Live from the Coral - 11/20/07

[Tobermory]

Marlinmike:

 

In one of your earlier posts, I read that you took the "Scenes of Cartagena" excursion. We will be on the Coral Princess in January and are looking at the same excursion or the excursion called "Best of Cartagena and Fortress." Both look almost identical, except for the visit to the Fortress. On your excursion, did it include a short walking tour of the old part of Cartagena and also a visit inside the Monastery? Do you have any thoughts on which of the two excursions you would recommend?

 

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

[tech]

We were on the 11/10 sailing.

 

We took "Best of Cartagena and Fortress ( we have been to Cartagena before and like it very much ).

 

We did do lots of walking the old city and that surprised us as it was not stated in the write up. It was hot and that part was tiring.

 

The climb to the Fortress is on a steep paved incline, so be prepared and the trip through the tunnels is not for people who are bothered by confined spaces.

 

Did not bother me.

 

We did not see the Naval Museum listed,not sure why. Yes, the monestery is first on the list if I remember correctly. Great because you not not too hot and tired at this time.

 

It is a long trip but very good. However, bring water and slip a power bar into your pocket, for there is no eating on this trip and it is over the lunch hour.

 

There is a handmade craft store at the shopping center that you should visit for real items made in Columbia.

 

 

[westwind6371]

For Shecat7;

Hi Steve, we are also on the Jan. 26 trip. We have a roll call thread going for that trip. Go tot he roll call threads and click on Coral Princess.

 

Let me know if we can answer any "Princess" questions for you. We took this trip before in 2003.

 

Fair winds

dave

[Loralu]

MarlinMike:

How did you enjoy the Cruise Critic gathering that Loralu was so kind to arrange for all of you and did Princess do a good job?

 

Hi - this is Loralu... we are back from this same cruise..

:cool: I doubt you will get an answer to your above question from Marlinmike about the CC meeting here - as he and his group never showed up at the designated time and place, nor did they make any attempt to contact any of us who did gather for the meeting.

... Anyway ..... no big loss for the rest of us - as we had a great time!

- I will post my own review on the Princess boards soon - to give you all my perspectives of this cruise.:D

[Willbcruisin]

Hi - this is Loralu... we are back from this same cruise..

 

:cool: I doubt you will get an answer to your above question from Marlinmike about the CC meeting here - as he and his group never showed up at the designated time and place, nor did they make any attempt to contact any of us who did gather for the meeting.

... Anyway ..... no big loss for the rest of us - as we had a great time!

 

- I will post my own review on the Princess boards soon - to give you all my perspectives of this cruise.:D

 

Welcome back Loralu!!! I'm so glad you posted...we can't wait for your review of Princess and Panama as we so value your experience and opinion!! I'm so glad you had a great time!!

 

Note: Very interested in how Princess "ranked" in regards to your CC gathering compared to other lines. I'm sure you did a fantastic job putting it all together for everyone even with your busy schedule! What a shame a whole "group" did not show or at the very least contact you (pretty rude):eek: but some folks are just like that! I'm sure despite that fact you met many wonderful "CC" members and enjoyed what you had planned! Again, looking forward to your review and Welcome Back!

[dls1277]

Thanks Mike for posting your review. We are cruising on the Coral for New Year's so really appreciate you taking the time to post. I hope you get the menus/patters posted.

Fortunately, I wasn't expecting to much in the way of food from past cruise experience on the main stream lines anyway. C+ overall in our opinion with an occasional B here or there. But, we sure have cruised in the past with people raving about how good the food is! Now if only I could afford Crystal, I might be one of them!

You are brave to put in your 2 cents.............people are so touchy on this board!

Thanks again for your review!

[wernew2cruising]

[quote name='Willbcruisin']MarlinMike:
How did you enjoy the Cruise Critic gathering that Loralu was so kind to arrange for all of you and did Princess do a good job?[/quote]

[quote name='Loralu'][SIZE=5][COLOR=blue][B]Hi - this is Loralu... we are back from this same cruise.. [/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE=5][B][COLOR=red]:cool: I doubt you will get an answer to your above question from Marlinmike about the CC meeting here - as he and his group [U]never showed up[/U] at the designated time and place, nor did they make any attempt to contact any of us who did gather for the meeting.[/COLOR][/B] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=5][COLOR=blue]... Anyway ..... no big loss for the rest of us - as we had a great time![/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE=5][COLOR=blue][B]- I will post my own review on the Princess boards soon - to give you all my perspectives of this cruise.:D [/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[/quote]
Hey everyone. Just back from this great cruise. Loralu, thanks for putting our CC meeting together. For the very few that showed up we had a great time..especially after the fact and the rest of the cruise.

