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foxrunner

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Posts posted by foxrunner

  1. 2 hours ago, JFCruise said:

    We arrive at the port at 5:00 PM and I'm travelling with a 5yo, so ideally we would like to be able to go back to the ship in time for dinner. So tea/snacks probably don't really mind.

    Check to see if the Gardens are open that late. We went in the late morning. The ride from the port to the gardens is about a half hour one way. Not sure when you have dinner and if the ship gets in late it could be tight. We really loved the Gardens but if you need a quick free activity go to see the house boats or Beacon Hill Park(walkable not for the 5 YO). As always happy to help, ask away. With a 5 YO, I'd skip the gardens and shoulder cary the precious one along the sea cliff walk to the park. Free is always great to me!

  2. 3 hours ago, JFCruise said:

    How much time do you consider a "good" amount of time to spend in the Garden, Are 2 hours enough?

    We went in late Aug. and took a Royal Caribbean Excursion.  I believe we had about 2 hours at the gardens.  It was a beautiful sunny day. Temps in the 70s.  We did not do a tour of the gardens. just walked around.  The bus driver did act as a tour guide on our drive there and we learned a lot about the woman who created the gardens.  I'm sure you could do some research ahead of time to learn the history of the gardens and their creation.  

    Pros to the RC tour, we didn't have to wait in line to get our entrance tickets.  Cons: We arrived with about 5 other tour buses and it was a bit of a crush for the first 20-30 minutes or so. 

    It sounds like you have some other plans.  If you want to see the gardens quickly, you could probably move through the gardens in a little over an hour.  That would mean that you would  not visit the gift shops, have a snack/drink at the cafe, or have high tea, which you can do at the gardens. 

    Our bus driver did drop us off in the city center so that we could go to High Tea at the Empress Hotel.  Others on the tour also left the bus tour at the city center to explore on their own. 

     

     

  3. Victoria

    Go to the Butchart Gardens it is beautiful. I'm confident that the teenagers will be wowed. This is a story our busdriver told us on the ride over. A man and his wife get on the bus and the husband is in a foul mood. He yells out as getting seated "is there any beer at that stupid garden" The busdriver replied yes as a matter of fact they have a full bar. To which he replies well I'm going to have a million beers and not see a single flower. When the couple returned to the bus the driver asked "how was the beer sir" the grumpy husband said I didn't have one that place is incredible.  You can take a cab and be on your schedule timewise at the garden, which we would do next time. In town you can go to high tea at the Empress. This may not interest the teens but only about an hourish long and the food was really good. We like tea as well but you do need to dress up a bit. If the teens don't want to do the high tea give them cash to window shop in the downtown shops where the Empress is located. Beacon Hill park is also a nice walk, it has the largest totem pole on Earth. We didn't get over to see the houseboats which are also supposed to be unique.  We really  enjoyed Victoria and had a similar outlook precruise! We are going cross country in our travel trailer Summer 2025 with good friends and we are going to stop in Victoria to show them around.   

     

  4. On 12/26/2023 at 9:23 AM, ScottD said:

    I ended up going to "Brunch" at MDR and I was there forever... not sure if that's the norm for the brunch days (I thought it was brunch every day, but was told after that it's brunch on sea days) or just that day, but it took longer than a dinner service so we never ended up back in MDR for the morning meals

    I have had a similar experience at brunch. On sea days they don't serve breakfast in the MDR.  Brunch is just hybrid breakfast lunch menu that starts latter and goes latter in the afternoon. Some advice to everyone about service time, if you let the waiter know that you want to be finished in a certain amount of time they usually get it done. I know we all know how hard these people work and don't want to put extra demands on them. The reality is they want you in the MDR as butts in the seats are part of the matrix.  

  5. 6 hours ago, Shaburr said:

    Thanks everyone! 

     

    We will go Quantum Class now for sure and now I just have to figure out if it's best to book last minute or a year + out.

     

     

    The better excursion also sell out. Book them early and if you see something you want to do book it, keep looking and cancel as needed. Just remember to check policies on cancellation. Alaska is amazing! 

  6. On 9/14/2023 at 12:09 PM, CHRIS WONG said:

    What will my job be on Icon Of The Seas?

     

    Just 100 days until I join the ship!

     

     

    I think what people are saying when they ask about your job on the next contract is more along the lines of are you going to be promoted? I see that you are now an assistant casino host. Is there a position as the casino host or casino manager and would that interest you? We will be on Icon in April and hope to meet you, a warning though we only spend the freeplay in the casino.

  7. By looking at my list below you can see that we have primarly sailed the two newestest and largest class of ship. The exception is Freedom and we didn't feel like we were giving anything up sailing on her. Tons of free food all over the place exept late at night, which is true on the big girls as well.  My preference is to choose the destination over the ship. If you really want Oasis class then book it, because you'll be comparing and second guessing the whole cruise. YOLO it you have my blessing if you need it. 😉

  8. On 12/5/2023 at 3:52 PM, AniJ1979 said:

    I'm looking for similar info.  Traveling on Odyssey July 2024, from Florida so I MUST DO the beaches in Greece.   I'm thinking of getting a taxi from the port heading to Perivolos Beach and hanging out for a while.    Then finish the day at Fira for sunset viewing.    Does that sound feasible.   We arrive at 1p and need to be on ship by 10p.   I will be bringing swimming shoes, not all beaches are in FL.

    Annie

     

     

    You should have plenty of time to enjoy the beach and get back for sunset. Check the the time the sunsets as it varies through out the year. Also if you return after sunset the cable car line will be very long. This will result in you walking down the donkey trail which is dark slippery and smelly. Everyone should do it once but be prepared!

  9. On 12/6/2023 at 1:30 PM, PatsFanBrian said:

    We’ll be on Odyssey in 45 days for a Southern Caribbean itinerary.  It will be the first time back on a Quantum class since the first sailing of Quantum back in 2014.  I know much has changed with Odyssey, I’m anxious to experience the improvements.

    You are going to love it! Playmakers and the pool deck are really cool venues. We didn't really feel like the ship was any bigger than Ovation, except up on the pool deck.  We eat happily in the MDR and the food was fine. Fellow Pats fan here looking forward to tonight, yeah I know they are probably going to lose. As a 55 Y.O. I've seen it all!

  10. We went to Black Beach (Santorini) last season it was quite nice. The sand is hot though so bring shoes. Also a slippery ledge right at the waterline makes getting in and out tricky especially in any kind of surf.

    At Mykonos we went to Delphi and no one is permitted for religious reasons to enter the water. We were on a motorized sailboat and they brought us to a neighboring island and we could jump in and swim to the beach. Nice beach but no amenities.

    We didn't go to your other destinations but had a great cruise! 

  11. We have an interior cabin, deck 10 forward on Oasis for our 2024 summer cruise from Barcelona. it is a very port intensive cruies, with only one sea day. We have only cruised in oceanview balconies, but with the increasing cost of cruising, wanted to see if we could save some money and still enjoy cruising with the interior room. Our TA let us know that for $220 total(plus we would get $50 onboard credit), we could switch to a Central Park view cabin on deck 9.  @OCSC Mike, you seem to be the king of interior cabins.  I would love anyone's opinions about choosing an interior vs. a central park view cabin on Oasis.  

    TIA

     

     

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