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seauonboard

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Everything posted by seauonboard

  1. How many days are you cruising? My Carnival cruise is 9 days and the insurance is 129 pp. I'm going on a 5 night.
  2. I wouldn't have paid full price for the luggage I bought. As far as a scale. I bought a fish scale that went to 50 pounds. It worked great for Alaska as I wanted to weigh the luggage before we got off the ship. I think I paid $3.00 at Wally World. How much is the one you found mercedes
  3. I'm going to Progresso twice this year and would like some not to miss suggestions.
  4. Oh yeah - and I do agree - you need new luggage.
  5. I always go with cheap stuff because it doesn't seem to matter how much I pay for luggage - one trip and it's shot. I was in Wally World just before Christmas and they were clearancing suitcases. I picked up 2 - 20" American Tourister bags - regular $60 something bucks for $25 each. Then last week I'm in Wally World again and see the same bag for $25. These are the nice swivel bags. Plus there was a 21 inch bag for $23. Grabbed both of them - so while they all don't match they are perfect so that each one of us have a nice carry on.
  6. I have decided to take the Carnival insurance. I'm going to go ahead and put the insurance on my sisters cabin also. $59 isn't bad - $39 for my niece. I have until final payment to add it - just have to remember
  7. How do you determine what medical limit to choose? I have other health insurance that is actually pretty good.
  8. Ok - I'm not the insurance type of gal. Usually we are driving to port and we arrive a day early so I never really see a need for it. But for the girls trip in September I'm thinking maybe it's not a bad idea. Others in the group are considering it also. Wild crazy girls - who know what will happen . So - has anyone used Carnivals insurance? What does it include? Does anyone like an independent better? What should I be looking for? Carnival wants $59 a person ($39 for kids) for our 5 night cruise. Thanks in advance.....
  9. Thanks for the suggestions. I did get a good deal on the rooms - total around $230 for 2 rooms.
  10. As some may have read in the Daily I have a reservation at the Harbor House. I figure I need to have at least something booked. It was priced OK and it's close to the dock - plus free parking during the cruise. I figure I'm lucky since it's Labor Day weekend and I'm thinking rooms are going to be hard to find - plus a lot of hotels require 2 night stays during a holiday weekend.
  11. I was looking at Quality Inn & Suites. Anyone stay there before?
  12. I know I probably could have done a search but what fun would that be . I'm doing this girls cruise thing in September and my friend in Oklahoma is rooming with a friend of hers from up there. We were all going to drive down - meeting up in Madisionville TX the night before. The thought being that it would make it easier on them coming from OK (we are driving from Ft Worth). Well she email me today and says that they have decided to fly to Houston Hobby the night before and would like me to find a hotel in Galveston for all of us - I'm on board since I really do want to see the ship come in. They will take a shuttle from the airport to the hotel and we will meet them that day. Here's the problem - I've heard that some hotels will only do 2 night stays. Also I would like a hotel that offers parking during the cruise but don't mind dropping everyone off and using Lighthouse if I have to. To top it off it is Labor Day weekend and I know some hotels that "normally" don't set a minimum stay sometime do during holidays. So I'm looking for help. Anyone have any suggestions of a nice but not extremely expensive hotel that fits the bill? I will be paying for 2 rooms so I want to defer some of the costs if possible. If it's more expensive then I guess me, my son, sis and niece will have to bunk up. Thanks in advance.
  13. You folks really know how to make a gal feel at home. I guess I can go put on my housecoat and slippers. Thank you - everyone - about the nice comments on my website. I'm sure this website is a lot harder to keep together then my little ole' thing - that's why I made my first of what I feel is many donations to the site. I encourage others to do the same. Great board.
  14. I hope this is OK to post - if not I'm sure someone will let me know. Sorry guys - this one is just for the ladies. We have 5 cabins booked on the Ecstasy - Sept. 1, 2008. It's a 5 night cruise out of Galveston going to Cozumel and Progresso. This isn't a group cruise (in the sense that we are not booked under a group rate - individual bookings). It's going to be a great bunch of gals (plus my 17 yo son who will never let me cruise alone). It would be fun to have more ladies along. You can book on your own (doesn't matter to me) or I can give you the name of the PVP I'm working with (he is really great). But if you want your booking tied to ours then let me know and we can exchange booking numbers. Me & son Sis & her Daughter Friend from OK & her Friend 4 co-workers
  15. We were going to follow Murray's guide but the guys weren't up for the drive - so we cancelled the car and just hung out. We found out they have a National Park tour that starts at the railroad station. They only give out a limited number of tickets (according to the information we saw) and we were running late - but decided to head that way and see if we could hop on. As we approached the train station we see a Park Ranger gathering her group around so we just sort of squeeze our way in the back of the crowd and tagged along. It was very interesting. The tour was suppose to be like 30 minutes but lasted almost an hour. The lady giving the tour was really into it. It was very interesting and the best part was - IT WAS FREE. They do take donations. Another thing we found was a True Value Hardware Store that had really nice window hangings - they were local flowers pressed in glass with a frame around it - with Alaska painted on it. They were an Alaskan made item (not from China) and very pretty. I bought 3 of them for gifts. I think they were $7.00 each and nicer then a lot of the "trinkets" they sell.