I am dissappointed that the Marlin group did not show up even when the time was changed, partially to accomodate them. Oh well. I guess some people are like that.

Linda, if you see this...I am tempted to do another Princess just so I can go to trivia! (and you know what I mean by that ;) )

[larry_s_taco]

[quote name='Loralu'][SIZE=5][COLOR=blue][B]Hi - this is Loralu... we are back from this same cruise.. [/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=5][/SIZE]
[SIZE=5][B][COLOR=red]:cool: I doubt you will get an answer to your above question from Marlinmike about the CC meeting here - as he and his group [U]never showed up[/U] at the designated time and place, nor did they make any attempt to contact any of us who did gather for the meeting.[/COLOR][/B] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=5][COLOR=blue]... Anyway ..... no big loss for the rest of us - as we had a great time![/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=5][/SIZE]
[SIZE=5][COLOR=blue][B]- I will post my own review on the Princess boards soon - to give you all my perspectives of this cruise.:D [/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR=blue][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Marlinmike must be licking his wounds after that one! Hang on Princess, there must be a scathing review coming your way!!

[2Cruise4joy]

We had not planned to do Cartagena but when we woke up and saw that major city outside we said Wow.. we can't miss this, fortunately the patter said you could still get a tour and we loved the scenes of Cartegena #110 I believe. You stop and see the fortress but don't get out there, as we have seen enough fortresses in the past this was perfect. You go to LaPopa, tour the poor area, come back thru the Old Town, where I got some great necklaces 3 for $10. I did not ask to go lower than that, It was one of the best tours we have ever been on. You see new areas, military areas, shopping and back thru the nicer area. I loved it all. I am so glad we got to see it, it changed my opinion of Columbia forever.

[marlinmike]

[quote name='Willbcruisin']MarlinMike:
How did you enjoy the Cruise Critic gathering that Loralu was so kind to arrange for all of you and did Princess do a good job?[/quote]
Willbcruisin,
As reported above, my wife and I didn't get to the meet-n-mingle. As far as the rest of my friends in our group, I can't speak for them. Further, as far as "trying to get a hold of them" - I'm not sure how to do that other than go door to door looking at occupant's names on their mailboxes. To those that were at the MNG - I do hope you had a good time and I am sorry that I couldn't make it. Unfortunately, there was little information about the cruise events and/or even menus and there were things going on at the time of the MNG that I elected to do. Heck, Mary and I even changed our schedules when in Panama and didn't show up for a $150+ x 2 excursion because we wanted to. As we all know - can't be in everyplace all the time.
I guess what puzzles me is why one would think that I wouldn't answer a question about an event because I was unable to make it???? The only obligation I had on this cruise was to have a good vacation with my wife - and I had one!
Marlin

[marlinmike]

[quote name='larry_s_taco']Marlinmike must be licking his wounds after that one! Hang on Princess, there must be a scathing review coming your way!![/quote]

I'll be interested to read Loralu's perspective however, I have no wounds to lick. I find other's input/opinions/perspectives always fascinating - whether or not I agree with them (unless they get offensive, abusive, dis-respective or discriminatory, of course).

Marlin

Ps: And I don't expect everyone to always agree with me.

[shelly314]

[B][COLOR=blue]MarlinMike...glad you and your wife enjoyed your cruise, as did we. Don't think Loralu's review of the cruise will be "scathing" as we had a wonderful time. The highlight of our cruise was meeting the great people from Cruise Critic that we had been "talking" to for months. My only question is why you and your group chose the time for our meeting if you didn't intend to attend? We all had things we wanted to do, but the fact that the meeting was planned and Princess went out of their way to reserve a spot, set up signs, put out snacks, etc. took priority for us. But, as I said, we had a great time and loved meeting the other cruise critic members.....made some great friends.[/COLOR][/B]

[wernew2cruising]

[quote name='shelly314'][B][COLOR=blue]MarlinMike...glad you and your wife enjoyed your cruise, as did we. Don't think Loralu's review of the cruise will be "scathing" as we had a wonderful time. The highlight of our cruise was meeting the great people from Cruise Critic that we had been "talking" to for months. My only question is why you and your group chose the time for our meeting if you didn't intend to attend? We all had things we wanted to do, but the fact that the meeting was planned and Princess went out of their way to reserve a spot, set up signs, put out snacks, etc. took priority for us. But, as I said, we had a great time and loved meeting the other cruise critic members.....made some great friends.[/COLOR][/B][/quote]
Hey Shelly. Glad to see you made it home safe and sound. Jerry and I thought about you Saturday when we saw the 17 degree temp in Michigan.

