Suzila

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Ha ha! Carmen...I have no comment! Just in case anyone else is ever interested in this excursion, I found out that the atv's in Acapulco are for single riders only...no passengers. Doesn't matter if you weigh less in total than the limit, the atv's are single seat, with no pegs for passengers. The shore excursion specialist called me back today. We're disappointed, and now have to figure out which other excursion to book. We've already seen the cliff divers and wanted something a little more exciting. Any suggestions?

One of the highlights of Victoria for us was Butchart Gardens...we took the tour from the ship, and it was excellent. We had a picnic on the lawn of the gardens and they served a lunch that was served to the Queen of England. We were expecting a brown bag sort of lunch...this was far beyond our expectations, and I would highly recommend doing this tour. We booked it through the cruise line and had plenty of time to see the gardens on our own. My son and I did a tour of the Totem Bight park while my hubby and other son went salmon fishing. It was interesting, but it was slow-moving. We did the White Pass Railroad the first time we went to Alaska and wished we had combined the gold dreding with it. Our friends did both, and wished they had just done the railroad. They complained about being dirty, it took too much time, and the day they took the railroad it was foggy. Their pictures weren't anywhere near as good as ours, we took on a clear day. I know a lot of people like to tour on their own. I prefer to book through the cruise line when I'm visiting a city I've never seen before. I figure the cruise guide will be able to show me much more than I could do on my own. When we've been to a place before, then it's not such a big deal to do it again on your own.

I hope so, Joey. But we've been in other locations where there are only single seat atv's, with no pegs for a second passenger. I haven't heard back yet from NCL, but will call them again if I don't hear from anyone else.

We'll be on NCL in April and in Acapulco we'd like to do the Acapulco ATV Adventure. The weight limit is 364 lbs. Can both my hubby and I be on the atv together? I don't want to have my own atv. (I've owned my own motorcycle before, and believe me, it's not pretty) We weigh less than 364 together. Do they allow two people on together if they are under the weight limit? I have a call in to NCL and they are checking for me because off-hand they didn't know. Has anyone done this specifically in Acapulco and knows? (I know in Puerta Vallarta you can have two people on one atv). Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

How BIG is that GIANT snail? I picture it walking through my front door...that's disgusting. Are you still sure you enjoy eating them? LOL!

We had to cancel a cruise two days before we left. When my son was 17 years old he had recurring episodes with a collapsing lung (5 times). Somewhere in the middle of that horror, he had a collapsed lung two days before we were scheduled to cruise and we had to cancel. We had insurance and received the total amount back, even though we weren't really entitled to the entire amount (too close to the time of the trip). The insurance company felt bad for us because he had to go in for surgery, and they gave us the entire amount back.

"I always was afraid I would slip as I crunched them under my feet...I figured, if that happened, no one would ever see me again...the snails would have a feeding frenzy and I would end up being just a Carmen puddle on the grass campus. Some picture, huh!" Eeyew! The attack of the escargot!

Why is that do you think?.. what are they missing besides you guys?.. We've talked about it often, Joey...they are on an island, they can only drive so far before they have to get on a plane to go somewhere else. Everything there is brought to the island, much more expensive, and one of their complaints, although they live in a residential area, is that there are too many tourists. Plus, they have jobs, they aren't retired. So they have little time to relax, sit on the beach, things we do when we go there for a vacation. I don't even think they miss their friends and family that much...EVERYONE goes there to visit them. It's the same as when I moved to California from NY. I had so many visitors who wanted to come out here to visit, it got old after awhile! As far as living on a cruise ship goes, I'd want a different itinerary all the time. I wouldn't want to see the same thing over and over. And, as far as Walmart is concerned...bite your tongue. Walmart? Good grief. Walmart isn't 'real shopping'.

Howard, I'm going to take a picture the next time I step on one and send it to you.....Ha ha!

No, I wouldn't like it. Truthfully, I 'NEED' my malls...ha ha! Years ago while we were on a vacation we considered moving to Hawaii. It's not the same being on a vacation and actually moving somewhere to live, work, etc. Our friends moved to Hawaii and they take every chance they can to come back to the mainland. Part of the fun of a cruise is looking forward to the anticipation of the trip. If you live on it all the time, what's to look forward to?

Mine is definitely shrimp cocktail. I have never ordered escargot, and really, can't face it. We have so many snails outside on our walkway that I have managed to crush while walking barefoot (imagine the squishing/crackling they make underfoot the next time you're eating one)...good grief, I couldn't imagine eating them! LOL!

Lunch is always my favorite. Once in awhile we go into the dining room, but if we happen to go into the buffet, then I can pig out as much as I like. I'm big on the salad stuff, but then like to balance that out with the plethora of desserts. LOL!

I've played bingo once or twice, but it's too slow for me. It depresses me to see people playing in a casino, putting their money in and losing over and over. No, I never go into the casino.

