coffee and that alone pays for a nice cruise once per year..so we only have to actually save for our second.

 

When our kids were young, we cruised with them only once and twice alone. If you work out the cost per person per day, crusing can be much less than an amusement park.

 

Delayed gratification is the name of the game.

I wear a pair which is comfortable for standing and traveling, put flip flops in carry-on and the other six or seven pairs in their DS (dear suitcase) !

I would vote for Nanaimo. There is usually a shuttle which runs from the port into town. Easy to get around on your own.

Most 15 year olds would love the EMP at Seattle Center. Excellent for adults too!

Agree with renting a car. You do not want to have to return to the pier. You may also find a car conveinent if you want to visit common places such as Pike Place Market, the Space Needle and Centurylink Field, home to the awesome Seahawks!!! Enjoy yourself. Seattle is a beautiful and clean city.

I used to do the drive vs fly analysis everywhere I went. Flying always won out. I have flown Allegient...good for short trips with no luggage. You can usually find better deals on other airlines. Sign up for airfarewatchdog.com or another monitoring site. Airfare changes sometimes hourly, so check often. Good luck and have a blast!

 

PS. I am an accountant and numbers are my game.

We are booked on the Regal Princess out of FLL in February. I am nervous and have been going back and forth regarding flight times. I am not a frequent coast to coast traveler and will be coming from Seattle. Reading the posts, I will for sure fly in the day before. Any recommendations regarding which connections to avoid or choose? Should we try for the Southern route through AZ or TX? Direct flight is not an option. Maybe we should fly in two days earlier and enjoy Fort Lauderdale?

Have more Transportation between Close Ports , Such as Vancouver and Seattle.

 

 

Sometimes they have Transfers , Sometimes Not...

 

Bolt bus solves the transportation problem between Seattle and Vancouver....cheaper than Amtrak.

Pam, we were looking at one in November. 99.00 pp. Just looking at airfare so most likely changing our mind. We may plan for the one in September of 2016 so we can use miles for airfare. We'd love to visit Vancouver

 

See you Sunday.

 

Michelle, flights are much cheaper in/out of Seattle or Bellingham, WA for Vancouver port. Try Allegiant Air Bellingham/LA (a few airports). Also bolt bus runs between Vancouver, Bellingham and Seattle. We do the Seattle/Vancouver one days all the time and live half way between the two, so we always have transportation issues to work out. Get creative!

On our last cruise, we witnessed a person push a server out of the way almost causing her to spill her tray of drinks. We apologized to the server expressing we wished that had not happened to her. I bright smile came to her otherwise timid face. Sometimes just knowing there are those out there who are caring can undo all the rudeness. I tend to tolerate passenger rudeness to other passenges, but I will not tolerate those being rude to the men and women who leave their families for months to wait on all of us hand and foot.

We are on the Regal next February. My DH sings and I just told him he needed to do this. I on the other hand would cause all to abandon ship!

Princess is nice. There are tons of places to relax and usually they have something active going on for the "non disco" crowd which ends around 11 pm. Perfect time to call it a night.

Until our last cruise, I have never checked. We took a cruise DURING our dieting process. One lunch we passed on dessert and the head waiter came over to see what was wrong. He was really concerned. We had to explain that we were dieting (I am diabetic and need to drop some pounds).

[quote name='annestis']Oh my!! All this banter makes me not want to ask ?. I was not trying to get out of tiping, I just don't know how it works. So if I do t prepay, how r they paid after cruise?[/QUOTE]

Do not let any of the banter discourage you. Tipping is a very touchy subject. Most lines will allow you to pay the tips before the cruise, or you can just let it be added to the bill. Budget $12 per person per day. You can adjust the tips up or down while you are on the cruise if you choose. You may also just hand cash to someone who you think deserves more. We will tip our cabin steward(ess) more as they really work hard.

There are some who you should not tip, such as the captain, etc.

Whatever you decide, it is your decision. Go book your cruise and have a ball!!!

I believe Amtrak has a route out to San Francisco from Denver. If you are not a "lay out by the pool all day" type of person, then the coastal cruises are excellent. You could even do a back to back (some are not allowed) and hit a coastal and then Alaska or Mexico. Amtrak also runs up and down the coast from California to Canada. We are in Washington and do these cruises all the time. We are used to shorts when the weather gets into the 60's and we are dying in the 80's so these cooler weather cruises are great for us. We also enjoy the interactive on-board activites. People on cruisees are so friendly and finding other singles or a group to adopt you would make it alot of fun.

Looks like I will be there the week before with seven ships in port. I have not yet decided what to do, leaning towards a beach club. What I did do is look at the excusions offered by the lines in port and will choose an adventure at a location NOT offered by the cruise lines.

Looks like Passion Island/Isla Pasion and Playa Mia are popular cruise sponsored spots.

DH and I took the Alaskan Sampler this past May on the Ruby. I can't even imagine what they could do to "spruce" her up. Just booked the Seattle to Vancouver overnight in September on the Ruby and can't wait. Coming to the east coast next February to venture out on the Regal. It will be interesting to see how they compare.

Accountancy

 

As the controller for a public company, with lots of vacation time, I plan time off during the slow periods. Mid month is good. I always avoid month and quarter end and never gone during annual audit wrap up. As long as everything gets done, professonalls are usually salary and have much more flexibility.

Not "officially" a Canadian, but love our neighbors to the north and travel to Vancouver more often than Seattle. We also love Whistler. No car needed. Weather will be warm in August, but nothing like Florida. Great restaurants, shopping and outdoor activities. You can go from sand at the beach (on the way up the highway) to snow at the Peak to Peak Gondolas in about an hour.

 

This could also leave you a day to visit the Pacific NW just south of the border. Bellingham is a wonderful town.