EatonDoolittle

A very similar question has been posted on the Ask a Cruise Question board. Here's the link for those who don't like to stray off the Celebrity page.

Technically correct, but to anyone under the age of 80, Larry Hagman was J.R. Ewing, not Captain Nelson.

I found the Silver Moon experience to be substandard to Calabaza experience. The difference in Calabaza's rates is premium liquor and guaranteed no kids. Calabaza always sells out early since they take a limited number, and you can also check Cool Runnings.

I'm sure they did this to assist with parking plans, if driving. Celebrity now and then goes back and forth from 25 to 18. If you are not driving, it is a non-issue. Taxi and Uber can and will read the signs and get you where you need to go. If driving, most park in the garage where they will return. For planning, see previous mention of Port Everglades web page, or phone ap, which goes farther out with dates. Drop guest(s) and luggage at departure terminal, then drive to garage near return terminal and park there. Take the shuttle bus back to departure terminal. Sail away. Upon return home, your car is right there, and off you go. If you park at the departure terminal, you'll need to haul your luggage and yourself to the shuttle bus and ride back to where you parked before. Speaking for myself, when I do depart the ship, I'm usually ready to hit the road right away, having had enough of fellow passengers and crowding into small spaces. OP, if I have confused the issue, apologies, but this parking info for Port Everglades does come up now and then with Celebrity leaving from one terminal and returning to another. They are not walkable.

Choose your quote, Shakespeare, or Taylor Swift: "Much Ado About Nothing" or "You Need to Calm Down".

There is no beach "right outside the port". The main in town beach is across a bay, visible from the ship, called Great Bay beach. It is commercial and crowded, accessible via an approx. 30 minute walk around, or a ferry ride across, the bay. Lots of shops, bars, restaurants, chair rentals, etc. This sounds like what @NCLCruisers is referring to. There are many wonderful beaches in St Maarten. I personally don't think Great Bay is one of them. @SheHolla59, spend a little time reading beach posts on this page, or just follow the crowds out to the taxi stand and pick one. They load people up and go to Maho, Orient, etc. The dispatchers will direct you.

It's actually an old term, not limited to casino activity. It's any discount or money off offer that makes you come back to the place of business in order to take advantage of the offer. Retail, hotels, etc. usually make you wait a short period to use so that you don't go out to your car, then come right back in and get $10 off that purse you were just eyeing. Come back (bounce back) next week. 😁

I have no personal knowledge but have seen this outfit advertised locally a few times. There are probably reviews on Yelp or TripAdvisor, if interested. @Capt_BJ, have you heard anything about them? https://cocoabeachcatamaran.com

Amber Cove is a 10 minute drive from Puerto Plata. Not walkable. Get a taxi or tour to the center city square, everything you would want to see in town is walkable from there. Take a few minutes to scroll this board, there are already lots of posts about center city sights, including Umbrella street.

Perhaps the poster is thinking of Celebrity where they hand out points for watching a 45 minute advertisement disguised as a webinar, or Princess, where a 3 day booze cruise in an inside cabin get you the same points as a 14 plus day voyage in a costlier cabin. HAL doesn't even assign an additional point for solos, who are paying double.

I used to use the giant plastic baggie type, but also struggled with the seal at times. I now use the cloth compression ones and I love them. Space saving, organization, but I also then sort the laundry when packing on the last day to go home. That way items going in the same wash load are already together, makes that reentry chore a little easier.

This is it, Zaandam last February. I enjoyed it..

Here is the Caribbean Ports board. Each of those islands has a page, except for St Vincent, which is discussed on the Caribbean - Other page. Spend just a little time scrolling and reading, and you'll get lots of info. To me, each of these places is more "worth it" as you put it, than the over developed and tourist jammed St Thomas, St Maarten, Cozumel, etc. frequently visited islands. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/456-caribbean/

This was my thought as well. I just cannot imagine 16 adults all wanting to eat at the same venue, at the same time, with the same people for any length of time. Especially with so many options available, not just the 4 MDRs.

Trust me, and any other previous Noro victim... When within the active 18 - 24 hours of the illness, there is no way you want to be farther than a few feet away from the head and/or a bucket. And of course the bed, so you can lie there and groan 🤢

If you don't get any response here, post your request on the Roll Call for the next few Noordam sailings. People will be reading regularly there, getting excited to go on the cruise. Once on the ship, not everybody keeps up with Cruise Critic.

Agree. I don't know (or care) how many cruises OP has been on, but with over 7K posts, they certainly have spent a lot of time on Cruise Critic and should know this general knowledge fact. Maybe a bored weekend, and trying to get a lively discussion going?

I was excited when I was first E+ and got the laundry perk. I had the same experience as many others here, wrinkled, dingy, damp, and worst of all, came back smelling like someone else's dirty gym clothes. I don't Gym. Fortunately, it was towards the end of the trip, I separated the items, bagged them, and washed several times when I got home. Happy for those who have had better luck on the ship, but I'll never chance it again. OP is correct about HAL. They do a wonderful job, take pride in it, and even include a handwritten thank you note from the laundry person. If you request things on hangars, they press them without being asked. Smalls are wrapped nicely in tissue paper and delivered in a wicker basket.

I have a fun 12 day one booked for fall of 2026 that takes the ship from Port Canaveral to Ft Lauderdale with the ABCs and several more islands in between. Full disclosure, it's on another cruise line. Yes, lots of sea days, but evidently not selling well in the FL market, as there have been 3 significant price drops since I booked. I'm thrilled, as it will more than pay for car service to my home. I am close enough to one of the ports to bum a free ride from a friend. As far as flying goes, you would be in and out of major airports, don't think one way fares would be horrible.

This ^^ And there were a few people who, like @beshears still couldn't quite decipher Medallion, Medallion (Navigator) App, smart phone, not so smart phone, flip phone, package (not sure how she thinks that matters...), etc, so room key cards could be scanned and used for excursions.

Yes, as it relates to cruising. GT is a tiny island, with nothing much to do except sit on the beach by the pier or drink at Margaritaville. There is not much demand here for what you are looking for - not like St Thomas or St Maarten for example, who have a robust tourist infrastructure, with probably many boat charter options. Just trying to be helpful.

Did you check on TripAdvisor or on a Grand Turk tourism site? You might have better luck checking there than on a cruise related site.

When researching the early booking prices, don't over look boarding day, if it works for you. Several times I have gotten a great price for a pedicure as soon as they open that day, and have had fabulous feet before sail away. Full disclosure, I have never tried this with a massage.

I recently had this happen. I found a very helpful agent who researched and said I needed to verify my AARP card again (even though it doesn't expire until 2028). She checked, and said it can be done after July 13. In my e-files, sure enough, I had noted that I rec'd the AARP credit on that date last year for another 3 sailings. I marked my calendar for that date and will apply for the credit for these newer bookings. So, I believe it to be attached to the verification date of your card. If you are unsuccessful with your TA getting it now, send your info again in July, since that would be a year from your last verification. Once you get the OK email from sheer id, then resend to the HAL email with your booking numbers: [email protected]. It is a small annoying extra step every year, but I suppose they have to have some controls to avoid misuse. Since AARP membership is very cheap if you get a multi year special, the $200 OBC is a nice benefit, well worth the time needed to send a few emails.

This is important advice on a B2B, as well as on longer cruises. Even if you are not changing cabins, you may not have the same team on the next leg that you had on the first leg. Obviously, if you are changing cabins, you'll be extra good to your steward, as he is the one who will move you.