Droop

Re:1. How far is the Hyatt Place on 17th street from the Water Taxis? How much would a taxi be for 4 people to and from the Water Taxi?

2. How far is Coconuts restaurant from the Hyatt Place?

3. What shopping is close to the Hyatt Place?

4. How much is a taxi ride for 4 people from the Hyatt Place to Port Everglades?

 

Bling, The hotel is about 1 a mile away from the hotel. You can use the complimentary shuttle to the water taxi (they will go within a 3 mile radius). (We did tip him $5). We stayed there for a couple of days on the 3-4 Jan. We were very pleased with the hotel (wonderful breakfast). They have a grocery store about a block away along with some other shops. The hotel will take you to the port for 8 pp but we had 4 in our party and were going to take a taxi but the luggage would not fit in the trunk. The guy with the hotel transfer worked a quiet deal for $20. From what I've heard it's about $20 for a taxi to the port. (The problem is for 4 people you will need to make sure that it's a van.

Re:On the other hand, you don't need to be a candidate for a 12 step program to make the package worthwhile. 1 glass of wine or a cocktail, 1 specialty coffee and 1 fancy water each per day makes the beverage package by far the better deal unless I'm missing something. (yes, Elites mileage may vary based on their additional perks).

I hear you on that. :p The thing with us is that the hubby does not drink coffee, or fancy water or beer (I know there are other things). He did bring his Diet Dr. Pepper on board (because they don't have it on the ship)....and he purchased the basic soda package. I know there are other things that he could drink....and for me I just drank the usual water and juices out of the cafes. Every now and then I purchased a drink but for us it just worked out better. It's just a preference. :D

The Hubby and I picked the gratuities for our 15 day Panama Canal cruise that we just returned from. It worked better for us. We don't really drink that much alcohol and we came out ahead on the gratuities. We were in a C-2 cabin which required $12.50 pp per day so it worked for us. If it's a shorting cruise then it would not work.

 

It really is just a preference as to how much you drink during the cruise. If you can drink 8 drinks a day (or if it's just the convenience) that's all that really matters. Everyone is different. Happy Cruising!:D

We have just returned from the 15 day Panama Canal cruise on the Century and they had the brunch I believe a few days prior to the end. As others have said there is so much there. The hubby loved the chocolate waterfall. We arrived a little early and had no problem. If you have never been to the brunch give it a shot. :D

Sorry for the duplicate.

RE:I think this was pretty well covered in the earlier posts on this thread. Look them over....if something is missing please feel free to ask. :)

 

thinfool I guess I must have forgotten to put the (RE) on the RE: Has anyone done a "few days trip" to Key West and back before a cruise from Ft. Lauderdale.:p

Has anyone done a "few days trip" to Key West and back before a cruise from Ft. Lauderdale. What time frame would be needed as far as driving. Don't want to spend more than a day in Key West as I was stationed there in the Navy from '71 -73. Just want to see the changes.

 

Toothmaker, if you are retired from the military you can probably make reservations the day before at the Homestead AB the night before. It's nothing fancy but it's a decent place to stay....pretty cheap too. We paid about $35 a night. There is not a lot to do in Homestead but it works. We had also made reservations at the Naval base at Key West as well. We were there in Jan a couple of years ago so that was peak season but it was still much more reasonable than off the base. (This is just in case you are interested). It takes about 4 1/2 hours to drive down the keys. I wish you well and I hope to hear if everything goes well. :D

We are staying there on the 3-5th of Jan and I called them about how far the water taxi was and they stated that it was about 1/2 mile. I asked them if they had a complimentary shuttle and they stated that they did. I hope this would help. One person in our party can not walk too far as well so that is why I asked them. I wish you well. :)

Re:]For the one they said you shouldn't do they did not mention that many balconies can be seen from other areas of the ship! You might find your amorous activities posted on YouTube.:eek

 

In reference to amorous activites....if you are going through the Panama Canal....you need to be aware that you can be seen easily due to the locks. I've heard this from a friend. We are going through the Canal for the first time here shortly. So if you are in your cabin in a state of undress or on the balcony you may need to be aware. :p:D:eek:

Re:That is correct it took about 15 minutes to get back to the port. Bumper too bumper traffic.

 

Thanks so much for the reply! :)

Re: Two weeks ago I was in Colombia on NCL SUN ship and purchased a Colombian Emerald Pendant for my DW from Mister Emerald. If you search this site you will see a lot of positive posts for him. I priced pendants in the states before leaving and also priced them on the cruise ship before arriving in Colombia. I feel for what a paid and quality of the stones, I saved a lot of $.

 

Thanks ohsunreef! I've read many of the thread here and some were pretty dated. It's good to hear a recent experience. I've heard about Mister Emerald as well as the shopping area (Pierino Gallo shopping).

 

If I remember right from what I've read the taxi ride to the Pierino is 15 minutes or so. Is that the same location or Mister Emerald? Again I really do appreciate your info. :)

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on where to buy emeralds? I couple traveling with us wanted to buy an emerald in Columbia. I know the ship has their shopping seminars and it's usually dealing with Diamonds International but has anyone recently in Cartegena Columbia. Any ideas anyone? :)

Re:No problema Droop,

I paid 14 bucks for storage +6 for pick up/drop off and my suitcase was huge , they charging by the size of it.

