bluechip508

Thanks for the report on the Golden. We board it next Monday and will keep in mind the experiences the crew has had to deal with prior to our boarding. From what I have been told is that the crew likes for the Atlantis group to be on board. Welcome home.

Just to clarify, the problems that stressed the Golden Princess crew were from the Groove Cruise prior to the Atlantis charter. The Atlantis charter had none of the problems with bad behavior and destruction of property that were seen by the crew on the Groove Cruise.

I, too, was on the Atlantis charter on the Golden Princess from Oct 5-13. Just to add to what has already been explained, this year is the first time the government has banned a chemical previously used to remove mussels that accumulate on the hulls of cruise ships during the Alaska season. Princess should have anticipated the problem with dying mussels being sucked into the intake valves and clogging their filters for a/c compressors and water production when they were docking in warm water ports where the water temps were higher than normal this year. This problem reached critical mass during the overnight in Puerto Vallarta. Returning to the ship on the second day in Puerto Vallarta, there was an intense fish smell on the lower deck where we boarded. We didn't know it at the time, but the smell was from the mussels. Some staterooms had no a/c, and others had little a/c. I was in an ocean view stateroom that had limited a/c, and it was pretty uncomfortable. The temp and humidity in Puerto Vallarta was very high, so even those with balconies did not get any relief by leaving their doors open. Some public rooms were very uncomfortable. I thought it was wrong to cut off a/c to the crew quarters. The crew on this ship had gone through hell with the previous 3day Groove Cruise charter with out of control, abusive passengers who were trashing the ship. I was told Princess had to bring on a professional cleaning crew to supplement the crew to clean the ship after the Groove Cruise charter, and apparently 15 people from the Groove Cruise charter were arrested upon return to San Pedro on Oct 5. The crew said they enjoyed the Atlantis charter so much more than the Groove Cruise crowd. Anyone complaining about the Princess crew on the Atlantis charter needs to remember what they went through on the Groove Cruise and what they endured without a/c in their quarters. I found the crew to be responsive and friendly in all my encounters. The reason the Atlantis charter passengers received such a generous credit is because Rich Campbell, the president of Atlantis Events, was on the charter and was a strong advocate for his clients. Kudos to Rich and the entire Atlantis team for taking extremely good care of their clients. Atlantis and its subsidiary RSVP Vacations do a lot of business with Carnival Corporation brands, so passengers benefited from this relationship.

We had a blast at Las Caletas last year, and we are planning to do it again in October 2014. The trip out from PV was smooth. It took about 45-60 mins. It was a nice sightseeing cruise along the coast. You pass Mismaloya and PV's version of Los Arcos (actually island with arches carved out of them by the waves). Las Caletas was beautiful. Surrounded by jungle and dotted with lots of coconut palms. The buffet lunch was plentiful and very good. They have an open bar, but there are no blender drinks. Apparently they have no electricity. All facilities were clean and very well-maintained. The staff was friendly and helpful. You can kayak, paddelboard and snorkel. The number and variety of fish were very good. They have some activities geared for the kids. The beaches are small, but it feels like a real tropical paradise. It was a great value for the money.

Although it's unlikely anyone will be visiting Cabo for the next few months while they recover from Hurricane Odile, for future reference I would recommend the snorkeling excursion to Chileno Bay. The crew we had was really friendly. On the way to Chileno Bay they made a quick pass by Los Arcos. It was the same view you get on the harbor tours. We even saw a bunch of whales on the way to Chileno Bay, which is usually an excursion itself. The water in Chileno Bay was clean and clear, and there were lots of colorful fish of a large variety. They provided snacks and drinks (alcoholic drinks on the return after snorkeling). I would definitely not recommend the combo kayak/snorkeling in Cabo San Lucas harbor, however. I did that on my first visit to Cabo. There is so much boat traffic in the harbor that the waters are really choppy and visibility is poor due to the sand getting stirred up on the bottom. We only saw a couple of fish through the murk.

I have done both Alaska and Mexican Riviera cruises on NCL. I had a fantastic time on both cruises. The experiences are very different, but I would recommend trying the Mexican Riviera cruise for someone who has already done Alaska but not Mexico. On both Mexican Riviera cruises I took, we only went to Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. The cruise lines are again starting to make port calls in Mazatlan. Cabo is somewhat similiar to Orange or San Diego counties in California. There are plenty of adventure and beach activities and a great party atmosphere in Cabo. Puerto Vallarta provides a more authentic Mexican experience, although I concede in a somewhat touristy, Disneyland-like way. PV is very safe and clean. PV definitely has a more urban feel than Cabo. We had a great time on our excursion to Las Caletas during a port call in PV in November 2013. Las Caletas was the home of movie director John Huston, and is now a private beach resort. An excursion there includes a coastal cruise from the PV cruise pier, snacks on the way, an excellent buffet lunch, all activities such as kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkeling (scuba diving is an extra charge), open bar (no blender drinks-apparently they have no electricity). The snorkeling at Las Caletas was great, lots of colorful fish. I think a visit to the Mexican Riviera gives people an opportunity to see that Mexico is not all about drugs and violence. You will have a chance to see a different culture, one with a long and fascinating history. You also might get to practice speaking Spanish and to sample new foods. Mexican food is not Taco Bell. Language and a cuisine provide the greatest insight into another culture. Yes, you will see glimpses of poverty in both Cabo and PV, but this can be a learning experience for people with limited international travel experience who don't have first-hand experience seeing that life for a very large percentage of the world's population is not the same as their life in the suburbs of the American Midwest. It's one thing to see the world on TV from the comfort of your home in a detached way that doesn't touch you personally, and another to experience the sights and sounds of the world in person. People can come away with a greater appreciation not only for what they have at home, but also with a greater sensitivity to the daily struggles of people in other countries.

