senor frogs......WARNING

[morriscats]

I am not Mary but we did cruise to Hawaii on Diamond Princess in November and also did this cruise on Celebrity Infinity in 2005. This is our favorite itinerary by far. We love the sea days going and coming home. The 5 days touring the islands are great. We have done land tours to the islands before so the short time we are there is fine for us. If you have never been there it gives you a sampling of each island.

We liked both cruise lines - but then I have never met a cruise line I didn't like. Princess was more relaxing as we chose anytime dining. On all other cruises we have been early traditional and thought that is what we liked but anytime suit us better. We didn't even do formal nights - just ate at the buffet which was very good. Princess also has the Ultimate Balcony Breakfast/Dinner which was fantastic. We are cruising to Mexico on Star and will do both the breakfast and dinner again.

I hope this answers some of your questions.

[Shak]

Luv2travel#2 until Mary checks back I can tell you about my Hawaii cruise last October. We sailed on the Serenade of the Seas on a 15 day round trip from San Diego. I loved the round trip aspect of the trip from the main land because there were no long plane rides. There were a total of 8 sea days and the rest in Hawaii. It was a little chili for about a day and a half leaving San Diego but after that weather was beautiful. I made a little slide show and posted it on YouTube.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTYwfQRzTfE . The show starts with the trip to Hawaii, then Maui and Old Lahaina Luau. The sunset pictures are actual sunsets at the luau. The sunrise pictures are from Mt Haleakala in Maui also. The ship stayed overnight in Maui. The sunrise was awesome but we had to leave at 3:30 am to make it to Haleakala for this daily event. The helicopter pictures are from the Hilo on the Big Island. The fishing pictures are from the Big Island also but from Kona. The other Hawaii pictures are from Oahu. We rented a limo and toured the Island. That was a great trip too but I would not do it in a limo again. They are not all that comfortable. The picture of the beach and a black and white picture floating in it is a picture of Burt Lancaster in the beach scene From Here to Eternity. That was the beach it was filmed at. I did everything I set out to do so the only thing I regretted not doing is buy more Kona coffee in Kona. It was more expensive at all other ports.

Shak

[luv2travel#2]

I am not Mary but we did cruise to Hawaii on Diamond Princess in November and also did this cruise on Celebrity Infinity in 2005. This is our favorite itinerary by far. We love the sea days going and coming home. The 5 days touring the islands are great. We have done land tours to the islands before so the short time we are there is fine for us. If you have never been there it gives you a sampling of each island.

We liked both cruise lines - but then I have never met a cruise line I didn't like. Princess was more relaxing as we chose anytime dining. On all other cruises we have been early traditional and thought that is what we liked but anytime suit us better. We didn't even do formal nights - just ate at the buffet which was very good. Princess also has the Ultimate Balcony Breakfast/Dinner which was fantastic. We are cruising to Mexico on Star and will do both the breakfast and dinner again.

I hope this answers some of your questions.

Thanks....the anytime dining sounds more like us...I'll have to look into the Ultimate Balcony Breakfast/Dinner also, that sounds so relaxing. I'll start my research now. I'm thinking the long sea days would be more relaxing that the 7 day cruise we did. I'll check out the web sites now.....Thank you again for this helful information.:)

[luv2travel#2]

Luv2travel#2 until Mary checks back I can tell you about my Hawaii cruise last October. We sailed on the Serenade of the Seas on a 15 day round trip from San Diego. I loved the round trip aspect of the trip from the main land because there were no long plane rides. There were a total of 8 sea days and the rest in Hawaii. It was a little chili for about a day and a half leaving San Diego but after that weather was beautiful. I made a little slide show and posted it on YouTube.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTYwfQRzTfE . The show starts with the trip to Hawaii, then Maui and Old Lahaina Luau. The sunset pictures are actual sunsets at the luau. The sunrise pictures are from Mt Haleakala in Maui also. The ship stayed overnight in Maui. The sunrise was awesome but we had to leave at 3:30 am to make it to Haleakala for this daily event. The helicopter pictures are from the Hilo on the Big Island. The fishing pictures are from the Big Island also but from Kona. The other Hawaii pictures are from Oahu. We rented a limo and toured the Island. That was a great trip too but I would not do it in a limo again. They are not all that comfortable. The picture of the beach and a black and white picture floating in it is a picture of Burt Lancaster in the beach scene From Here to Eternity. That was the beach it was filmed at. I did everything I set out to do so the only thing I regretted not doing is buy more Kona coffee in Kona. It was more expensive at all other ports.

