hm9912

Under ideal condition, yes. But I will never take that chance.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Neither would we!

We booked a flight for 3PM

No stress, time for lunch

Howard

Don't believe you can. Check out these postings

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2471003&highlight=royal+televisions

Thanks

Bringing my own remote

Will be fourth time on Regal though last three have been mid forward Rivera deck balcony. Received complimentary upgrade to Caribe 617 a deluxe balcony that I gather gets us a small couch. Do I understand the balcony remains size unchanged? Any other difference other than front to back and deck 14 to 10. Thanks for your feedback.

Do the TV remote controls on the Regal allow to change inputs to view photos on the cabin TV?

Howard

Good information and thoughts here. I have been considering for awhile redirecting some of my retirement to purchase 100 shares. My company just went through a spinoff and merger with another company, resulting in the company turning off contributions to the existing 401K. The new company has established a new 401K. I need to decide in the next few months if I should to roll this into another 401K, leave it on it's own, or what I want to do with it. I am likely going to use part of it to purchase 100 shares of CCL and roll the reminder into another existing 401K.

I'm no financial expert but I use Fidelity and am happy with them.

I think you should confirm with your accountant about possibly doing a trustee to trustee transfer of your old 401k info a rollover IRA with a company like Fidelity or another one of your choice. Check expense ratio's and choice of investments of the 401k plans vs IRA's. Investing in ETF's (Exchange Traded Funds) have lower costs than mutual funds. 401k plans may not offer those choices?

Howard

I've received roughly $1500 in OBC and dividends since I purchased the stock about 4 years ago. Not bad.

Nice!

Good job

Who gets 14.3% raises these days at work?

Only CEO's perhaps?

Howard

You should look at this as an investment. Carnival (CCL) currently has a P/E of about 15 and a dividend yield of 2.5% ($.35/share quarterly). Not bad and rated as a Buy by most of the analysts. Royal Caribbean (RCL) has a P/E of about 37 and a dividend yield of 2% ($.48/share quarterly). Not a very good P/E but still rated as a Buy from the analysts. Which stock do you think has more upside to it? The OBC is just a bonus to owning a cruise line stock.

FWIW

Carnival just increased the dividend from $.35 to $.40 a 14.3% increase for stockholders of record 5/26/17 payable on 6/16/17

CCL closed Thursday April 13th 2017 at $57.47

http://www.barrons.com/quote/stock/CCL

Howard

FWIW CCL closed at $55.45 down $.05 today

Howard

Hi i was wondering if someone takes back to back cruise do they see them as one cruise to many cruise for the obc.

As others have mentioned on back to back cruises you'll have two booking numbers. On our second leg last year we qualified for free internet minutes by reaching the platinum level. The OBC applies to both legs of the cruise

Howard

we'll be on the Caribbean Princess in Sept. If my husband visits the infirmary to have his blood pressure checked, will there be a charge for that? We'd rather not have to pack a blood pressure monitoring kit if we don't have to. Thanks.

My advice is to never travel without full insurance Medical,cancellation, and evacuation.

The answer to your question is yes. If anyone on board requires the use of the on board morgue there is a charge for that also.

If you sign up for The Ultimate Ship tour that is one of the stops you will see.

Howard

We sail 1-28 on the Caribbean Princess. Normally, we would fly in and take a shuttle to the port. However, this is our first cruise as residents of Florida and we will be driving over. We want to park right on the port property. Can we get parking reservations or is it first come first served? We usually arrive between 10 and 10:30am. Is this early enough to get a spot if there are no reservations?

We were on the Caribbean Princess last month for a 6 day cruise

I always park in the Parking Deck by berth 21. Yes you can find cheaper parking than the $15/day that they charge but I like the fact that it is a concrete covered deck and my car stays cool out of the sun. If the ship docks at another berth there will be a free shuttle to the deck where you parked.

If you have a lot of luggage the baggage handlers will bring it right to your vehicle and lift & load it for you. Of course we tip them but the service beats schlepping luggage to another location to save a few bucks.

At 10AM you should be fine as thousands of people are departing multiple ships. Write down the floor,section, and stairway where you parked. Don't be like all the other idiots pressing the alarm button on their remotes because they can't remember where they parked.

There were so many alarms going off I had to laugh because who knew which alarm sounding was their vehicle.

Enjoy your cruise

Howard

Out of all the cruises we have done (and we have done plenty lol) the Norwegian fjords were spectacular (much better in my opinion than Alaska) I would take that cruise in a heartbeat.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Agreed!

We did it last year with Iceland, and a TA to Brooklyn

Loved it

Howard

We were on the Caribbean Princess last month. Wife used the fitness center and the spa. No complaints. Neither one of us used any pools.

The highlight for me was lobster one night. I ordered three of them as they were not large

The shrimp cocktail were also small so I ordered two of those.

The volcano on the children's menu made for a nice desert.

Overall we had a nice cruise.

Howard

Hi, are the cabin power outlets Australian or US, and how many are there? Our previous cruises have been on ships sailing from overseas where they are US but thought it might be different with the Sun.