 

spelik Thanks for the info. I finally was able to look at the web site when I returned home. If you had a lot of bags it could add up after a while if you were only going to us it for a few hours but it really is great to know that this is available. I'll have to talk with the hubby and our other friends if they are interested. Thank you so much for letting us know. forums like this make it easier for others who are not aware of this. It's nice to know that we would not be lugging the luggage around if we wanted to go see something. :D

Hey Droop,

Just came back from San Diego .There is a luggage storage company out there , they handle my luggage from cruse terminal to airport wile I was exploring San Diego zoo and downtown. Here,check it out

www.sdairportluggage.com . Good luck.

 

Right now I'm unable to get into the web site. Have you used this company and what are the rates...do you have any ideas or tips? Thanks ever so much for getting back. :)

Re: Not sure if you have figured this out yet or not, but here is what we did.

We took a coastal cruise that ended in San Diego. It was suggested to us by someone on these boards that you could possibly leave your bags with the Holiday Inn (I think this is now a Wyndham), which is across the street and down just a block or so from the cruise terminal.

After leaving the ship we walked over and asked if we could leave the bags and they took them without any questions. It was very busy and a little chaotic so I am not sure that they understood that we were not hotel guests - though we did tell them.

We spent the day at the USS Midway and when we returned for our bags we had no issues. The Bellman even called the shuttle to take us to the airport saving us the taxi fare.

 

Familycruiser thanks so much for the tip. That's a great idea with the luggage. I'm still not sure what we will do as for seeing the sights but I just may give it a shot. It's wonderful when someone gives you a great tip. :)

Re:The luggage event was 2010. I just double checked with DW and we both only remember that the cost was less than $25.00. Maybe... DHL was the shipping company. We also think it took about 1-week to arrive. I hope this helps..

 

I was wondering if you could go through the ship to get this service or is there another way. This would be awesome if you could. Thanks for letting me know about this.

RE: They had our luggage and we gave them our credit card # and they shipped the suite cases to our home. Here is the best part... Shipping was cheaper than the $25.00 Alaska Air baggage fee.

 

Interesting about the shipping. I see you are WA state as well. I was wondering who shipped the luggage. I know they didn't have the luggage valet (Celebrity) but having them ship the luggage would be awesome. Do you know how much it was and were there any issues? I know that some charge a huge amount to ship their luggage home. Thanks ahead of time. :D

Re:I have been on two cruises right after, and two right before one. In all cases, some parts of the ship are like a construction zone. If you don't have the right attitute, it can effect how you perceive the inconvenience. If you're the carefree, "go with the flow" type of person, you'll always enjoy yourself :D! If in doubt :eek:, I would change my plans and be happy it's before final payment.

 

I'm concerned about the possible construction zone...we sail on the Jan 5-20 Panama Canal trip. (You mentioned that this has occurred on 2 cruises prior to drydock). We are easy going but I also booked another couple that are sailing with us. I'm wondering if the same would apply if we decided to change our trip to another date. The couple I booked are very excited about the trip and I'm hoping everything will go well. :D

Yapta sent me an alert for a great rate out of SAN so I snagged it for $132 pp (Alaskan Airline) :D So we will not be staying over night on the return.

 

I had checked quite a while back for the luggage valet (which I love) but they don't have this service for Celebrity out of SAN. Bummer:(

 

I'm almost wondering with the delay on getting off the ship if it would be even worth doing anything without feeling rushed/or worried about the luggage. You all have been wonderful with the info that you have shared. I'll have to chew on this and see if there is an alternative.

 

Thank you so much tweakes and Splinter.:)

Thanks tweakes! We will be coming in from our Panama Canal cruise on the Celebrity Century on the 20th Jan, so the issue with missing the cruise will not be a problem. It's good to know about the issues with the lack of flights though. It's also nice to know about the airport not having luggage storage as well. I've not booked the flight yet so that will give me an idea of the times. There is a 1:55 PM flight out that afternoon to Seattle. There is one that leaves at 10:05 am but I think that is pushing it.

 

Now if I could just figure out what to do with the luggage without having to rent a car. Again thanks for the info. I just was not sure if there was a hotel that would safely store them.

I know this topic has probably been addressed but I was wondering where we could put/store luggage until our flight would take off. We will be on the Century (Celebrity) from the Panama Canal and I'm presently looking at flights. I've never been to San Diego and it sounds like it's pretty quick and easy to get to the airport. I was thinking of maybe going to the Zoo but I was thinking of the luggage. Does anyone have any wisdom on this subject? :)

I was wondering if anyone has had cabin 8062 or 8562? How is the curve on the balcony, and does it have an affect of the cabin? I was wondering if anyone had any opinions or recommendations? Thanks!

Shogun, I have to agree with many of the others.....I spend quite a bit of time picking our cabin and also request that I not be moved. I'm very picky about what is above/below me/around our cabin, because of noise etc. It also is nice to know the type of balcony that we prefer....(covered/uncovered/location on the ship). It would also be a concern also if you have other family/friends etc on the ship that were near your cabin. I can't speak for the others but those are the many reason why I pick the cabin I prefer. I would be like Pam....if my cabin were changes.

 

For all of the research that all of us do on C/C it really makes a difference to many of us the wonderful feedback that we all get from many of you. I appreciate all of the reviews/comments that I've received from everyone.

 

Shogun that was very gracious of you to help composer.

 

Somewhere thanks so much for getting back to us.

Re: I like the coffee served in the MDR. As far as coffee after or between meals, I bring a good insulated coffee mug and the Starbucks Via coffee packets. Dump one into the mug and add hot water. Instant good coffee whenever you want it.

 

Smart girl!:D

Hatteras51 Thanks so much for the info. That sounds wonderful. :)