KristiZ

I wear my contacts when I snorkel and have no issues. My mother bought a mask with prescription lens inserts and just brings it with her; she uses the tour company's snorkel and fins. Investing in a mask depends on if you might want to snorkel more in the future or if this is a one-time thing.

Also, if you are only a little near-sighted, the light refraction in the water will make things appear about 25% larger/closer anyway, so you might not need to do anything special! 

2 hours ago, firebuck said:

I find the lack of Macallan 25 disturbing... 

It wasn't on the menu but they had it in at least the R Bar on Explorer last month. Don't give up hope!  

31 minutes ago, Bob_KY said:

We will be on the HOS in a Grand Suite January 2020.  We are traveling with another couple (Diamond Level) and will purchase Ultimate Dining Packages.  Question.  Is it okay to have the Concierge make dinner arrangements for a table of 4 (Not for the CK).   Thanks in advance.

We just did this on our last cruise and had no issues. We just told the concierge how many we wanted the reservation for and the additional cabin numbers and he took care of it all.

On 3/22/2019 at 1:30 PM, KWofPerth said:

As @KristiZ hinted, the SP is a bit more "rustic" (not primitive, lol) than the Caribbean.

Much better said!  

4 hours ago, DRLPP said:

I am reposting a request for info about B2B cruises on Radiance out of Sydney in 2020. Looking for info on shore excursions for stops in New Zealand and the South Pacific islands. I know the 2019 summer/fall season there is just finishing up so hoping for some suggestions or feedback from some of your stops in either area. My New Zealand stops are Dunedin, Akaroa, Auckland and Bay of Islands. South Pacific stops are Noumea, Mystery Island, Mare, Vila, Lifou and Isle of Pines. Also any other tips or pointers are appreciated. Last thing deals with pre-cruise hotel in Sydney. I am looking at Rendezvous or the Holiday Inn in the Rocks area. Greatly appreciated.

Just got back from a South Pacific trip, so I can speak to that part:

 -- we did the Advanced Snorkel on Mystery Island and it was fantastic. Beautiful, beautiful corals and nice big colorful fish. You will need to be pretty fit, though -- the swimming can be challenging and you have to be able to pull yourself back into the boat (with a little ladder and one person giving you a hand)

 -- Noumea you'll likely dock at the cargo terminal, but don't worry. The free shuttle zips you out of the port quickly. This is a cute town and the least "beachy" of your stops. FWIW, the Aquarium and a few other places are not open on Mondays, but will open for the RC shore excursions, so that's a nice plus if you happen to be there on a Monday.

 -- Isle of Pines has a nice beach right where the tender brings you if you want a free beach day. Please note that the RC snorkel excursions require you to have your own gear.

 -- Lifou is a quiet island. We did the Vanilla House tour and enjoyed it, then just kicked around the rest of the day.

This was my first time in the South Pacific and I admit I was expecting a bit of "Caribbean West" feel. Boy was I wrong! These locations are much more primitive, not at all in a bad way, just different! Tourism is really only recently getting started in most of these islands (Fiji excepted I'm guessing).

For Sydney, the Holiday Inn Rocks location is fantastic -- so much to do (and EAT) in that area!

Enjoy!

2 hours ago, IRMO12HD said:

Thanks for posting current prices.  We're heading out on Oasis in April on a Transatlantic; we've done the Deluxe package before, but the prospect of shelling out over $700 each has me considering trying to take advantage of Happy Hours, Drink of the Day, and C&A coupons . . .

And watch for (or ask, I have had them do it for me even if it's not advertised) the punch card offers once you're onboard. They make my call drink of choice (Patron and Grand Marnier rocks margarita) only ~$9 instead of $14! 

IMHO, the drink packages can be worth it if 1) you have a lot of sea days or 2) you can catch a big sale on the price. Otherwise, I can drink a lot of tasty things for less money overall. And trust me, the DH and I have done extensive testing and cost comparisons! Haha!

12 hours ago, spiralqueen said:

Do you remember how long it ends up being? If I decide to get it for someone as a gift can I hang out and watch without paying if I don’t drink at all? 

This last one took about an hour. It depends on how chatty the sommelier is  

Yes, I think you could watch and not drink, since it's usually done in the MDR where people can sit and read, play games, etc.