I imagine this will be challenged in court. Perhaps Texas may have the authority to tax its own residents for anything bought out of state that would be used by its residents within the state. However, I can't see where they have the legal jurisdiction to tax residents of other states who are merely passing through Texas (from the cruise port to the airport) on their way home. Passengers in transit would not normally be using the products in Texas. Also, there might be a question about taxing only certain products. Why not also tax jewelry, watches, electronics, clothing, perfumes, etc bought at the duty free shops on board or in the ports visited? Is this same law being applied to airline passengers arriving in or transiting Texas, or people entering Texas by car from other US states? Apparently they are collecting this tax on cars entering from Mexico. There are so many holes in this, I can't imagine it could stand up to a court challenge. Finally, is the cost of collecting this tax worth the revenue generated?

They just changed the itinerary for this cruise last Friday. Instead of 2 days in Cabo and one day in Puerto Vallarta, the ship will now spend one day in Cabo and two days in Puerto Vallarta, overnighting in PV. This is a much better itinerary since PV is a big gay destination. Overnighting in Puerto Vallarta will allow guys to take advantage of the nightlife there. There's a more active Facebook group for this cruise.

Hello Gambee...have you thought of taking an Atlantis or RSVP cruise? Your review of one of them would be very interesting. I did the Atlantis Eastern Caribbean cruise on Independence of the Seas this past February, and it was amazing. I also did an RSVP Caribbean cruise in 2012, but Atlantis is significantly better.

Now the lowest is $849. Too bad I can't get on their alumni site until after I sail. Would like to hear from their seasoned travelers.

I've been on both RSVP and Atlantis cruises. The demographic is not so different these days, but the Atlantis passengers tend to be more active and into partying, regardless of age, than the RSVP passengers. The energy level is a lot higher on Atlantis, so I'd say it tends to be a more fun cruise. The night parties start at 11 pm and do go way late into the night. No one should be intimidated from going on an Atlantis cruise though. There are twinks, bears, 80 year olds and everything in between.

Hey! I'm thinking of booking this...I don't have anyone to go with so I'd be going alone. Has anyone ever done that before? I'm 23...would be turning 24 during the cruise. Just want to get out of my city and all of my friends are too cheap to go on a cruise :) Would it be hard to make friends on the ship?

It's pretty easy to meet people on the Atlantis cruises even if you are going alone. They have singles happy hours and dinners. I'd advise you to look into their roommate share program. There are no single cabins, so you'd have to pay double if you did not have someone to share the cabin with.

First of all, I think a cruise line should be obligated to advise and offer alternatives and compensation promptly to anyone who booked a cruise in good faith only to find out it has been chartered. People have limited vacation time, and often this needs to be arranged well in advance to acommodate scheduling requirements at work. I don't think anyone on here has expressed anti-gay views in stating their legitimate concerns about Celebrity's delay in notifying them of the charter and offering alternatives and compensation. I myself have booked the March 8 sailing with Atlantis, and they have already charged my credit card for the deposit. So I think the charter is finalized at this point. Atlantis does full ship charters, not group sailings on regular cruises. I am pretty sure you have to book through Atlantis, and a regular booking for the cruise through Celebrity or a travel agent would be cancelled. Atlantis does not discriminate against anyone, but the cruise will be 99% gay men. When I was on the Atlantis charter on the Independence of the Seas this past February, there were were only a couple of dozen women passengers on a ship with a capacity of 3500. Most of these women were lesbians or female friends of gay men. Also, the cost of an Atlantis cruise is much higher than what people would pay for a regular cruise even on a premium cruise line. Atlantis invests a huge amount of money in entertainment. For example, the headline entertainer on the February Atlantis cruise on Independence of the Seas was Patti Lupone. A major, Tony Award-winning star is not something you get on a regular cruise and does not come cheap. Atlantis also installs sound and light/laser systems that are unlike anything found on a regular cruise. On the Atlantis Independence cruise in February, we passed a Carnival ship one night during one of the outdoor parties and there were camera flashes going off all over the Carnival ship. They must have been thinking there was one hell of a party going on on the Independence. Bottom line, anyone can book an Atlantis cruise, but it will be geared 100% to a gay audience and the cost for an inside cabin will be more than you'd pay for a balcony on a regular cruise.