 

Shak

Thanks for the photos....WOW....Brought back memories....I was in helicopters for a couple of years, and can't wait to see the beauty that you experienced first hand. The long sea days are of great interest to us. Thank you so much for the information. I'm on my way to the cruise web sites now. Thank you again for the information.:)

[morriscats]

Thanks....the anytime dining sounds more like us...I'll have to look into the Ultimate Balcony Breakfast/Dinner also, that sounds so relaxing. I'll start my research now. I'm thinking the long sea days would be more relaxing that the 7 day cruise we did. I'll check out the web sites now.....Thank you again for this helful information.:)

One thing to look at while you are doing your checking. After the Diamond run, Princess is not going to Kona, which is one of our favorite stop (and DH was born in Kona). Also read, on the Princess thread, about the PVSA. NCL is trying to effectively stop cruises from the mainland by requiring a 48 hour stop in a foreign port. This is already required but we only stopped 1 hour in Ensenada. I don't see how they can do it but it is an interesting read. This would also affect the Seattle roundtrips to Alaska as well as some Eastern cruises.

[karatemom2]

Thanks Mary....Since this is my post, may I ask you a question? I noticed that you just cruised Hawaii....Our Mexican Riviera cruise was our first cruise and we now know that we want to cruise more. Hawaii is the only state that we have not visited or lived in. We want to experience what different cruise lines have to offer....So......Since you just cruised Hawaii, would you share some of your thoughts with me.....Would you recommend the cruise line that you traveled with?....Looking back (hind-sight) would you have done that trip differently or with any other ship, or in any other way? Thanks for sharing....I'll check back later.....:)

 

I can honestly say that our cruise on the Diamond to Hawaii was our best cruise ever!! It was 15 days and I never wanted it to end. We loved Hawaii and we loved the relaxing sea days and we loved spending the holidays on the cruise. It was pretty close to perfect. As you can see from my ticker below we have rebooked to do it again this Christmas on the Golden which is the Princess ship doing that itinerary next. We are pretty hooked on Princess at this point because it's a great fit for our family and we enjoy the Anytime Dining option. I know there are other lines that do the L.A. to Hawaii run and hopefully will be able to continue pending the decision regarding the PVSA. I am attaching the link to my trip review which has lots of detail about our cruise. I highly recommend it as you can tell!!

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=36695

[Crewmates]

I made a little slide show and posted it on YouTube.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTYwfQRzTfE .

Shak

 

I enjoyed the slide show and brought back a few memories from our land tour to Maui we did last October. I do have a quick question which is a bit off-topic: What editing program did you use to create the slide show? You had some interesting transitions.

 

Thanks,

 

Richard

[luv2travel#2]

I can honestly say that our cruise on the Diamond to Hawaii was our best cruise ever!! It was 15 days and I never wanted it to end. We loved Hawaii and we loved the relaxing sea days and we loved spending the holidays on the cruise. It was pretty close to perfect. As you can see from my ticker below we have rebooked to do it again this Christmas on the Golden which is the Princess ship doing that itinerary next. We are pretty hooked on Princess at this point because it's a great fit for our family and we enjoy the Anytime Dining option. I know there are other lines that do the L.A. to Hawaii run and hopefully will be able to continue pending the decision regarding the PVSA. I am attaching the link to my trip review which has lots of detail about our cruise. I highly recommend it as you can tell!!

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=36695

Thanks Mary....Nice review.....This was the reason that I started reading CC, to gather information like this......My father was also a WWII vet and Im a former Marine....Very touching review......WWII vets....the greatest generation that I have had the honor to meet....I think this will be our next cruise destination....We were thinking of taking our grand daughters on the Disney cruise, but now just might have to do both....What a great family vacation....Will speak to our daughter about this and have her read your review....Again, thank you and enjoy your return trip.....Just might be on the same ship with you guys........thanks:) :) :) .......Also, thanks KAREN for the additional information that you posted.:) :) :) Now, back to the CC reviews

[mjbearit]

Part of me feels guilty for taking a left turn and turning this into a Hawaii thread, but not guilty enough to stop me! ;) If you go to Maui, you absolutly have to go to Ulupalakua Ranch. It is a working winery, but that's not the best part! They also raise their own beef and elk. Across the street (highway?) from the winery is a general store. Go there at lunch time. Go to the back counter and order a burger. She will then reach in the cooler and pass it through the window to a gal on the wrap around porch who will barbque one of the best burgers you ever tasted! We used to raise our own beef (yes, even in So Cal!) and this totally took me back to some of our home grown beef that had been babied it's whole life before (I just backspaced to clean this up for the feint-hearted) becoming hamburger. It is just awesome! Now as to the winery, they do make a very good Pineapple-Passionfruit wine, and like suckers we bought a few bottles and had them shipped home. Well it turned out I found it later at BevMo and it was cheaper, even without the shipping! :rolleyes: So taste, but don't buy! Go home and pick up the same thing for less $$! But you just have to jump ship or whatever it takes to get one of those burgers! I am serious! Of course leave it to my wife and I to find the only working winery on an Island in the middle of nowhere! LOL!

