Destiny – Post D-D 9/27-10/2/08 Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman – Review & Capers

[falkcor]

Destiny – Post D-D 9/27-10/2/08 Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman – Review & Capers

(26) GRAND CAYMAN - CAPERS

For everybody looking to plan their stop in Grand Cayman, and the evening thereafter, here are the capers for this second to last night – the following day will be the last ‘fun day at sea’ before debarkation.

I can’t believe that after thirty typed pages in word (single space 10 font at that!), I haven’t even touched on the more typical service (rooms, dining service), food, fellow cruisers, rooms, events and the like – but that’s up next. Does anybody know if there is a limit on total length of (or what it is) the member / ship reviews in that section (not on this board). I might be pushing it :cool:

Thanks to everyone following this, and for your comments. As always, if you have any specific questions, ask away!

[valancy1]

Falkcor,

 

You're not pushing it--my Liberty review was long and Paul Medik's B2B Liberty review was huge! Keep it coming!

 

I think my question got lost up there--when are the formal night(s)?

 

Enjoying this--less than 4 weeks now for us to do this very cruise, so I'm enjoying that YOU enjoyed it. I'm sure we will, too.

[falkcor]

You're not pushing it--my Liberty review was long and Paul Medik's B2B Liberty review was huge! Keep it coming!

 

great - won't be as good without pictures and the like, though... do urls post there (even if not live linked, just text)?

 

I think my question got lost up there--when are the formal night(s)?

 

Enjoying this--less than 4 weeks now for us to do this very cruise, so I'm enjoying that YOU enjoyed it. I'm sure we will, too.

 

it's in #97 - there is one formal night on the 5 night cruises - it was the second evening, which was the first day at sea. this is when they held the captain's reception(s), and had lobster & prime rib in the dining room. the capers for 9/28 (formal night) are a few pages back.

 

it's taken more than 30 pages to express thus far how much I enjoyed it ;) you're going to have a blast. :cool:

[valancy1]

great - won't be as good without pictures and the like, though... do urls post there (even if not live linked, just text)?

 

 

 

it's in #97 - there is one formal night on the 5 night cruises - it was the second evening, which was the first day at sea. this is when they held the captain's reception(s), and had lobster & prime rib in the dining room. the capers for 9/28 (formal night) are a few pages back.

 

it's taken more than 30 pages to express thus far how much I enjoyed it ;) you're going to have a blast. :cool:

 

I don't think there is a limit on photos or anything. I've never seen anything referring to that. I could be wrong, but Paul's (and mine, to a certain extent) was rife with pictures... bring 'em! We wanna see! LOL.

 

(I have my pages set to 40 views per "page" so my page count is different than the norm...)

[veryhotred]

Again, thank you!!!!

[falkcor]

I don't think there is a limit on photos or anything. I've never seen anything referring to that. I could be wrong, but Paul's (and mine, to a certain extent) was rife with pictures... bring 'em! We wanna see! LOL.

 

i'm not sure we're talking about the same thing. i know that on the boards, i can post photos, links as i wish (my review thus far). but when it's done, i want to post as a 'ship review' - this page:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreviewform.cfm?ShipID=2

 

i don't think they're the same. i've never seen photos or links in the 'member' 'ship reviews'. just on this board. and that pages urges you to save in plain text format, so things normally displayed (such as in this case) are not. that was the nature of my question.

[valancy1]

Gotcha and sorry about being obtuse--and THANK YOU for not being unkind about your explanation :)

 

I can't help there--I've never done one, but someone else surely has.

 

Best,

[2PinaColadas]

Thanks Falkcor. I found out that the invitations for past guest parties are put in individual rooms, it's not mentioned in the capers.

 

Thanks. I love this review--best one I have ever seen. I am sooooooo excited about my cruise.

[mgm3430]

Falkor,

 

Do you remember what deck you were on when you embarked on the ship & what end of the ship front, back, middle? We need to get to the shore excursion desk asap when we get on and wondered what would be the fastest way to get there from where you embark.

 

Also, when you got off at grand cayman & ocho rios what deck & what end did you get off the ship?

 

Do you remember which night was the gala midnight buffet?

 

Thanks for all your help! Your review was awesome & thanks for the capers!

[falkcor]

Falkor,

 

Do you remember what deck you were on when you embarked on the ship & what end of the ship front, back, middle? We need to get to the shore excursion desk asap when we get on and wondered what would be the fastest way to get there from where you embark.

 

Also, when you got off at grand cayman & ocho rios what deck & what end did you get off the ship?

 

Do you remember which night was the gala midnight buffet?

 

Thanks for all your help! Your review was awesome & thanks for the capers!

 

if memory serves (and i think it does)...

 

from the port of miami - the gangway leads directly to deck 3, the lobby deck, and we boarded on the starboard (right) side of the ship - so you enter directly into the atrium. the shore excursions desk is directly across the atrium. i'm not sure they this location is pretty much toward the front of the boat, just above middle.

