Crown Princess ABC islands Jan 12 to 20, 2018

Michelle- thank you for reading along!

We share a love of those two X ships-they may be the only two S Class ships we sail (maybe) because of the Lawn Club Grill instead of the hot glass show and we like the Alcoves too.

Our Silhouette cruise for this September I have pushed back exactly one year as it was too close to our June trip to San Francisco for the opera which is an expensive trip as we have to pay for 3 square meals a day/car rental and parking/opera tickets etc. Costs as much as a cruise in a suite. The cruise is now Sept 1 2019, almost 8 months after our Azamara Cuba trip.

So 2019 will feature two new itineraries for us. I forecast a record year for taking photos of some serious eye candy.

I have just been showing Carol videos from an X cruise to the Norwegian Fjords and she is very excited 17 months out. Carol has a very busy life in business and once we book a cruise it becomes extreme back burner for her (not for me, of course!) but she loved what she saw this morning.

Yes the passion for sunrises and sunsets will never die in me, even though I have seen so many thousands. Having a camera that I itch to use means I will capture every one I can while on holiday.

Do write reviews, short or long and use photos to tell the story. I read every photo review I find on CC-even if it is a cruise line I have no longing to sail (MSC, Costa, NCL,Carnival to name a few). Knowledge is power and a reason I can avoid some lines that are not my cup of tea.

 

Where are you going in June on the Silly?

Norris

Norris, I understand having to balance the cost of cruises against that of other trips. It goes along with having to balance time for both work and holidays, doesn’t it?

I hope you and Carol have a wonderful time on both your opera trip to my favorite city (spoken like a true native lol) and your Norwegian Fjords Cruise. The Norway itinerary is at the top of our list, but I doubt we’ll get there in 2019. Two of my great grandparents emigrated from Norway to NYC, and whenever I sail past the Statue of Liberty, I imagine their hopes and dreams as they approached their new home. I would like to see the beautiful land they left.

I have always loved the sea, and the places where the sea meets land or sky. Sunrises, sunsets, and interesting cloud formations abound in my photos. We will sail from Southampton (a first for us) on a Baltic cruise on lovely Silhouette. All the ports are new to us, and I’m sure we’ll take hundreds of photos of sea, sky, and coast:).

I’m not sure I’ll post many photos with my first review. We don’t carry our cameras, lenses, and assorted photography paraphernalia on cruises. They take up too much space. We use our smartphones, which have good cameras, but not the same class as your cameras. Also, I need to learn how to upload photos to this site (though I’ve seen your helpful tips on this thread). My intention is to post our experiences on Silhouette, as well as anything else that may be relevant or helpful to others. I imagine I’ll post at least a few photos too. The ports and sights have been photographed so well, and so often, that my photos would seem redundant. Having said this, I may instead go crazy, and post dozens of photos lol.

Cheers,

Michelle

Mofongo is the most amazing Puerto Rican dish ever Norris. We have had it a couple of times. They can be filled with all kinds of stuff. That is the only word I can come up with. You must try it if you ever go again. Now I am hungry.

 

I absolutely love Trip Advisor. I have posted a ton of reviews as pay back as well. I scour TA every time I go on vacation, hotels, restaurants, scenic byways, TA has saved me so many times.

 

So sad this review is winding down to a close. I will have to find you in TA for your San Francisco trip.

 

Take care.

Hi again, there are some places in San Francisco that we often eat at-for the food and at times the view; Cliff House (Land's End), House of Prime Rib which is for Carol's Brother (loud, zero view, great Prime Rib) Waterbar by the Bay Bridge, The Waterfront on Embarcadero,Wayfare Tavern near our hotel, The Trident in Sausalito for the view of SF. My screen name on TA is Norris A and my reviews are long and include photos. We also hit some places by the Opera House on Van Ness after the show as we avoid dinner before.

Here's a link to all my SF reviews

https://www.tripadvisor.com/members-citypage/norrisa2016/g60713

Norris

Loving this review! Just out of interest what room would you recommend at the Marriott (apart from that great suite) and your transfer to the ship did you just arrange through hotel reception?

 

Many thanks

Lee

Hi Lee, we always ask for a high floor in whichever hotel we stay in, to get above the noise of the street or in this case the big corporate retreat lunches and dinners the hotel hosts. Always an Ocean view which costs more but is worth it to us.

In my first Ruby review we had a room that faced the Ocean and the pools (East and South) and in that one we could see the ships in harbor too and when they were sailing down the channel to and from the sea.