Mike

[luv2travel#2]

Part of me feels guilty for taking a left turn and turning this into a Hawaii thread, but not guilty enough to stop me! ;) If you go to Maui, you absolutly have to go to Ulupalakua Ranch. It is a working winery, but that's not the best part! They also raise their own beef and elk. Across the street (highway?) from the winery is a general store. Go there at lunch time. Go to the back counter and order a burger. She will then reach in the cooler and pass it through the window to a gal on the wrap around porch who will barbque one of the best burgers you ever tasted! We used to raise our own beef (yes, even in So Cal!) and this totally took me back to some of our home grown beef that had been babied it's whole life before (I just backspaced to clean this up for the feint-hearted) becoming hamburger. It is just awesome! Now as to the winery, they do make a very good Pineapple-Passionfruit wine, and like suckers we bought a few bottles and had them shipped home. Well it turned out I found it later at BevMo and it was cheaper, even without the shipping! :rolleyes: So taste, but don't buy! Go home and pick up the same thing for less $$! But you just have to jump ship or whatever it takes to get one of those burgers! I am serious! Of course leave it to my wife and I to find the only working winery on an Island in the middle of nowhere! LOL!

Mike

Hey, this is MY (ours) thread and now that it has turned into a informational thread rather than what is did turn into, this is great....:) so, anyone with information about FOOD anywhere is more than welcome.....lol.......thanks for posting this information, I'm saving it. I've been known to drive across several states on the recomendation of a good hamburger place......todays comments are so much nicer and informative......think they might overnight one to me for tomorrows lunch?:) :) ......thanks.....once again, back to the Hawaii boards.......

[Shak]

Crewmates I used Photodex program ProShow Gold http://www.photodex.com/ . It cost $69.95 to download the program and in my opinion worth every penny. The B&W picture in the Haleakela sunrise that transition into color was cool. It took me a few hours of playing to finally get it right. The biggest problem was that I was trying to make it harder then it was. I choose to get the box and download for an additional $10. That was a good move because a book of instructions is included with the box as well as a backup CD. I wouldn’t say the program is hard but it does take some getting used to. Adding audio took a little effort as well. If you like the YouTube version you should see it on DVD. It is much cleared and you can play it on your TV or computer. With this program you can make a CD, DVD, and even upload to YouTube with a click of your mouse.

Photodex will also allow you to download your slide show to their web site. If you would like to view a clear version on Photodex go to http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewshow.html?fl=2920614&alb=0 . You will have to download a small active x program first to view the show though and I have come to find out that Mac users will not be able to view it. Click on the center to start.

If you buy the program and have any problems email me at tmatus@excite.com and I will try to help. This is my first and only slideshow so far and I think it turned out well.

Shak

[morriscats]

Our favorite wine was the Maui Splash - we get ours at Cost Plus. Very refreshing when it is ice cold. Oh I wish we could go again soon.

[mjbearit]

Our favorite wine was the Maui Splash - we get ours at Cost Plus. Very refreshing when it is ice cold. Oh I wish we could go again soon.

Unless I am sadly mistaken, that is the Pineapple & Passionfruit wine I was talking about earlier. They also make just a pineapple wine, which is interesting, but rather flat once you've had the Maui Splash! I'm not one for sweet wines, but ice cold on a summer day, I've been known to down a glass or two! :D Also, if you take a Hawaii cruise and one of the excursions is diving in Molokini Crater, do it! I suppose snorkling would be good too, but it is the best place I have ever been privledged to dive! Even after 4-5 years I still remember that one moment when I wa standing on the bottom, looked at my depth gauge and it registered 77 feet. I looked around me and the water was so clear it was like looking across the room. There was tons of marine life too from little baby sharks (just like one footers) to eels, all sorts of fish, simply an amazing place to dive! I swear I couldn't afford to live there because I would spend all my money on refilling my tanks! LOL! :D

[dforeigner]

It is such a shame. No wonder Mexico's tourism revenues are down. What a way to promote tourism.

[CocoKai]

We try to get to Mexico and Hawaii at least once a year. You can't compare the two. I love them both but for very different reasons. Cruising Hawaii has never appealed to me as you can see so much more on a land based vacation to Hawaii.

 

Regardless, buy the "Revealed" books before you go. They are the Blue Book Bibles and offer up so much information....hidden treasures, secret tips, etc. I wish they made them for every destination in the world.

 

Also....that $70 you paid for 2 drinks, 2 shots, chips and salsa will sound like a bargain in Hawaii :). I've sucked down plenty of $14 Mai Tais with NO regrets.

