NORTHERN CALIF Fun Cruisers

[barnismom]

None of the above however, we have done two TA's - 13 days... Brilliance of the Seas, both on that same ship - 2005 and then again in 2006 - that's how much we loved the TA... we did a couple of Best of Europe ones in the late 90's -

 

WE had about 6 ports and 7 days at sea... I thought i would not like it but it was great - hubby is a Stay on the Ship guy and I love to do the look-see on the ports -

 

We have only done the Barcelona to Fl sailings -

 

Hope all is well with you Yvonne - planning more cruises?

 

Can't wait to meet Carl on the Allure -

and of course, Janice is always on my mind too -

and Patrick.... !!

 

carol

Carol, we have many friends who have done the TA cruises. The only thing I can say is they are "cheap"...I would go crazy with a week on the water and no ports!

So what fun weekend plans do you have this weekend?

[cctn]

Carol, we have many friends who have done the TA cruises. The only thing I can say is they are "cheap"...I would go crazy with a week on the water and no ports!

 

So what fun weekend plans do you have this weekend?

 

 

I know they are cheaper than the normal but I don't remember ours being all that low - however, it's nice to save on the cruise so we could spend on tours - I remember a very very simple lunch in Nice France - over $60...total... for both of us - ravioli's, not that many, a smidgen of greens and water $$ was separate - we did get some biscuits for dessert - oh, and a roll - it was on a small small plate - that's ok, the flavor was good and who needs to be full anyway? carol

[barnismom]

I know they are cheaper than the normal but I don't remember ours being all that low - however, it's nice to save on the cruise so we could spend on tours - I remember a very very simple lunch in Nice France - over $60...total... for both of us - ravioli's, not that many, a smidgen of greens and water $$ was separate - we did get some biscuits for dessert - oh, and a roll - it was on a small small plate - that's ok, the flavor was good and who needs to be full anyway? carol

Carol, when Emmy, Mike, Bill and a few others were sailing I looked at the rates and was really surprised how reasonable the fares were for the 14 days or whatever most of them are...I think it was less than $60 pp per day.

...portions in Europe are so much smaller and we super-size!

[SANJOSEGAL]

Yvonne, we have not done either of those...we have good friends considering a TA on Norwegian next year. I thought she said something about the newest ship. We have had friends sail on the Epic and they liked her. Are you considering these for next year? We will see Don & Lita this weekend at the Sunset Celebration; I can ask them if you want.

 

Janice yes thank you for asking your friends. We love the Sunset Celebration I totally forgot it was this weekend. We are going to spend the weekend in Tiburon just relaxing. Hard to believe we've never been to Angel Island so we will take the ferry over for the day. I booked the segway tour, ever since we did it in Puerto Rico we have wanted to do that again.

 

As for the TA cruise its my sister who is interested we would never be able to be away from our jobs that long. By the way the price is really good Transatlantic: 11 night, Norwegian Epic, Miami to Barcelona, Apr 20-May 1, 2013. Excellent price on cabin with a balcony $655/pp! Wow, can't beat that! May 1-4, tour Barcelona

Mediterranean: 7 night, Norwegian Epic, May 5-12, Barcelona (Barcelona, Naples, Rome, Florence, Provence, Palma, back to Barcelona). Cabin price $1100/pp.

Carol you really have done a lot of cruising thanks for the feed back. How fun you are going on the Allure. Our next cruise is in October on the Valor, Southern Caribbean-Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao, & Aruba. Its a 8 day out of Miami. We have a very strong thread for this group. Its a good mix of old cruise friends and new cruise friends. Interesting thing is there is going to be a Elvis impersonator onboard. I guess this is his annual cruise for his fan club. http://michaelhoover.com/carnival-cruise-november-7-2010/

So far it looks like its going to be a sell out cruise.

Well its a amazingly beautiful day here in Northern California I hope you all go out and enjoy the weekend.

 

 

[kingsnake57]

Carl, weren't they (the coach and GM) former SHARKS managers? I think the KINGS will go all the way as they have the MOJO right now.

