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Just back from Western Caribe 6/20-6/27 on the Explorer - any questions?

giantsfan

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Host Anne "Live from...." Rare

Host Anne

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Baseball Mom ~ you'll love Serenade! And we have always enjoyed our tablemates, even those who were unusual (only really happened once). It makes for great memories! Be sure to come back and tell us about it!

Donna ~ yes, we want DETAILS !!!! And photos! I can't believe you cruised without all of us.

We just booked our flights today for our Baltic cruise next July. Frequent flier miles are great. Let's hope Delta stays in business!

When are we all cruising together again? Anyone giving up on RCI with their new pricing policies?

Gotta get some sleep. Miss y'all!

~Anne
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baseballmom

baseballmom

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Hi Anne, yes, I absolutely will report on my cruise! Everyone on CC has been so incredibly helpful, even at this early stage, that I just hope I can return the favor someday.

As for RCI's new policy, yes I hope I'm able to cruise with them again and again. I got a discount coupon from them for this cruise, and I assume there will be others in the future. I booked my first cruise in June through the auto club because I knew absolutely nothing about cruising. Now, thanks to the internet and generous people like yourself, I know a bit more but I'm by no means an expert. So, I am once again working with a T.A., this time one who specializes in cruises and works for a large agency. I like having that "safety net" of a local agent. Yes, I could have saved maybe $50 or so going through one of the online agencies I checked into, but the service I'm getting (and the onboard credits) are worth it to me until I feel comfortable booking cruises myself.

Laurie
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Host Anne "Live from...." Rare

Host Anne

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about the new pricing/discounts policy, Mark. I honestly have been so busy with work that I haven't had time to think about it. We've got three cruises booked for the next 18 months so I figure by the time we go to book another cruise, they'll have changed it again.

For me, if the pricing isn't competitive, I'll look elsewhere. We'll just have to wait and see. As many have said, it is a supply and demand thing. We'll have to see how it all shakes out. I have not idea what RCI wants to accomplish. We may be hosts here on CC but often, other cruisers know more than us. Sorry I can't provide any insight. Keep watching the boards ... I'm sure people will keep us updated.

Ron ~ I saw the photo of the "other" guy in the newspaper today. I was SO relieved to see it "really" wasn't you! :-)

Have a great weekend....trying to catch a flight to Florida - mechanical delay. Soon to probably be a weather delay. I'll probably be sleeping here in Ohio tonight!

~Anne
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donnabsn

donnabsn

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Hey Cruisers,

I had a wonderful time on my Windjammer Barefoot Cruise. The first day on the sailboat was rough seas because Tropical Storm Charley was on the way. Then it got better. To make a long story short, we partied, drank, snorkeled, and got naked....

Donna
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Mark O

Mark O

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Hi all,

Just back from a week on Long Beach Island...one of the nicest beaches on the Jersey shore. Had a perfect weather week - the first of the summer. We parasailed, wave runnered, got Lauren and her friends a surf lesson ....then they surfed for three days. A great trip. Now that I've got all of that out of my system, plan to beach it at every stop on the next cruise.

Mark
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donnabsn

donnabsn

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Hey Gang,

I didn't forget about you. I have been very busy. I am trying to purchase a house. I am in the "search process." Don't worry, the pictures aren't that bad, but it was the time of my life. I think if I want to be pampered, I will go on Royal Caribbean and if I want to enjoy the single life, be pampered a little bit, and party all night and day, I will go on a Windjammer cruise. One thing that has disappointed me, with the exception of the last cruise, was that Royal Caribbean, doesn't prepare for "single people." Where as, Windjammer Cruise, that is there specialty, everybody, has the notion that a lot of hanky panky goes on, and that is not true, you are too busy partying together and going into town to do that, although we did skinny dip.

See ya,

Donna
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Host Anne "Live from...." Rare

Host Anne

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Donna ~ glad you had a great time. We may not be single, but we loved having you around on Explorer! Honest!

Good luck with the house hunting. When we get back down there for spring break next March, we'll have to get together!

I'm really proud of us that we've kept this thread going!
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atoguy

atoguy

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My fiance and I will be taking this exact cruise on May 22, 2005 for our honeymoon.

Do you have any suggestions for us when we go on this cruise. It will be our first cruise together and will be young newlyweds. Getting married May 20th. We are so excited, we cant wait. We hope to have an awesome time and a very romantic one as well.

Thanks
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giantsfan

giantsfan

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Some of the "must do's" are:

1) Late seating for dinner
2) Book private tours through the internet. They are less expensive and
usually, less crowded than the ship tours.
3) In Grand Cayman, you have to visit Stingray City. We used Captain
Bryans - The Buccaneer.
4) In Cozumel, you have to visit Paradise Beach.
5) Use the Cruise Critic Board to investigate some of the ports of call.
6) In Costa Maya we visited the town of Majahaul. It is a tiny fishing village
with bars and restaurants right on the beach. You get a real flavor of
Mexico.
7) In Belize we did the reef snorkle with Shore Trips.com - would not
recommend this tour. Try the cave tubing instead.
Have fun, it is your honeymoon!!!!!
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Host Anne "Live from...." Rare

Host Anne

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I'll add a couple of more:

Book a couples massage in the spa...and try the Rasul chamber.

Do a romantic dinner for two at Portofino's, the alternate Italian restaurant.

If you have a balcony, order breakfast in your cabin and eat on your balcony.

If Clo is still the Cruise Director (we can check for you if you'd like) be sure to get to know her. She can add a ton of fun to your cruise!

