kmdreamcatcher

Anyone reading this for up coming trips I having just done a tour with this company I 1,000,000% recommend Grey's tour.

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FYI as you approach the Key Bridge on the left side you will see a Red White and Blue Bouy this is the approximate location Francis Scott Key was at when he wrote the National Anthem

 

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Thanks Tony for that bit of trivia, I will have to look for it.

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My DH and I will be going on the 5-night Grandeur out of Baltimore. The ship is scheduled to leave at 4:00 PM. I was wondering if anyone knows what time the ship will sail under the Key Bridge and Chesapeake Bay Bridge on its way out of the bay. Thanks in advance for your help!

Thanks for asking that question I was wondering myself.

Sounds like a good day! According to the schedule your ship has a really early docking (7am) which is rare so here's how I would do it:

When you come off the ship wander around the waterfront for shopping and sights. Since it's such an early docking I'm not sure what will be open but you should be able to get a cup of coffee at Polly's and enjoy the views. The Fort might not be open yet but if it is this is a good time to go check it out.

Cruzan opens at 9am so you'll want to get headed that way around 8:45 or so, should be plenty of taxi vans willing to take you. I always recommend you take the earliest tour you can at Cruzan because they fill up later in the day.

When you get finished there head for Freedom City to eat and relax.

If the Fort was closed in the morning you can take the tour now.

 

I think that covers everything you asked for.

Enjoy your trip!

Drake,

Thank you for all your help. All set now just to sit and wait until the cruise.

One other question...besides rum...what would you say would be the best things to take home with you?

Drake,

Can you help me. I will be there Dec. 5th on a cruise docking in Frederiksted. We would like to go to the Cruzin Rum factory, Fort Frederik, Freedom City Surf board shop & grill, and some shopping around the pire. What is the best way to do them few things and the best order to do them? If it helps we would like to eat at the surf shop & grill.

Thank you for any help you can give to us.

I would skip the train and do Thenford's "Grand Island Tour". The train excursion is fine but you really get more bang for your buck with a tour like Thenford's.

We are doing this tour on Nov. 2nd. Thanks for another good review of the tour. First cruise so a little nervis about the excursions.

We have toured with Godfrey. I think you will enjoy his tour.

Thank you. I am hoping with it being so highly recommened.

I booked the Godfrey tour for my day in St. Thomas in December. My TA highly recommends him has taken his tour a few times. My cruise can not get here fast enough!!!!

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Some of the taxi drivers offer similar tours for a bit less. Papa Bear of Air Force 1, Godfrey, Bruce Flamon of The Real Deal, Sunny Liston, Henry of EEE Tours, Marian's Tours are some that have been recommended, and they all have websites. You can Google them for more info.

 

If you just go to a beach, you miss the narration which can be interesting if you're interested in learning about your destinations.

Have you ever did a tour with Godfrey? Their one tour is just want my mother and I are looking to do. And would like to know if they are any good or what have you.

The BW on O'Donnell is the pits....there are lots of better places to stay! More Best Westerns, and Holiday Inns, and many other brands and price ranges. Go to "Hotels.com" and look up Baltimore. You can compare hotels based on distance from the port, or restaurants...or however you want to search! Then, CALL THE HOTEL DIRECTLY...don't book thru the website...book directly with the hotel!

Why?

Merion_Mom I can tell you why. Everyone go's to places like Hotels.com and such to book rooms thinking they will get the best deal or because there is NO FEES to book or what have you. That is a LIE!!!!

If you find a place you want to stay at on one of these sites call the hotel/motel BEFORE you book with them to see what the rate is and what kind of room you are getting and such. If it is a better deal on the dot com site book on there, BUT call the hotel/motel back to make sure you are getting what you "booked" with the dot com site.

There is fees, but they don't tell you about them. They will give you a rate of say 109.99 plus tax for a room...they get it from the hotel/motel and pay them say 89.99 plus tax, so they are making 20.00 off you. BUT if you call the motel/hotel you may get the same room for 99.99 plus tax...that saves you 10.00!

They also bait and switch you also. They will tell you you are getting one thing and when you get to the hotel/motel you get something else...they tell ya what you want to hear to get you to book with them. I work at a motel and they will tell people they are in one building/type of room and put you in the 2nd building that is a different kind of room all together.