  16. We went to Paradise Beach Club (http://www.paradise-beach-cozumel.com) in August 2005. We were on the Conquest and docked in Cozumel. This is pre-hurricane damage and we docked where the duty free shops extended out into the water. I had brought along some backpacks and school supplies for the school kids. I had collected the backpacks from co-workers and purchased some myself (about 10 of them). I also picked up several items such as scissors, pencils, and protractors. I had everything in a box – which I had checked with our bags when we got on the ship. When I tried to take the box off they asked me what was inside and I told them school supplies for the kids. Well they informed me that these items needed to be taken to the purser’s deck as all charitable donations had to be handled through the ship. I told everyone in our group to go ahead and I would meet them on the pier – as I had to go back to the cabin to “return the box”. My husband though decided he would wait inside the ship until I returned. Well – I just wasn’t sure if the items would get where I wanted them to go and I had already mentioned to Tom (the manager of the beach club) that I was bringing the items, which included some chocolate and other items for the staff at the beach club. So I went back to the cabin – STUFFED everything – including the extra backpacks - into 2 of the largest backpacks and decided to walk them off the ship. I mean, “Hey – I’ll blend in – just another tourist out to enjoy their day onshore”. When I returned to the debark station my husband is there to meet me and kept going on and on about how he didn’t understand why we couldn’t just take it off our selves and I kept “shushing” him. We finally get off the ship and we’re standing on the pier with everyone else and he’s STILL talking about it. I finally point out to him that I have 2 backpacks on my back and I would appreciate it if he didn’t draw any more attention to us. Right or wrong I got the supplies off the ship. We caught a taxi (van) for 8 of us and headed to Paradise Beach. It cost us like $15 – which was good considering there was 8 of us. The ride isn’t long and before we knew it we were there. I dropped off the items at the bar as Tom was at the pier drumming up business. I told the bartender I would try and catch up with Tom later. The beach club is very nice. You don’t pay an admission per say. They just want you to eat and drink. The showers and changing facilities are very clean and free, as are the chair, umbrellas and loungers. If you would like to use the water toys you can purchase a bracelet. Which will allow you use of the equipment. If you go to their website (shown above) you will get an idea of the types of items they have. We found a picnic table in the sand and settled in. The guys ordered a bucket of beer and my son found his way to the $1 a minute massage tables. He got a 15 minute massage and said it was very nice. We ordered nachos and some other items and everything was hot (temperature wise) and had a great favor. Not expensive either. There is a long dock that you can walk out and snorkel off the end. Very nice. When Tom arrived I managed to track him down. He is a very busy man. When I found him he was giving directions to a couple on how to get to another beach club – as they wanted something with less people. He was more than happy to help them out. That’s the kind of guy he is. He realized right away who I was and thanked me for the supplies. He sent over a bucket of beers for the guys and treated me to one of those tall drinks. Both were appreciated but not necessary. Again, a nice guy. There was a little excitement as Tom found a little girl crying by the beach and asked what was the matter – she said she was lost. Come to find out this little 5 year old girl with water wings had been at the beach up the way (quite a long way actually) and got turned around IN THE WATER and had SWAM all the way down to the beach club. After getting on the walkie-talkies they managed to get in contact with the other beach club who was relieved to know the little girl was OK. Can’t imagine how she managed to get that far without someone noticing she was gone. All in all it turned out well. We spent about 4 hours there and the total tab was under $50. Not bad for 8 people. I think it helped that we didn’t have to pay for a bucket of beers - but even if we had a cheap day all in all. We had a great time and would recommend Paradise Beach to anyone just looking for a beach day – whether you get the bracelet or not.
