crazy4disney

I'm really glad it sounds like you'll be able to get the package just for yourself with a minimum of hassle! I do wish we knew their actual logic behind the policy... but at least it's doable to just get the one package. Have a wonderful cruise!! -gina-

I didn't want to clutter up Eph60's great thread about the views of a storm from a cruise ship he was on, so I thought I'd start a new one. Have some great pics of views from your cruise? Specifically, pictures you have taken from a cruise ship, like the view of a port from the ship, or a storm in the distance, or another ship, or whatever. I know there are some great pics out there! Here's one I took from my balcony on the Disney Magic several years ago, overlooking Charlotte Amalie harbor in St. Thomas. I had gotten up early to enjoy some coffee on the balcony, because this is one of my favorite harbors to just gaze upon. A small shower passed over the harbor, and left the most beautiful rainbow in its wake... Pictures don't do it justice -- it was a breathtaking moment. Your turn! :-) -gina-

Hi Sarge I get what you're saying, and I do agree with you that the alcohol markups are pretty obnoxious. Maybe there's some legal CYA reason for making all parties in a stateroom buy the same package? I love RCI, but this is one more reason I truly love DCL -- You can bring aboard all the booze you can stuff in your carryon. Maybe because they know you'll need it, with all the extra kids onboard? I do know this policy of RCI's comes up a lot on other boards, and it's a sore spot for a lot of people. Hopefully the line will be able to come up with some sort of solution that makes people happy! -gina-

I hate to say it, but I can totally see why this is the rule. Soda costs them pennies... if that. But it would start to add up quickly against Royal's bottom line if people were sharing alcohol packages. And then we would all pay higher fares, which no one wants to do. I'm not sure what the solution is... but I can see why they are doing it this way and I can't say I blame them, unfortunately. -gina-

WOW... Holy smokes, RCI is really upping the ante once again! So much of the new Quantum class sounds truly amazing, and definitely groundbreaking. I thought DCL's virtual porthole rooms on Fantasy and Dream sounded cool -- but virtual balconies?? Although, I'm not sure that wouldn't just make me pine for an actual balcony... I don't want the view without the fresh air as well! I hope Galveston can attract a ship like this in the future -- I'd be the first one to book! -gina-

I agree with the OP -- I love the social aspect of cruising and getting to meet new friends onboard. It's like summer camp for grownups. :-) Along those lines, I also love how varied and custom your vacation can be on a cruise. You can do every activity listed, you can lie there like a slug in a lounge chair by the pool, you can do everything or nothing or some of both -- all in the same day if you like. Love it!! -gina-

NavigatorOfTheSeas Click here to view the cruise

Is there a way to delete a current entry?? Or edit it? I added another entry after y'all were nice enough to add a "single parent" category, but it seems I put the wrong date. I really need to delete both entries I have in the database and start over. Thanks! -gina-

I'm glad Disney hasn't jumped on this yet, since we next sail on February 2nd! I understand that fuel costs have gone up, but I really really disagree with the way Carnival Corp. is tacking the surcharge on to ALL bookings, period. "Paid in full" means just that -- there shouldn't be anything tacked on to your base fare at that point. My cruise has been paid off for several weeks now, and I'd be twelve different kinds of ticked off if they decided that they needed to suddenly charge me more. I guess what really irks me about all these companies doing this sort of thing is that there's nothing we can really do about it on our end. It's not like we can keep going to our bosses, the way these companies come to us, and say, "I'm very sorry to have to do this, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to tack on a cost-of-living surcharge to what you pay me. This is necessary due to the rising cost of fuel, insurance, groceries, and everything else." Yeah, that would go over well, wouldn't it? -gina-

If he had been 13, that might have been better... the teens seemed to have a bit more to do. But this isn't about it being the right cruise for me -- I only posted this to let other parents know that for kids in general, this is not the right cruise... and that for all the money Princess is getting, they can do a WHOLE lot better than the floor of a conference room for their junior cruisers. -gina-

