gumballz

This thread made me curious as to what kind of pen stash I had as well. I have about 30, or so, blue ones and 8 red ones left. I like how they write, so I use them often. At least if the new pens don't write as nicely, I have enough to last me awhile. ;)

There is a gym on the Valor. Deck 11 (Spa Deck) Forward

January is our favorite month to sail! The weather is gorgeous!

What a wonderful gift, by the way! Merry Christmas!

Other than the Carnival staff shows, were there any other shows? Magician, juggler, ventriloquist, etc?

The last time we flew out of LGB after a cruise, we arrived at the airport about 9:00 (self assist). Our flight was at 12:10 so we had breakfast at the little restaurant upstairs. Good food/reasonable prices & very nice staff.

Just a note, they don't normally take luggage that early before a flight (that's what the agent told us...US Airways). We got lucky in that an agent was there helping someone with a problem and she motioned us over to check in. Otherwise, we would have had to take our luggage to the restaurant. There's not really room in there for luggage.

I'd say to keep your flight in the noon or after range, just to be safe.

What are the port stops on this itinerary?

LuLu

Lulu,

San Juan, PR

St Thomas

Sea Day

Barbados

St Lucia

St Kitts

St Maarten

San Juan, PR

Sailing on the Valor in 82 days. :)

Subscribed. Thanks in advance!

We boarded on Halloween a couple years ago and yes, they had all the activities that night & the ship was decorated when we got on. Have fun!

We were in cabin 8272 on the Spirit in 2009 and consider it our best cruise. We loved the location of the cabin, very little vibration, no noise from above, no trash thrown on our balcony, etc.

The only 'noise' we heard on a regular basis, when sailing, was the wake that the ship kicked up behind us. To us, that's not a bad noise at all...rather, it's very soothing.

I was hoping you'd say that! Based on the reviews, I want to bring a nicer camera so I capture the beauty better. Thanks so much for your speedy reply! (If you're in the Phoenix area, stay cool down there!)

Thank you for your review and photos. I've contacted Philip about booking a tour.

Would it be safe to bring a nicer camera on this tour, or would it be better to stick with a cheaper point & shoot?

Nice! Enjoy the rest of your visit & thanks again for your help.

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Karysa, do you live in St Maarten?

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Thank you Karysa!

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Wondering if anyone knows of a place in St Maarten that sells either kroket or bitterballen (Dutch side, of course)? What about Stroopwafel? I ran a search, but only one thread showed up from 2009. Thanks!

JR,

Just wanted to let you know that you put a smile on my face! Thank you so much! :)

They are both on EBay now with the bid at an unbelievable LOW price of .99 cents. The pin prices have been very depressed since Carnival limited the pins to platinum/VIP..:mad:

Thanks joebat, I'll take a look. I'm Plat, so I could just sail on both ships and get the pins that way........it would be more fun, that's for sure! ;)

Gumballz

 

I am still trying to locate them for you. Right now,

I can't seem to find any one that has any extra's to trade.

 

But one of these days, one or both will show up. :)

 

JR

No worries JR, I have faith in you. After all, nobody on Cruise Critic puts a :) on a face like you!

Thanks!

I'm still looking for a Fantasy and a Sensation.

Can you give me his email address?

The email I have for him is: info at tour by van dot com. No spaces, obviously. :)

I have taken a tour with Rudy from TBV and I can confirm that in at least two places (possibly 3, due to limited parking) that we chose to visit, a bus would probably not have fit through the narrow passageway that we took to get there. As the previous poster stated, there was limited space between the van and the edge of the road. One road in particular was very curvy and narrow, so I'm sure a bus wouldn't have made it.

It's not like Rudy to not email someone back quickly, based on experience and other CC posters reviews of his service. If Rudy isn't writing back within a reasonable amount of time, there must be an issue that's beyond his control. Maybe his internet provider is down? Maybe he's had a family emergency? Maybe he's taking a family vacation? It's best to give him the opportunity to explain himself, rather than to accuse. His positive reviews say a lot about him & his services. I'm not defending him.....just stating the obvious. Things can happen to any of us, he's no exception. How many times have you had issues with CC? ;)

Also, just throwing this out there.....someone stated that there are bad comments on another site and people claim to know him? How do you know they know him? How do you know it's not another company trying to harm his reputation so they book with someone else? Again, just saying....don't always believe everything you read. It's pretty well known that people like to exaggerate. Fact is always better than assumption, right? :)

oceanaddict4life, If you don't think you'll be happy with a tour from Rudy, then don't book one with him. There are other options out there that might make you happier. Maybe booking with the cruiseline is a better option for you.

gumballz

 

Email me your address. I have a few :):) for you.

 

jrnolandpi@mindspring.com

 

JR

Done! Thank you! :D

I'm looking for a Spirit and a Miracle. Anyone have extras?

Wow, this has gotten way out of hand. There are a lot of comments being thrown out there that are based on speculation. The bottom line is that the person that had a problem with the tour they booked should have contacted the tour guide themselves and tried to get things settled in a matter that was suitable for them......instead of having a 3rd party come on a public forum and speak poorly of a service that they didn't even partake in.

After they had spoken to the guide and had their 'issue' resolved (or not, whichever the case may be), then they could have come on here themselves and posted their experience. Obviously we want to hear the good and the bad......so we can make informed decisions when booking independent companies.

I agree with the person that said we should only comment on the tour guides that we've had experience with. We can't give an honest review if we haven't had experience with them. I don't agree with people assuming this or that, without having firsthand knowledge of the situation.

Why don't we just let the two parties involved take care of their problem and let things calm down? Let's try to keep this thread on topic.......which is about Tour By Van. Good or bad.....just keep it first hand & factual.

Pamela, I'm sorry you had a bad experience in Acapulco and I do hope that you can get some kind of resolve from the guide. Feel free to post the results on here......if you choose to, of course. :)

While we were in the Mercado with Rudy, not once did anyone approach us trying to sell us anything. The Mercado is more of a place where locals shop, so they don't normally do that there. You shouldn't have a problem with anyone trying to sell you something while you're there. If you want to purchase something, they'll be happy to take your money (of course).....but no pressure. :) At least that was our experience. Yours could differ.

I believe Rudy only takes cash, but I'm not positive about that. It would be best for you to ask him. Just send off an email. He's always quick to reply.

JesMil, you might enjoy the 'Zocalo'. Basically, it's their central square. There are vendors there (none approached us, they stayed in their stalls/buildings), a fountain, gazebo, beautiful green trees, a lot of people, and the city's Roman Catholic Cathedral. We walked around, took some wonderful photos (and Rudy took some of us), listened to Rudy tell us some history of the area and about the different events that happen in the square, etc. Just a suggestion.