Travelin_Bear

Hey Dave, happy to hear you're joining us!

 

Message to all LGBT cruisers..anyone interested in meeting for lunch at Moonlight Sonata on Monday, April 16 at noon? If deck 3 and 4 are open, then we'll be at the entry of Deck 3. If only one is open, we'll be standing at the entry at that one.

 

Look forward to meeting everyone...Lee and Nobo

Good idea...we will plan on joining you for lunch! -- Brian and Gene

Gene and I have been to Ireland quite a few times but a few years ago we drove around the Dingle Peninsula for the first time and vowed to return someday. It's like Ireland in concentrate: the landscapes are dramatic and spectacular and megalithic and early Christian sites are everywhere. The two towns of any size are Tralee (at the east end of the peninsula) and Dingle Town, which is on the south and west coast. We've rented a small farmhouse for a few days that overlooks the ocean. As I said earlier, since it's the first week of May on the west coast of Ireland there will no doubt be rain. But that's OK, we live in the desert where we haven't seen rain in months! Of course most people we know have to make cracks like "Don't eat the berries" (groan)...

Our Celebrity Eclipse will be docking in Dublin at Ocean Pier 33, and friends are going to pick us up when we've disembarked. Can anyone recommend a good pick-up spot where neither we-nor-they will get lost and they'll be able to find us? I've studied Google Maps and Google Earth, and e-mailed the Dublin Port Company's web site (no reply), but a proper spot is not clear to me. Thanks!!

We'll be in Ireland another six days after we get to Dublin; going to Dingle where I'm sure there'll be plenty of rain, so I hope the Azores will be clear!

It's our first time to the Azores. We've already booked Celebrity's "Sete Cidades Crater Lakes" for 9am on April 23rd. I looked at a couple similar non-Celebrity excursions and they were about the same price, so we decided to go with this one.

I had issues with the check-in, too, but I think it's finally worked itself out.

Brian and Gene here, from New Mexico. We are looking forward to our Miami to Dublin crossing!

Woo-hoo! Your job is to beat that damned storm!

Have you signed up for the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet to be held on Monday? I've never bothered to go to one but someone else on the boards told me it's worthwhile. Heck, if a cookie is involved, I'm there. So we signed up. We, too, have limited experience visiting Mexico. I really want to tour the ancient ruins on the Yucatan some day. Our first entry (I'll provide the details when we meet) was in of all places Cuidad Juarez, probably not the best intro to the country. We once did a brief cruise port thing in Cozumel, and a few years back we had a time share swap in Cabo San Lucas. Cabo is OK but I'll just say that a week there is plenty. It's probably perfect for a few hours' shore excursion since all the touristy stuff (which we all speak disparaging of but secretly love) is within a couple blocks of where the tenders come in. Cabo was developed purely for tourism so there's no appreciable established or historic area. Folks go a few miles further to San Jose del Cabo for that. We look forward to checking out Mazatlan and PV since they are indeed old towns and we'll head off looking for the cobbled-street-and-cathedral scene. I've been reading the boards about the best ways to get around and it sounds like you can accomplish a lot just by walking. Of course it's important not to venture too far off the beaten path. Apparently cruise ships quit docking at Mazatlan for a couple years as of 2011, but the crime is better (less bad?) now and it's up and running once again.

We are flying from ABQ to LAX the morning of the cruise, a considerably shorter hike than you guys have from Boston. I'm guessing you might be arriving a day before the cruise since it's such a long flight. Never having been on NCL nor to Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta (we spent a week in Cabo a while back, though), I've been reading all the boards looking for tips and information.

Hi, George and Nick. Brian and Gene here, from New Mexico, 58 years old. We will be onboard the Jewel on the 24th. Cruise number 6 for us but also the first time on Norwegian. Let's hope El Nino doesn't have any surprises for us!