Derbie

20 hours ago, blue_water said:

What are your port times, and date you are on Tortola please?

We will be in port May 23rd, 2024.  9:00 am until 6:00 pm.

1 minute ago, stobe1 said:

2 points. And this is advice is worth what you paid for it so that it for what it is...

 

1. I wouldn't take stock advice from CC or any public forum for that matter. Speak with your broker or financial advisor.

 

2. I wouldn't buy CCL stock just for the $50 or $100 OBC you could get (depending on sailing length). Think about how many cruises you would have to take just to break even on your inital stock purchase price. Sounds like you just want to buy the stock for OBC and not as an investment. 100 shares isn't going to make you rich and the ROI just for OBC isn't really worth it, to be honest.

I found your advice very helpful!  Thanks so much.

1 hour ago, ledges1 said:

CCL is $15.50 per share and does not pay dividends. As an investment, it is not good. If the $1550 to purchase 100 shares is immaterial to your financial situation, go for it. I am sure your advisor can offer better long term investment advice.

I appreciate the reply. We sail on Carnival and Princess (Holland as well, though they don't honor the OBC situation-I have been told) quite often.  I wanted the stock strictly for the OBC. 

We are supposed to work with our advisor this afternoon, in regards to purchasing 100 shares of Carnival stock.  I am concerned, based on a thread posted on here, in regards to the OBC only being good through 2024.  We have an 8-day cruise scheduled on Carnival Magic in June, and a 10-day for  Emerald Princess next month.  If this is the case, I may not want to put out the funds, if this no longer a benefit from owing stock.  Any information is certainly welcome.  

I am not a great swimmer, and my DH can't really swim at all.  Although, he swears he can swim with fins on.  Anyway, I read a post where someone said the water can be quite deep with the tide is coming in, at one point in the Baths.  This may be the turning on point on what we do in port.  Also, how long does it take (on average) to go through the Baths?  Can anyone advise?  If this is the case, we may pass and research other options.  We would like to have a beach day on either the port of Tortola, or St. Kitts. If you have an opinion on this as well, it will be much appreciated. 

Many thanks in advance,

We are going on the Magic on June 29th (8 day Western).  We are traveling with our son, wife and four grandchildren.  We wanted to do the same route as you were on, but it is no longer a closed loop sailing.  I had to hunt us down one where, our son's family could sail without passports.  DH and I both have passports.  I am most pleased to read your review.  I was worried, as not all comments in the ship review board were positive.  I understand you can't please all.  I do worry there will be enough on the cruise to keep them busy.  Last year, we took them on the Panorama and the year before on Oasis of the Seas. They are 18, 16, 14 and 8.  Money belt tightening up, as the grandparents retire.  :0)  Now l

et the port planning begin!

19 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Acknowledge the invitation on Antigua to post on this thread for Tortola.

One has stated many times that the beach experience is to be found on Brewer,’s.

With regard to tours, could you state interests, wish to see, etc., because then one, plus CC, can assist.  There is so much to see/do, so it’s best to prioritise one’s bucket.

 

Also, one invites @blue_water to join (and follow) these exchanges, as they appear to have a finger on the pulse of all that’s good and currently happening in BVI

Thank you very much!  I would appreciate @blue_water offering up any advice.  Also, I will dig a bit, and come up with our "must do" list. 

2 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

One is very kind….. What goes around….

I noticed you replied to an inquiry on a Tortola post that I read recently.  If you have any suggestions for this port, I would be most appreciative!

On 3/17/2024 at 8:14 AM, mitsugirly said:

Do you like hiking? We did a tour that was a lot of fun with history that was pretty amazing and how various plants are used for medicinal purposes and trees that explode and so on. It was a great tour. They also stopped at various places along the way to tell us about different things. But, it is a hiking (easy) tour. I would highly recommend it (and there's several different tours you can do with them depending on your interests). 

 

HERE is my review with tons of pictures if you are interested. You'll have to scroll down the page to where it starts. 

I have followed your reviews in the past, when getting ready for a new cruise.  Can you advise which company you booked the Bamboo Meadows cruise through?   Thanks, 

21 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Not only will one have a great tour, you’ll also find Lawrence is a very generous host when is comes to “refreshments” provided during the tour.  Enjoy….

A gratuity to the guide will be unexpected and greatly appreciated.

I will make sure he is tipped well!  

On 4/2/2024 at 9:08 AM, PORT ROYAL said:

US Dollars are most acceptable………. Cash is king

 

Thanks!  Reservation made.

On 3/12/2024 at 4:34 PM, Thedonkeycentrehalf said:

We have just come back and used Thenford Grey Tours.

 

Seems like a real family affair with his daughter doing the admin, his nephew driving the bus and Thenford himself as the guide.

 

He is a very interesting and personable man, full of great stories as well as a great history of the island.  We really enjoyed the tour with him and would recommend this.

Which tour did you take?  We are considering the Grand Tour with Beach Splash or The Grand Tour.  Any information would be appreciated. 