  17. We went to XCaret in 2004. We were on the Rhapsody of the Seas and docked in Cozumel. I usually try and book everything directly on my own but since XCaret is on the mainland and we would have to take a ferry I opted to book the transport and park admission through the cruise line. If we had docked in Playa Del Carmen or Calica I would have done the entire trip on our own. I did book the dolphins directly through the XCaret site – www.xcaret.com – and saved 10%. There are taxis available in both Playa Del Carmen and Calica. XCaret is an ecological theme park. There are lockers, snorkel equipment and strollers available for rental. Showers, hammocks, and beach chairs are available at no cost. Since the park is an ecological park they request that you use only environmentally friendly sunscreens. It is available within the park at a reasonable price. When we arrived we went directly to check on the dolphin reservation I had made online and we instructed where and what time to arrive. In the mean time we grabbed up our belongings and headed to the underground river. At the start they give you a numbered bag to lock all your belongings in and then they give you the key. The bag will be waiting for you at the end of the river. The underground river is a man made river and is QUITE COLD. We did enjoy it though. We had brought our own snorkel equipment and used it as we floated along. There are points that you can get out and either look around and get back in – or walk the remainder and pick up your items. We opted to go the entire way. There were no issues with our belongings and we were able to gather up everything and head out to check out the park. The park has many interesting trails were we saw many iguanas and lizards. The flora was beautiful. They also have exhibitions and tours but we opted not to do them. We had very limited time with the ferry ride there and back and we wouldn’t have much time on this trip. I wish I had considered that more before we stopped at a sit down restaurant to eat. The meal was OK but what made it hard was the time. They were slow and I’m afraid we wasted a lot of time that we really didn’t have. I wish we had just purchased something from one of the vending stands. My fault. We arrived for the dolphins and my oldest son (17) was very excited – while my youngest (13) was not. He has PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified) and was not keen at all about getting into the water with the dolphins. When I booked online I wasn’t sure he would get to even go into the area if he didn’t have a ticket and didn’t want to risk him sitting alone outside so I booked him – not knowing if I was even going to get him into the water. No way – he was not getting in with “those things”. So he sat on the benches (wouldn’t even stick his feet into the water). I found out that they do have a galley area where those not participating can sit and watch and take pictures. I wish I had known that – and probably should have asked – but part of me was really hoping I could get him into the water. Oh well. The dolphin swim was the best part of the day. We had never done the dolphins before and even I was looking forward to it. They give you a safety briefing and have you remove any jewelry. They give you a lesson about the dolphins and you begin to realize that they have a pretty good life in the park. Not saying that it’s better than being wild and free – just that I’ve heard some of the horror stories and these dolphins looked very healthy and well taken care of. They supply life vests and after the briefing we were allowed to get into the water. There was about 10 to 12 of us. There were 2 dolphins so they split us into 2 groups. The dolphins weaved in and out and you could touch them and they really liked they underside rubbed. They did some tricks and everyone got to go for a ride – holding onto the dorsal fins. Then they did the push where you lay on your stomach and the dolphins come up behind you and lift you out of the water (a nose on each foot). You extend your arms out and you fly out of the water. This was THE BEST PART. We each got to get our picture taken kissing a dolphin. It was an hour long and worth every penny. We didn’t have much time after the swim because we had to meet up with the group. We walked along the trails and stopped in at the gift shop. I wish we had more time to spend but coming in on the cruise ship through Cozumel doesn’t give you much time. The park would be wonderful if staying in Mexico or coming into Calica or Play Del Carmen where it doesn’t take as long to get back and forth. They have night shows that are supposedly fantastic. Maybe someday we can return and enjoy an entire at the park. All in all a very nice day.
  18. Just wanted to pass this along. We cruised into Vancouver on our Southbound Alaska cruise last year. When we got off the ship the taxi line was wrapped around, and around, and around...... You get the idea. I'm so glad that I knew about Limo Jet. I had read about them before the cruise. When we got off the ship and through customs we headed to the area marked for ground transport. There was a very nice lady there - we told her we wnated Limo Jet - she called and let them know to release a Limo to pick us up. They arrived shortly after. There was 4 of us and I think it cost like $50. My DH gave the driver a ten dollar tip. It was worth every penny. Our flight wasn't until 1:30 but still we didn't have to wait in that line - that was growing every second. Thier prices have gone up slightly (Hasn't everything). According to their website....www.limojetgold.com. Sedan rate between Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR) & either cruise ship terminal is $47 + GST (Canadian) per sedan, one way, for a maximum of 3 passengers. Our stretch limousine rate between Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR) & either cruise ship terminal is $53 + GST per limousine, one way, for a maximum of 4 passengers. If you are traveling as 2 you could find another couple to split the expense and make it less expensive.
  19. I just wanted to pass on this tip - it worked well for me last year when we went to Alaska. I had difficulty finding flights that I liked for both legs of our trip on the same airline. American had a great flight back but the flights to get there didn't get in until late in the evening. So what I did was look at one way flights on all the airlines that went from DFW to ANC and all the one way flights from YVR (Vancouver) to DFW. For $20 more a ticket ($80 total for us) I was able to find a flight on American West that got us into Anchorage at 3 PM - after a short layover in Vegas. The flight back was a non-stop on American that left at 1:30 - this is where the $20 more per ticket came in - it was well worth the extra $80. By doing this we made the most of our time. I just wanted to put this out there in case people are having a hard time finding the flights they need. Someone tried to tell me that we would be scrutinzed more for holding one-way tickets on different airlines then if we traveled on the same airline - but we weren't - no problems at all. I don't know why we would be looked at any differently then someone with a multi-city ticket - they appear to be one-ways also. Anyhow - I just wanted to throw that out there. Enjoy Alaska - We did.
  20. I'll keep it between you and me - mums the word. OPPS
  21. You will get the tickets once on board. Enjoy your cruise.
  22. Your welcome. I just feel like a lot of people don't want to go to Jamaica because of all the bad things they hear - and believe me - I wouldn't get to far off the beaten path. Sunset Beach Resort is such a great place. It really is worth the expense.
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