Jan115

Have a wonderful cruise, Kelly! Wishing you clear skies and calm seas as you soon sail away aboard Carnival Fantasy. Please tell us all about your adventure when you return, or post a review!

Just returned from our 8/17/18 cruise, and my review is hot off the press: Review of the Norwegian Dawn and Bermuda. Enjoy! Photos to come!

"Renovated Ship Looking Good - Bermuda Never Gets Old!" View full cruise review

We are home sweet home! Putting the finishing touches on my review, and hope to weed through all my photos over the weekend, so stay tuned!

Bon Voyage, Andi! I can’t wait to hear all about your first river cruise!

Where did the days go? We’re enjoying the last day of the cruise - second sea day in a row, and we’ve been dodging storms and squalls. The skies opened up yesterday afternoon, the seas swelled, and the wind was fierce. I love to watch the sea when it storms - as long as I’m dry and protected, so watched from the balcony until the rain poured in. David has done pretty well in the casino, and we purchased two future cruises with the Cruise Next program. NCL has the best onboard future cruise program. Not only do you get future cruise credit but you get credit for the cruise you’re currently on. If you are lucky enough to get free NCL cruises from your local casino, you can combine the future cruise savings to upgrade or add onboard credit for double savings. Since David has at least one free cruise coming from our local casino, it was a no brainer. The sun is shining again, so going to try and enjoy some before it disappears.??

Good morning from the Norwegian Dawn! We are back at sea and begun the return trip home. I am proud to say that David and I have both done an hour in the gym every morning of this cruise. We’ve still gained a few stray cruise pounds, but at least I fill like we’re making an effort. We’ve got lots of cloud cover this morning, which is a welcome relief, as it’s been WICKED hot. Chair hogs are out in force around the pool. To give you an idea, David and I hit the gym at 6:30 am, shower, change and hit the deck by 8:00 and every prime chair has been saved. This particular cruise has a certain group of ladies (super piggy hogs) out here every morning, no doubt as the crew begins un-roping stacks of chairs while at the same time saving a few comfy sofas surrounding the pool. It’s sick, really. I swear, the only life to survive a nuclear blast will be the cockroach and the chair hog.? Meanwhile, our cabin AC is still not fixed ... Speaking of broken things, as nice as the ship is, I’ve been noticing more and more “out of order” signs each day, specifically toilets, sinks, and toilet stall doors. Funny story ... I was in the women’s room commode taking care of business and got locked in. I tried turning the lock in all different directions, and when that didn’t work, began kicking the door, hoping to break the lock. Just as a woman was about to go fetch maintenance, the the door suddenly popped open. Needless to say, I no longer lock the doors. Anyway, I don’t mean to complain. After all, what’s a cruise without it’s quirky people and things. And what would I ever write about! ? No pics right now - won’t upload - so check back later!

It’s “White Hot Night”, and I don’t know what’s hotter: the party, or our cabin since the A/C suddenly stopped working.

The Dockyard at night. Remaining in a port for several days is great for those who want to extend their shore time on the island.AND great for those who want to stay aboard and enjoy the less crowded.

Gosling sunset rum cruise - rum swizzles, dark ‘n stormies, tropical air, and a blazing sunset, make for a fun evening??

Anthem of the Seas joined us yesterday and made the port a whole lot busier.

Thanks Andi for your feedback and willingness to compromise. Will wait to hear from Miranda when she gets back from her latest adventure, and anyone else here who might be interested.

Andi and Miranda - Is there any way you can do the Quebec to NY route on August 9? David is sad that he can’t come in Sept. There is no way he can because of the college schedule. No autumn colors in August but it’ll be warm and beautiful.

Good morning from the Dawn. Up before the sun, worked out in the fitness center, had breakfast and now hanging by the pool. Ship is beautiful since the revitalization in 2016 and we see many improvements. Fitness center is larger, though we noticed a few broken machines. Only disappointment was dinner in the main dining room - service was slow and pork and prime rib overdone. Hope the food improves. Otherwise, having a great time.

Sailing away??! Will follow up as we go.

Will make this a priority when Miranda and I return from our cruises! ???

Yes, for September. I don’t remember seeing any from the ship, but there will be whale watch excursions available from a number of ports. In October, they leave for warmer places.

We must have been typing at the same time! Sept. 4th or 14th would be best for me, as well.

Color quality depends a lot on what kind of summer we had - cold, dry, rainy, and coastal areas get their color later than inland areas. Generally speaking, for a cruise along the coast, best colors will be end of Sept to mid-October. On my last cruise up there Oct. 6th, the colors still had a ways to go, as you can see by the pic taken in Nova Scotia. Last year, our colors were awful - the leaves dropped before they turned. So the best dates for color, in order, might be 10/4, 10/14, 9/24 September is nice here, though, especially if you’re not set on best foliage colors. it can still be pretty warm, and the trees are beginning to turn, so either way, Sept or Oct., it’ll be a nice cruise. Unfortunately, 9/24 and 10/4 both conflict with my Viking cruise, though I could push the Viking cruise another week to make it work.

It’s decided, then ... 10 day Caribbean Princess, New England/Canada September 2019. Here are the date options: 9/14/19 Quebec to NYC, and 9/4/19 OR 9/24/19 NYC to Quebec. If a stop in Newport is important, choose NYC to Quebec, because it’s not included on on the opposite route. Who is in, and what direction and date do you all prefer?

Yes, Miranda - you can buy a future cruise credit on your upcoming Princess cruise, and then when it’s time to book our group cruise, I’ll apply your credit as the deposit and apply the onboard credit you’ll get, too!

For our first cruise back on the Grand Princess in 2002, I researched every packing list ever written for cruising and brought everything and then some. So while there is nothing that I regret not packing, I can sure list plenty that I didn’t need or never used: Duct tape, shoe organizer and bungee cord are at the top of the list. Never brought them again, and never needed them. Other things simply became obsolete - alarm clock, night light, and stacks of books, stamps, post cards, address labels - anything now available on a kindle or smartphone. In fact, I practice the # 1 tip in packing: Pack the bag and then remove half the contents. ? Needless to say, we’ve downsized our packing quite a bit over the years.?

I agree, John. First time land and cruise travelers can certainly benefit from this information. It would be a sad day indeed when someone couldn't board their ship or plane because they forgot, for whatever reason, to make sure the passport was on there person or in a handbag. And it has happened.

I can’t wait to try one of these new concoctions on the Regal in October.?