For sure, especially if you're a wine novice! We've done this several times, because the wines change depending on the year/region/sommelier's personal choice. It's not pretentious at all, so don't be intimidated!

I have done both. They are both great itineraries! However, the Hawaii one with maximize your "vacation" time and minimize your flying/jetlag time, which is not nothing. I'd do the Hawaii one.

If you're afraid you'll be bored during the multiple days at sea, don't be! There will be many, many things to do. 

Weather will be good in either place. A bit warmer in the Med.

Good luck, and let us know what you pick!

It doesn't hurt to ask! I suspect they might give you at least some OBC. Good luck!

I have not been to the garden, but actually the public bus system on Grand Cayman is a lot of fun -- they are mini-buses that hold 10-12 people. There's a website for more info: https://caymanresident.com/live/transport/public-transport-taxis-airport/public-buses/

Makes it very easy to get around, and most of the drivers are chatty too!

Our rule is "if it's not the best <whatever> you've every had, stop eating it!" I don't like to waste food, but I more don't like to see my waist get bigger.

Also, we never, ever take the elevator. Sometimes we have to take a break going up, but we just plan the time for that. (In fact, sometimes it's much faster to use the stairs -- like after the show gets out and there's a crush waiting for the elevator!)

Get up for 7am stretch class! Then you're already moving for the day.

Spectrum, December 22, 2019

Spectrum, December 29, 2019

On 3/11/2019 at 2:36 AM, Traveler said:

In my Asia and Europe cruises they accepted dollars . will be interesting to see if it will be the same in a cruise out of China  , will check it around October .

It's all US Dollars out of China/SE Asia right now, even on the ships that are homeported in China.

On 3/11/2019 at 6:10 AM, F1guynz said:

Last week on our cruise to the South Pacific the casino operated in USD, although I did see someone give the dealer Australian dollars and they converted it to USD. The dealer then gave them USD value chips. I didn't realise they did that but I don't imagine the exchange rate would be particularly favourable, it is best to bring your own USD on to the ship.

I think we might have been on the same trip!

2 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

I hope you'll share your adventure and LOTS of photos!

Absolutely! But first, I'll likely annoy everyone with many, many questions once she starts sailing and we can see what she's really like!!

Has anyone done a back to back cruise where the change point was in Hong Kong? Did you have to get off the ship? Was it a simple process?

Inquiring minds want to know!

This will be our first back to back and we're interested to see how it all works, for later when we've retired to a cruise ship full time! 

I just booked her for December!

More to your point, though, I've been on a number of SE Asia cruises recently, since we're currently living in Tokyo. I have no real complaints! Possibly the only drawback would be that in some of the ports the ship is docked a long way from the "port" city advertised. This makes shore excursions take longer to get to than you might want, or makes it harder to just wing it off the ship when you arrive. As long as you know this going in you can be mentally prepared. Tons of fascinating stuff in the region to see and do, though!

THIS! I want this!

Personally, I loooooooooooove Grand Cayman. We went for the first time in <cough>1996<cough> and enjoyed it enough to return twice for week-long land vacations. Last time we were there was 2010, so I'm sure it has changed some, but I still have a special place in my heart for GC. Head to Cemetery Beach if you like to snorkel and don't want to do a regular excursion!

On 2/14/2019 at 8:36 AM, scottish67 said:

 departing from Barcelona

We've sailed out of Barcelona and had no issues whatsoever. It's a lovely terminal and the porters are professional!

1 hour ago, Mitch said:

Seems to me that no one goes on Radiance of the Sea. Why? Is it old/bad?

I love Radiance! I enjoy the calmer, smaller ships  

37 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

Do they assign tables ahead of time like that for MyTime Dining, too? 

Not sure about this, as I've only done MyTime once. In that case, I had reserved the same time every day and the waiter proactively went to check that we would be seated with him each night. So I think your plan is a good one!

I have found the Book Onboard prices to be as good or better (sometimes significantly!) than any sales on the website. I always wait if I can!

You can take the Light Rail from the airport to King Street Station. From there, depending on which pier you're sailing out of, you can catch a cab for about $10. The one benefit to this route is that sometimes traffic from SeaTac into downtown can suuuuuuuuuuuck, running up your bill.

Just another option!