bessinfl

Wow!

Nachi Cocom is quiet because it limits its visitors to 100 a day. That's exactly what we look for. We loved the place because it's NOT a resort hotel. There's a pool and plenty to do, but we especially like the quiet, laid-back atmosphere.

It's a little under two hours.

With all due respect to CDNPolar ... I have been on many ocean cruises and also worked as a restaurant critic, so I am well acquainted with "plentiful" meal choices. I was entirely happy with Gate 1's offerings. But I do admit that food is not my first interest when I travel. Rather, it's people, scenery, culture and art. So maybe you should stick with Viking, and I will enthusiastically stay with Gate 1.

I have only been on Gate 1, not Viking. But we have traveled widely, and the offerings that some of you see as limited seemed like plenty of choices to us. Also, I never saw fish served with meat on Gays 1. I suspect this was a one-time thing. Our meals have been consistently plentiful and delicious.

Yes to the fact that it's harder to fly to Port Canaveral than to Miami or Fort Lauderdale. But there's only one ship currently scheduled to sail from Canaveral (the Equinox) and several from the ports farther south. Surely this is not a deal-breaker for you all? To get back to the original question, I love Celebrity and am happy they have added one more port to all those they already use.

This is a silly thing for us to argue about, clearly. But it’s not irrelevant for those of us — and there are many of us, especially on the east coast — who drive to the port.

"The majority of us" don't live close to Port Canaveral? I'd say the majority of people in the U.S. DO live closer to Canaveral than to Fort Lauderdale or Miami, which are three or four hours farther south. And for those of us who live in Central Florida (myself included), a Celebrity ship going out of Canaveral would persuade me to cruise more often. Thanks, Celebrity!

My impression, after our Gate 1 trip last fall on the Danube from Regensburg to Budapest, is that Viking and Gate 1 are very similar. (The only difference, as many have said, is the amount of wine you're allowed for free. But I'm an enthusiastic wine drinker, and I don't think I paid for more than four glasses the whole week we were on the ship. And the prices per glass were less than $10.) We had one good included tour every day, and sometimes two, and were often offered another at an additional cost. Frankly. I don't think I would have wanted the extra ones (except our trip to Salzburg and the Hungarian folk dinner) because we'd had enough exercise for the day. Often we walked around by ourselves, and sometimes we lounged on the boat. It was perfect.

I have been on several Cdlebrity cruises with my two sisters. Even though we have a pull-out sofa and a pull-down bunk, I always just sleep on the sofa the way it is during the day. It's comfortable, even though I'm tall. And much easier!

For a first-time visitor to Key West, I'd recommend the Conch Train, which is a hop-on, hop-off sort of open-air conveyance that will take you around town to the main tourist sights. If you're interested, you might enjoy the Hemingway House, which is still home to many descendants of his cats. For someone who loves writing, it's heaven.

When I've traveled with my two sisters, I have regularly slept on the sofa -- not pulled out, but just the way it is for seating. I'm 5'9" and 72 years old, and it was fine for me, although from the previous comments it clearly wouldn't suit everyone.

This reply is very late, but we're booked on the Empress for May 2024. So clearly it is scheduled.

I've never gone by taxi, but about 10 years ago a friend and I took the public bus from near the pier to Marigot for about $2. It was fun and interesting. You see parts of the island you'd never see otherwise.

Thank you, Port Royal.

My sister and I would like to spend some time in Bathsheba while our ship visits Barbados in early December. We're not looking for a beach, but we do love a good view and something to eat and drink. We are thinking of taking the local bus from Bridgetown. My question has to do with the difficulty in walking around Bridgetown. I think it's small, but how hilly is it? We may have some mobility issues, and I'm wondering if we will need to walk up steep hills or walk long distances. Can anyone give us some advice? Thanks so much.

I agree about Bernard’s Tours. I took one some years ago and am going on the same one again this fall. You get a good tour of the island (both the Dutch and the French sides), beach time, some beautiful vistas, a visit to a lizard farm (that was fascinating), a stop at Maho Beach to watch the planes fly in low overhead, some time in the a French town of Marigot to eat or shop, and so on. My husband and I really enjoyed it.

Interesting that someone said that the cafe is also a bar. I made a habit of ordering wine at Al Bacio for several cruises until a server told me the cafe was NOT A bar and I couldn’t order wine there. We slunk off to another bar and I’ve been afraid to ask for wine at Al Bacio ever since. Now I’m headed back with new determination.

I appreciate the list, but I’d really like to hear from people who have taken and enjoyed one of those tours. Thanks.