suncityga

4 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

What other ships have pickleball and where is the court located? 

I believe all the larger ships have one or two pickleball courts and they located in multi-sports area about midship in the upper deck.

Know for sure that Eurodam, Rotterdam and N Statendam have pickleball courts.

Does Volendam have pickleball court(s)? 

Have played pickleball on other HAL ships and not sure if the smaller Volendam has them.

Thanks!

8 hours ago, MindyJohn said:

On Serenade's Boston-Florida repo in fall 2019 there were 3 bookcases near the pool tables and each one had three or four shelves of books.  With cruising just re-opening, and with Covid concerns, it might be different now.  Have a great time!

 Thanks so much Mindy...It wasn't so much that I was interested in getting something to read because I will have a book with me.  Since I am such an avid reader, I was going to bring some books to leave in the library for other passengers to read. 

Hopefully we will be able to cruise with you again in the future.

Lori (and Raul) 

6 hours ago, sgregel said:

Hi Neighbor,

I'm also on the Sept 6th sailing.  I just moved from Woodstock, GA to Jasper, GA in May.  See you guys on board.

Sandy

Hi Sandy,

We moved to Griffin a little over 13 years ago. 

Excited to go back to Alaska.... it has been over 10 years since the last time we were there. Looking forward to meeting you.

Raul and Lori

1 hour ago, crzndeb said:

 

When I was on the Serenade in 2018, there were a couple of cabinets of books to the left, before you entered the Safari Lounge. Not really a library per se, and I’m not sure if there are even any books there anymore.

Thank you.

Thank you for the wonderful review....we will be boarding the Serenade on Sept. 6th.

Quick question...Does the Serenade still have a library?

Thank you,

Lori

7 hours ago, CodyC815 said:

Those are the highlights - but happy to answer any more questions people might have.

Cody

Hi Cody,

Thank you for your posting and for your willingness to answer questions. We are doing the same cruise in about 3 weeks.

Did passengers on your cruise have to submit a 'negative test result' prior to boarding or was the jab card all that was required?

Thanks!

8 hours ago, honumaui said:

We experienced a Pride french balcony (pre stretching). Even though it was narrow you could stand outside and see up & down the length of the ship. It was great for taking photos from our room. And the fresh air was nice. I've booked one again in 2022.  I would prefer having the sitting area by the balcony instead of the bed although have never experienced the reverse.

Thanks... we feel the same way as you do. We have experienced french balconies on river cruises and we look forward to enjoying it on Star Pride during this Black Sea itinerary.

On 7/2/2021 at 11:18 AM, themutis said:

Here is a photo of the Star Suite Balcony.  The newly added suites in the "stretched" area have their bed by the balcony, as opposed to having the living area by the balcony.  The balcony is only about a foot wide, so you won't be eating out there, but you could stand out there and enjoy the air and sounds of the ocean.

 

If you get the new deckplan, you can see that your cabin is a SBS with a balcony

Thank you so much for your reply and photo. We have the new deck plan and a layout drawing of the new SBS cabins. Understand that the balconies are narrow, but we enjoy the sea air and the sounds of the ocean.

On 7/2/2021 at 11:08 AM, MindyJohn said:

Hi Lori and Raul !  I miss you guys.  That Black Sea itinerary looks fabulous!  My daughter Molly and I are booked on Star Breeze from St. Maarten in three weeks.  Our cabin is the normal Oceanview Suite and not a balcony, but a couple on our rollcall have upgraded so I'll get photos of theirs for you.    Here's a review of Star Breeze, but I wish it had more cabin pix.  Live From Star Breeze: What is Better on the Reimagined Cruise Yacht (cruisecritic.com) 

Hi Mindy, so happy to hear from you... we miss you a bunch too! Thank you for the link to the article, we could see the new French balconies in the photo of Star Breeze. If you can get additional photos, we would certainly appreciate it.

We have been considering an intense Black Sea cruise for awhile and we really love this itinerary. We were booked on Azamara Pursuit in Sept 2021 to cruise the Black Sea, but Azamara decided to move Pursuit to other parts of the Med and cancelled our cruise.

We are booked on Celebrity Xpedition in early August to the Galapagos. We still remember the fabulous photos and blog that you and John posted of your trip.

Hope you and Molly have a wonderful cruise and we look forward to sailing with again in the future!

Lori and Raul

Our first time looking at Windstar... we are considering booking a May 2022 Black Sea Cruise (Istanbul to Athens) and we are a little confused by the 'Balcony' term used by Windstar.  We understand most of the ship's balconies on deck 5 are 'French Balconies' (~15 sq ft).

We are looking at Category SBS (Star Balcony Suite) and we have seen ship's photos and we do not see a 'balcony' where our cabin is located (# 537). We have been told that during the last renovation in 2020 the SBS cabins were redone to include a French Balcony.

Does anyone have first hand knowledge and/or photos that would help us?

Thank you very much!

5 hours ago, Pickleball2016 said:

Brilliance of the Seas and Allure of the Seas have Pickleball courts on their sports courts. Any other Royal Caribbean ships have Pickleball courts?  I do know that HAL have them. 

See photo from Jewel of the Seas 2018 TA.