[LETS PARTY]

we love mexico:) , will be going on the Golden 2/23 :D 5 times in the last year, 35 time to thr MR:eek:

have lived on Maui 28 yrs everyone should come some time in there life

weather update low 80's not bad for winter

Rob

ps been to frogg's many times, over priced--- many better places to go

[Jsme]

The last time we were in a Senor Frogs we only sent $20. Had many yards of drinks but we played the games and won drinks for the people next to us. There was no way we could drink all of that. Sorry you had a bad experience.

[Bemidji Ty]

My DW & I love Mexico. Been going for over 20 years - both land and cruise vacations. We had a similar experience at Senior Frogs in Mazatlan a couple of years ago. After a few beers and a shared plate of Mexican food, we got a bill that had no relation to the prices on the menu or the number of bottles in front of us.

 

We confronted our server who at first spoke no English, so we switched to Spanish and he took about 30% off, we paid, left no tip and left.

 

I'd also be careful using credit cards. There are credit card duplicators available that some disreputable folks have been using.

 

So I agree w/ the OP. Just a heads up to all.

[anniev3]

I have read this thread with interest and just want to thank you for letting us all know about your experience. I can imagine how frightening that must have been for you and your family.

Shame on the posters that find it their "job" to belittle what you felt during your visit to the restaurant. In my experience with this forum when someone is wanting to make up something just to get some angry responses they tend to disappear and stop writing and just watch the fireworks. This OP obviously felt strongly enough about his experience that he continued to back up his feelings with many responses. You should not need to defend yourself to perfect strangers.

I thank you for your input and look forward to meeting you on the high seas someday!

[luv2travel#2]

Thanks everyone and thanks ANNETTE :) for the kind words. I came back to this site not to continue my warning, but to gather information for our next cruise..... I will come back and report the response from Senor Frogs when I receive one..... I've not heard anything so far from anyone. I learned years ago not to put others down just to elevate myself or my position...... I'm gathering information from this wonderful site for our next cruise and we would love to meet all of the "nice" folks that have responded in a respectful manner, whether or not they agreed. Now.....will it be Hawaii, the Baltics or a transatlantic.....I can't believe how inexpensive those transatlantic cruises are.....To all the posters, thanks so much for the information on those cruises......I owe so many DOD's......:) :) :)

[ffspread]

I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in on this. My wife and I just got back from Carribbean, and we too felt we were "cheated" on our bill. Being on holidays I didn't make a stink. I just didn't leave a tip.

 

I never bothered picking up a menu, we knew we only wanted drinks but I just assumed they would be cheaper than the ship. Yeah, it was dumb on my part, but live and learn.

 

She had 2 margaritas (yes they were the big one's), and I had 4 Dos Equis beers. No food, no shots, and the bill was 84 USD.

 

This also was at Senior Frogs.

[becca23]

I do not leave my camera unattended, I take small bills for exact bill plus tip amount, pay as I go, know the price of what I'm eating and drinking, and stay around crowds nor go into alleys. I am a traveler not a tourist. What is the address of Senor Frogs in Mazatlan and the fastest way to get there....????????

[Jsme]

I do not leave my camera unattended, I take small bills for exact bill plus tip amount, pay as I go, know the price of what I'm eating and drinking, and stay around crowds nor go into alleys. I am a traveler not a tourist. What is the address of Senor Frogs in Mazatlan and the fastest way to get there....????????

 

David, I thought this was the Senor Frogs you suggested for us to go in Mazatlan. Are there more than one SF there?

[Jsme]

I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in on this. My wife and I just got back from Carribbean, and we too felt we were "cheated" on our bill. Being on holidays I didn't make a stink. I just didn't leave a tip.

 

I never bothered picking up a menu, we knew we only wanted drinks but I just assumed they would be cheaper than the ship. Yeah, it was dumb on my part, but live and learn.

 

She had 2 margaritas (yes they were the big one's), and I had 4 Dos Equis beers. No food, no shots, and the bill was 84 USD.

 

This also was at Senior Frogs.

 

 

Wow that is expensive!!!

 

We were at C&C a few weeks back and we drank so much and also ate for a very small amount of money.

 

David, I am scared now!!!:eek:

 

If we go I will only order a beer and pay as I get them! But what if I pay and then they say we did not pay. Oh heck. Not sure if this is even worth going to.

[becca23]

David, I thought this was the Senor Frogs you suggested for us to go in Mazatlan. Are there more than one SF there?

 

Yes it is.....Maybe you just didn't see my tongue in cheek....I found Senor Frogs to be fun and enjoyable. A nice sport drinking bar. I don't go there for the food nor a nice quite time.

 

 

David