Burncox

On 4/6/2024 at 2:51 PM, jean87510 said:

Currently on the NCL spirit sailing from Sydney to Tahiti.  Our itinerary includes Noumea, New Caledonia, Mystery Island, Vanuatu, Lautoka, Fiji, Pago Pago American Samoa, Bora Bora, Moorea and Papeete, Tahiti.  We are currently on our way to Bora bora.  I'll share briefly what we did snorkeling wise as it may help anyone planning.  

 

Noumea, New caledonia.  We went with Noumea turtle tours and booked a tour to Amedee Island.  This snorkeling was very good.  Turtles, nurse sharks, decent coral.  Island was beautiful to explore.  We brought our own tent, blow up chairs, snorkeling gear and drink plus protein bars.  The ship excursion was 2.5x the price we paid and was a herd of sheep.

 

Mystery Island.  No need for an excursion here.  Walk the path, pass the airport runway.  Keep looking on the right of path for a place to stake your claim.  Most beautiful drift snorkeling ever.  100x better than Klein Bonaire.

 

Lautoka Fiji.  This is a bit of a miss for snorkeling.  We did take a ship tour to Tivua island but it was not good at all.  Snorkeling was ok.  Similar to Cozumel Palancar and Columbia reefs.  You can go on your own.  My suggestion is to book the vendor and leave from Denereau.

 

American Samoa.  Easily so far the best snorkeling we have ever seen in the past 30 years.  We watched a family from the area on YouTube videos show their favorite snorkeling spots and oh boy they were correct!  Two dollar beach according to them is not worth it.  We went to Fagasa bay.  Snorkeled with dolphins, spectacular coral reefs and sea life.  It was truly amazing.  We took a cab here and paid him to stay.  He wasn't happy as all the cab drivers just go to 2 dollar but we were insistent that this was what we wanted.

 

When we get to a good wifi spot I will share my pictures.

This sounds great!  Does Fagasa have a sandy beach as well?  Thanks!

Just now, kamelia said:

If you have Wi-Fi access, cruisemapper.com will give you a pretty accurate read on the ship's location.  For example, here are the current details for the Sapphire Princess:

 

Sapphire Princess current location is at North America West Coast (coordinates 10.37940 N / -88.61246 W) cruising at speed of 20.2 kn (37 km/h | 23 mph) en route to PUERTO VALLARTA. The AIS position was reported 18 minutes ago.

Ah, yes!  The makes sense!  Good point!

Dave

On 3/24/2024 at 2:29 PM, Gaynors said:

That's why I posted the original question.  Hopefully there will be some notification about the eclipse from the ship.  If not I'll do my best.  Luckily I do have the WiFi so I can plug my location into the prediction websites.

Oh, I just realized that if our phones cannot get our location, our coordinates should be on the TV map...

Dave

On 3/23/2024 at 8:34 PM, KreinKrunker said:

I believe that I read the eclipse will be moving 1500 miles an hour.  Figure out how far you will be from Hawaii to know how much earlier to start looking.  The partial is from about 6:30 am till 8:00 am HST.  Then you have to figure out what time zone you are in.  Oh my.

Oh, no, sounds like a math word problem from junior high school!!!

Dave

On 3/22/2024 at 4:36 PM, kamelia said:

I would definitely ask at Guest Services once you're onboard.  I don't know who will be at the helm by then, but I have cruised with both Captain McBain and Captain Ravera in Antarctica and was impressed by how passionate each of them was about sharing the experience of where we were with both passengers and crew, so it would not surprise me to find them equally as engaged regarding the eclipse, especially if they know there are interested passengers.

That's good to know!  Thank you!

Dave

On 3/24/2024 at 3:18 PM, Gaynors said:

How much will the news and social media be actually covering it over the ocean?  I know it will be big news once it gets to land, but by then it will be too late for us.

Yeah, that's the problem.  They might talk about it when it starts out over the ocean, but I don't see how they can really help us.  As for the phone showing us where we are, as was suggested, the phone sometimes can't do that out in the middle of the ocean.

On 3/22/2024 at 3:38 PM, Astro Flyer said:

The 20% average maximum for Hawaii is between 0627 & 0757 HST (0927 & 1057 PDT)

 

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/hawaii?iso=20240408

 

Maybe you could locate a map by searching online for approximately midway between LA & HI to find an estimated amount of obscuration…even a guess-timate is better than nothing. 😉

 

If you hope to see the small partial eclipse then get eye protection glasses from someplace such as Amazon. I’m on Discovery’s TSE at sea off of Mazatlan & Princess sent an email confirming that we’ll receive glasses on the ship.