So that is why you ahould alway call the motel/hotel BEFORE and AFTER you book on the dot com site.

My husband and I use weekly pill holders at home (from Walmart, Target, Amazon) but when we travel we prefer pill bags - esp my husband who also likes to include a plastic dental pick in his daily pill bags he makes up prior to travel. You can find these at Walmart, any drug store, or Amazon as well. The plastic container/boxes we use at home sometimes open and they're bulky - neither attributes I appreciate when I'm traveling:D

 

[while my husband prefers to make up daily bags, I prefer to put all my pills of one type in a single bag - but I'm not taking daily prescription medicine other than OC so it's not as important for me - if I happen to miss a day of claritin or fish oil, I won't die.]

Just an FYI...if you go into the craft department at Walmart you can get the same bags for for a lot less. I pay around 1.00-2.00 for a pack of 100 in the craft department and they come in different sizes.

I myself, just ask CVS for a extra labled bottle to put enough in for vacation, that way all the information is on the bottle and such if needed and don't have to remember anything or take extra papers about it.

This is the only sticker on the underside of the pullman:

 

Thank you Merion_Mom. My Adult Nephews are around 200 and wanted to make sure it was okay for them....don't want to wake up in the middle of the night to them falling on top of me! :D But then again our luck that would happen....something like that to remember always happens to us!

Glad you asked this question...I am booked in Cat. K deck 4 on the Grandeur in Nov. So now I know what to expect.

Side question for future notes what is the weight limit on the pull down beds????

There have been occasions where the clerk on the other side of the counter will refuse to look at your e-device and insist on looking at paper only. Even when the e-file is a pdf of the paper copy :rolleyes:

 

Better yet, the info on the clerk's screen is the info that generated that pdf in the first place :mad:

That is because in most states it is illegal to touch the e-device. Just like when someone asks to see your ID you have to take out of the wallet for them to see it. It can go into legal issues.

I have taken TAM (alcohol training), hospitality law in college and work at a hotel that the owner is a lawyer.

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I have never been on a cruise (first one coming up) so it will be interesting to see seasoned cruisers answers.

However with that being said, I have gone to Disney a good amount of times and am the same way with everything! For some reason my family leaves the paperwork/ schedule up to me all the time. What I do for Disney is one sheet for each day that stays in my suitecase, then I take the single sheets and shrink them so that they can fit on the front and back of one sheet of paper. Everyone gets a copy and I have everything right in my day bag. Unless someone has a better idea this is what I will do for my cruise also. Only because my phone will be turned off and left in the safe until the day I get back to reality.

Just my thought on it. You could take both with you...the passport card will fit in your wallet. When you get off the ship take the card with you and leave the passport book in the safe. If something happens at least you have the passport card and it will help get ya new passport book and such.

That is what I would do if I had the passport card.

Thank you so much for saying this. I have this issue and can't wear watches with quartz batteries because they stop. No one ever believes me.

That is how I use to be with batteries also...now it is just key cards, the watch batteries work fine. Go figure.

And I always thought having a magnetic personality was a good thing!

:D That was funny! Thanks for a good laugh on what would have been another boaring night at work! :D

Good to know, thanks for the heads up.

Not sure if the hot water damages the magnetic stripe too, but I had to request a SeaPass replacement twice after have it the pocket of my swim shorts while relaxing at the whirlpools (unless there are magnets in the whirlpools seats).

No sometimes it can be that you have a strong magnetic pull in your body. I work at a motel and have to handle the keys by the edge after programed because I touch the the magnetic strip and it demagnetize it. Have had this happen while on vacation with my key also.

If you think their door decorating fee is high, check out the price of getting married inside the park. Ten years ago it was around $50 to $60,000. That was the "hold" price for the venue :eek::eek:. My daughter got married outside the park but a week later my brother went to a wedding inside where they did their vows in front of the Castle after the Cinderella carriage brought them in to the band. After all that the parents gave the kids a new house for a wedding present. A little over my budget.