Hi all! Got back yesterday from our week on the Grand, and now I'm taking a break from the laundry. LOL We had a good time, because any day at sea is better than the best day on dry land for me, but it was disappointing in some ways. Cast of characters: Me (39, single mom)/my son (just turned 10)/my mom and my stepdad (their first cruise) The Good: The Grand is beautiful. I loved the attention to detail everywhere, and the quiet and comfortable places to sit and just relax. Our stateroom (Caribe 705, balcony) was wonderful. The service was okay to excellent; our stateroom host was very nice but kept forgetting things like towels. Our waiter and asst. waiter were wonderful. The food was good, not great, but that's no surprise to anyone. We had a great time in the ports, but we were really sad that we missed Costa Maya (couldn't dock because of the high winds and swells.) The Gripes: While I did enjoy these ports, I am used to having at least one "real" Caribbean port mixed in there. This went from a Caribbean cruise to a "Fiesta Cruise" -- officially, as the "Tropical Night Deck Party" became the "Fiesta Night Deck Party." The staff kept slipping and calling it the other, then correcting themselves. Most of their passengers are from Texas -- if we wanted a fiesta, we would have stayed home, alright? It just made it seem as if we hadn't really sailed anywhere -- we certainly didn't "escape completely." That's what we go to the Caribbean for, and the difference was annoying, to say the least. We didn't hear one single steel pan band the entire time. Not one. To me, a steel pan band by the pool at least some of the time is a big part of the experience, and I missed it a lot. I thought I had done enough research, but I realized I hadn't. I had read that having late traditional dining (something we love) would mean some conflicts with activities, but I didn't realize it would come down to have food, or have fun. Every "main activity" such as the game shows and dance parties, started around 9:15. By midweek I was sick of missing all the fun, and had to give up part of my dining experience so I could bail early and go attend the activities. I guess we should have done Anytime Dining, but I hated the whole idea of that -- we really love traditional dining. And on Disney, the main events are scheduled to begin at around 10:15 or so, which worked out perfectly. I guess I just figured that Princess would have as much common sense. The events were a lot of fun, especially the game shows. The cruise staff is fun and full of energy, although I didn't really get to meet many of them. I'm really not good at meeting people on my own, and the hosted singles' get-togethers in the past have been so great for being introduced by the cruise staff to other singles and finding people to just hang out with for the week. Plus, in the past, we all got to know the cruise staff really well and just had so much fun with them. Since my little boy is with me all the time, with pretty much no breaks, this is a week I really look forward to. I get to be Gina, instead of just Mom. I had copies of the Patters from just about a month ago, and was happy to see a "singles' get-together" on the first sea day. I kept looking for that in our Patters, and never saw anything. There were singles ping pong and shuffleboard tournaments, which I later found out meant singles-as-opposed-to-doubles. (Was I supposed to readily know that??) There was something called a "solo travellers get-together" but solo traveler doesn't mean single, and I wasn't traveling solo anyway. It turns out that they had inexplicably reworded things and that *was* for singles, but I didn't find that out until Friday. It was the difference between amazing and so-so for me, experience-wise, and I spent most of the cruise just wandering around by myself. The biggest disappointment was the kids' club. Here, let me put it plainly: If you have kids older than about 4 or 5 and younger than maybe 14, PICK ANOTHER SHIP. The pictures I had seen ahead of time, I thought were simply a few select pics of the kids' area -- not the entire thing!! There is one small area where they can sit and watch a movie on a tv, and one other area with one PS2, a few board games, and a few little kid playthings. That's IT. It was as if at the 11th hour of designing the ship, someone said "Hey, there might be some kids on board from time to time!" and so they set aside a room and threw some crayons in there. There were so many kids this cruise (Spring Break, after all) that they had the 10-12 year olds IN A CONFERENCE ROOM. I couldn't believe it. In a conference room, playing board games on the floor. Now I certainly didn't expect the Grand - or any other ship - to have kids' facilities like DCL does, but my son's pediatrician literally has more stuff in his waiting room than this "kids' club" did. Plus, for some bizarre reason, they keep closing off and on all day long. Closed from 12-2, closed from 5-7, closed at 10pm perioid, unless you want to pay for your child to sit and watch a movie on the tv (no PS2 play.) My son was so bored -- we can play board games at home. You can't keep a room full of 10-12 year olds, especially boys, cooped up like that! They could have taken the kids to play paddle ball, basketball, anything. But nope, they just stayed in that little room the whole time. So I just took him to the pool a lot, which meant that I had to sacrifice some of the activities I wanted to do myself. Don't get me wrong -- I adore my son and the time we spend together, but again, this is usually the only time I get to do "grownup stuff." Aside from all the above -- and this is purely subjective -- I guess the thing I missed the most was, well, the magic. The whimsy. The feeling of knowing that pixie dust was around every corner and you never knew what magical thing was going to happen. Some of the staff I spoke with used to work on DCL, and they agreed that Disney is by far #1 in pretty much every area. Unfortunately, Disney is just so expensive... I guess we just won't cruise for a while. Maybe just save up for a couple of years until we can make our way back to Florida again. I really did go in with an open mind, trying hard to not compare Princess to Disney, but the differences were just so glaring. -gina-

Hee hee... I dunno about that! It's not just Disney Cruise Line my son and I are crazy about -- it's anything and everything Disney in all aspects of our life. :) Now, if DCL would sail a ship out of Galveston... I'd be in heaven. :grin: But I'm excited about trying Princess, and exploring a new ship, and introducing my folks to the addiction that is cruising. C'mooonnnnn, Saturday!! :cool: -gina-

