SMB

OK, I've been waiting patiently, but I'm tired of being in an "interior cabin." I look around at everyone in their "suites" and I'm ready to be bumped up. I know I only have 28 posts and you all have 1,000 or 5,000 or 12,000, etc. Come on ! At this rate, I'm going to be demoted to the cargo hold! How about just an "obstructed view balcony.' Is that asking too much? SMB

Have you seen those Residence Cruises ! If I win the lotto, I could see buying an apartment and floating around the world. SMB

Great show. I feel like I was along for the ride. I also like the website you used for the show. I've already signed up to use it.

Since some cruise lines, such as RC, no longer allow travel companies to sell their rooms cheaper than they are priced through the company, I've noticed that some cruise websites are offering other perks such as FREE insurance. I think it pays to look around and compare incentives. As always, READ THE FINE PRINT! Not all cruise insurance is equal. SMB

Hi guys, I'm not sure if anyone else had problems with the new site conversion, but I got lost somehow. I could not log in to the forum or even read as a guest. I thought it was a temporary glich, but weeks later, I got wise to the fact I may have missed the "All Aboard" and was standing at the dock. Thankfully, Jason has now returned me to the cruisecrazies ship. I'll be posting the Thanksgiving cruise pics soon. Great to be back, SMB

One of the best kept secrets near Cozumel is the Mayan ruins of Coba (check it out on the internet). None of the typical cruise lines have excursions there making it MUCH less crowded than Tulum and the site is MUCH BETTER than Tulum. Coba has the second tallest pyramid in the Yucatan and you can still climb it. Plus, there are ball courts and palaces, etc. which are not roped off like in Tulum. My suggestion is to take the bus from Playa del Carmen to Tulum (there is that stops in Coba, but not frequently) and then hire a taxi at the stand for Coba. Despite the posted price, you can get a cheaper deal if you ask. The first class public bus to Tulum takes about an hour, is airconditioned, comfortable, and there is even a movie to watch (if you know Spanish). The ticket to Tulum from Playa is only THREE DOLLARS! I'll be posting pics of Coba on the forum soon. I promise you'll have fun and an experience that most cruisers do not get. I do recommend reading my posting "The Ferry to Cozumel runs every two hours" for a few hints on how NOT to see Coba. Watch your time! Have fun. SMB

Thanks guys, good to know. Maybe I'll go buy a small statue of Neptune and make a few offerings before our next trip just to be on the safe side. HA! :grin: SMB

Thanks, Gottacruz. It may be a merry Christmas after all. :cheesy: SMB

Where do you get the bedding? Sounds like it could be a good Christmas gift for the wife.... And I'm starting to panic! SMB

How does one go about getting an upgrade? Are there any tricks or is it just the luck of the cruise gods? SMB

Well, I've taken neither cruise, so this is a second-hand opinion, but my in-laws have been on both types of cruises. My mother-in-law went on the QEII through the canal... loved it. Both in-laws went on a cruise that left from Hawaii. They went to a few islands and then sailed way out to some South Pacific island country (I can never remember the name) in the middle of nowhere. My father in-law still uses the picture he took of that island as his desktop background. They also took a Baltic cruise this summer for 2 weeks and loved it. If you hit it at the right time of year, airfare to London can run about the same as to Hawaii. We are thinking about a family cruise around South America next year. Has anyone sailed in that area? SMB

Can I go ahead and sign up for the cruise giveaway NOW! :grin: SMB

The Thanksgiving Cruise on Mariner of the Seas was hit, also. Not as many down, but the number increased enough during the voyage that hand sanitizers went from being self-serve stations at the dinner door to a stricter funneling of diners toward crew members personally dispensing the sanitizer (The Breast Implant.. if you've seen it, you know what I mean). We were also encouraged to see the ship's doctor if we felt ill. Visits and meds were free of charge. I think they were doing all they could do in the situation. SMB