 

The eclipse is a pretty big deal here in Maine and I was able to buy some eclipse glasses at the astronomy center at UMaine the other day.  So, we're ready if the ship is in the zone!

On 3/22/2024 at 2:22 PM, Gaynors said:

Oh no!!  That would be very disappointing.

 

At a minimum I will ask at guest services but was hoping maybe Princess would do something special.. even though we'll only see a partial eclipse.  

 

I guess I should start asking our first sea day (April 6th) and maybe even ask whichever officers or staff attends our Cruise Critic Meet & Greet which is also that first sea day. 

Hopefully it will be mentioned in the daily newsletter!

On 5/9/2023 at 9:08 PM, Vineyard View said:

Thank you. If the only thing that I need while in ports is texting an Uber driver or sending a picture via text then WhatsApp works? If I want to download maps or access apps then eSim is the way to go?  But neither will cover a call to Uber - that will trigger international phone carrier plan? 
I guess I am trying to determine if I do not really plan on using apps in port, or the internet much, how important that is when I can pop into a place that has Wi-Fi and enjoy a coffee or glass of wine to access. 

Hi,

I just got back from our cruise to and our stay in Israel.

I am very happy with my eSIM experience.  I used globalesim and bought a data plan that covered Europe.  The eSIM is with Orange and worked perfectly in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus.  For some reason, I thought I had to buy a separate eSIM for Turkey and for Israel, which I did do, even though both are on the "Most Popular" list.

A couple of things I learned-the voice option that is given when you sign up only works in the US, Canada, and the UK, so it is not possible to make cell phone calls using this plan.  Also, because this is not for cell phone use, as an iPhone user I could not send or receive text messages from non-iPhone numbers.  That's okay with communicating with friends who have Android phones, but if you need to sign up for services like Whatsapp or Gett Taxi that send you a confirmation text message, there is no way to receive them, so be sure you sign up with those apps and services before you leave your country.  That is also an issue if you have to log in to a bank or some other site on the web that sends a confirmation text to your personal phone number.

While in these ports, I was able to access 5G in all to varying degrees and with full 5G signal, the service was very very fast.  The main reason why I went this route was to be able to access Maps on my iPhone 13 Mini.  THAT was invaluable and allowed me to find a couple of record stores, as well as other places and get directions with buses and trains.  Sending photos via iMessage was very nice, but not necessary, really.  The Maps for directions and transit routes was really the biggest plus.

As for using wifi in a cafe, if you aren't already using a VPN, it would be best to look into using one to help protect your phone while using public wifi.

Dave

1 hour ago, Messybill said:

Hi Dave,

 

I have attached a screen print of the country list for each GlobalESim "plan".  For Europe, the "Most Popular" plan works fine unless you are going very far off the beaten track.  

 

Yes iMessage will work between iPhones.  iMessage sends texts by SMS only if the destination is not another apple-id (or is not logged in to their apple account). 

 

Here is a simpler approach that is easier to configure and that we have recently used on a trip to Europe.  In this case you do not need a second phone and you keep your regular SIM in your travelling phone.

 

HSP = Home Service Provider.

 

Make sure you have WiFi calling enabled for your HSP line.  It says “WiFi”, but actually it means “internet”.

Make sure data roaming for your HSP  is turned OFF.

 

Install the eSim using the instructions they supply.

 

Set the HSP line to search for the HSP network ONLY.   NOT Automatic (this is in the "Network Selection" setting).

 

Set data switching and data roaming ON for the eSim.

 

Now you are good to go.   Before you leave, everything will work because the phone will connect to your local HSP.

 

After you get to your destination, and turn off airplane mode,  the regular SIM will not be able to connect to your HSP, because there are no cell towers belonging to your HSP.

 

However, the eSim will connect.  It will provide internet connectivity, and because you have previously set up you home number for WiFi (i.e. internet) calling, it will use any internet connection to connect to your HSP.  Your HSP will think you are at home but outside cell tower range, and the service over WiFi will provide texts and voice service to your home number.

 

**Note: Any local calls you make in Europe to a European number will incur long distance charges.  Your HSP thinks you’re at home.  However, in many cases European businesses provide  WhatsApp or Viber connectivity.   These solutions are internet based and cost nothing.