 

the shore excursion desk wasn't open when we boarded though. it was supposed to open (according to the capers) at 4PM - the same time we set sail. i'm not sure if it opens exactly at 4PM, or after the ship sails.

 

when we docked in ocho rios, jamaica, we debarked / embarked at deck zero (below the riviera deck), on the starboard side, toward the front. if you walked up the stairs here, you'd hit the atrium 3 decks up - so pretty much the same location (as far as front to back is concerned) as the initial embarkation.

 

when we anchored in grand cayman to tender, i THINK we got on and off at the same place as in ocho rios - but i'm least sure of this one.

 

there was no midnight gala buffet - from what i understand (someone correct me if i'm wrong), but i think that was cancelled fleet-wide.

[mgm3430]

Thanks Falkor!

[nickimom]

Falkcor - you have inspired me to look into the stingray and the mystic mtn. attractions. You are a great writer. I will be on the Triumph Nov. 2, and our roll call board mentioned this thread. That was a great call on their part, and I will be spending more money and having more fund because of you! Thanks

 

Tanya :)

[falkcor]

Falkcor - you have inspired me to look into the stingray and the mystic mtn. attractions. You are a great writer. I will be on the Triumph Nov. 2, and our roll call board mentioned this thread. That was a great call on their part, and I will be spending more money and having more fund because of you! Thanks

 

Tanya :)

 

bon voyage! i came across this as your embarked, but it makes me so happy that you could benefit from my own experience, and i guarantee, you'll have a blast. be a little adventurous, and it will return dividends exponentially.

 

report back with your experiences, and tell me if you agree - i'm sure you will ;)

[wasiii]

.....did you happen to have the Capers for October 1? I think you only posted the 27, 28, 29 and 30.

 

TIA

 

wasiii

[valancy1]

.....did you happen to have the Capers for October 1? I think you only posted the 27, 28, 29 and 30.

 

TIA

 

wasiii

 

Wasiii

 

I believe that is the last day of the cruise. There are no capers on the last night for the next day.

[falkcor]

.....did you happen to have the Capers for October 1? I think you only posted the 27, 28, 29 and 30.

 

yup, they're coming. sorry this is taking so long. i've been trying to be thorough - and busy ;)

 

up first though - full list of carnival shore excursions w/ price list.

[falkcor]

Destiny – Post D-D 9/27-10/2/08 Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman – Review & Capers

(27) SHORE EXCURSIONS… ALL OF THEM!!!

Alright, so I’ve covered in depth the shore excursions I selected – and I highly recommend them! But for those of you looking for something a little different, looking to compare cost of carnival vs. independent excursions, or wondering what exactly $ or $$$ mean, here’s the full list of carnival shore excursions in Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope this helps out all of you planning your excursions! On that note, people often ask about when the excursion desk is open. On our first day, when we boarded, the excursion desk was NOT open. The capers listed the desk as having opened at 4.00PM on the first day, but this also coincided with when the ship was set to sail away. I'm not sure if it's a pure 4PM opening, or coincides directly with sailing (like the texas hold'em tournament) - the latter makes some sense, as in which case, sales wouldn't be subject to local sales tax. But, I'm not sure about that, and I didn't check that first day (I already booked everything). More to come!

[Cruisin'Lovebirds]

Thank you so much for including such detail. We are considering the Destiny or the Freedom for May 2009 and this really helped!

[eventfarm]

Falkcor,

 

Thanks for taking the time to do this review! I'm not going on this ship, but it's really fun to see what other trips there are out there!

[mouche]

Thanks Falkcor, you ROCK!!!:)

[rosebud1g]

wow Falcor you are awesome!! thanks for taking the time to do all that!

looking forward to GC and Jamaica.

[falkcor]

Thank you so much for including such detail. We are considering the Destiny or the Freedom for May 2009 and this really helped!

 

cruisin’lovebirds – you’re very welcome' date=' my pleasure. i'll try to help you out a little more and finish this thing up… next stop is some of the more typical kinds of things – food, service, rooms, general observations & reflections, people on board, etc. i think I’ve covered drydock, the ship, bars & lounges, drinking (lol), and excursions in ocho rios, jamaica & grand cayman. more to come. ;)[/font']

[falkcor]

Falkcor,

 

Thanks for taking the time to do this review! I'm not going on this ship, but it's really fun to see what other trips there are out there!

 

eventfarm – no problem, my pleasure. i fell out of the groove here for a little while, and i’m kind of glad i wrote it… for myself! i just read threw the first two pages, and it was like a blast from the past. i'm going to work to actually complete this thing. :)

[falkcor]

Thanks Falkcor, you ROCK!!!:)

 

mouche - thanks... :cool:

you too ;)

[falkcor]

wow Falcor you are awesome!! thanks for taking the time to do all that!

looking forward to GC and Jamaica.

 

rosebud – thanks, but believe it or not, I’m not done yet… just delayed. I would entirely recommend dunn’s river falls and stingray city / coral reef in ocho and grand cayman. Lots of fun. :)