 

We had a wonderful short cruise and an awesome time in Vancouver (BC) but it was too short. I was surprised when I came home that the exchange rate was in my favor...I charged $52.52 for some souvenirs and it converted to $51.51. Fortunately I didn't have much time to shop! I did want to go to the ROOTS store but never did.

 

Any non-cruise vacations coming up? Carl, are you still working in Berkeley? I have been seeing lots of FIAT's running around!

 

We're having a little staycation this weekend for our anniversary. Went to Half Moon bay yesterday, and of course Sam's chowder house.

Yep, still working in Berkeley. They are selling Fiats like crazy. Our daughter even bought one. Her great dane actually fits in the back!

[cctn]

Those Fiats are soooo cute!! I also think the Smart Cars are cute -- I know I won't be able to get bags of groceries in the Smart Car tho' - usually a truck for those!

Happy Anniversary - !! home, not at home, as long as you are together!!

carol

[cctn]

Janice yes thank you for asking your friends. We love the Sunset Celebration I totally forgot it was this weekend. We are going to spend the weekend in Tiburon just relaxing. Hard to believe we've never been to Angel Island so we will take the ferry over for the day. I booked the segway tour, ever since we did it in Puerto Rico we have wanted to do that again.

 

As for the TA cruise its my sister who is interested we would never be able to be away from our jobs that long. By the way the price is really good Transatlantic: 11 night, Norwegian Epic, Miami to Barcelona, Apr 20-May 1, 2013. Excellent price on cabin with a balcony $655/pp! Wow, can't beat that! May 1-4, tour Barcelona

Mediterranean: 7 night, Norwegian Epic, May 5-12, Barcelona (Barcelona, Naples, Rome, Florence, Provence, Palma, back to Barcelona). Cabin price $1100/pp.

 

Carol you really have done a lot of cruising thanks for the feed back. How fun you are going on the Allure. Our next cruise is in October on the Valor, Southern Caribbean-Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao, & Aruba. Its a 8 day out of Miami. We have a very strong thread for this group. Its a good mix of old cruise friends and new cruise friends. Interesting thing is there is going to be a Elvis impersonator onboard. I guess this is his annual cruise for his fan club. http://michaelhoover.com/carnival-cruise-november-7-2010/

So far it looks like its going to be a sell out cruise.

 

Well its a amazingly beautiful day here in Northern California I hope you all go out and enjoy the weekend.

 

 

 

 

Our 13 day TA was over $3000 for both of us - where did I go wrong? and had to add for the airfare to that too - I better do a better job of price shopping next time - I think it was more than that for the previous yr too- but it's better than the 7 day $1100 price on the Epic.

anyway, I really did enjoy the TA and want to do another one - however, we have never done a Medtrn cruise and i want to see Greece, Croatia, Turkey, etc...

on another thread, we were just talking about one couple has never been to Yosemite and they live in CA -- i went once... BUT, I have never been to Alcatraz!! I need to do that - enjoy your Angel Is trip Yvonne - that sounds like fun too - I have never been there either.

Last weekend, I looked forward to Venice Beach and found it very dirty compared to a couple of years ago - but I enjoyed walking around the canal with the beautiful homes there - lunch at our favorite places - Farmers Mkt, Canters, Swingers, Thai place, Japanese place -- I missed Mario Lopez at the Grove - missed him last time too -

have a good weekend everyone!! plan more cruises!!! carol

[barnismom]

Janice yes thank you for asking your friends. We love the Sunset Celebration I totally forgot it was this weekend. We are going to spend the weekend in Tiburon just relaxing. Hard to believe we've never been to Angel Island so we will take the ferry over for the day. I booked the segway tour, ever since we did it in Puerto Rico we have wanted to do that again.

Yvonne and Carol, my DH and I have never been to Angel Island or Alcatraz...