 

There are lots of plans with various lengths of time and different data amounts.  We have found there is a slightly higher than usual demand on your phone battery -- presumably because it keeps trying to connect to your HSP, so you may need to charge it more frequently than usual.  

 

 

Hi,

Thank you so much for this info!!  I'll definitely do this!
 

Dave

On 12/13/2022 at 6:49 PM, Messybill said:

Another option is globalesim (https://globalesim.app/p/mostpopular).   We have used this a couple of times with good results.  $30/30 days/10GB.  You can add a voice number and plan for $10 more, however this does not include texting.  

 

longterm has covered the topic of ESIMs well.   They are an excellent solution for data, and in general, data is all you need, especially if you communicate using apps like whatsapp, FB,  GoogleChat, or even e-mail.

 

You can also use VOIP phone services such as Magic Jack (if you are a subscriber) by installing their app on your phone.  This allows you to make calls and send/receive texts from the MJ number over the data connection provided by the ESIM or WIFI.

 

Texting is not available for Canadian Magic Jack numbers, however, in Canada, you can get a free VOIP account from various providers such as FONGO, which provide free Canada-wide calling.  FONGO has add-on texting packages which allow you to send and receive texts (Globally for $C3.99) per month.  So, for $30 (E-Sim) and ($4 CAD) we are good to go for a month.

 

The only issue with this is that family and friends have your cell number in their address books and so won't be able to text you directly unless you can convince them to use the VOIP number while you are travelling.  (It is possible that iMessage will work if both sender and receiver have Apple devices but this requires careful configuration and requires that each of you and your correspondent knows the other's Apple-id).

 

In order to accommodate the family and friends who insist on Android, or the one who still uses a flip-phone from 2002,  we use an old iPhone as follows:

 

(This can be technically challenging to configure and must be done carefully)

 

Remove the physical SIM from your regular iPhone and put it in the old iPhone.

The old iPhone should be logged into iCloud and configured to forward messages to other Apple devices on the same account.

Set up the ESIM on your travelling phone

If you have a VOIP number or a travel number provided by the ESIM provider, forward voice calls from the old iPhone to that number.

Plug the old iPhone into a charger and leave it at home. 

 

It's a good idea to test your configuration before you leave.  You don't need to activate the travel ESIM yet, just go to the mall, supermarket or whatever and use their WIFI.  Get someone to text and or call you using  your regular (SIM based) number.

 

iMessage will forward incoming texts to the Apple device(s) you are travelling with (iPhone, iPad, MacBook), so you won't miss texts.

Your phone will forward incoming calls to the travel number.

 

You won't run up any roaming charges because the old phone is sitting at home and not roaming.  There won't be any additional charges from the VOIP service because that is all happening using the ESIM or WIFI data service.

 

Hi, Messybill-

Thank you for this great info!  I was looking at the website for Globalesim and I have two questions that I hope you might be able to answer.

First-does the plan work for all countries?  We'll be in four European ports, so can I just buy one plan and have it work in all of them?

Second-I see that text messages are not included, but it seems that iMessages between iPhones should work with the wi-fi.  Is that true?

I just got an iPhone 12 Mini and am excited to be able to just buy an eSim here and set up my phone before I even leave the States!  

Thank you!  Dave

We're booked for the 28-day cruise.  Where does the ship go for the next week?  It might be fun to do a back to back on that!

Dave

A few months ago they changed the port of departure from Barcelona to Tarragona.  Does anyone know anything about this place, like things to do or places to see?

Thanks!

Dave

On 1/10/2020 at 7:49 AM, LtDang said:

Husband and I on this cruise.  Three different gay groups are sailing on her.  I predict between 300 to 500 sailor http://www.cruise-ships.com/profile/Ltdang/

Wow!  That's crazy!  Which groups are they?

Dave

On 12/31/2019 at 11:37 AM, speedoguy1 said:

Dave,

thanks for the information. I am considering booking an Atlantis cruise in the near future. But I am a bit inhibited because I am a older guy.  60 year old closeted just divorced and willing to explore a new beginning. What I fit in with the group?   For the most part I’m a social guy but not a big drinker.  Into fitness so I’m cool with the Speedo crowd.  But looking for fun new friends and losing some inhibitions 😉

Hi, Speedoguy1,

I think you'll do just fine.  There are all sorts of groups on these cruises and you'll fit in with one for sure, especially if you're social.  There are lots of opportunities to meet others there with all the activities they have planned.  There is a lot of alcohol consumed on these ships, too, but since you're not a big drinker, you'll probably have a pretty manageable bill at the end of the cruise! 

