Zacharius
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Posts posted by Zacharius
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As mentioned, FLL is hands down the closest. But, that being said, Port of Miami is by no means far from MIA airport...something like 9 miles, which even in rush hour traffic isn't too far (as a reference, MSY Airport to the Port of New Orleans is 15-16 miles). I personally wouldn't base my cruise decision off of that - neither are hard to get to, and it's not even that hard to get from FLL to Port of Miami, or from MIA to Port Everglades, via shuttle or Uber/Lyft/taxi. I say choose the cruise you want and the flights that work best (schedule wise, fare wise, whatever you prioritize) and go from there.
Hotel wise, I believe FLL has more options in proximity of the port than MIA does.
- ALnAtlanta, CruiseGus and Ryan79
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3 hours ago, twangster said:
Many years ago before XM and Sirius merged you would have been right. Back in the olden days of satellite radio they only worked with satellite receivers, so you weren't entirely wrong, just dated.
And then there was that fun, awkward in between where SiriusXM wanted a portable device, so they released the Stilleto which was basically a portable satellite radio, not a streaming data-based device. I had one of those bad boys and it felt so damn cool and futuristic.
EDIT: Just realizing I also bought it at Radio Shack. Everything about this is so old school looking back with 2022 eyes.
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50 minutes ago, ChessE4 said:
Our October cruise from Barcelona recently sold out the English-speaking tour for olive-oil tasting and only offered Spanish/Italian.
Does the olive oil taste differently in Spanish than it does in English? /s
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While it will be a bit of a pain for them to convert it, and there will likely be a little bit of a fee for them, it helps that the USD is actually stronger than the EUR right now!
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Another vote for Pompei. Even as a history geek, I was surprised how much I loved it. It's huge, so set aside plenty of time. But it's a phenomenal visit. Capri is...fine.
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42 minutes ago, 4ensic said:
As a native St. Louisan, I can tell you that you've discovered the proper use for a can of Bud. (Too bad InBev doesn't ship Natty Daddy - an 8% ale - out of the St. Louis area). In the Philippines, younger Filipinos drink Bud since it's an import. I pay about half the cost for a Red Horse since it still seems like an import to me. Different strokes...
I'm a beer drinker, but I am also a beer geek, and Royal Caribbean offers pure crap when it comes to beer. So, while that Bud was the only beer I had all week...I can tell you it was quite refreshing (and, in this case, healing). Bud Light, no thanks...Bud Heavy, I'll drink here and there on a hot day.
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Also, funny story (I think) from the first time I got a drink package. We got on the ship at about 12pm, if not earlier, and went immediately to the pool (even before I had a drink...which means I broke the law I stated above, and paid the consequences as you'll see). As I was getting in, I slipped and sprained my thumb. So the very first drink I got with my drink package was a can of Budweiser so I could use it as an ice pack. It served double purpose - kept me from having to visit the doctor on the ship, and got the party going.
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"Worth" is a very subjective thing. To me, it looks pretty easy, though I have never done it myself. And as someone who is very much not Catholic, I will say that I have absolutely enjoyed visiting the Vatican for the history aspect alone. But, I have only gone during off season when the crowds and heat were fairly low...during the busy summer season might make it less "worth it" to me personally.
Purely going off of Google Maps, it looks like about a 15-20 minute walk from port to train station, then an approximately one hour train ride to Rome San Pietro station, then about a 25 minute walk. I would do it, as it seems worth it to me, but it also depends on someone being able bodied and being okay with doing some decently long walks, possibly in heat. So, only you can determine if that's for you or not.
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Your best bet is to use a taxi to get in between Pan American Pier and one of two areas - (a) Old San Juan, which is filled with restaurants, bars, history, sites...not so many beaches, and (b) the Condado area of San Juan, which has more resort-type hotels and beaches. Both are close to the pier - no more than 10-15 minutes drive
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Yes, there will be taxis at both. I have never actually taken one in St. Maarten, but I have in St. Thomas and they operate on a fixed per person rate - https://www.vinow.com/stthomas/getting_around_stt/taxi_stt/
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3 hours ago, HeWhoWaits said:
Milkshake vs. beer.
I mean, the beer world has been in a Milkshake IPA trend for a few years now
- HeWhoWaits and foxrunner
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1 hour ago, Dieter de Wit said:
Yeah, the excursion says 1.5 hours traveling. It might be 45min each way.
We were trying to maximize the time in Kuala Lumpur, but taking this or any tour from RC takes too much time as they only last 7 out of the 10 hours on port. I have seen a lot of people that advise contacting a good rated taxi service (Trip Advisor mostly) that will take you from Port Klang to KC and back, even some will take you around the city.
Has someone taken or would advise in favour or against of this approach?
I think it will be more than 45 minutes...looks like Google Maps is saying 45 minutes right now, which is the middle of the night. So during the day, in KL traffic, with a bus, it will be slower. I am just not sure if it will be 1.5 hours.
Anywho, while I haven't done the private transportation thing at KL, I have in other places from the port, and do recommend it. Definitely do research, maybe try to set something up ahead of time (even if it costs a bit more), but it's worth it. Once you get in to KL, you also have the hop on/hop off busses which are a great way to see a new city in a relatively short amount of time.
