jaschem1

Hi, we are taking the Norweigan to Mexico again. This is the cruise we took in January. We depart from New Orleans. We love NO so much, we will stay there three nights too. This cruise was so much fun. John enjoyed the speed boats in the ocean. He will definately do that. Then in March, we will take the Celebrity for 7 nights around the islands again. St. Maartins, St. Thomas, etc. John loves the St. Johns beaches and will spend the day there. We are getting close to our 20th cruise. Once we leave Puerto Rico and move closer to the west coast, we can take all the Mexican and Hawaiian cruises. We did the Alaska cruise several years ago and want to do that again too. Once John retires, we will take some transatlantic cruises too. Can't wait. Janice

I have been gone for about a year. bit I am back. I missed the forums. We are booking two upcoming cruises, for Dec. and March. We are retiring from Puerto Rico in four years, so want to see all the areas down here. In January we cruised down to Mexico and have seen all the islands and countries available for us in the past 26 years. We will be retiring in Henderson, Nevada. Hope everyone is fine and all had fun this past year cruising. Janice

This may have been asked before, but I missed it. Do the Space Bags really work or are they a pain in the butt. I read on the net where some had small holes and the zippers broke. What would happen if they opened and expanded by mistake in the suitcase. Any feedback on them or is there another product that works better? Thanks, Janice

Thanks so much for the great review. Janice

We are thinking of taking the Norwegian Sun this winter, it is going to Honduras. It is Miami both ways. The ship looks great and I think has about 9 restaurants. Has anyone taken this ship? What did you think of it?

I always try to get the best deal on a cruise, but I am sure I am missing some things to better it. We always look for one off season cruise a year which helps in the cost. I can use World Points this winter to upgrade. What are some things you found that saved you money?

Well, I bet if they do make it, their relationship will be over for good.

We do not worry too much about the lounge chairs. We get up early, hit the jacuzzis or aqua spas. Don't need lounge chairs for that. Then, with at least a day or two at sea, I sit on our balcony and read a good book for a couple hours a day. We lounge there and relax and an occasional snack.

The one thing I like about room service is that I do not have to take a coffee pot any more. I put out the sign each night on our door and we have a big pot of coffee and other goodies around 7 in the morning. When at sea, we just go back to bed afterwards.....

We are thinking of taking the Celebrity Millennium this winter. It goes to Haiti, a spot we have not been to yet. We love culture and would really enjoy a stop there. We will put the Holland on hold till next spring. Has anyone been on the Millennium and what do you think of it? It has the Aqua Spa and specialty restraunt and things we like. We really enjoyed the Constellation and Galaxy and would like to try one more of their ships.

Thanks, I will stop by. I made the bbq ribs from the recipe there. They looked just like the pic and were fabulous.

I always get the cold soups right away. I love them all and had the cold cucumber for the first time on the Costa. The waiter said all it was was cucumber, dill and yogurt. Have you ever got home and tried to make something you saw on the ship? Did it turn out? I love to cook and love new things.

The drinks, shopping and casino is where they make their bucks. Just like a restraunt or bar. They have to charge for drinks. I don't think the drinks are higher than any hotel or resort where you would be taking your vacation. I think you would be shocked to find how much they made off the drinks. What did we figure? Two drinks a day per person would pay for your days food allowance on the ship. If it costs your ship $10 a day to feed you and you drink two drinks; the ship is even. Also, tons of people buy duty free cigs and booze on the ship. They make a ton there. Our Costa ship was packed, all the entertainment too. All those people drinking at tables. All the ships I have been on, seems like people are drinking in the evenings. Everyone doesn't have to drink for the ships to make money off booze. If you can get about 26 shots out of a big bottle of booze, the ships and bars are making tons of money. As I see it, this is a vacation and I will pay for a drink in the evening or at a show. I would have to do it anywhere else. My husband will make his little drink in the cabin before bedtime. I still think taking a cruise is a reasonable, cheap vacation compared to staying in a hotel for a week and eating out. You get a maximum of entertainment, food, etc. on these ships. You could never get all that for the price you pay for a cruise in a hotel for a week. Just my opinion.