Thank you!! I can't believe it's almost time to go... I'm so excited, I don't know how I'll sleep the next few nights. :grin: Can't wait to see the Grand!! -gina-

You don't have Disney Cruise Line on the list! AMAZING service.... just impeccable. They know the grownups are the ones paying for the cruise, so they strive awful hard and then some to make them happy. :) -gina-

My little boy and I have sailed on Disney out of Port Canaveral 3 times, and it is a breeze. It is 40 minutes from MCO to the port -- not two hours. We always fly in the day before (which you should always do anyway if you're not driving to the port,) rent a car one-way at the airport, take the really nice drive down to Port Canaveral, and goof off at Ron Jon's and pick up some snacks and sodas for the cruise. We spend the night at the *gorgeous* Radisson Resort at the Port. It is soooooo nice to start a vacation by lounging around their incredible, huge, natural rock pool complex, and board the ship the next morning all relaxed and refreshed. Port Canaveral is an easy port to sail from, and getting there is just as easy. Don't let 40 minutes scare you off. :) -gina-

People who have never seen one of the Disney ships usually have such a bizarre preconception of them... like everywhere you go onboard, it's going to look like one big cartoon. These ships are *elegant* -- like the classic liners. All polished nickel and shiny hardwoods, and not a flicker of neon in sight. Just absolutely gorgeous. We miss the Magic so much. :( DS and I know that ship better than our own backyard. But they have priced themselves waaaaaayy out of our budget. When the same itinerary and the same sail date and a comparable cabin is $1000 more on DCL, well, that's just not doable for me. But we're excited about getting to explore a new ship, and we're SO excited that my mom and stepdad are coming along this time! It's going to be a great cruise. After all, a bad day at sea is still better than a good day at work. :grin: -gina-

This will be the first time we haven't flown all the way to Florida to cruise (usually cruise on Disney.) I am SO looking forward to not having to spend a whole day dealing with airports and hassles, and paying for a hotel, and especially paying for airfare! I wish we had some shorter cruise options out of Galveston -- but then I would be cruising too much (is there such a thing??) also. :grin: Anyways, to drag this back on topic, I thought of something else I make sure I pack -- chip clips for the shower curtain! They weigh it down and keep it from sticking to you, which to me is like having cob webs on you. I hate it. :smiley: -gina-

I'm with you, Shari! Packing light is for when you're backpacking through the Himalayas or something. :grin: For a cruise, I want wardrobe choices at my fingertips. If I wear them, great -- if not, no big. And I am so excited about this upcoming cruise because we can just drive all of 20 minutes right to the cruise terminal -- I don't have to worry about hauling luggage through an airport! I'm packing even more this time. :) And along with the clothes comes the whole medicine cabinet. As jsme said, you don't want to get stuck paying those gift shop prices for simple meds. One cruise, I had somehow forgotten to pack cough gels -- and of course, that was the cruise I got a cold. Cough syrup was $8<] onboard. After that, I just bring anything I think we might need. -gina-

An over-the-door shoe holder. Picked ours up at Dollar Tree a couple of years ago, and they're so great for holding bottles of suntan lotion, and sunglasses, and all the stuff that generally clutters up what little space there is in the staterooms. :) -gina-

Hi there, and welcome! I'm new here also, but not new to cruising, and what the others have said is exactly right -- you will be completely addicted! But oh what a sweet addiction it is. :) And Joey described best, why that is. A cruise really is whatever you want it to be. I LOVE how I am free to go dance in a nightclub, sit and quietly read a book on my balcony, go play bingo, get involved in a lievly and fun game of dominos, or simply just lie in the sun up on deck and listen to the live calypso music. Or I can do none of that. Or I can do as much as I want to cram in a day. It's up to ME, and I can change my mind at any moment. It is SO freeing. And while you're doing all that stuff, you're being pampered and treated like you're the only guest they've ever had! It's amazing. And need I say that unpacking once and basically having your hotel float with you to fabulous places is also pretty awesome? :) Welcome to your new addiction, my friend. :) -gina-

LOL!! No way, I'm not starting any threads like that... most of them always seem so commonsensical to me anyway. I never understand the debate in the first place. I am happy to just share info with each other and join in happy anticipation with fellow cruisers. :) -gina-

So what's the secret? ;) I haven't yet seen one debate thread over pool chair hogs, or infants in pools, or jeans at dinner, or smoking, or any of the other topics that have been hashed out ad nauseum. What a refreshing change. :) After a year of planning and dreaming, I'll finally be in double-digits tomorrow. Woo hoo!! -gina-

I couldn't agree more, Debra. :) :) -gina-

You guys are great - what a happy place! I love to find other cruise fanatics... "normal" people get sick of me talking about the joys of cruising. LOL The games look fun -- I think I'll wait for the next new one to start and then jump in. :) Happy cruising, everyone! -gina-