Lesson Learned: The ferry to Cozumel runs every TWO hours. I should preface this story with a brief background. The Thanksgiving 2006 voyage of the Mariner of the Seas was only my second cruise. This does not mean that I am not well traveled. In fact, I have been to 30 countries on 4 continents over the past 15 years and plan on visiting many more. Nor am I one to travel in groups; I prefer the freedom of independent travel. As a professor of history, I find I like to spend more time looking around places that most people run through or miss altogether. On my first trip to Europe after high school graduation, this propensity garnered me the sobriquet “The Church Boy†as I would run directly for each city’s cathedral like a homing pigeon. My wife finally guilt me into our first cruise last year, and I must say I loved it. The story of that cruise, however, and the many misadventures involved (which have sparked more than one person to declare that the story should be published) has been enough for people to laughingly warn us never to set foot on a ship again. (I will type up that story at a future date). I wish I could say this was my only “adventurous†trip, but I admit to not yet having experienced an uneventful trip. With all that said, I was forced to promise my wife, friends, and colleagues that I would NOT do anything risky on this trip. Well…. When planning our tenth anniversary vacation, my wife asked to try cruising again. Trying to get a date that worked with both of our schedules, however, was daunting. We kept backing up the date until Thanksgiving week 2006 (our anniversary is July 12th… does celebrating 8 months early jinx us making it to our 10th?). Even better, my in-laws invited themselves along before we could explain it was an anniversary cruise. What could you say… other than “rooms on separate decks, please.†We picked the Western Caribbean since neither of us had been there. I immediately began researching excursions to Mayan ruins as soon as we picked a cruise with a stop in Cozumel. I have taught Mayan history for years, but had never visited Mayan ruins and would not miss them this time. I was disappointed, however, that our ship arrived too late for a trip to Chichen Itza from Cozumel. I had resigned myself to just a visit to Tulum. The weather the week of the cruise was miserable. It was cloudy, rainy, cold for most of the trip. I was deeply disappointed when we had to bypass Grand Cayman because the seas were too rough to tender. The only bright spot, however, was we were going to be docking in Cozumel earlier than planned. It was a mercifully sunny day in Mexico, and I got all geared up to try for a run to Chichen Itza. We had been warned MANY times that local time was an hour behind ship time and the ship would be leaving promptly at 7:00. With this in mind, I set out early for a ferry to the mainland. By the time I got to Playa del Carmen, however, the tours to Chichen Itza had left. Oh well, I’ll just go to Tulum. Had I only gone to Tulum, the trip would have been perfectly uneventful. In fact, the hour bus ride to Tulum on the VERY nice first-class bus cost a big whopping THREE dollars. The whole trip from the ship to Tulum and back would have only cost me $34 or about HALF the cruise excursion price. Plus, I got to spend as much time as I wanted and not with a herd of people. My problem started with the misconception that the early arrival of the ship gave me enough time to visit another Mayan ruin about 30 km inland from Tulum called Coba. I had briefly read about the site on the web and it seemed much more interesting since you actually got to climb the second tallest pyramid in the Yucatan. RC, however, did not have a Coba/Tulum trip. Their two excursions were Tulum and Tulum/Xel water-park. So, I hired a taxi from Tulum and was told the trip to Coba would only take 20 minutes. What I was not informed was that these were 20 Mexican minutes. Thirty-seven minutes later, we finally rolled into the parking area of Coba… few cars and only one tour bus; I was excited. Coba was fantastic. The site is 3 km of paths to several ruins of ball courts and pyramids. I did not have much time if I was going to make it back to the bus from Tulum, so I hired a guy to bike me through the archaeological park (WELL WORTH THE 10 DOLLARS). I zipped from one place to another, taking pictures and eventually reaching the great pyramid. The climb up the pyramid is one of the most frightening and rewarding experiences I’ve had. As I stood gasping for air with heart pounding at the top of the pyramid and looked out over the trees of the Yucatan, I gained a much greater respect for a culture which had already impressed me. On the ride back to the park entrance, I started to refigure the math on how long the trip back to Playa del Carmen would take and which ferry did I need to catch to be back at the ship in time. By the time I got back to the taxi, I had concluded I would not make it in time if I took the bus. I am now 150 km from Playa and need to be back there in an hour and a half. I asked my taxi driver, Jose, if he could do it. He said, “With my Army training, no problem!