At that time... one court with multiple lines but no pickleball lines, no pickleball net and no paddles. Last December on Brilliance, still one court but it had pickleball lines (middle serve line was in the wrong place), pickleball net, Onix 2 outdoor balls and Paddletek paddles with RCI logos. I believe all Radiance Class ships now have the same set-up.

The Oasis Class ships can setup 2 or 3 pickleball courts.

Would like to know if Jewel of the Seas offers Pickleball Open Play as a regular sports activity. We have sailed on some RCI ships that have portable pickleball nets, balls, paddles and have it as morning sports activity from 9 to 11 AM every day. We are booked on JOS for a repositioning cruise in March with 6 sea days and it would be great if they did.

If you have been on Jewel of Seas lately... does JOS offer Pickleball?

Thanks!

Thank you for your great trip report and for also sharing your fantastic photos. We fly to Buenos Aires in two weeks and sail on Ponant's L'Austral on Feb 27 from Ushuaia for our 16 day expedition trip to the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia Island sailing back to Montevideo. We hope we are as lucky as you were with the weather! 

On 2/1/2019 at 12:01 PM, h2so4 said:

 

You are absolutely right.  We’ve been twice on expedition vessels … 

 

If you’re interested, expand my signature for my blog and CC write-ups.

Thank you for the links... fantastic trips and photos!!!

22 hours ago, h2so4 said:

Wish we were.  Antarctica is such a wondrous place to visit.  Enjoy your trip and do come back and let us know what the experience is like on Le Ponant ... thinking of sailing with them to another destination in the next couple of years.

Will do!

It's out first time with Ponant, but so far we are very happy with the pre-cruise communication and service.

We are really looking forward to Antarctica! Antarctica Expedition Trips are unique because the 'ports of call' are all based on the best weather options and all the shore excursions involve landings using zodiacs for transportation.

Anyone else going?

Less than 30 days away... we are looking forward to our 7th continent adventure.

16 days from Ushuaia to Montevideo, with landings in the Antarctic peninsula and South Georgia Island. 

Thank you... we appreciate the information!

17 hours ago, Carolbee said:

Also can anyone here please recommend a hotel in Buenos Aires for a pre cruise stay . Not too sure of the best district to stay. We are all in our 60’s and 70’s and usually do a hop on hop off tour wherever we go . Thanks in advance

Suggest researching the TripAdvisor website for Buenos Aires information on the city and hotels. We have stayed in the Recoleta district and found it close to many attractions and restaurants.

Please see links below to TripAdvisor Recoleta Hotel info and to the Buenos Aires Travel Forum.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g312741-Buenos_Aires_Capital_Federal_District-Hotels.html

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g312741-i979-Buenos_Aires_Capital_Federal_District.html

5 hours ago, Mocamps said:

Just back from the Antarctic and thought others may be interested in what we learned about what we took, what we wished we'd taken, and what we wouldn't bother with again.

 

Hope this is helpful - will add to it if I think of any more.

 

Thank you!  We are on Ponant's L'Austral in late February 2019 and your information will be very helpful to us. Any other 'would/would not' that you may want to share, would also be appreciated.

On ‎8‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 10:21 AM, MVPinBoynton said:

I did a complete review of our April, 2018 Abu Dhabi to Rome cruise on the Constellation, which included a lot of info and photos of our day trip to Petra from Aqaba. An amazing place to visit. You can see our review on our website that is linked to in my signature. I hope that it helps you with your planning.

Thank you for another fantastic review!!!  Was very happy to see you had recently done the Dubai to Rome repositioning cruise and review... we are looking forward to ours in early 2020. 

Have read many of your reviews and we have learned so much... thank you!!!

Regards, Raul 

 

I am packing my paddle! Where there a lot of people playing?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Good idea about taking your own paddle and also suggest taking a couple of Onyx balls.

See attached photo showing the ship's paddles (wooden with holes). We fortunately had two regular pickleball paddles brought by another guest and a couple of Onyx balls. The ship only had tennis balls.

We gave the CD and the Sports Director info on how to buy pickleball paddles, balls and portable nets for future cruises. Pickleball Rocks! :cool:

I spoke to the sports activity staff and he said that Pickleball was first started as an activity on the Transatlantic crossing this spring. It was popular on TA but since then had not had much participation - probably due to weather and the port intensive itineraries.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Last November on Brilliance of the Seas' westbound Transatlantic crossing we had Pickleball Open Play from 9 AM to 11 AM every sea day... and we had about 20 players most days. First couple days we did some quick 'Learn To Play' Clinics and it took off from there.

We just returned from a 17 day sailing on board Ponant's LeSoleal ship, and as promised, below is my review. I wasn't sure where this should best be posted (Other Cruise Lines, Reviews, Antarctica board) but felt I gained a lot of valuable information from postings on the Antarctica board, so am placing it here. Warning, this may be ridiculously long.

 

Happy Travels!

Great review and very informative... Thank you!!! :)

We are booked on Ponant's L'Austral in late February 2019 and your review has been very helpful.

Do not know if you also checked the TripAdvisor Antarctica Travel Forum prior to your adventure... I am sure the folks there would also be very interested in your excellent trip report. Posting a link to your trip report on the Cruise Critic Antarctica Forum would probably be all that you may want to do.

Thank you so much for sharing!!!

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g1-i12337-Antarctic_Adventures.html

Smoothies and jello would also be options.