Dave

I'm always prepared for informative, constructive, and respectful feedback!

A friend told me on this last cruise that he and his companion cancel the daily auto-tipping and buy the unlimited dining package.  They tip at the restaurants and they tip the steward in cash using the envelopes that have been left in the room.  He says that he shouldn't have to pay the auto-tipping that partially goes to the main dining room when he doesn't even go there.

This sounded very interesting, so we are looking into this.  However, it seems that the dining packages are a lot more on some ships than on others, such as Allure vs Rhapsody.

(I'm not keen on prepaying tips because I'd rather set that payment back a few weeks by having it charged to my credit card).

Dave

On 12/20/2019 at 6:57 AM, Teeara said:

I would be interested in the link to this thread, too.  I've always figured that tipping habits of guests directly correlates to how much they have imbibed hence their walking at a funny angle like those funnels.

Ugg...unfortunately, you are very close to the truth in the case of my first cruise.  The more I drank on the last night, the more the bills flowed.  As for walking at funny angles, I'm not sure I remember anything after leaving Schooners that night!

On 12/19/2019 at 10:35 AM, John&LaLa said:

We used to have a really good waiter in the DL. We always tip for every drink, but those tips are pooled, so nothing really for the excellent service she provided.

The Diamond Concierge told us we could give her an envelope at whatever bar she usually worked at and she would not have to put that in the pool. 

I like that.  I am sometimes disappointed when the tip I give the bartender for making an excellent drink goes into the jar.  It never occurred to me to give her an envelope at the end! 

On this last cruise, I had a bunch of $2 bills that I gave when I ordered two drinks or got a really great drink and one lady put hers right in her pocket because she collected them.  On this last cruise, I found that $2 bills were pretty popular and a great way for the bartender to remember us.

Dave

1 minute ago, Cruise Stud said:

oh yeah?  Well apparently I hadn't paid attention the event requirements.

I haven't been paying attention or reading the right things...haha!

 

Is it posted a certain place on the website, or have they sent emails/newsletters?

Our first one was this past March and I had no clue about anything.  The emails you get are just before the cruise, but it would have been nice to have more information before hand!

I think all the 7-day cruises are similar.  On this one on The Celebrity Edge, there were three T-Dances: Dog Tag, Sports, and Disco.  There are also a few themed late dances, but the only one I can remember is the White Party which was two nights before we arrived back in port.  But you do NOT have to dress the theme at all!  It's fun no matter what you do.  Also, there are no drink packages available-you put them all on your tab (and that doesn't stop the alcohol from flowing on the ship anyway!). 

I found the entertainment to be great.  I love Miss Richfield 1981 and saw La Voix for the first time on this past cruise.  All the drag performers, including the lovely Miss Richfield 1981, sing with their own voice. 

These cruises can be whatever you want to them to be.  You can be as social as you want, or just visit with a few friends and have quiet evenings of canasta.  Personally, I love that we are all in a place where we are the majority and we don't have to worry about how others may see us and I especially like taking a break from being a gay-ambassador (I feel like that sometimes where we are the only gay couple around!).

I think that there are groups on Facebook for the Atlantis cruises, but I am very uncomfortable with my every action on there being part of a permanent marketing record, so I no longer use it.  I got some pics of the T-dances online if you want to see them.

Thanks!

Dave

On 2/10/2019 at 4:23 PM, zentah said:

Thank you. There should be a huge group of family on this crossing. TA’s are always the most fun.

We were just on the Rhapsody TA last month from Barcelona to Tampa.  Yes, it WAS a lot of fun and we met of lot of gay guys on it.  We liked it so much we booked it again for 2020 and 2021.  I can only imagine how much more fun it'd be on the Allure!

Dave

On 12/22/2019 at 9:36 PM, Cruise Stud said:

Hi there----will be on this cruise also!

Hi!  Great!  It should be a fun cruise, although there seems to be much more planning involved with these Atlantis cruises, such as what to wear to all the dances!

Dave

Hi,

This is Dave and my partner and I are going to be on the Atlantis cruise in March on the Celebrity Summit.  It'll be our second Atlantis cruise and our seventh overall.  We had a blast on last year's Atlantis cruise on the Edge that we booked the Summit for the next March.   Is anyone else going on this cruise?

Dave

The Polaroid guy