We just called a Lyft on Carol's phone to get to the ship but there are always taxis dropping people off. We have come to much prefer Lyft over a taxi.

Thanks for reading the review!

Norris

Norris

Another question for you since you do such amazing reviews. I am working on a photo review. Like you, I have a Mac & use Lightroom and then Flickr to share my photos as you directed me to do. A couple of my photos have disappeared along the way & then last night as I was trying to post I got redirected to a site to prove that I was human.

I just shut it down & lost my post. I was able to just post text after that but when I tried this morning the same thing happened.

I’m wondering if it has anything to do with permissions on Flickr? I think I inadvertently saved some photos to Flickr as private. Any suggestions appreciated.

Thanks

Maris

Norris

 

Another question for you since you do such amazing reviews. I am working on a photo review. Like you, I have a Mac & use Lightroom and then Flickr to share my photos as you directed me to do. A couple of my photos have disappeared along the way & then last night as I was trying to post I got redirected to a site to prove that I was human.

I just shut it down & lost my post. I was able to just post text after that but when I tried this morning the same thing happened.

 

 

I’m wondering if it has anything to do with permissions on Flickr? I think I inadvertently saved some photos to Flickr as private. Any suggestions appreciated.

 

Thanks

Maris

Maris, I have been reading your excellent photo review and have tried to click on your photos to see them on Flickr but each one has been Private so it doesn't open up. Going to Flickr allows me to see what camera/lenses/settings/time of day etc-the EXIF data you were using. I have my Flickr set to Public so anyone can see.

If you were asked if you were a robot-that is CC asking and it is random and happens to me too but not often. Just click unless you are a robot (honesty is the best policy always)

If a photo disappears from your review and a + says "photo not available" the reader can't click on it and see it. If Flickr is set to Public they will click on it and Flickr will show the picture in another window. I have no idea why a pic doesn't appear on CC. I wrote to the moderator the first time it happened to me in my Ocean Princess review but got no response. All of my other review pics have posted without issue.

Hope this helps!

Norris

Mofongo is the most amazing Puerto Rican dish ever Norris. We have had it a couple of times. They can be filled with all kinds of stuff. That is the only word I can come up with. You must try it if you ever go again. Now I am hungry.

 

 

 

I absolutely love Trip Advisor. I have posted a ton of reviews as pay back as well. I scour TA every time I go on vacation, hotels, restaurants, scenic byways, TA has saved me so many times.

 

 

 

So sad this review is winding down to a close. I will have to find you in TA for your San Francisco trip.

 

 

 

Take care.

Mofongo at the Barraquina is the best. I think it’s the place where the daiquiri was invented?

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Maris, I have been reading your excellent photo review and have tried to click on your photos to see them on Flickr but each one has been Private so it doesn't open up. Going to Flickr allows me to see what camera/lenses/settings/time of day etc-the EXIF data you were using. I have my Flickr set to Public so anyone can see.

If you were asked if you were a robot-that is CC asking and it is random and happens to me too but not often. Just click unless you are a robot (honesty is the best policy always)

 

If a photo disappears from your review and a + says "photo not available" the reader can't click on it and see it. If Flickr is set to Public they will click on it and Flickr will show the picture in another window. I have no idea why a pic doesn't appear on CC. I wrote to the moderator the first time it happened to me in my Ocean Princess review but got no response. All of my other review pics have posted without issue.

Hope this helps!

Norris

 

Hi Norris

Thanks. I checked a few of the photos & the setting was private. When I imported them, I thought I reset to public on all my imports, but I guess not. It seems that the default setting is for private. Can I change all the photos to public once I import them or do I have to do it individually. Do you export directly from Lightroom? I used to but my permissions seem to have changed, so I export to the desktop & then import.

Thanks again. I hope I'm not being a bother.

Maris

Can I change all the photos to public once I import them or do I have to do it individually.

I might be able to help you with that. On Flickr, click on "Camera Roll", then select all the photos you want to change. At the bottom left you'll see a tab that says "Privacy". Click on that and change the photos to "Public". Hope this helps.

Thanks John for stepping in to help Maris!

<<Thanks again. I hope I'm not being a bother.

Maris>>

Maris, you were not being a bother, by any means. We are all here to help and learn from each other.

Cheers!

Norris

Mofongo at the Barraquina is the best. I think it’s the place where the daiquiri was invented?

 

 

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I think it was the pina colada that was supposedly invented there.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Hi Lee, we always ask for a high floor in whichever hotel we stay in, to get above the noise of the street or in this case the big corporate retreat lunches and dinners the hotel hosts. Always an Ocean view which costs more but is worth it to us.