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6 hours ago, Dieter de Wit said:
Hello everyone,
I have been struggling finding some information about a shore excursion we want to take with my wife. It is the Kuala Lumpur On Your Own. We want to take this one for two reasons, first, we don't want to rely on a group and having specific time set to visit certain places; second, we don't want to rely on a taxi service from Port Klang to Kuala Lumpur.
The only problem is that we are on port 10 hours, and the excursion says its only 7 hours. The drive from Klang to KL takes about 1.5 hours, so we wanted to know if the ride time was included in those 7 hours? If the travel time is included in the 7 hours that leaves us about 4 hours to explore the whole city.
Do you know if travel time is included in the time that Royal Caribbean gives?
Many thanks for your help!
It may not take quite 1.5 hours to get from Port Klang to KL, but of course it depends on traffic. Even five hours in Kuala Lumpur isn't much. I would absolutely prioritize your top one or two sites, and a place near them for some good local food, and call anything on top of that a win.
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I'm saying this as an adventure traveler, someone who grew up in Africa and frequents various developing (and not-so-developing) countries, and...well...blends in in Jamaica. Falmouth isn't someplace I would just grab a taxi unless you really know what you're doing, and even then, expect to be taken for a ride as an obvious tourist. Find a private charter vehicle instead, not a taxi on the street.
- ChessE4 and Alicia Landin
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5 hours ago, Psycho and Barb said:
We enjoy a day on the ship whenever we stop in Nassau.
We enjoy a mix - get off, walk around, grab some local food away from the touristy area, some local drinks, and then get back on and still have time on the quieter ship. It's a good mix.
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On 7/20/2022 at 10:49 AM, twangster said:
Working from a ship is better if you don't have specific timelines and scheduled events. Murphy's law of the seas will apply - when you need the internet the most it will be slow or unavailable at that exact moment.
If your work is the kind that can be done anytime of day as long as it gets done in a reasonable timeframe then working from a ship is possible.
This, 100%. I am a contractor (for the most part) and can set it up so any work I do on vacation is just pretty basic, self-sufficient work. I won't set up any meetings, Zooms, etc. But a lot of my work is reviewing paperwork, schematics, writing reports and approvals, and other things I can do with a simple Internet connection and it has worked fine for me most of the time.
On 7/20/2022 at 11:18 AM, Jolly Ogre said:I am so glad that I don't have to do this.
The major reason I go on a cruise is to get away from work. I don't want to even think about it. I do but I don't want to.
I don't have to do it. But I get an hourly rate for my work, and if I can do an hour each day of reviewing schematics, writing approval letters, etc. during a time when I would otherwise just be doing nothing (like when my wife is taking a nap or something)...why not? I love my job, and if I can work 5-10 hours during a vacation and not lose any of the experience (and pay for part of said vacation), I certainly will.
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1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:
It's not listed on Hilton's website
Sorry for the confusion - in my head I was saying "according to Hilton's website, where it's not listed, it's closed" because they would have listed it if it was open.
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2 hours ago, smokeybandit said:
Is the Colonial Hilton still open? It was announced in January that it was going to close in the spring
It is not according to Hilton's website
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21 hours ago, wordell1 said:
This is accurate. It took us about 1.5 hours to move from terminal 3 to terminal 5. To be honest, I would never intentionally choose to connect through Heathrow ever again. It is literally the only airport I have ever been to that makes you go back through security on a connection (we did not go through customs).
I connect through LHR T3 and T5 many, many times each year. It's not ideal, but it's not terrible in my opinion. There are tons of airports all over the world that make you go through security on International-to-International or International-to-Domestic flights, including all airports in the US and Canada.
20 hours ago, baltodave said:I believe our incoming flight (from Venice) and our outbound flight are both in terminal 5. Also, there are 6 hours (scheduled) from when our inbound flight arrives at its gate and our outbound flight departs its gate. So, I figured 3 hours in a lounge might be okay. If we are staying within terminal 5, do we need to go through security?
A six hour layover definitely gives you plenty of time to spend three hours (or more) in the lounge, so that makes it a bit more "worth it". Another option with six hours is to get out of the airport - use the Heathrow Express to get in to the city for a couple hours, for example, or head to Windsor/Windsor Castle. Just an option...I've done it with that kind of layover, but it does add the immigration component on both ends.
Yes, you'll need to re-clear security even if you stay within T5.
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I have not been to either of them, sorry.
One thing to consider is that if your layover is three hours (not sure if you're saying your layover is three hours, or you would be in the lounge for three hours), the amount of time you would actually have in the lounge is quite a bit shorter. Between needing to transfer gates, re-clear security, and be at your departure gate a certain amount of time ahead of your flight, that three hours can easily become 1.5. These pay lounges tend to be pretty basic, and while I am not in the business of telling other people how to spend their money, I personally think $43pp for 1.5 hours in a very basic lounge after a short flight (from Rome, Athens, Venice, not sure) may not be the best use of money. Just food for thought...and it'll probably be better than the food in the lounge
Cruise Mistakes
in Royal Caribbean Discussion
Posted
As long as you're physically able, one of the biggest mistakes in my book is taking elevators. Not only are they busy a lot of the time and may require a wait, but the walking and stair climbing is good for combatting the food and drink! Heck, we purposely choose a room as far from the elevators as possible.