coloradocruisers

More cruise terminals = more options

Spoke too soon. Keith and Rita must be right. This is what I found on RCIs website: Animals Services Royal Caribbean International welcomes service dogs on all ships.* Please note we do not accept pets

Maybe a new way to boost revenues?

A reporter that I know once told me he only writes the articles; someone else writes the headlines. Sometimes I don't think the headline writers actually read the articles.

Very good. I wish all the lines were that responsive to customer feedback.

Hello. Thanks for posting on some of those old threads that I missed before.

Sounds like fun.

I love it when you get something unexpected.

I was surprised to see the headline, until I read the article. Doesn't jive.

Have a great time in paradise Martha.

Have a great time.

I wonder if any CruiseCrazies members have ever sailed on the Mandalay, or other Windjammer Barefoot Cruises vessel?

Have fun John and Jackie.

Love it! :laugh:

Deployed Navy ships still perform this service for honorably discharged veterans, retirees, or active-duty military.

Hi Allison. Love the avatar.

I missed this thread previously. Some of you have been cruising for a LONG time! Our first cruise was in 2000 - a four day Bahamian cruise on the Disney Magic. Four days is just not long enough for a cruise!

Very interesting John. I enjoy these types of articles.

Sharon saw her doctor today. Elevation of the foot and ice are the prescription, but the doctor doesn't fear a blood clot at this time.

I've never personally experienced NV, but would certainly be interested in a vaccine if one becomes available, for the flight and the cruise.

We've been on two Disney cruises and enjoyed them both. I'd love to sail on one of the new ships, if the itinerary was right.

I realize that this is a cruising website, but I'm going out on a limb to assume that most cruisers also enjoy visiting different islands and beaches. So I will add to the website library this "review" of my family's visit to Beaches Resort, Turks and Caicos. Although we've been on several cruises, Disney World, and one SCUBA oriented resort, this was our first all-inclusive island resort. We chose Beaches T&C because 1) it was open to families (as opposed to traditional Sandals adults-only resorts); and 2) we had never been to the Turks and Caicos. Let me start with a few positives: 1. The water and beach were excellent. The water was mostly a nice turquoise color similar to what you might find throughout the Bahamas. 2. Drinks were included. 3. The resort had several pools and a water park that included a lazy river with inner tubes, water slides, fountains, and surfing simulator. 4. The beach had small sailboats, kayaks, water trikes that were included. We went sailing one morning on a Hobie Cat, with my son at the ropes and rudder. 5. Up to two SCUBA daytime dives a day were included. (see negative comments) 6. The food was excellent. The restaurants had outdoor seating, and three of them were right next to the beach allowing diners to watch the amazing sunsets. Also, the French Village had a very nice cafe with pastries, espresso, cappuccino, etc. 7. The staff were very friendly. Everyone I passed greeted me. 8. The grounds were well landscaped and maintained. And now for a few less than positive observations: 1. Getting through customs was a nightmare. This is more a critique of the island of Provodenciales than the resort, but it is worth warning anyone reading this to try to time your arrival on a day other than Friday or Saturday. The airport is old and small, but is now seeing several 757s a day showing up in close proximity from the US and Canada. Customs took a LONG time to clear, and there was not a restroom in sight. Provo is supposedly planning a new terminal building, which should alleviate some of the hassle of getting there. 2. Although the drinks were included, they were typically served by the bars in small plastic Dixie cups which emptied quickly and created lots of trash. One of the bartenders even served my wife Chardonnay in a plastic Dixie cup, which I consider a big no-no for wine. 3. Many of the bartenders were very inexperienced. They did not know the drinks. They would read the patron's menu to see what they were supposed to mix in, but did not know the proportions. I ordered one drink that was supposed to be bright blue, but it turned out puke green. 4. The free SCUBA is a bit of a scam. Although I went diving last year, Sharon had not been in two years. This meant that she had to complete a mandatory "tune-up" which cost an extra $80. Also, since we're each on prescription meds, we were required to see the resort doctor at $20 each. This has never been asked of me before due to what I'm taking being no risk. The hell of it is that Sharon brought a signed doctor's clearance on PADI's form, but the dive shop did not accept it because the doctor didn't "stamp" it. Now ask me if the resort doctor "stamped" our fit-to-dive clearances. He did not. He signed it. I can accept all these requirements as risk management, but the tune-up should not have cost extra and the doctor should have met the resort's own requirements. If you're going to stand on principle, then don't cut yourself slack. Also, night dives, additional certifications, and any more than two daily dives cost extra. Must have been in the fine print. 5. The resort was not as relaxing as it should have been. This may be because it is geared toward all ages. One example of this is the day we went to the French Village pool. the pool itself is beautiful, but I could not relax because some yahoo with a microphone showed up and wouldn't shut up for the next couple hours. His favorite word was "unbeleeeeebable" which began to grate after the 50th time. "Come on everybody, let's get up and do the chicken dance!!!!" I went back later that night, and a different idiot was yelling for the chicken dance. So just imagine for a moment that you're trying to relax in this idyllic setting..... and then some moron shows up and starts shouting at you through a microphone hooked to a couple amplifiers. Not relaxing. 6. Reserving lounge chairs. We all hate this on a cruise ship, but at Beaches it's official. My daughter and I visited the fabulous pool in the Italian Village one morning between 10:30 and 11AM. There were very few people, but NO lounge chairs available. 90% of them had towels, towel animals, and signs like "these chairs reserved for the Jones Family," except the Joneses were nowhere to be found. Very annoying. So when the brochure hints that no matter where you stay, you can visit all the other pools, expect to find this one has no chairs for you..... 7. Whereas my teenage son has been able to hook up with other kids the same age on ships, he did not enjoy the teen program at the resort. Just not any kids his age were there. Lots of little ones were there. There were a couple other minor annoyances, which I won't bother to mention here. One of the bigger downers was when my wife slipped near an outdoor shower/foot rinse and wrenched her ankle. The nurse examined it at no extra charge and loaned her a crutch, but it did impact her ability to get around and have fun. It is still swollen, so she will have to see her doctor since she takes blood thinners. One of the customer service managers sent a cheese, cracker, and grape plate to our room to make her feel better, which was a nice gesture. Overall, I enjoyed the trip, probably more than my wife or son. My daughter also had a great time, but says that she prefers cruising. As compared to a cruise, for the money we spent, cruising is still a much better value.

Hi Gayle. Nice to meet you.

Even though it will impact cruising costs, I have to sympathize with that neighborhood. Time for the Port Authority to crack down, in my opinion.

That sounds like a good program for teens. Kudos to Paul Gauguin for teaming up with Cousteau. I'm not a member anymore, but for several years I belonged to The Cousteau Society founded by Jacques. He really did a lot for the environment in terms of educating the general public, and his son continues that legacy.