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bobroo

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Posts posted by bobroo

  1. Gee fellas, at Costa Maya there is an already unused/closed down/abandoned resort that your patrons could walk to just to the right of the pier. Did you consider putting your money there?

    I know the Costa Maya port authority is a tougher group than most, but I gotta think your private beach destination idea would be a whole lot more well received by passengers  here than in Cozumel. 

    IMG_1113.jpeg

  2. Just now, WAAAYTOOO said:

    @bobroo, just to clarify....the Hilton is directly adjacent to the cruise terminal ?  Slightly confused about your "...do not walk outside..." comment.

    The cruise terminal is basically a part of the The Riverwalk Outlet Mall. And, this particular Hilton is connected via a pedway to the mall. 

    Have no fear about "outlet mall" or being potentially embarrassed about wheeling your luggage through a shopping mall. The mall is cool and has cool stores. Local residents want to go there. It's not a Simon Outlet Mall where the usual suspects of retailers have merch just for the Simon Outlet locations. Nor is it a place where unsold, picked over, or returned merch is brought in hopes of a final sale. For example, there is a full Tommy Bahama store and a Cafe du Monde. (the Cafe du Monde opens at 10 am, yes there will be a line. No musicians and it's not coated in powdered sugar, so it's missing the atmosphere of its more popular and much older sister. However the chicory coffee and beignets are solid and you should be buying yourself a lil' piece of NOLA while you are there.) There will be many passengers and their luggage making their way through the mall.

    Use Google Maps and find Harrahs and the mall. Any hotel within a couple short blocks will be a good choice for walking with luggage on embarkation day. Just remember that NOLA sidewalks and streets aren't necessarily ADA compliant offering relieved curbs or even considered flat.  

  3. Just this morning I booked the Hilton New Orleans Riverside for my upcoming January stint on Brilliance. I admit I am paying a premium for this stay so that I do not walk outside on embarkation day and it is essentially kitty corner from Harrahs. I'm over spending by $50 for the night probably because of the free hour of indoor tennis I will never use. If I were you I would look up The Riverwalk on Google Maps and ANY hotel within a couple blocks will make for the easiest embarkation day you've ever had. 

     

    Many people talk about the crime but my experience with New Orleans is this. The French Quarter is nothing but fellow tourists looking to eat and party. And the Quarter offers me everything I want in an embarkation port--and it is all walkable. Two days pre-cruise is a correct answer and you'll need more if you want to see it all.

     

    New Orleans is the absolute best embarkation port in North America if you fly-in. 

     

  4. My memory of Labadee during Covid is different. I thought some of the local riff raff broke into the compound over a couple nights, arsonized a building or two, stole the jetskis,  and a few squatters took residence.

    A part of me fears that what happened during Covid happens on a larger scale and there is nothing left.

  5. Are folks here optimistic that Labadee reopens and continues business as usual?

    I'm thinking much darker thoughts that probability of Royal completely losing the property is... Oh! about 50-50 right now.

     

    But I will say that Michael Bayley cancelling all port stops puts the company at a potential negotiating advantage in the future. RC deserves a huge high five for making this decision. There are some really tough decisions the company still needs to make regarding Labadee but I think Royal management deserves a great big RCB group hug for doing what they have so far. Good job team! 

  6. Just now, tonyfsu21 said:

    Perhaps the might of the US military would be on their mind considering the targets would mostly be American tourists? One term “DEVGRU” would most certainly be of major concern to a Haitian Gang considering raiding Labadee…..

    The US has sent troops into Haiti before and it was of little benefit, they aren't going to do it again.

     

  7. I've stayed at the Hampton just south of the airport for it's walkable proximity to a In n Out and a Ralphs. It was a "just shack up for the night" stay. In the morning I went back to LAX and took Royal's shuttle to the port.

    Will I do it again for an anticipated Quantum sailing? Well...LA offers so much pre cruise, the "just shack up for the night" is really selling a great port short, and in turn selling myself short. So...likely not.

    I shouldn't need to remind you of some really good shore diving in the LA area.

  8. 1 hour ago, ScottD said:

    The one thing I wish they would do is use that big outside stage when ships were in port- it seems its used more for night time entertainment. 

    I presume that stage is exclusively for the locals to use during Carnival and the Goombay Festival. Much like the grandstands that are left up year round and--quite strangely--take up some seemingly very valuable real estate on Bay Street.

    I think it is wonderful that part of the port of Nassau is dedicated for use by the residents of Nassau since it is they who the area was taken away from. 

    OTOH, let me be the first to say, Mother Nature does not want a great big canvas sail to be installed on the island of New Providence. Someday soon she is going to let the port of Nassau know how little she wants a great big tall anything to be in the Bahamas.

  9. 1 hour ago, Jolly Ogre said:

    They had $5 min bet on Symphony last Dec.

    This is good information that I wish I could find before embarkation. Information I wish there was an online resource that, even if it were self reported by frequent users, I could find out about and make a casino plan. Or... get this....plan my casino bankroll before I get on the boat.

    Slotplayers: imagine an online resource that told you what slots to expect to see when onboard. You'd never be surprised to not see a particular machine again. 

  10. Royal has an unusual tiered odds policy on their craps tables. Like all things craps, it's a confusing mess.

    Here is the typical craps situation on Royal Caribbean:

    $10 minimum. $500 Max bet. Bets over $50 are allowed 3/4/5 odds, Pass line and Come bets under $50? Single odds. Don't Pass and Don't Come max odds are capped at $300 (for the obvious reason).  If a ship has two craps tables, the rules will be the same at both. The craps table rules are constant, Royal won't have a lower table minimum on an afternoon sea day for example. More often then not these are going to be the rules/policies so this should be your expectation.

     

    Are there exceptions? Yes there are. I've seen $15 tables (but not in 10 years). Never have I seen a $5 table. I've seen $1,000 max bets on Quantum class boats. Most notable: often you will be allowed the odds @Peter D described for bets more than $15.  So...Expect the above but you gotta ask when you step up to the table. Different ships can have different rules.

     

    Sidenote: I am not aware of anywhere online that keeps an up to date database of ship to ship craps rules/policies, but it sure would be nice. Calling Casino Royale ahead of time will not get you the answers you are looking for. And as always....Radiance does not have craps tables. 

     

  11. 44 minutes ago, Pattycruise said:

    Booked for NOLA next year January with my daughter.  That leaves only Tampa that I’ve not scheduled or been to for as a US departure.  I will however be ending a sailing there so at least I get to see it. 
    can’t wait to see NOLA again, it’s been 10 years since I visited.  
     

    How is the port? Ease of entry etc.

     I’m thinking of booking in the business/warehouse  district which puts me a good walk away from the “nonsense”.  Last time I stayed on Poydras St at Hampton Suites-loved it but they are full.

    Saving the two best North American ports till last, huh? New Orleans has oodles and oodles of solid hotel choices but I gotta tell ya' the Hilton New Orleans Riverside is my favorite for a pre cruise hotel. Like the Pan Pacific in Vancouver, staying at this location you don't even walk outside on embarkation morning. NOLA is my pick for the best cruise port in North America.

    I'm doing a B2B2B in January--because I wanted extra helpings of "nonsense".

  12. On 2/17/2024 at 8:32 PM, Melon250 said:

    I landed on this topic because I was really hoping for a Chicago dog (sailing HOTS 4/21/24), but alas I believe I will be sorely disappointed... A dedicated hot dog house with NO Chicago dog? Ahhh, the sport peppers, neon green chemical relish, poppyseed bun...? I'm guessing if the normal buns are suspect, there will be no "gourmet" buns.

    No, no, no....just no. 

     

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