 

As for the TA cruise its my sister who is interested we would never be able to be away from our jobs that long. By the way the price is really good Transatlantic: 11 night, Norwegian Epic, Miami to Barcelona, Apr 20-May 1, 2013. Excellent price on cabin with a balcony $655/pp! Wow, can't beat that! May 1-4, tour Barcelona

Mediterranean: 7 night, Norwegian Epic, May 5-12, Barcelona (Barcelona, Naples, Rome, Florence, Provence, Palma, back to Barcelona). Cabin price $1100/pp.

 

Carol you really have done a lot of cruising thanks for the feed back. How fun you are going on the Allure. Our next cruise is in October on the Valor, Southern Caribbean-Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao, & Aruba. Its a 8 day out of Miami. We have a very strong thread for this group. Its a good mix of old cruise friends and new cruise friends. Interesting thing is there is going to be a Elvis impersonator onboard. I guess this is his annual cruise for his fan club. http://michaelhoover.com/carnival-cruise-november-7-2010/

So far it looks like its going to be a sell out cruise.

 

Well its a amazingly beautiful day here in Northern California I hope you all go out and enjoy the weekend.

 

 

 

 

Yvonne, those prices are really good. FYI, do they include air? I remember reviewing some in the past and they included air too... Let me see what I can find out for you.

The Sunset Celebration was nice as usual and Guy Fieri was such a character! The weather was perfect today not too hot and a slight breeze.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK for those that work!

[barnismom]

We're having a little staycation this weekend for our anniversary. Went to Half Moon bay yesterday, and of course Sam's chowder house.

 

Yep, still working in Berkeley. They are selling Fiats like crazy. Our daughter even bought one. Her great dane actually fits in the back!

Carl, happy anniversary, is it today? Here's to many more! Today would have been my parents 61st anniversary...

You keep going to Sam's Chowder House so I guess we need to add this to our list of places to check out!

[barnismom]

Hello Yvonne, this is a response from my friend Emmy! I will ask a few more friends on their thoughts and also feedback on the EPIC too...

TA's are quite enjoyable. We have done one from Florida eastbound which means all your ports are at the end of the trip. This past fall we did Liberty westbound which was kind of nice since all our touring was done and we had 7 sea days to relax. We actually had wonderful weather in Nov as we took a southerly route to Fort lauderdale. Only one day of rain and weather was warm mid 70's to almost 80 some days and both trips the seas were great.

 

I am one who does not read on a cruise and I still do not find those 7 straight sea days boring. Gives you time to sleep in, have a leisurely lunch, spend time by the pool and the cruise critic groups usually plan lots of activities for the sea days so always something to join in if you care to. Of course on RCI ships we can head to the Diamond lounge for our drinks about 5pm which we did and often would sit there until past 7:30pm just chatting and having a drink or two.

 

Pros of course is the absolutely great pricing especially if you get them when the bookings first open up.I recall for my Liberty of the seas 14 day TA opening pricing for balconies were $899 per person. I also got great airfare one way to Barcelona for about $500 pp from Detroit.

 

Advantage to westbound journey is they move the clock back every day so you actually have 25 hr days so for us at least we are on the same time zone when you arrive in Florida. Our eastbound was in April and our westbound was in November and we actually had better weather on the Nov sailing. It really is a very relaxing cruise cause you have no island to rush out to on those 7 sea days. What prompted me to try them was #1 the price, #2 a great way to get an overview of some of Europe #3 after doing a 2 wk cruise from San Diego to Hawaii I knew I was not bothered by 5 sea days so I knew adding 2 more would be okay

 

Of course the weather is a gamble..Rick still prefers to do a 14 day or 2 7 days B2B in the Caribbean since the weather is more predictable. Hope some of this helps but feel free to ask any other questions :)

[kingsnake57]

Carl, happy anniversary, is it today? Here's to many more! Today would have been my parents 61st anniversary...

 

You keep going to Sam's Chowder House so I guess we need to add this to our list of places to check out!

 

Thanks Janice!

[SANJOSEGAL]

Hello Yvonne, this is a response from my friend Emmy! I will ask a few more friends on their thoughts and also feedback on the EPIC too...