We are trying to get our money in order for this trip, so can anyone advise if accepts US currency or we have to exchange funds?  I think we are going to book the Grand Tour as well. Thanks for all the good information.

On 3/29/2024 at 10:41 AM, Thedonkeycentrehalf said:

We did the Grand Tour.  We met them at 9am and I think we got back at 4pm but they will check your ship arrival and departure times.

 

It began with a brief tour of Basseterre  before we headed up to Romney Manor.  Thenford escorted us around the gardens, giving great information about the various plants etc and he and his nephew made sure we all got great photos. We were not rushed and had time to look around the batik making area and grab a drink at the cafe.

 

From there we went up to the fort where we had plenty of time to have a good look round.  After that we drove to Friars Beach with a stop at Timothy Hill to get the view across Frigate Bay.  We were given around 90 minutes at Friars Beach so plenty of time to enjoy the beach, have a swim and also to get a nice lunch from the beach bar (the jerk pork sandwich was great).

 

We had great information from them ahead of our tour, confirming times etc and also arranging PayPal payment if required.

Many thanks.  The information is most appreciated!

20 hours ago, Coral said:

Just because you did, doesn't make it right or legal.

Agreed, but I researched this very question thoroughly on the British Isle board, before we ever took a crumb off the ship.  If there had been a notice on any gang plank on any port we visited, I would have immediately thrown the food in the trash. 

18 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

Packaged cookies would be ok - sandwich would be a no no because it’s still fresh food. 
 

Those Europe tours can be long. I would suggest packing some of your favorite packaged snacks to take along if you don’t want to get food in port - although trying local food is on of the joys of traveling! You can purchase bottled water or sodas to bring on your excursions as you leave the ship. 

We were on a 12-day British Isles cruise on Princess last July. We took off food in plastic storage bags at almost every port.  It is not the same (at least for us in Scotland, Ireland, Guernsey and Wales).  We never encountered any of the signs to throw food away here, etc., as when we  traveled in the Carribean and Mexico.  

23 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

A screenshot from Website….

 

Thank you!  I must have been looking at all the wrong spots.

On 3/15/2024 at 10:36 AM, PORT ROYAL said:

Or something different with adrenaline……

 

 https://adventureantigua.com/activities/the-xtreme-circumnav/

 

Book early, space limited, very popular.

I just visited the website, and I wasn't able to locate pricing.  Can you give me a general idea on the cost for the Island tour?  Thanks!

Interested in feedback as well, as we will be visiting in May.  It looks like a fun time.

On 3/15/2024 at 4:00 PM, Thedonkeycentrehalf said:

We used Thenford Grey on our recent visit.  Very good tour, well organised, you can pay via PayPal and I would highly recommend.  Thenford is a very nice and engaging guy.

Would you mind sharing which cruise you took through this company? We are in port the same day as the original poster "2806"." Thanks in advance!

Good morning. We are on the same cruise. I just wondered if you were exiting the ship to travel to Paris? We are supposed to leave the ship a day early and take a train over to spend 2.5 days in Paris. There are five of us. My sister is very nervous about us going as well as for the rest of us. We have until tonight to cancel our hotel. Our museum passes and other items we pre-paid for it would be a loss for us if we don’t go also, it concerns me about trying to change our flights. Just curious if you know anyone that were planning went on going this route?  Also, we did asked at the guest services desk if they would bypass the French port if the trouble was going on there or continuing in Paris?  They pretty much answered it was yet to be determined, but it didn’t sound very confident in their answer. 

On 4/4/2023 at 2:21 AM, Mike45LC said:

Derbie, thanks for the report.  I am very happy for you that you found a very reasonably priced tour.  Did you just negotiate at the Marina with one of the many salesmen picked at random?  

Sorry for the delay in my reply. We are on another cruise. We did negotiate in port. We waited until most of the people who were going were on their way. This was done by way of snacks for grandkids and a little shopping and laundry ahead of time. I think this probably gave us a little bit of an edge.  We just pick someone randomly. I hope this helps. Happy sailing and if you have any other questions, let me know.

We are currently on a cruise that will have port in La Havre. We plan on exiting the ship a day early to take a train into Paris to spend 2 1/2 days. Now we are very concerned about this. We are hoping things will settle down, before we exit the ship next Wednesday do any of you have any comments or advice?

I have never placed a bid on a room on Princess before.  This is a 12-day British Isle cruise.  We are traveling with another family, and they have their own cabin.  We have an interior room, as we looking to save a little cash this time around.  Normally, we get a balcony or at least an ocean view.  Anyway, I received an email to bid towards ocean view and balcony (regular and obstructed).  So, if I decide to bid, what is the normal amount to bid?  I literally have no clue.  Not sure if the other group got the same email, but I don't think they would care if we went to another deck/room.  Ok, let the suggestions begin, and thanks in advance.

Thanks one and all!  We don't have a balcony, as I did review all of the choices of restaurants on the Princess website.  We have been married forever!  Honestly, it is rare any longer that we do anything fancy.  So, I think it will come down to Sabitini's or Crown.  I appreciate all of your input and recommendations.  You all are the best!