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Thank you for your responses!  Cruise critic members are the best for all travel planning!

We are planning to spend 3 nights in Helsinki before the Russian river cruise and need recommendations for a hotel. We don’t want an airport hotel and I am having trouble figuring out the lay of the land. We want to do the hop on hop off and take a ferry to Tallin.  Price is a consideration. Thank you 

Thank you to all who responded!  Now I know I need a splash pad and the 1 year old cannot use a pool.  I like the idea of the Anthem with activities different from the Allure for the older kids.  I will have to research any ships closer to the Caribbean that may offer something similar.  

We, the grandparents, will be taking our two sons, DIL’s, and grandchildren on a cruise over Christmas holidays. The grandchildren are ages 14, 13, 3 and 1. We have been on the allure with the two older ones and that was great. I am concerned with the younger ones. Mostly interested in appropriate water/swim activities on board. Not interested in the organized children groups.   Looking at oasis with the new water slides for the older ones , but not sure what is available for the younger ones.  Maybe Carnival?  TIA

Thank you,4cordelia, for your area specific information, encouragement, and well wishes!  We leave in three days!!  Like you, I will now turn to cruise critic first when planning any type of trip!

I can’t thank both MAVIP and  Ine enough for your responses. We are on a land tour and added extra days in Amsterdam on our own. I did not research the location of the hotel prior to booking and now realize we are a distance from the central of the city. I did email our hotel regarding transportation with no response. Cruise critic has always been invaluable in planning for a cruise, but really did not expect to receive such detailed information for an area so far from the airport and cruise port. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you!

We will be staying at the Amsterdam Hilton in the museum district. Is there a hop on hop off that starts nearby?  Or what kind of public transportation would be recommended?  Thank you

We are disembarking the crown today after 20 days. The first 10 days there was no Pickleball as the equipment had been thrown overboard during the previous holiday sailing. I immediately spoke to Kevin, who had new equipment brought in for the next sailing. Playing times are posted in the daily patter and then the players often organized additional play on their own. There is one court. Some dedicated players brought their own equipment. Enjoy!

Thank you so much for the info. We will be on the crown this Sunday for 20 days. My husband needs Pickleball!  Thanks for the good news. 

I am wondering if anyone who has been on the Crown recently knows if there is Pickleball, organized or not. Thank you

Thank you, I appreciate you responding with your thoughts.ten dollars pp is what I was thinking. This is our last island on a 20 day cruise and want to be sure we have all the cash we need available.  I also feel more confident in my choice of tours since you have used them twice!!

Four of us off the crown princess will be using the Thenfordgrey $55.00 tour. I am wondering what amount of tip is appropriate or what anyone might suggest to us. Thank you 

Would appreciate recommendations for a tour that includes the rainforest. Thank you 

Thank you so much for the information. Grace bay was touted for its beach in a travel email and piqued my interest. Really appreciated the reply 

Has anyone been to Grace Bay?  If so, any information on transportation, costs, and amenities would be appreciated. Thank you

Don’t know about the Caribbean princess, but listed in the patter almost daily at 10:00 on the Regal. Does anyone know if there is Pickleball on the Crown?

Does anyone who has recently been on the crown know if Pickleball is offered? Thank you

Interested in Pickleball. Wondering if you noticed if it was offered on the tennis courts. Thank you

thanks.....never had spirits in the cabin before, but with such a sea day intensive cruise there may be more relaxing time!!!

Is there a price difference ordering spirits for your cabin prior to the cruise or from room service onboard. Is a gratuity added either way? We will be on the regal. Thank you

Thanks so much for all the replies. I thought there might be a way to utilize the newer technology that I was unaware of. Checking the cabin answering machine for additional exercise is a good idea!! Thanks

we are leaving tomorrow for the Jan 26 cruise on the Jewel. There will be 2 other couples joining us. I am looking for recommendations for staying in touch with each other while not in our cabins. Sticky notes on our cabin doors? Walkie/talkies? We are not good at technology....... I have a smart phone that I will turn off the data and keep on airplane mode. My husband has an international phone that we will use off the ship for texting home. Any thoughts? Thank you

We did the tour that included Tutou Gorge, Trafalgar Falls, and Champagne Reef. Donaldson suggested we start out early which enabled us to swim at the Gorge before the larger tour groups arrived. The swim was magical!! Donaldson provided us with personal attention at each stop, always mindful of our safety. As we traveled Donaldson provided us with both history and current events of the island. He also injected humor which added to a fun, memorable day. You will enjoy your day with him.

From my previous post, I see that Cruise Critic did not allow the email address to be included. info @ **********. com Hope this helps.

Yes, they are still in business. I just heard from Donaldson and he is in the process of renewing the web site. The following is his contact information.

Director of Nature Isle Explorers

Laudat

Roseau

Commonwealth of Dominica

Cell #: 767-615-9288

767-245-9156

info@***************

http://www.***************

We used Donaldson's services in January after reviewing his recommendations here and on Trip Advisor. He has superior email communication for the planning stages of your trip and provides a very professional, fun, safe, informative adventure for your stop in Dominica. His tour was the highlight of our 14 day cruise!!! Enjoy!!!!