Most of all....ENJOY! There is nothing like being on a ship!
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atoguy

atoguy

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Thanks so much for your recommondations.
We would love to find out who our cruise director is. Do you have contact with her?
Here are some questions I have if anyone has time to answer them. :)

We are going to be spending sometime in Miami on Saturday, hopefully most of the day if we can get on standby for an earlier flight. Any suggestions on where to stay at that night, and things to do while we are in Miami.

Should we take water/soft drinks on board with us, or is this illegal to do, and is it just better to get a drink card.

We will be on a balcony cabin and is there chairs or a table on the balcony, and can you order a full breakfast through room service.

Has anyone been to the Mayan Ruins in Costa Maya, we are interested in doing that.

What is the best seating to get for us. We are doing a late seating but are thinking about doing a 6-8 person table, is this a good or bad choice.


Sorry for the questions, and thank you very much for the help. We can't wait for our honeymoon!!
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Host Anne "Live from...." Rare

Host Anne

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Don't ever hesitate to ask questions here. That's what we're all here for. We all love cruising and everyone here truly enjoys helping others enjoy it too.

Onto your questions....

Yes, I know the CD on Explorer and keep in touch. I'll ask her if she is still going to be on board in May.

Miami .... hmmmm...I love Miami. Have you ever been? If not, I'd highly recommend staying on South Beach. It's so much fun for a day. We may not exactly fit into the "South Beach" crowd but it sure is fun to watch them! We stayed in a lovely boutique hotel called Blue Moon before our cruise in February. It's an older art deco hotel a block off the beach, with modern decor. Our room was on the small size (this happens in these older hotels built in the 20s) but it was great other than that. They also had a wonderful Italian restaurant. But there are lots of these types of hotels in this area. Go to [url]www.tripadvisor.com[/url] (a website where people rate hotels) and find one you like. I'd also recommend "A Fish Called Avalon" for dinner. Great food in the Hotel Avalon on Ocean Blvd. Ask for a table outside on the sidewalk (across from the beach). This has to be one of the best people watching places on earth!

We took a cab from the airport to the hotel and then from the hotel to the port of Miami. It's a bit more expensive than staying at a hotel near the port but it's a lot more fun. Since it's your honeymoon, if you want to splurge, try the Delano hotel. There are many other things to do in Miami. Let us know what you like and we can make some suggestions.

You can bring soft drinks and water on board but it's not worth the hassle to us. If you drink a lot of soft drinks, purhcase the drink card. Your cabin attendant will keep your ice bucket filled for you and there is always water available at the Windjammer. Bottled water is expensive so if you really want some, bring it along. Just don't overload yourselves. This is your honeymoon!

Yes, you will have a small table and two chairs on your balcony. They don't offer much in the way of hot breakfasts for cabin delivery. It's really hard to do it well. But you can ask your cabin attendant and since it's a special occasion, they may be willing to help out here. You can also go to the Windjammer and get a hot breakfast and take it back to your balcony. We've done that many times. In fact, now, I just send my husband (he's such a good guy!).

Sorry...haven't been to the Mayan Ruins. We made our daughter do ruins all over the Mediterranean. I think that was enough ruins for her for a lifetime. But I'm sure the Mayan Ruins are wonderful. Go to the Ports of Call boards and look up Costa Maya. You'll find others talking about the ruins there.

We much prefer late seating so we don't have to rush back to the ship from ports and quickly get ready for dinner. It's nice to relax, take your time getting ready for dinner, going to a lounge for some entertainment and a drink before dinner, etc. We enjoy larger tables (8 - 10 people) because we really like to meet other people. If you want a larger table, you should make this request through your travel agent now so it is in your record.

Anytime you have more questions....ask away. Sorry if I rambled! I love to talk cruising!
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Mark O

Mark O

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atoguy,

i was on the cruise with HostAnne and giantsfan.

we did the mayan ruins in costa maya; it was an enjoyable half-day trip - an hour to get there, an hour to get back, and two hours at the ruins. we booked it through the ship (in advance), because we didn't want to chance getting stuck in mexico. a lot depends on which tour guide you get. we got a pretty good one, and he shared a lot about how the ruins came to be. if you get a lousy tour guide, feel free to just latch on to one of the others, if they appear to be more informative. there were several pyramids to see, and we felt that a half day educational trip was as much as we wanted to do (for us, we definitely wanted to expose our 14 year old daughter to the ruins, but not a full day trip in Cozumel, so this half day trip worked for us). Now that we've all seen the ruins once, we probably won't do it again. The only down side to our tour guide was that, as an artist, he tried to sell us his work during the tour. There wasn't much pressure though, so we didn't have a problem with it. all in all, if you want to see ruins, i'd recommend this tour.

we brought along a couple of eight packs of water bottles and a cooler. the water in the windjammer is by the glass, and they don't let you fill your bottles up there. we had the cabin attendant keep our cooler filled with ice, and we filled up our water bottles in the bathroom. be aware that the water from the bathroom tap, which is the same water they serve in the windjammer, is extremely warm and chlorinated. but they serve it over ice in the windjammer, which dissipates the chlorine immediately. Also, in the cabin, after filling our water bottles, the bottles chilled in our cooler in 20 minutes, and there was no chrlorine taste. if you don't want to spend three or four dollars per water bottle, bringing your own is a good idea. It's not against the rules, and you won't have a problem.

You will have an awesome time!

Mark
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Host Anne "Live from...." Rare

Host Anne

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I think Ivan is pretty scarry. We managed to avoid any damage down Sarasota way from Charley and Frances. Hope we can continue to be lucky.

When we are down over the holidays, we'll have to get together! I want to see those Windjammer photos !!!! ;)
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