 

 

Wow Janice thank you so much for passing this on to me. I shall now continue the generosity and pass it on to my sister.

 

Yvonne

[cctn]

I agree with the review on the TA = both of ours were in Nov, 2nd & 3rd weeks - weather was ideal - and for me, who kept thinking of all these sea days - I ended up liking it and can't wait to do it again - as long aS i get SOME ports, doesn't matter in the beginning, end or what - the 7 straight days of sea were great - carol

[barnismom]

Thanks Janice!

Carl, so besides the clam chowder what else do you recommend at Sam's?

...think we are going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium this weekend. I like the Fish Hopper for seafood and their chowder.

[barnismom]

Wow Janice thank you so much for passing this on to me. I shall now continue the generosity and pass it on to my sister.

 

Yvonne

Yvonne, I was so impressed with Emmy's comments and thoughtful response plus she was so prompt.

Let me know if your sister has any questions for Emmy.

[cctn]

Carl, so besides the clam chowder what else do you recommend at Sam's?

 

...think we are going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium this weekend. I like the Fish Hopper for seafood and their chowder.

 

 

Oh wow! if we didn't have the 70th wedding anniv celebration to go to on Sat and another committment on Sun, I would have loved to go to Monterey - as it is, our weekends are always so full - sometimes, NOT for fun things! Have a great time - I love the sardines that go around and around - carol

[kingsnake57]

Carl, so besides the clam chowder what else do you recommend at Sam's?

 

...think we are going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium this weekend. I like the Fish Hopper for seafood and their chowder.

 

Actually, Sam's is famous for their lobster roll. It' like $20, but if you like lobster (which I do) it's worth it. They also have louie salads, grilled fish, fried seafood, and wonderful Manhatten clam chowder (they also have new england style too).

When we go to Monterey, we like to go to The Fishwife's Seafood at Asilomar Beach. We've also been to a pretty good place on the pier @ canary row.

BTW, we're kicking around the idea of doing a cruise on Princess out of S.F. late in 2013. Does anyone have much expierence with Princess? How do they compare to Royal?

[kingsnake57]

Those Fiats are soooo cute!! I also think the Smart Cars are cute -- I know I won't be able to get bags of groceries in the Smart Car tho' - usually a truck for those!

 

Happy Anniversary - !! home, not at home, as long as you are together!!

 

carol

 

 

I'm sorry Carol, I missed this post.

Those little Fiats are selling like hotcakes! Haven't had very much warranty repairs so far, seem to be built pretty good.

Thanks Carol!

[nettieflips]

Hi Janice,

My name is Annette and I'm Yvonne's sister. Tom & I are planning a TA cruise and yes, the cost is unbelievable... but the one way airfare is killing our budget. One way tickets are just as expensive as round trip! And that's not just on one airline. They are all quoting the same. You found a cheap one way ticket for $500. Wow, that's amazing. How long ago was that and did you book it yourself online? What airline and how much in advance did you buy? I'm hoping for the same good luck! Thank you for your feedback. Annette Phillips, AZ City, AZ

[nettieflips]

Pros of course is the absolutely great pricing especially if you get them when the bookings first open up.I recall for my Liberty of the seas 14 day TA opening pricing for balconies were $899 per person. I also got great airfare one way to Barcelona for about $500 pp from Detroit. :)

 

Hi Janice,

My name is Annette and I'm Yvonne's sister. Tom & I are planning the TA cruise and yes, the cost of the cruise is fabulous... but the one way airfare is killing our budget. I'm finding one way tickets just as expensive as round trip tickets! And that's not just one airline. They all quote the same. You found a cheap one way ticket for $500. Wow, that's amazing. Couple of questions for you :confused: How long ago was that and did you book it yourself online? What airline did you use and how much in advance did you buy your tickets? I'm hoping for the same good fortune! Thank you for your feedback. Annette Phillips, AZ City, AZ ;)

[barnismom]

Oh wow! if we didn't have the 70th wedding anniv celebration to go to on Sat and another committment on Sun, I would have loved to go to Monterey - as it is, our weekends are always so full - sometimes, NOT for fun things! Have a great time - I love the sardines that go around and around - carol

Dear Carol, you and Narce have the best social lives of anyone that I know! Do you have any free weekends or at least one of the days for us to do a Northern California get together?

