KWong

1 hour ago, stevendom57 said:

Yea, those "love bugs" are awful.

It's sad that one of my lasting memories of living in Houston are the love bugs. 

1 hour ago, HeWhoWaits said:

Another option that doesn't rely on any airlines - drive it. Austin to New Orleans is only about 8 driving hours each way. By the time you drive to the airport, go through security, wait for your flight, sit in those tiny seats for a while, wait at baggage claim, and travel to your hotel the time saving is probably only an hour or two.

Hopefully you wouldn't be driving during bug season. I-10 can be brutal during that time. 

I would never say no to an Oasis class, amped or not. Also, I like the boardwalk sight lines without the Abyss (not that fussed either way though), so Allure would be great as far as I'm concerned. 

So basically no team play. Makes sense.

I still love that article. Although in fairness, at least St. Louis food is something that's known.

Toronto's cuisine (that isn't from somewhere else) consists of hot dog carts (aka street meat. Not that unique, but they are everywhere.), peameal bacon sandwiches, and... (does a google search) ...sushi pizza? Alrighty then.

3 minutes ago, twangster said:

When the playoffs were announced somewhere on this forum I posted that the Leafs might have a chance this year.   They quickly proved they are still the Leafs, even in a bubble.

There are three certainties in life: Death, taxes, and the Leafs underachieving.

19 hours ago, Andrew72681 said:

Don’t fret, just like the Stanley cup when cruises start back up it’ll be US only

I live in the heart of Leafs Nation, and it's never not funny when they fail to win.

3 hours ago, twangster said:

The National Hockey League is posting about cruise ships?  Slow off season I guess...

Keep Bettman far away from the cruise industry, please and thank you. 

10 hours ago, RWDW1204 said:

What's wrong with provel? It's a St. Louis thing!

First off, a "St Louis thing" is not necessarily bad. You've got Toasted Ravioli, Panera, and Bernie Federko, among others. 
 

But provel does not taste good on pizza. I'm sorry, it just doesn't. 

Any pizza can be good pizza. Unless it's got provel on it. 

I thought they were doing some renovations in Port Everglades?

On 9/21/2020 at 11:37 AM, Ampurp85 said:

River cruises in America are too darn expensive for the product offered....in most cases you can take at least 2 RCG for the price of one. River cruises in other countries are a better value because they allow you to see, often historic, sites at a decent price. European river cruises also work out to be a better bang for your buck because the all inclusive pricing usually covers intimate touring groups. I took a 4N Nile river cruise in Egypt and we had a private guide, balcony and all excursions included for under $400 per person. I was looking at American Queen and the most basic room is over $2000 per person. I know most of the river cruises are are over 9 days, because it is a lazy way to travel, but with no real activities....it is just not worth it. I cannot see RCG wanting to do river cruises, maybe another flagship like Azamara...but they would have to choose their ports, excursions and itineraries carefully.

Not just river cruises in NA - I once looked up that train tour through the Rockies and wow that's pricey. Wouldn't mind doing it but I gotta win the lottery first. 

10 hours ago, DublinFC said:

I am hoping to have plenty of leftovers too so I can snack on it later too.  I already told my wife our bill might be a little steep from the grab and go sushi option.  I plan to have it a few times on the ship

When my daughter and I did this we weren't allowed to take leftovers out of Izumi. 

But anyway, I did a 3 Gorges Dam river cruise. And outside of an understandably partisan narrative during tours (mainland China, what are you gonna do?), it was a pretty enjoyable time, although it took a while to adjust to the idea of mostly sitting down and enjoying the trip.

On 9/19/2020 at 9:47 AM, HeWhoWaits said:

Windsor would be perfect - it would allow folks who want to go to Detroit (why, I don't really know unless your favorite sports team is playing there) easy access and meet the requirement.

I read the first four words out of context and had a good laugh. But outside of that, you make a good point. 

Sounds dangerous. Sake is the most dangerous thing you can have at a sushi restaurant. Unless they serve fugu. 
 

id be in. 

20 minutes ago, Jolly Ogre said:

Just make sure to do your due diligence  clean your surfaces, don't cough on folks, and please please wash your hands. It's just that simple.

Agreed with this. Everyone does their part, and the cumulative efforts will help minimize the chances of getting sick from COVID or other viruses.

14 minutes ago, CruisinForABruisin said:

To that point, these may be off limits, as they are not RCL offered excursions 

Yeah agreed. If It's just Royal-offered excursions, this is a moo point

1 hour ago, DandA said:

Labadee, Haiti and Falmouth, Jamaica were two of our first cruise ports also.  As has been said, Labadee is Royal's private resort, we went hog wild and booked the Dragons Breath Zip line and a parasailing excursion.  I highly recommend both it was a great experience.  One word of caution, there is an artesian village market that has various types of souvenirs, the vendors are pretty aggressive and if you’re not used to high pressure and intimidating salesmen it can be a very unpleasant experience.

At the time of our visit, Jamaica was experiencing a lot of crime involving rival gangs and the drug trade so we didn’t venture from the port.  There was one excursion we were looking at that visited several sites, we decided not to go as two of the neighborhoods that were on the list to avoid was right in the middle of a couple historic buildings that were on the tour.  The port itself is pretty nice so we just visited the shops and had lunch at the Margaritaville.

With the market I found it best to keep walking and give calm but firm "no thank yous" from time to time. Some of the vendors DO feel aggressive but they will back off if they see that you're just passing through.

Forgot to note that there is a walking trail in Labadee. Was planning to go along it on my canceled August cruise.

Falmouth is kind of tricky, since there isn't enough in the surrounding area to interest me. I've done Dunns Falls a couple of times (only once while cruising), and it's fine, but it does take some time to do because of the distance. Mostly we stayed in the port area and had a ship day.

10 hours ago, JLMoran said:

Pane E Vino in New Brunswick. Picked the place at random after my daughter finished a performance there with the chorus she was in during high school.

Expensive place, didn't realize until after we'd been seated but I just figured, "YOLO!" Man, was it worth it! Daughter and I agreed it was the best meal we'd ever had, can't say it's been topped yet.

I think some of the best (also worst) experiences have come from randomly going "hey let's try this place." We've found places such as Pho Xyclo in Niagara Falls, a street festival in Sand City, CA, and Pie in Barrie, ON.
 

But we've also found some pretty meh places like some pub in Stratford-upon-Avon and a paella place in Barcelona. No regrets though - nothing ventured, nothing gained. 

For Grand Cayman I'd look at doing a stingray excursion. Hopefully you'll have options on picking an operator in June. 

In the current environment I think folks would be more comfortable with less people around. So if we only go by this criteria, the choice is clear. 
 

but, if people are still looking for more amenities, then you'll likely need to look at Sanchos. 

I believe there are a couple of companies that have "port of Miami" locations that provide shuttles to the terminal?

I wonder if they're taking measures to prevent the usual "kid soup" situation in the pools.

8 hours ago, Marga said:

I live in Europe and have cruised several times in the Med. Although I highly recommend these sailings I do want to say that you won't really see Europe this way. 

If you want to cruise I would recommend Barcelona to Civitavecchia (Rome) and adding days in front and back of the cruise.

If you have time, take a train from either city to Paris. High speed trains are not very expensive if you book in advance. First class one way costs about 100 euro per person. Stay a few days in Paris, take the train to London and visit there a few days and fly back. 

All depends on time and budget of course. 

 

Have a great time with your daughter, sounds like a lovely plan! 

I think I like this idea. Barcelona is a lovely city (unless you're Lionel Messi in 2020), lots to explore in and around that you might not get to on a cruise. 

I've not been to Rome, but it's on my list.