In my first Ruby review we had a room that faced the Ocean and the pools (East and South) and in that one we could see the ships in harbor too and when they were sailing down the channel to and from the sea.

We just called a Lyft on Carol's phone to get to the ship but there are always taxis dropping people off. We have come to much prefer Lyft over a taxi.

Thanks for reading the review!

Norris

Norris,

I read both your Crown and Regal reviews and thoroughly enjoyed them. Your pictures are amazing. I have been lurking in the background but couldn't pass up the chance to thank you for all your time spent putting these reviews together. We are leaving on the Regal on June 1 so your review was really helpful in getting us ready. Thanks, again.

Iris

Norris,

I read both your Crown and Regal reviews and thoroughly enjoyed them. Your pictures are amazing. I have been lurking in the background but couldn't pass up the chance to thank you for all your time spent putting these reviews together. We are leaving on the Regal on June 1 so your review was really helpful in getting us ready. Thanks, again.

Iris

Iris, as you have read both of my recent reviews you'll know that I love to see lurkers coming forward to introduce themselves. Welcome!

I know you'll have a great time on the Regal on that great Baltic itinerary.

Bon Voyage and thanks for taking the time to read those long reviews!

Norris.

Norris my good man!

I hope this post finds you and Carol well.

Per this review, Pam and I decided we’d like to try the West Deck for dinner while we are in Aruba on our 10 Night ABC Equinox Cruise in September. We emailed the restaurant and they’ll give us a reservation once we get closer to our scheduled day. Thanks for the reviews. Hope you have a great summer.

Trip

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Norris my good man!

 

I hope this post finds you and Carol well.

 

Per this review, Pam and I decided we’d like to try the West Deck for dinner while we are in Aruba on our 10 Night ABC Equinox Cruise in September. We emailed the restaurant and they’ll give us a reservation once we get closer to our scheduled day. Thanks for the reviews. Hope you have a great summer.

 

Trip

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Trip, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did-we all have different tastes of course. I am sure at night there is a whole different atmosphere but I'd expect the kitchen to be just as good then, particularly if you are eating fish. We will certainly go back there when next in Aruba. I love being in port at night!

I am just 3 work days away from being on vacation to San Francisco and according to my Shipmate app 224 days away from sailing to Cuba on Azamara Journey. I am packing a new Canon zoom lens (70 -200mm L lens) for my SF adventure so looking forward to one of my favorite cities. Thanks for the good summer wishes and the same back at you!

Norris

Norris,

A question for you my good sir. I am looking to book my first aft view cabin and I wondered which you preferred, a cabin on a high level or a low level? I'm a little worried about noise and vibration from the engine, but really want to try one for the views. I'm also looking at the Regal and the lower cabins do stick out a little more then the upper ones. Thank you in advance for your opinion!

Saffron

Norris,

 

A question for you my good sir. I am looking to book my first aft view cabin and I wondered which you preferred, a cabin on a high level or a low level? I'm a little worried about noise and vibration from the engine, but really want to try one for the views. I'm also looking at the Regal and the lower cabins do stick out a little more then the upper ones. Thank you in advance for your opinion!

Saffron

Hi, Saffron.

On Princess we have usually sailed aft on Caribe deck, so- low down in the scheme of things.

We don't mind the wake noise at all which is silenced when the cabin door is closed. I wouldn't change it to a high deck as I like the perspective from Caribe (or Emerald) and we are far from the aft pool and any noise that might happen there.

The cabin we just had on the Crown-E734 had noise (bass guitar) from Club Fusion so avoid that if you are a light sleeper who goes to bed early.

The Regal stern is more like the S Class raked stern as opposed to the perpendicular Grand Class. I have no concerns about people above seeing me on the balcony. On S Class there is only one deck below us so minimal distraction for me. Deck 7 on Celebrity is where we live.

Hope this helps!

Norris

. . .

We took the long march back to the ship the way we had come, past the Louis Vuitton, Bvlgari, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors etc shops that speak of wealthy brand-conscious passers-by. None of them ever see our feet in their stores.



By the time we get back to the ship we have maybe 90 minutes before we are off it again for our sunset cruise. Carol took a nap sitting on our balcony where it was very quiet while I had a drink up at Tradewinds while my camera batteries were charging in E734.

