KeithnRita

In our opinion second setting is better when we are taking shore excursions that end late in the afternoon. If you are back on the ship by 4:00 P.M. or earlier, however, first seating would still be okay. We were assigned first seating once on a cruise we booked rather late, and we did feel like we were rushing around to much. As far as getting the time switched we tried, to no avail. Two large groups had late seating tied up. We figured we would wait until we got aboard to switch, which did not work out on this HAL cruise. Based on that we would advise trying to make the switch before hand. We just went with the flow and did not let it upset us--and we had a great cruise.

When we are on a cruise we tend to stay up late and sleep late. Second seating fits our schedule--especially on shore days! :cool: :cool:

This thread makes us think; about being in the Caribbean with an umbrella drink!

Not everyone!

We've only been to one, Half Moon Cay--and we love it! Not to many sunny beaches around here, so beaches are at the top our list of things to do and see. Just lay around and enjoy the sun and the ocean. We are easy to please. :cool: :cool:

Cory, So glad you had an excellent cruise. We enjoyed reading your review. :smiley: :smiley:

Howard, we enjoyed reading your review. Makes us want to book another Alaska cruise.

Ours is our complementary tiles from our HAL cruises. We use them everyday in our living room to set our drinks on. We have two each from the Veendam, Maasdam, Statendam, and Zaandam. We did not get them on our first HAL cruise on the old Westerdam--they only give them to Mariners beginning with the second cruise. I might check on ebay to see if we can complete our set. Of course, we could book a cruise on the new Westerdam!

We represent that remark!

Have a great cruise, gymbrat33 & Mom!

I have a video of Rita joining in the waiter conga line on our first cruise--the Carnival Sensation. They were singing Hot! Hot! Hot! and then went into the Macrarena.

You got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there. Yogi Berra

"Are we there yet?"

back to reality Howard :smiley: :smiley:

We were cleaning out our closet the other day and found our stack of used cruise documents. We have the leather fold up pouches from our HAL cruises and the cardboard ones from our other cruises, including, copies of the actual tickets and itineraries, sign and sail cards, etc. I guess we've become pack rats! Do you keep yours?

Kristy, have a great cruise

Once you take that first one--you will be addicted!

It is a place you can go to watch people get drunk and make fools out of themselves, or you can be one of the fools. You can join in the tequila conga lines and have it squirted down you throat. You can also buy shots and have your head shook for an extra affect. Senior Frogs is near by and they are about the same. We liked the old location better when it was upstairs. It added an extra thrill to watch people try to negotiate the steps after a few rounds. The location now makes it a shorter stumble back to your cruise ship! You can also get a yard long watered down margarita in a souvenir plastic glass to take home. We have ours!

We always shy away--figure there must be a catch. Maybe now we will give an extra look! :smiley: :smiley:

Well, our next cruise starts in 2004, however, it ends in 2005! :cool: :cool:

Our last cruise was a late direct booking with Celebrity, our first without a TA. We were driving to port and made our own hotel and transportation to and from ship arraignments. It worked out well. For the same reasons DaCruzNut states, we are using a TA for our next cruise as it was booked far in advance.

Sandy You won't be out of place by taking a dark suit for your DH. I have never rented a tux on board, so I can't answer your question on rental charges. After Rita and I decided we liked cruising enough to take 1 or 2 a year, I purchased a tux at the Men's Warehouse for about $300.00 with all the accessories, including shoes. $20-30 for wine is about what we pay. $10 a day per person is correct on tipping. Photos run from about $10 to $20 each. We budget about $100 per day for drinks, including wine, photos, and the casino. :cool: :cool:

MissP--Congratulations on the booking and the short countdown. You and your Mom should have a great time!

Elena, have a great cruise!

All of our cruises in excess of three hours have been on ships! But, are we really sailing?