DDaley

She's still writing these???? I think they last one I read was #20 because I got so fed up with Stephanie not choosing Ranger or Joe. Just pick already! Hahaha I do love me some Grandma Mazur, though!

Great idea! I love my split-sole Bloch dance sneakers, could definitely weather some spilled drinks and roughly textured, anti-slip deck surfaces!

As someone who also blogs from their phone, let me suggest you write entries in a Notes app and then copy and paste them into the browser when you’re ready to post. I have lost sooo many entries that I then had to hastily rewrite due to the browser failing/reloading itself with shipboard wifi. These posts have an autosave feature but I swear it only saves stuff I’ve already posted and never when I needed it to!

Oooh loved Celestyal, which ship are you sailing? From Athens or Lavrion? Here is a DBP calculator link, scroll down to find Royal: https://www.cruisemummy.co.uk/cruise-drinks-package-calculator/ There was another one made by a blog user that was only RC but I can’t find that one.

Driver in Rome looks awesome! Italy is on my cruise list (after the Rhine this summer and Japan next summer!) but I am writing it down for future use. I’m also so happy to hear RC will arrange for up close seating at shows for you! Cats only gets bad reviews because Andrew Lloyd Webber was on a straight acid trip when he compiled that heap of trash! The actors are always great and the dancing/set/costumes are amazing too, but that show is absolutely ridiculous. The only song anyone knows is Memory and to me it’s the most boring part of the whole thing (but then again, I hate ballads).

Random mid-march, post-St Patricks sale started today and somehow the DBP for my Nav cruise in May has dropped lower than ever before! It used to alternate between $81.99 (non sale) and $76.99 (sale) but today it dropped to $72.99! Worth a glance! That’s even cheaper than what I paid for the DBP on this same ship and itinerary in Oct 2022, who woulda thunk?

I’ve been to NOLA every few years since 2012 and always stay in the quarter at the Hotel Monteleone (family tradition passed down from my parents). It’s a gorgeous, historical hotel and is home to the famous carousel bar! The quarter during daylight hours is just as grimy as it’s always been but I tend to do my sightseeing by day so we only do the rounds after dinner for entertainment purposes. Frenchmen St is the best for live music! If you’re gonna traipse out to a plantation, make sure it’s Whitney, as it’s the only former plantation site in Louisiana that is presented from the perspective of the enslaved people, not the slave owners. May I also suggest the 1850 House Museum off of Jackson Square. I think it’s only $5 admission but the house remains set up as it would’ve been in 1850! Super cool.

If the forecast is looking like rain, I would also suggest a pair of waterproof pants! It rained alllll day on us in ISP and half the day in Juneau and I was very happy to have the water beading off my legs instead of soaking in to my pants as we strolled around. I did bring hiking boots (which were perfect in the rain) but if you’re not planning on doing anything too adventurous on excursions, you’d probably get by with tennis shoes. Aside from that I would say just tons of layers in varying weights. If it was a sunny day it was nice to peel off layers, on the rainy days it kept the rain from soaking through (yes my REI raincoat ceases to be waterproof after 8 hours). I packed an additional poncho but left it in the cabin, oops. I wore three(!) kinds of hats - baseball, full brim and beanies when it was chilly. We went in September so the beanie probably wouldn’t be necessary mid summer. I also enjoyed having a pair of binoculars on our balcony!

Crazy! @twangster just did a lovely post today showing current Labadee photos and how nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Lollll I too bring binoculars on every vacation I’ve been on since childhood. The only time I didn’t need them was when I stayed with my 2 college friends in a presidential suite at the Fairmont San Francisco.... because the room comes equipped with its own telescope! hahaha We played Eye Spy for houuuurs. I’d be using them to keep an eye on the aggressive seagulls near that Snack Shack! The amount of people I saw preyed upon when they left food to go back for seconds was hilarious. I saw a seagull take off with an entire soft taco/burrito half-lodged in its throat!

Thank you for asking because I have no idea which suite that is! All I know is it’s not an ATS hahaha

Seconding the view from Desert Watchtower! @PPPJJ-GCVAB If you’re in the area a few days I also recommend a tour in Antelope Canyon (suuuuper cool slot canyon) near Page, AZ. We took a calm rafting tour down the Colorado from Page when we visited the Grand Canyon and got to go around Horseshoe Bend from the water’s vantage! The slot canyon was an easy add-on to our day. Sorry to hijack the blog @Cactus527, got to help promote lovely Arizona!!

This is the same Noodle Shop/Spashaway menu we had on our Quantum cruise last September so I have to assume it’s staying! cc @Ampurp85

Love these choices! I always try to buy art as my souvenirs. Usually I can only afford prints but a couple places I have been able to get originals. We’re going to Amsterdam, Germany, France and Switzerland this summer and I’m hoping to add 2-4 A3’s to my staircase travel art collection!

Yes, I have been looking at other lines because I want to sail from Tokyo and not just port there! Do you know what ship it may be??