I am just now reading your review--don't know why I didn't run across it earlier. We've been to Aruba multiple times and think we may have taken the same excursion. Usually we just walk along the main drag to Wilhemina Park (where the inlet is, which apparently you had to cross to get to the restaurant). We then walk along the inlet to the Renaissance on the ocean and come back along the ocean, around the marina to the ship. It's a lovely stoll, mostly shady, geckos galore, flowering shrubs, etc. Sorry you had to rush so, esp. since it's hot and humid down there!

Bimmer09: enjoying your review especially since we have been to the ABC’s a couple of times . Your forgot to mention basketball & hockey as the best things to come out of Canada. . . .

While James Naismith was born in Canada, he had moved to the states (MA, to be exact) and that's where he created the game. He also started the U of Kansas bb program, which is legendary (I'm a Big10 alum, but I know KU has had a great bb program for many years). I did not know he started the KU program. Most of this info comes from Wikipedia, but I have known since my distant youth that BB originated in MA.

 

I am just now reading your review--don't know why I didn't run across it earlier. We've been to Aruba multiple times and think we may have taken the same excursion. Usually we just walk along the main drag to Wilhemina Park (where the inlet is, which apparently you had to cross to get to the restaurant). We then walk along the inlet to the Renaissance on the ocean and come back along the ocean, around the marina to the ship. It's a lovely stoll, mostly shady, geckos galore, flowering shrubs, etc. Sorry you had to rush so, esp. since it's hot and humid down there!

Barb, better late than never! Thanks for reading it.

This was my 3rd visit to Aruba and Carol's 2nd and it was a delight as always. I am sure we will visit again as we loved that ABC itinerary with it's sea days for Carol.

The sunset sail is something we will do again when in Aruba.

Norris, no Princess Cruises booked for a while...

Hi, Saffron.

On Princess we have usually sailed aft on Caribe deck, so- low down in the scheme of things.

We don't mind the wake noise at all which is silenced when the cabin door is closed. I wouldn't change it to a high deck as I like the perspective from Caribe (or Emerald) and we are far from the aft pool and any noise that might happen there.

The cabin we just had on the Crown-E734 had noise (bass guitar) from Club Fusion so avoid that if you are a light sleeper who goes to bed early.

The Regal stern is more like the S Class raked stern as opposed to the perpendicular Grand Class. I have no concerns about people above seeing me on the balcony. On S Class there is only one deck below us so minimal distraction for me. Deck 7 on Celebrity is where we live.

Hope this helps!

Norris

A great help, thank you! I have booked D731 on the Regal and am looking forward to it!

Have fun on your current vacation!

Saffron

Hello Mr. Norris, I just started thinking about another cruise. I am looking at a couple that go to only two of the ABC Islands. Both go to C, so the choice is A and C or B and C. I would like your opinion on which Island you found the better of two. The other ports and the price are basically the same, so it mostly comes down to Aruba or Bonaire.

Also do you have a cruise coming up soon? I seem to recall you were considering one and I would find reading your Seafarers Journal an enjoyable event.

Thanks for any help and advice you can give me.

Also I hope you had a great time in San Francisco!!

I think Norris is on board Silhouette in the Norwegian fjords at the moment. So maybe a delay in your reply.

I think Norris is on board Silhouette in the Norwegian fjords at the moment. So maybe a delay in your reply.

I guess I was right about him having a cruise coming up! THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW.

Hello Mr. Norris, I just started thinking about another cruise. I am looking at a couple that go to only two of the ABC Islands. Both go to C, so the choice is A and C or B and C. I would like your opinion on which Island you found the better of two. The other ports and the price are basically the same, so it mostly comes down to Aruba or Bonaire.

Also do you have a cruise coming up soon? I seem to recall you were considering one and I would find reading your Seafarers Journal an enjoyable event.

Thanks for any help and advice you can give me.

Hi- alas I am not on Celebrity Silhouette right now as we pushed that cruise off exactly a year to September 1 2019. It's a 5 figure spend and with Cuba coming up in January it seemed too much , so now we have almost 8 months between sailings. We kept the same aft S1 suite.

So the next review will be January 25th when we return from Azamara Journey 9 day to Cuba.

Our longest cruise so far. Final payment is 120 days out-September 17, 2018

Having only been to Bonaire once and Aruba 3 times I would side with Aruba if I had to choose. I think there would be more to do-excursions, shopping certainly, more restaurants and bars and plenty of taxis. I loved our last visit to Aruba from morning to night. If I was to scuba dive then Bonaire but I haven't done that in almost 30 years.

Thanks for asking!

Norris