†So, off we went at a breakneck speed like we were in the Tulum 500. To his credit, Jose lived up to his promise. He dropped me at the ticket office with fifteen minutes to spare before the ferry left. I tipped him generously and snapped his picture as a great story to tell when I got back to the ship. Then, I bought my ticket for the next ferry and headed for the dock. I admit I was a bit surprised when I got close to the dock and did not see a crowd waiting for the ferry, nor was there a ferry at the dock. Not thinking it a big deal, I decided to do a little last minute shopping while I waited for the ferry to arrive. It was 3:55 (local time) before I saw a ferry heading toward the dock and a line forming. I guessed they were running late… Mexican time, again. When I got to the front of the line and presented my ticket, I was told that this was not the correct ferry. This ferry was chartered as a tender for the Carnival cruise ship. I’m now confused. I was very careful to make sure I made it back in time for the 4:00 ferry because I had to be on the 4:00 to get to Cozumel by 5:00 and back to the ship before the All Aboard at 5:30 (6:30 ship’s time). Something was wrong! Perplexed, I went back to the ticket booth to discover the cause of the delay. That is when I found out a critical piece of information. I had been careful to note that the ferries from Cozumel left every hour. I assumed, mistakenly, that they returned to Cozumel every hour. I was shocked to discover the ferry from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel left every TWO hours. The next ferry left at 5:00 (6:00 ship’s time). I’m now sitting on the dock with a beautiful view of the Mariner of the Seas glowing in the light of the setting sun across the water in Cozumel… and I couldn’t get back. I quickly did the math again. The ticket people told me the trip back took 30 minutes. That means I would be in Cozumel at 6:30 ship’s time (the All Aboard), but I still had to take a taxi from downtown to the ship’s dock outside the city. That would take 10-15 minutes. OK, the ship was leaving at 7:00. At the least, I could stand on the dock and ask to be lifted by rope on board. I was panicking, but still OK. As the minutes ticked by, I became less confident I would make it back. This was our last port of call. It was a day at sea from here. If I had to get a flight back to the US, I would. I also knew if I screwed this up, my wife would probably divorce me. By 4:30 I was so nervous my stomach was in knots. I return to the ticket counter and asked if they could call the ship. “NO!†So, I return to the dock even more ill. Then I see the port authorities. I stop one and ask if they could call the ship and let them know I was on the next ferry. “NO!†OK, so I made sure my math was right. “How long is the ride across? 30 minutes, right?†“No, 40-45 minutes.†“40-45 minutes?†“That’s right.†OK, “But we will still leave right at 5:00?†“More like 5:05-5:10†A quick recalculation and that put me back at the ship 5 minutes after it sailed… at best. “And you really can’t call the captain to tell him I’m here, I can see the boat, I’m coming just wait 5 minutes?†“No.†Well, I’ve been told I do not have a very good poker face. This gets me in trouble sometimes. In this case, I think it saved me. My face must have read “DESPERITE†The port authority guy started to make some calls. He said he would see if they could radio the ship. After five minutes… during which I vacillated between wanting to vomit and deciding if it was better to forget the ferry and head for the airport… I heard the most wonderful news. One of the ship’s excursions was running late. I could ride with them. YEAH! Feeling like I could kiss the port authority (and telling them as much), I gladly moved to the place they told me to wait for the group. Then the ferry operator came by, trying to find my name on the list. I was not on the list because I was independent (that never felt like such a dirty word before). So, he asked to see my ticket. “I’m sorry. This ticket is for the other ferry line. It will not work for this boat. You will have to buy a new ticket.†“No problem!†“But our office is closed. You can still take the other ferry. However, our boat is chartered to go straight to the Mariner’s dock. The other ferry still goes downtown.†I might be able to make it, but I could not take the chance. I can tell you that I had already determined I was getting on this boat no matter what. I’d knock off the little old granny if I had to. “I need to get on this boat!†“Let me see what I can do.†The very kind man not only found a guy in the back of a ticket booth, but also got me a refund on my non-refundable ferry ticket. I tried explaining I could care less about the $11 for the first ferry, but he was adamant. I clung to my new ticket like I had won the lottery. I will forever only have wonderful things to say about the Mexicans. They were terrific to me the entire time I was there and helped me out of a terrible situation. We got to the boat at 6:55 ship’s time. I had learned…the hard way… on my first cruise that people stood watching the gangplank at “All Aboard†time to get some sick pleasure out of watching people running in panic or getting left at the dock. I looked up to see if my family was there. Nope. I walked through security. They were quickly passing everyone through. I was not on the “list†however, so when they reached me, there was a quizzical look and a “Mr. Bartlett?†“That’s me†and I walked on to the ship like this was all part of my plan. What I had realized on the ride over was I was starving and tonight was the surf & turf. I did not want to miss that. My seating had started at 6:00. It was now 7:00. I ran up to the dinning room, still carrying my backpack and dressed in my dirty clothes. I sat down at the table just as the ship started to move. My in-laws were wide-eyed. My wife was calm. My in-laws said they were surprised at my wife’s composer. When asked if she was worried, she told them, “I was a little shocked he wasn’t here for dinner. But, the boat was not moving yet, so I wasn’t worried.†Eventually, the captain had announced there were 140 people late to the boat but they were on their way. My wife just assumed that included me. Even after explaining my story, my wife didn’t blink. This was by far not the first time I had cut it close. Like a bad penny, she knew I always managed to show up. Throughout dinner, my heart was still racing. That was really close. And I was furious because I had raced back to the ferry dock knowing I needed to be on that 4:00 ferry to Cozumel. All that planning, and I still almost missed the boat. Lesson Learned: The ferry to Cozumel runs every TWO hours. SMB

