RayColey
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Everything posted by RayColey
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I'd love to be there, too!
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Welcome aboard the good ship CruiseCrazies! There's good sailing here. Many of us keep up with each other by posting on the Daily Dock (Forums/General/Daily Dock/October. Look us up there!
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What possessed you? (to take your first cruise)
RayColey replied to KeithnRita's topic in Let's Talk Cruise!
This is such a great topic, I bumping it so the newbies will have a chance to tell their stories. -
Tonia, Let me know what you do in Alexandria - I'd like to add that as an extension to a Nile cruise vacation. Thanx.
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Get brochures for all the cruise lines you are considering and look at the pictures. The models pictured in the brochures represent the "target market" for that cruise line. That being said, you will generally find a mix of ages except for some really high-end specialized companies.
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Welcome aboard the good ship CruiseCrazies! There's good sailing here. Many of us keep up with each other by posting on the Daily Dock (Forums/General/Daily Dock/October. Look us up there!
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Welcome aboard the good ship CruiseCrazies! There's good sailing here. Many of us keep up with each other by posting on the Daily Dock (Forums/General/Daily Dock/October. Look us up there!
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My favorite was in '99 (I think '99) on Renaissance from Athens to Istanbul via Santorini, Rhodes and Kusadasi. The weather was perfect, the ports were interesting and fabulous, etc., but the real thing was that it was one of the very first totally nonsmoking cruise ships afloat, and I picked it in order to kick the habit. There was so much activity, I really didn't think about smoking very much, and I had my first two weeks of abstinence having fun. And I've never looked back. :smile:
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On Maui, I second the Hana road trip, but you probably don't have time to do both Haleakala and the Hana road. Either is nice, but Hana is unique (my avatar was taken on that road). On Oahu, the Polynesian Cultural Center has to be the top attraction. if you have all day, from Honolulu go through Hawaii Kai to Hanauma Bay (brief stop if you can find parking), and continue past the blowhole (parking always available) right around to Kailua and Kaneohe. Stop by the Byodo-in on the way to the Cultural Center. All doable in one day. In Honolulu, the view from the Punch Bowl is fabulous. For shopping, the Ala Moana center is probably best, and the public beach at Ala Moana beats the heck out of Waikiki. On the Big Island, from Hilo, you can drive up to the Volcano National Park and spend anywhere from one to eight hours there. The caldera is generally solid, so you can walk right across it (over a mile). The other great sight is Akaka Falls and the nearby botanical garden. On Kona side, you can drive up to the "Tree Molds", where lava flows covered the trunks of trees and burned them out, leaving a mold of the tree trunk - looks like an Alice in Wonderland setting. There are green and black sand beaches, but the location keeps changing because of lava flows - check when you arrive, because some of them are near Hilo and some are near Kona. Kauai has beautiful sights, too, but the large cruise lines don't stop there anymore. For car rentals, cheaper "Kamaina rates" exist, but you need a local (Hawaii) address to get them.
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Correct. The local cruise ships stopped at all the islands (except the restricted two), but they went belly up. Now there are local charters on 40 - 60 footers, but nothing else comprehensive. Last trip, cost of my family excursion to Volcano National Park was $35, including car rental and admission to the park. We spent more than a half day there, hiking across the caldera and going through the lava tubes. So this should give you a reasonable basis for comparison to cruise-sponsored excursions.
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Thank you! Upon reading your post, I immediately printed it out and have now copied all my credit card and identification information, along with the number for the local sheriff's office. This is something everyone should do.
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I think that the island hoppers are a great way to get around. My relatives use them, and they live there on Oahu! The excursions purchased from the cruise line are pretty outrageously priced, though. In most places, debark and rent a car (share with another couple, if possible) and a map. It's pretty easy to see the top sights in a day except for Oahu. On Hawaii, do Akaka Falls, including the fabulous botanical park, and there's still time to drive up to the Volcano National Park. If you skip the stuff right around Hilo, though, you have time to hike all the way across the volcano - an incredible experience. I will come back and post photos (as soon as I can get them scanned in). Similarly, on Kauai you can do the entire north coast in a day, but if you want to go to Waimea canyon, you need a few too many hours. On Maui, the Hana road (where my avatar picture was taken) takes almost a day to do, and you probably can't go up to Haleakala as well. I'd choose the dormant volcano over the bumpy road. Molokai and Lanai are lovely and can be toured in a day without missing anything spectacular. Kohoolawe and Niihau you won't be able to go to. Did I miss anything?
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I actually won a dance event once in Ocho Rios. My partner was a girl I met down there who was staying at one of the hotels (I was 15 and she was younger). The judges loved our chacha....
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Welcome aboard the good ship CruiseCrazies! Good sailing here...you'll find a lot of us hanging around the Daily Dock (Forums/General/DailyDock/October). Drop in and get to know the gang!
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Will do (I suspected France in January might be less than tropical!) I am also assuming that the Uniworld barges are smoke free, at least in inside spaces?
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Majesty of the Seas, 1/4/2010 Looks like we'll be getting over the hustle and bustle of the holidays on this short hop to the Bahamas. The weather's fine, the price is right (especially after considering holiday bills that will be coming in!). Anyone joining us?
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We are planning to book the Uniworld Christmas/New Year's Paris and the Seine cruise for December 26, 2010. The price is right and we've heard so many good things about Uniworld, we just feel like we can't pass up this cruise at the great price they have. If anyone is interested, we'd love to have company....
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Aloha, Crazies! Since half my family is still living in Hawaii, I've made quite a few extended trips down there. Because I have family there, I've discovered the "Kamaina way" to get about, and it has saved me plenty of money, especially on the outer islands. So if you have a question about things Hawaiian, post the question here and I'll do my best to answer it.