We wish that you could be sharing the MBA experience with us...they are featuring a jellyfish exhibit. Of course, my favorite are the OTTERS!

[barnismom]

Hi Janice,

My name is Annette and I'm Yvonne's sister. Tom & I are planning the TA cruise and yes, the cost of the cruise is fabulous... but the one way airfare is killing our budget. I'm finding one way tickets just as expensive as round trip tickets! And that's not just one airline. They all quote the same. You found a cheap one way ticket for $500. Wow, that's amazing. Couple of questions for you :confused: How long ago was that and did you book it yourself online? What airline did you use and how much in advance did you buy your tickets? I'm hoping for the same good fortune! Thank you for your feedback. Annette Phillips, AZ City, AZ ;)

Annette, welcome to our thread! It is my dear friend Emmy who was able to snag that deal out of her closest American hometown which is Detroit.

Sometimes I have seen specials on the TA's where various agencies/cruise lines offer free airfare from select airports but the catch there is that they are often last minute cruise deals.

Emmy's TA's were in the last two years I think but I need to verify. Do you have any frequent flyer miles? If you can use that to get to the East Coast you could save by going across the Atlantic Ocean. Plus I don't know if it as good as it used to be but consolidator tickets can be reasonable.

Annette, I have a friend that has also done a TA and I believe she found a great deal on airfare out of Vancouver (BC) and/or Seattle. I will get more information for you.

Come back again...what month were you looking at? Also, are you specifically looking at NCL's EPIC?

Have a good weekend!

[barnismom]

Actually, Sam's is famous for their lobster roll. It' like $20, but if you like lobster (which I do) it's worth it. They also have louie salads, grilled fish, fried seafood, and wonderful Manhatten clam chowder (they also have new england style too).

 

When we go to Monterey, we like to go to The Fishwife's Seafood at Asilomar Beach. We've also been to a pretty good place on the pier @ canary row.

 

BTW, we're kicking around the idea of doing a cruise on Princess out of S.F. late in 2013. Does anyone have much expierence with Princess? How do they compare to Royal?

Carl, I love lobster rolls! I will look into the Fishwife...could the other restaturant be Fish Hopper?

I personally prefer Royal Caribbean to Princess (we have done Alaska on the Island Princess and our recent 2-night out of SF) for various reasons but most importantly the crew is so much better on RCI and the productions...they deliver the WOW. However, the food on Princess is probably overall better.We were disappointed with the speciality steak house, Crown Grill.

I think Carol and Char and some others are doing a CA Coastal next October...

Have a wonderful weekend!

[nettieflips]

Annette, I have a friend that has also done a TA and I believe she found a great deal on airfare out of Vancouver (BC) and/or Seattle. I will get more information for you. Come back again...what month were you looking at? Also, are you specifically looking at NCL's EPIC?

 

Wow Janice, thank you for all the great info. I will definitely ck out flights out of BC &/or Seattle. We are both retired (yahoo, brand new for me :D) so we're flexible on dates. NCL's EPIC seemed to have best pricing on a TA and the ship sounded really nice. Only a couple of yrs old so not too worn yet!

 

I came up with a bright idea yesterday. ;) Since one way airfare cost the same as round trip, we could buy round trip tickets and book two TA's.... in October fly to Barcelona, cruise back ... in April cruise to Barcelona and fly back! How amazing would that be! We love being spoiled aboard cruise ships and since TA's are so inexpensive, why not! I want to get the biggest bang for our buck and this may be the way to do it. :cool: Still looking at all the options. Let me know what Emmy says. Hope to chat with you again and maybe we'll cruise together sometime too! Thanks

[pkt1976]

I'm thinking about doing two TA's next year too. I may do Princess one way (because of the ports) and RCCL or NCL Epic the other way (because of the ship/price).