FYI: This is a short review of the Thanksgiving Mariner of the Seas Cruise. It does not include the best story of the trip which I’m afraid would have gotten lost in the review. Thus, I have created a separate thread for the story. It is a good one, so look for it and enjoy. Well folks, I guess if I were a true cruisecrazy, I would have written this review earlier, but you know how life seems to catch back up to you as soon as you step off the ship! Thanksgiving Mariner of the Seas Cruise This was our first time on a RC cruise. In fact, the wife and I have only been on one other cruise with Holland America (which we both give high marks) so all remarks are in comparison to Holland America. My in-laws were also along for the ride and they are avid cruisers (12 so far on various lines – they like Celebrity and Radisson the best). We arrived at Canaveral at 1:30 and had very little wait for checking in and processing. This was most impressive considering the huge crowd waiting to get on ASAP. We had the cheap inside stateroom which was rather small. With the beds pushed together, you could not get into bed without crawling from the foot. The room was much smaller than our Vandam cabin. The in-laws, however, had a balcony cabin and it was much roomier. You could have 4 people in the room and it still felt comfortable. I won’t expand on the numerous reviews that gush about the beauty of the ship. To say it was impressive would be an understatement. The ship was sold out for the holiday week, but in most cases you did not feel like you were on a ship with over 4,000 people. The only areas that were crowded were the elevators (can’t really be helped) and the main pool deck. There were lots of kids on board, but I’m happy and frankly surprised to report that most were better behaved that even some adults. The Solarium is a fantastic retreat from the noise and activity of the kids in the main pool. RC has done a fine job of trying to appeal to kids while still having plenty of “adult†activity and areas. The staff was terrific with the rare exception of lunch and breakfast service in the main dining area. Our cabinwoman Carman was ALWAYS on our hall. I kept asking her when she slept. The dinner waiters were very nice and friendly. They quickly became accustomed to the quirky ordering of our family including my propensity to order multiple appetizers and entrees. The food was not as good as on Holland America. On HA, there were usually at least two to three fantastic dishes per night. The Mariner usually only had one really good dish. The worst meal was Thanksgiving. There was no Pumpkin Pie (my wife is still bitching on that one) and the Turkey was sliced/processed Turkey roll. With the majority of cruisers being Americans, I would think they would serve “real†turkey for Thanksgiving. The best dishes were usually lamb. We had a fantastic dinner in Portofino’s with a steak that melted in my mouth. The food in the windjammer buffet was good food… much better than on Holland America. Unfortunately, this was one place on the ship were you were VERY aware of the crowds. The entertainment was significantly better than on Holland America in terms of its variety. The shows varied in content so significantly each night, that there was never a feeling of “repeating†the experience. The ice show was the best… very impressive. There was a good bit of falling in our show, but with the rolling ship and small patch of ice they were using, it was a miracle any stuck their landing. The worst part… I’d even say painful at times… were the “big production†shows put on by the ship regulars. Nice costumes, impressive sets, good choreography, but the “talent†sucked. Probably the best show was the Beatles tribute band. Wow, it was like the Fab4 were still together. The trip sucked. The weather was terrible. It was cold, wet, windy, rolling seas on day one. A few hours of sun on Ocho Rios (were you could see nothing snorkeling because of the churning water) was all we saw for the next 2 days. The rain held off long enough to go rafting along the Martha Brae in Jamaica (I recommend the trip), but the waves were so high that they were washing over the docks in Grand Cayman – so we didn’t get off the ship that day either. I was beginning to get depressed. It was too cold, wet, and cloudy to be outside. Thank God Mexico was sunny. We had sun for only half of the last day also, but I still got in one climb on the rock wall (my first & last). I guess this means we will have to try the western Carib. again. Disembarking was very smooth. Overall, I think that I would like to try some other cruise lines, but RC was better than I hoped and I would sail with them again. SMB :cool:

OK all you cruise crazies out there, I must rub it in your faces that we are leaving tomorrow for our cruise on the Mariner of the Seas :grin: . A quick stop to see some relatives and then we are on the ship Sunday. The wife and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary... 8 months early. We tried coming up with a date to fit both our schedules and it kept backing up until Thanksgiving. I hope we are not jinxing the marriage :cheesy: . I wanted to thank everyone for the great advice for our first western carib. cruise. I must admit I also tried some posts on the "x" but there are some real weirdos and snobs on that site. You guys are much more like family and friends. I'll send you a review of the trip when we return. SMB

Love the "Air Chance" comment! The wife and I swore off AF when coming back from Paris in 2002. When they ripped my ticket going from Atlanta to Paris, they ripped the return stub also. I did not find this out until looking at the tickets at the end of the trip. When we got to the airport, I was told (even though I had my electronic receipt) that b/c the paper ticket was issued, there was no way to fix the problem. I was told I would need to by an $1100 one-way ticket to fly home. After MUCH screaming, they finally HAND WROTE me a paper ticket to get on the plane. It looked as fake as could be. Well, by then, the flight was leaving and they had already sold my seat. So we had to stay in Paris another night - all at our expense. The next day, I presented the "fake" ticket and was told I could not use it. The had to call the ticket agents from the previous day to confirm. Only made it on the flight 10 minutes before take-off. Needless to say, I do not get on the plane anymore with triple-checking my tickets. SMB

Joey, I thought I recognized a couple street pictures of Eze. I recommended that little jewel to Skipper since he said he had done the Cannes/Monte Carlo route. I'd love to retire there, except for the stairs, but they might keep me young. Skipper, if you are reading this thread, the Eze street pics are about 4 min. in to Joey's show. :grin: We cruise in 3 DAYS !!!! SMB

Great Pics. I love the program. May I ask which software you used to create this show?

Good stuff guys, OK, I guess we will go to Dunns River Falls. Bigred, you should not have mentioned "cute cows." My wife will hold up an entire tour if she thinks she saw something "cute." You should have seen her chasing a lamb down the street in Ireland... and then there was the hunt for "cute" goats in St. Maarten that took 3 days. For those of you have rafted, did you take the ship excursion or find a private company?

Wow, Cruznut! What a fantastic picture. I've changed my mind. I want to visit Uxmal. I think I'm going to pass on Chichen Itza. Too much risk. I am going to head to Tulum. I can make it there and back without fear of being left. I will have to try a Mayan tour later and maybe include Copan and Tikal. So much to see in one lifetime... I cruise next week. Getting very excited!

OOOoops. Forgot to ask which river is the best for rafting? Seems to be MANY choices.