I can see their point, tho. You surely wouldn't take a bottle into a restraunt or bar on land anywhere. And as far as hotels and resorts go, you can only have them in your rooms. You must sneak them in too, cause they have their mini bars with liquor. We always allow ourselves a couple drinks each during the evening. We allot for that in our budget. John also buys wine in the dining room. Any vacation will cost you for drinks, so I don't think the ships are out of line.

Yes, I missed the t shirt painting. That would have been fun. I try to fill up all my time and do stuff available while at sea on the ship. Crafts is a great way to meet other people too. I just have to read the daily schedule better. I find I missed some fun things.....

When we choose each new cruise, I first check out all the lines and all the reviews. I have taken almost every line that travels the Caribbean. Of all the reviews on each ship we took, half the people loved the ship and the other half wouldn't take that ship again. I think we all go on a cruise for completely different reasons. We used to cruise because of the food, but now that we find most ships food tastes the same, that is not our priority. So, we pick the ship with the most amenities we like as I mentioned above. We love the specialty restaurants too, the more the merrier. Like the Costa, half the reviews were favorable, but we took the chance. We will probably not take another Costa Cruise again because in our opinion, the Celebrity is way above that line. Like was said above, how boring if we all did the same things. The cruises go so fast that we need to enjoy every minute of them. We have not taken the Holland yet and that will probably be our next. From the reviews I read, half don't like it and half do, but we will take a chance anyway. We will look for one with a nice adult only Aqua Spa, specialty restaurants, poker or blackjack tournaments and good entertainment. That is all we want anyway and of course hot water in the jacuzzis. I will always try something out once. Soon John will be retired and we can take the long cruises and the nicer ships. Can't do that now, too many cats and dogs.

I am sure there will be tons of people watching out for them. Just hope their radio stays working with no problems. Personally, I think they are nuts...............what about the toilet paper

What is your one most favorite cruise line and why? What makes this ship the best as far as you see it? For me, I would say the Celebrity. We love the adults only aqua spa, specialty restraunts, Texas Holdem tournaments in the casino and much more. We took the Celebrity three times in a row.

I just got back last week from the Costa Magica. It had 3,000 passengers. It was way too many people. Everything on the ship was crowded. You couldn't get a lounge chair or even a table or chair for entertainment. All the extra kids did not help at all. The buffet lines were long too. One thing, tho, we can all still choose those smaller ships. I will never take a ship that has this many people again. You can really tell the difference. Our casino was filled to the max. People waiting for machines and tables. I cannot imagine larger ships at all.

Has anyone done the crafts offered on board? I did the crepe flower making on the Costa. It was great fun. I made big orange tropical flowers. Pretty.....

Have you ever gotten into a verbal argument while cruising; either with staff or a passenger? John has come close..... We ate with a man who absolutely knew it all and John really held it together as not to challenge him. It is hard sometimes. The man was an expert on everything and would not let anyone talk. I can't imagine living with a man like that... After a while, it got entertaining just to hear how smart he thought he was. Have you ever changed tables because of someone at your table?

Do you find yourself leaving food and feeling guilty? I am always starved when going to a meal. I take some of each course and find I cannot finish anything. I tell myself, I will take smaller portions next time, but I am just as hungry..... We could feed a small town of what I see wasted on plates on the ship. I will try harder next time to control my eyes over my stomach...

Yes, I have noticed that too. It is almost impossible to get a lounger by the pool. The Costa had 3,000 passengers, too many, and I just forgot it. We get up real early and hit the jacuzzi's before the kids get up. I am glad to see more pool and spa areas with adults only. I would love to see more loungers on the decks to sit in. I don't want to spend all my time on my balcony. This is also true in the shows onboard. People will fill up the tables to watch the shows and not order any drinks. I think people who order drinks should be allowed to sit down and watch. Just my opinion. Lots of times, entertainment in the lobbies, piano bars, etc. in the centers of the ships; people just sit down to rest leaving us who want to participate in the entertainment standing. I guess this is ok, but these areas of entertainment should not just be for people not interested, but just want to sit and chat.

Oh, and those $10 and $15 photos on board. I take them all with my digital, print on Kodak paper at home and have great pictures of any size to frame. I take them with the island natives, clowns, etc. Better than onboard. Whatever do they do with the thousands of unsold photos? Tax writeoffs?

Now I can see why cruise ships are willing to almost give rooms away in the end just to fill the ship. The drinks alone will feed the people......