Never been on the Sun Princess but here is a photo from the rear of the TV on a recent cruise on the Caribbean Princess

I always travel with a compact power strip, 220/110 convertor night lights, HDMI cables and perhaps in the future obtain a universal remote. I was able to switch inputs on the Caribbean Princess TV but I have read posts that on some ships in some cabins you cannot switch inputs on the TV in the cabin

Always be prepared!

Howard

Yes. But it's just a small tail plus 3 shrimp. If you are a lobster lover, go to the specialty restaurant Sabatini's, where lobster is served 3 ways. Bester quality of lobster IMHO.

 

Of course, in the MDR, you can always order more than one lobster entree at a time. That's what the fella sitting at the table next to us did. He ordered 4 lobster entrees and ate them all. :)

 

Enjoy your cruise.

I only ordered three lobster

And two shrimp cocktail

My blood sugar the following morning was the lowest it had been all month

Perhaps I should have had a fourth lobster too?

Howard

I was curious about the same thing.....:D:D:D

 

Bob

Me too!

Can someone define "filler food"

Howard

Also, for dessert, order a Volcano off the kids menu. Don't worry, they're used to adults ordering it.

Have a wonderful cruise. I hope it's the first of many.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

And each time you order it it will be a little different

And all very good

Howard

You've got it backwards . Your lifted to Canal level from the level of the Caribbean as you pass thru the locks. Then lowered when you exit into the Caribbean. The canal is about 70 feet above sea level.

That was the way it worked for us

Howard

The only "free" messages you can send on the Internet are Princess E-cards, not short e-mails.

 

And they can also be sent from your personal device, not just in the Internet Cafe.

You are correct sir

He's probably right.

 

I'm not sure why Princess doesn't upgrade their satellite Internet service, but it doesn't appear to be a priority for them right now. Maybe they are holding onto the concept that if you are cruising you don't want to be reached by the outside world. Either way, the forces of competition will compel them to do something to address the lack of quality Internet service. Like it or not, people are online, even when on vacation.

 

As for my experience on the Ruby; many years ago I found the Internet service to be acceptable. The biggest issue with satellite Internet isn't the bandwidth, but they latency. The bandwidth is probably not so great compared to what we can get in our homes now, but the latency is what causes people to be so frustrated with Internet on board ship.

The latency is clearly visible when watching CNN for example when speaking to a reporter located in the middle east. There is a delay between the time a question is asked and the reply.

When on board ship the internet connection first has to travel upload 25k miles to a geostationary satellite and another 25k miles download to a station located in California.

One can send short emails at no charge from the Internet Cafe on the Princess web site. As far as using personal emails, type them prior to logging in with your minutes, send them and log off.

Howard

There has been a notice in all the Patters we have seen that announces space has been set aside for services for those that want to attend. If there is someone identified to lead that service it is also noted.

We were on a cruise during Hanukkah a few years ago.

The service was led by the son of a Rabbi.

The service was well attended and some were not even Jewish. The potato pancakes were not as good as those that my grandmother used to make but the pancakes supplied by Princess went quickly and were enjoyed by all. My cell phone battery lasted for all eight nights.

Howard

Any chance of crab legs or lobster being served in the MDR, or horizon buffet? I know about the crab shack, but wondering about the free dining

We always have dinner in the MDR where they do serve a small lobster

You can order more than one. Can't recall ever seeing crab legs but you can always ask.

Howard

I have two thoughts here:

 

1. It's unlikely most people will look at the MDR menu and find absolutely nothing appealing. It might happen once or twice during a cruise, but you can always ask for a kids' menu and get spaghetti or something.

 

2. If you look at the menu (posted outside at least one dining room in the morning) and just don't like anything, there are a lot of options to explore: grab stuff from the International Cafe, try the pizza, burger area, pay for a specialty restaurant or go to the Horizon Court buffet.

 

Jim

The children's menu is always an option

I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs as an appetizer and it was very good.

My three grandchildren will often request ice cream for dinner when they are out with us. All three claim mom and dad allow ice cream for dinner.

That is always an alternative if none of the items on the menu appeals to you.

The Love Boat volcano is an excellent choice

Bon Appetite

Howard

I have done it before and really enjoyed it. In all honesty the only reason I think the majority of people sign up is to visit the bridge. They could take things like the medical centre out and I would not care the slightest.

 

Overall It is a great run package with the food portions they give you to try in the galley of what they prepare adds to some enjoyment and keeps you from going hungry.

I took the tour last year and one interesting item upon visiting the medical center was the morgue.

A friend of ours wound up there a few years ago. It was on the last day of her cruise so she did get her money's worth on that cruise. Her husband had high praises for the crew the way they handled his wife's sudden death on board.

Overall I felt the UST was worth the money

Howard

Pardon my ignorance here but I was under the impression that challah is a special bread for Jewish Sabbath and holidays, not a general consumption bread.

It is but you can request a freshly baked challah for every dinner. Much better than the rolls.

Howard

Challah sounds delicious! Do they always bake it if requested?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Yes! Speak to the Maitre D

Howard