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Posts
1,132 -
Joined
About Me
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Location
Kitty Hawk, NC
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Interests
Fishing, gardening, reading
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Favorite Cruise Line(s)
Celebrity, RCI, Holland America
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Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
Canada; Alaska, Caribbean
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OBX-Cruisers's Achievements
Cool Cruiser (2/15)
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Grandeur of the Seas Be Wary 12/17-12/27
OBX-Cruisers replied to BigPapi21's topic in Royal Caribbean International
You likely did those cruises out of Baltimore where we fell in love with the Grandeur along with many hundreds of people in that area during the years you mentioned. We were on the Grandeur 4 times and loved each voyage. It is very sad to see RCI letting the small ships go without proper maintenance and cleaning. Their focus has now become money it seems from the reviews I have read about the changes in the buffet and dining room menus along with major changes in entertainment. Apparently all their attention has not gone to the massive ships that make tons of that cash they are focused on. -
Our experience with the onboard Medical Clinic
OBX-Cruisers replied to BeachBum47's topic in Holland America Line
I think "shocked" might be the appropriate word when it comes to copays and other costs with many/most "Advantage" plans. They are cheaper but often you get what you paid for and end up paying the difference when you actually need the care away from the home PPO/HMO docs. -
GIVE US BACK our GRANDEUR in Baltimore.............Love that ship and crew
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OMG The prices to now cruise on Royal Caribbean
OBX-Cruisers replied to Garyjames220's topic in Royal Caribbean International
There is NO such thing as a 10 day cruise for $700 per person for a verandah cabin unless you win the lottery. It is understood to be pp if you have been looking at the ridiculous premium in going from OV to V....often double or more. -
We considered Celebrity our top cruise choice but will no longer book at the current prices and loss of many perks. Menus on Royal Caribbean have taken a massive downward change and I read the Princess may have implemented even more drastic cuts than other lines. Hope you write a comparison of the lines when you complete your cruises.
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What is your pet peeve(s) with Holland America ?
OBX-Cruisers replied to scubacruiserx2's topic in Holland America Line
My pet peeve with HAL is their extremely stingy repeat cruiser awards program. With fewer cruises on RCI vs HAL we have reached Diamond class. RCI has a special lounge for Diamond passengers (comparable to 3 star cruise requirement on HAL) , 3 drinks per person per night at any lounge or bar throughout the day and there have been perks for backstage and galley tours as well. Before COVID RCI also had special check in lines for Diamond and above class (e.g., suites) but I read that some of those amenities have changed post covid. Because of many differences in quality of shows and other ship features, we now go on RCI as our main choice and only use HAL for itineraries we want. HAL drove us away. -
Royal Caribbean, A Lie is a Lie
OBX-Cruisers replied to SailorMarg's topic in Royal Caribbean International
I really think you were totally correct in your first post that you are using a very trivial example for a possible much larger problem. Therein lies the problem in the replies to your trivial example where you did not do the obvious thing to point out the mistake to the crew on the ship. THEN, you might have some credibility in discussing/revealing the much larger problem many have seen in RCI degrading the cruise experience by eliminating items and charging for others once free -
Price drop: 7 night Alaska $299 or 14 night $598
OBX-Cruisers replied to BermudaBound2014's topic in Holland America Line
Problem with booking a roundtrip is that you can do this with decent choices of cabins on the trip North but only Inside and OV are availble on the trip South. You could probably get a great deal if you are happy with Interior or OV in both directions and get the same cabin with lots of luck -
Saint Greg's Venezia Transatlantic May 29, 2023
OBX-Cruisers replied to Saint Greg's topic in Carnival Cruise Lines
I have just found this blog and am enjoying catching up. During your travels in Barcelona I wanted to add one recommendation that is again relevant here. IF there is ONE phrase in Spanish that would be good to learn is "Take Us to the Port as Fast as Possible, Please". Wife and I did take that second leg of the HOHO Turistic bus tour and were caught in late afternoon traffic jam. Missed the shuttle to the ship along with about a dozen other people. Everyone rushed off the HOHO at the termination and jumped into waiting cabs leaving us to get the last cab alone........................."Take us to the Porto.....adding an O to English words is just NOT the way to go BTW.......... but pointing to the 10 cabs in front of us worked and got us to the port just in time!! Seeing that empty room in the port building in one of the pictures brought back old, frantic memories. -
OBX-Cruisers started following Saint Greg's Venezia Transatlantic May 29, 2023
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Saint Greg's Venezia Transatlantic May 29, 2023
OBX-Cruisers replied to Saint Greg's topic in Carnival Cruise Lines
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Good recipe and accurate description of what you get at RCI and at many restaurants on land too. You probably need to at least double the crackers in your recipe if you use lump crabmeat but THAT is for special occasions considering the current price
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The descriptions of the MDR meals on your cruise review are graphic with the pictures as proof. So many other reviews I have read make the new menu choices sound great but I have wondered; particularly with the deletion of the daily repeatmenu items they had for so many years Now I see the total absence of prime rib, "Mama'a Pork Chop" Lamb Shank with only periodic mention of shrimp cocktail and escargot appetizers. AND, now almost $20 when gratuity is added for a second lobster tail the size of a large crawdad (for someone from New Orleans). The push for people to go to the specialty restaurants is very, very obvious. We on the East coast will be very happy when the VOS comes to Baltimore this year because reviews of the current Enchantment of the Seas are not inspiring.