I was just thinking about something else. Our neighbor takes at least 5 cruises each year, if not more. Picture this...a very outspoken, loud man. He and his wife, and their friends were on an Oceania Mediterranean cruise last year. Oh, they raved about it...it was wonderful, the cabin, the service, everything, EXCEPT: when he cruises, he tells the waiter to bring one of everything on the menu so he can try it all. He insists every other cruise line did it, but Oceania told him they would bring him another entree after he finished the first, the second, and so on. He was adamant, made a big fuss about it, had the maitre 'd try to settle things, etc. In the end, Oceania did it their way...one entree at a time. Our neighbor swears he'll never take another Oceania cruise as long as he lives...it was terrible. Doesn't take into account all the good things about the trip. We asked his friends what they thought about the cruise and they said everything was top notch, and the next time they cruise, they'll leave our neighbor home! LOL! I can't tell you how many times our neighbor has asked us to cruise with them and we've turned them down. Can you imagine why? But, you see...two different parties on the same ship, and they have different reviews. Just read what people have to say, and make up your own mind.

We had this happen to us just recently, last August. when we went on our Hawaii cruise on NCL. I put the trip together for 8 of us, and because of the reviews I warned everyone in advance that we were to treat the cruise ship like a hotel room, know that the service was probably going to be lousy, not up to par of an international crew, etc. We were intent on going to Hawaii with the family, and so we were all prepared, because NCL is the only cruise line going around the islands...if you want to do Hawaii (by flying in), you have to do NCL. Allright, we were all prepared for a different type of vacation, wary of the crew members, the service....and none of it came to fruition. The crew members couldn't have been nicer, the service was great, and we actually loved being able to communicate with the crew, knowing that they understood us and we understood them. (in 2006 when we did an Alaskan cruise on RCCL, we had a cabin steward sit us down on our bed and listen to him...he actually lectured us! We couldn't understand a word he said, and when he left the room, hubby and I laughed about the fact that he lectured us like children...the service was good, but he had a funny way of introducing himself to us) So, I will read all the reviews, but make up my own mind about the cruise. We've been on cruises where we are having a blast, and there are others complaining about everything. Everyone wants something different out of a cruise, and you really have to decide for yourself whether or not to go on that specific cruise. I wouldn't allow someone's review of a cruise to stop me from planning the same one.

I tend to write a review when I go on a 7 day or longer. It was especially important to me to write a review for the NCL Pride of America cruise we took last August because we had heard such negative things about NCL before we had gone. We went on the cruise with an open mind, trying to follow advice we had heard of treating the ship like a hotel room, not expecting too much in the way of good service, etc. We really had only one negative experience onboard and that involved the restaurant reservations because we had 8 people. We specifically decided to try NCL once more this April for a cruise to Mexico because we wanted to see if making reservations in the restaurants were any easier for just two people. We expect no problems this time around. We found we really enjoyed eating dinner in different restaurants each evening, at whatever time we chose, rather than the regular dining times...early or late seating. Anyway, our NCL trip went very smoothly, and it just goes to show, one person can have a totally different experience on the same ship as another. So, I most likely will post a review for NCL Star in April, and let you know how that went.

I would have enjoyed meeting you both, Carmen, but we didn't have time for the 4 day this time around. The object of this cruise is a gift for our son and daughter-in-law's 3rd anniversary. Our dil is in college and couldn't afford to miss any classes, so we scheduled the Friday-Monday. I haven't been on the Monarch yet, so I'm looking forward to it. By the way, is there a 'formal' night on the three day cruise, and do hubby and son NEED suits? Any possibility they could get away with wearing collared shirts with ties, and no jacket? We won't be taking any formal pictures...we have loads from our Hawaii cruise and multiple weddings. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

We booked Monarch of the Seas today for a February 1st sailing. We're taking our kids for their 3rd anniversary. We're just going for the weekend, Friday-Monday. Joey, we'll be getting off the day you get on!

Wait a minute! You went on a cruise on my birthday, and didn't take me along? Hmmmm? Glad you had such a good time!

Yeah, that's going to be a reeeaaallly long cruise, Joey! LOL!

Keith...don't be silly! You CAN open the drape! (just don't stand there looking out the (non-existent) window! Ha ha!

The Skipper is right, Joey. The inside cabins and the cabins with a window are almost the same size, if not the same size. All the inside cabins we've had have a drape on the wall where the window would be, so it just seems like the window is closed, not like there's no window at all. We like an inside cabin when we go on a 5 day Baja cruise, because we can sleep later, don't have to worry about getting up early for an excursion. But the room isn't really as dark as you would think. There's always a light from the hallway shining under the door. Bring a flashlight, bring an alarm clock (I don't trust the wake up call), and be sure to bring the power strip. An inside cabin has very few outlets.

WOW! What do you leave at home? Ha ha! I bring Bonine, because I have had motion sickness and it's not fun. And I bring a hand sanitizer. That's it. No bandaids, no Tylenol, no Tums, no aspirin, nothing else.

We always fly in the day of the cruise. We don't stay at a hotel the day before. We just don't have the luxury of extra time away. If we haven't been to the city where the ship launches from, we take the excursion at the end of the trip to show us around the city and take us directly to the airport.