Oh how I know about that one. A friend of mine wanted to get married at WDW and the price was/is out of this world. I don't know how people can afford it. I would have to save from birth and maybe at 90 years old I could pay for a wedding at WDW!!! :D

First, you misunderstand the term quiet use. Kind of like if your next door neighbor has a barking dog or you play loud music that violates the "quiet" of your neighborhood or your enjoyment.

 

I can guarantee you that Disneyland does decorate doors in their hotels. For a fee, of course.

Maybe I was 1/2 awake when I read! :D Working Night shift is a KILLER in a resort town. I have heard about doing the door from a lot of friends that have gone on cruises. This is my first one so what to make it fun...and it gives others something to do also on their way to/from their cabin, sometimes that is a fun thing to do for kids (to see the doors).

As for Disneyland they will do it for a high price....they will do it at WDW for a high fee also...I always make my own things to put on there.

Vista is having a 50% off sale until today or tomorrow I think.

You can inform them of any allergy with the Guest Special Needs Form.

 

https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/allaboutcruising/guestSpecialNeeds.do

 

They do not guarantee a allergy free environment, but can take some special measures.

 

I think Crystal is the only cruise line to have fully allergy friendly rooms.

Thank you I will get my TA on it right away.

I have a really odd question that maybe those that are vets at cruising can help me on...or should I call RCL directly.

Dose anyone know what kind of soap RCL use to wash the sheets and towels in????

I ask because I can't use Tide, All or Cheer and I don't want to be like my last trip and walk around with big red marks all over me for the whole cruise. I am sailing on The Grandeur of the Seas in Nov. if that helps.

Thank you

Just a heads up if anyone wants to use my idea, vista print is having a sale on postcards. For 100 (50 of thank you for stopping by and 50 where are you from postcards) with shipping was 20.00.

In all my cruises I have never seen any door sign that others could write on or that the cabin stayer had written on. I have seen plenty of Happy (insert reason here) signs. I have never seen people leaves notes on their doors like "we are at the pool". The only hotel I have seen any doors decorated is at Disneyland and that was done by the hotel itself.

 

We are not talking about "we are at the pool" notes. Just cute ways to tell people who walk by the room hello! Disneyland don't do the door/window decorations...the people staying in the room do it. I go to Disney World all the time and we do it there with the window for whatever holiday it is or if it is someones birthday or first trip with us.

 

When people ask this question my mind immediately goes back to a picture posted here a few years back. It was gaudy. Satin green (or red or something) like Christmas wrapping paper. It completely covered the door. Then they decorated that with no spots to spare. It totally took away from your quiet enjoyment of the ship. I think that is what most people complain about.

 

Quiet of the enjoyment??? You are on vacation to have fun with your life. And IMO a door that has a map and a magnet dry erase board on it is going to be very noisey?!?!

 

Last cruise I was cruising with my 9 YO grand daughter who is autistic. We were trying to give her some freedom. We made car magnets (the kind you see advertising on cars) and put them on our door so she could find our cabin. Guess what? We barely noticed them! We were also almost at the end of the hall.

 

But I am sure she had fun putting them on the door the day you got to your cabin. And I bet on her next cruise she will ask for them...it is something she will put with cruising from now on...something fun to do.

 

I think the goal here is use your common sense. Don't put something so out there that is so noticeable that people walk by and hate it. For example, if everyone else has a normal haircut and you get a Mohawk, expect people to comment and have a strong opinion. Isn't that why you did it?

 

People march to the beat of their own drum...that is what makes the world a great place...that everyone is not a carbion copy of each other.

 

 

Oh, and your magnets.

Just MOP

4 years old? They won't remember the "surprise" at all..

That is not true. My 8 year old nephew, who was 3 1/2-4 at the time, can tell you how we built up the surprise and such to Disney. Even now planning a trip in Feb with him to Disney, he is asking if he can have his count down calander now and what are we going to surprise him with for Christmas, his birthday and the week leading up to the trip. So they do remember at 4 years old stuff like that.

To the OP: Maybe do it as leading up to going to the beach with your friends. And then when you get to the airport tell him its a change of plans you are taking a plane to the surprise. When you land give him the sand toys or a ship to tell him about the cruise

Hope you have a wonderful time on the cruise.