It was great meeting you. We sure had fun at trivia.

I never did get your email and would love to stay in touch. Can you tell Laura to get it to me?

[Willbcruisin]

[quote name='shelly314'][B][COLOR=blue]MarlinMike...glad you and your wife enjoyed your cruise, as did we. Don't think Loralu's review of the cruise will be "scathing" as we had a wonderful time. The highlight of our cruise was meeting the great people from Cruise Critic that we had been "talking" to for months. My only question is why you and your group chose the time for our meeting if you didn't intend to attend? We all had things we wanted to do, but the fact that the meeting was planned and Princess went out of their way to reserve a spot, set up signs, put out snacks, etc. took priority for us. But, as I said, we had a great time and loved meeting the other cruise critic members.....made some great friends.[/COLOR][/B][/quote]


Shelly:

Welcome back! I followed via webcam and am so thrilled you had such a wonderful cruise! Loralu's review is excellent and was a true joy to read! Honest, as always! Why some peolple who post on these boards with negative , defensive comments the way they do is beyond me and not worth the time to even try to figure out...they're in another world and not on our ship;)

I just wish we could have shared this journey with you but we have the great pleasure of sailing with you again in April and many more years to come!
So glad you made more "Cruise Critic" friends, as we are from 2005! Amazing how a half hour of your "time onboard" creates a friendship everlasting!! Have you talked Cindy into sailing with us in April? I can tell by her posts she is indeed one of us!! Sailing, is IMHO the best vacation ever, but the friendships you make along the journey are priceless! Life is to short to not make time for new and existing friends as we are proof positive!:D
Already our April Meet & Mingle is set and the roll-call could not be a nicer, down to earth bunch of people....we're so looking forward to sharing our cruise vacation with such wonderful friends like you and Loralu!! Oh boy are we gonna have fun!!! Counting the days until we sail and share foo-foo's, good times, friendship and laughter again!! Saving all our quarters for you!!!!!!!
BTW: The pics are gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing!

[marlinmike]

[quote name='shelly314'][B][COLOR=blue]if you didn't intend to attend? [/COLOR][/B][/quote]

Shelly,
Please don't assume that I didn't intend on attending the CC meeting. The only thing I "intend" to do on a cruise is have a good time. At the time of the Roll Call I did "intend" to attend the MNG, just like I intended to go on the excursion that took us from Lake Gutan to the Pacific Ocean. BUT - my intentions changed. I didn't attend the CC meeting and I didn't go on the excursion either. Believe me, the excursion cost me more money than the meeting, but I decided in both instances that I was going to make a change in my plans - plain and simple.
Further, I'm confused about the "change the time for us". If memory serves, there was discussion about the meeting early on about having it on the first sea day. We then let others know how to plan and organize them (as we've hosted a couple of them and been to SEVERAL) and when the arraingements were made they were for the day of embarkation so it was changed - not just for us!
I'm glad you had a good time at the MNG and I'm glad you made some friends doing it. I had a wonderful time also.
Marlin

[shelly314]

[B][COLOR=blue]Touche'[/COLOR][/B]

[mamatrouble]

Looking forward to pictures, hope you took a lot,and the menus/platters as soon as you can post them!

[Roger Dodger]

We are cursing Feb 5, 2008 --

How can I e-mail the Cruise Director of the Coral Princess ????? Can someone give me his/her e-mail?

Thanks, Roger Dodger

[dls1277]

Mike I sure hope you are still going to post your patters/menus. Thanks.

[marlinmike]

As promised - sorry it took soooooooooooo long. I had to get son & future daughter-in-law's photo montage done for their wedding reception first. It took longer than I thought - but it's ready for their wedding on the 29th.

I've posted the menus [URL="http://community.webshots.com/album/561859406sJuMIw?vhost=community"]here[/URL] - patters forthcoming (probably a couple days).

Merry Christmas,
Mike

[FryGirl]

[FONT=Verdana]Mike[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]The wait was worth it I love the menus.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Now I know that there will be a lot that we can eat.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I hate it some times to have medical trouble [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]when it comes to food.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Thank You[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]FryGirl[/SIZE][/FONT]

[mamatrouble]

Thanks so much, I found quite a bit that sounds good..