OK guys, Going to Jamaica (Ocho Rios), Man, for the first time next week. Wife and I are considering rafting. Has anyone done this? Is Dunns River Falls a must or is it a crowded tourist trap? Good news is we are the only ship in that day, but the Mariner is a floating city! I also want to try a REAL Jamaican meal in a non-tourist, but safe place. Rec's anyone? Anything else I should know about Jamaica? Also stopping in Grand Cayman. I was thinking of going on a tour stingray/snorkle tour with Native Ways. Any experience with this company? Thanks 6 days and counting!!!!! :grin:

Skipper, Here goes another long one, but I hope you enjoy.... First, I understand both the age and packing issues. My wife and I are in our 30's and I'm already about to the point you are. I travel VERY differently when I'm in Italy alone vs. with my wife. In your case, I'd say the hired car is worth every penny. My trip to Croatia was cancel, so I'll not be any help there. I'm very jealous, though, and can't wait for your report. As for other suggestions, I have a few. Rome: Best food in all Rome – Take a taxi to Trevi Fountain. Stand facing Trevi Fountain, turn to the right and follow the road just a little bit until you see a very small courtyard/piazza on the left. The name of the Restaurant is Vineria il Chianti (Via del Lavatore, 81). One of those rare places in Rome where ALL the food is good. My wife didn’t care what we did in Italy on her last trip as long as she could get the mushroom ravioli from this place (which she did 3 times). The apple lamb is a treat. Excellent dessert - strawberry, creme, pastry item. Best gelato in Rome – Palazzo Fredo, Via Prince Eugenio (two blocks south of Piazza Vittorio Emanuele). Out of the way, but worth the trip. They have been making Gelato for a century! Since you have done the basic tourist stuff. Might I suggest a few other options NEAR (5-10 min walk) your hotel that you could try after a long nap. If you like churches, three blocks south of the hotel is Santa Maria Maggiore (one of the 4 main papal basilicas in Rome). Santa Prassede – easy to miss, tucked in side street. Cross the piazza in front of S. Maria Maggiore, take a right, cross the via merulana and take the small side street one block where is dead ends into a side door. That is the entrance. If you get lost, ask for help. It is well worth it. One of my favorite churches in Rome. One of Rome’s oldest churches. The nave has antique mosaics. Best-kept secret in Rome is the Chapel of San Zeno on the right (if looking at the altar). 9th c. mosaics close enough to touch that shine like you are in a gold nugget. To the east of your hotel are the Archaeology museum and the Baths of Diocletian museum (this has recently been renovated and well woth the time). You may get one of these in.. or just sleep until dinner and Mangia! Livorno - You can't go wrong in Tuscany. You can find many villas on the net where you can relax and have a good meal in the Tuscan countryside. I would also suggest Pisa if you have not been (often missed is the Camposanto beside the baptistry which was supposidly built on soil brought back from the Holy Land). San Gimignano - town studded with tall medieval towers. Seen in many movies like Tea with Mussolini. Only way there is by bus or car. Siena - my wife's favorite Italian city. Easy to reach by train, but watch your time to get back to the ship. Best kept secret near Livorno is the medieval walled city of Lucca. So full of charm I can't begin to describe it. My wife's second most favorite Italian town. Lots of history, great shopping, fantastic food... but that is most of Italy. Portofino - I agree with you. Sit back and watch the people in a nice cafe. The Cinqueterra is overrated in my opinion. Venice - We all have our favorites there, but I'm always looking for a good place to eat. You must tell me your secret. If you are bored with the usual, try a ride out to Torcello and stop back on the way at Murano or Burano. Also, if you have not been to the Friari in Venice, you should seek it out some time. Naples - If you have not seen Pompeii, then go... everyone should... but spend time wandering by yourself. Those tour groups ruin the ambiance. If you have the time and have seen Pompeii, Herculaneum is more interesting to me. Covered in the same eruption, the preservation of Herc. is better than Pompeii but only a small section has been excavated. Many people do not like Naples and you hear warnings, but I love the city. If you stay in Naples, see the Archaeology museum. It is recognized as one of the best in the world! Also see the amazing cloisters of S. Chiara. If you have been to Capri, then consider skipping the Amalfi Coast. Positano and Amalfi are breathtaking, but the trip in and out is long and can make even the most experienced cruiser motion-sick. It is better to take a land vacation and stay in Positano. Cannes - If you have done the typical in southern france. Consider going to a small town called Eze near Monaco. This is one of the places I'd like to retire. I can't describe it. You just have to experience its charm. Be warned, it sits on a hilltop and no cars or buses can get up its tiny little medieval streets. You have to climb up it yourself. Wow, finally at the end. Writing this makes me want to get back to Italy ASAP. Can't wait to hear your report. Buon Viaggio.

Skipper, I just left you a note on the thread. Check it out, please. SMB