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pastor of muppets posted:I’m going on Star Trek: The Cruise next month on Mariner Of The Seas, and I didn’t really have a good sense of scale for Icon until someone in the STTC Facebook group posted this pic of Mariner and Icon docked side by side. And too think Star of the Seas will be bigger… Royal Caribbean at this point just wants a navy.
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Jan 15, 2024 20:36
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poolside toaster posted:Okay, so here's the full story so far: Sucks you went through that but glad your insurance worked out. Hope you're doing better now.
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Jan 19, 2024 15:22
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVujoz0_dTY I think my favorite part is around 15:00 when it's revealed that the elevators still speak Italian.
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Jan 23, 2024 04:11
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I’ve watched a bunch of videos about that cruise and I’m so tempted to get a bunch of friends together to sail it. We can all grow mustaches and try to sneak alcohol on board in the most disastrous ways possible.
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Jan 23, 2024 09:30
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I wish I could understand the morbid fascination I have with Margaritaville at Sea. I've watched so many reviews on that thing and I sit through the reviews every single time just marveling and how unbearably terrible it is. I remember Ben and David booked it and it was pretty hilarious watching them just get progressively more upset and bothered by the whole experience. Kind of reminded me of when Emma Cruises took "the cheapest cruise possible" and it just happened to be out of my hometown, Mobile, Alabama, when the Carnival Ecstasy was sailing from there. The ship was about 30-years old and dated as hell (it has since been scrapped). The best part was watching her reaction to locals boarding and using Dollar General plastic bags as their luggage.
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Jan 30, 2024 22:39
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I sailed on the Ecstacy in July 2022. It was fine.
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Jan 31, 2024 03:26
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Isn’t “dated as hell” a large portion of Caribbean cruise ships, especially the short-voyage ones?
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Jan 31, 2024 04:12
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WithoutTheFezOn posted:Isn’t “dated as hell” a large portion of Caribbean cruise ships, especially the short-voyage ones? Pretty much. If they're still on a major line at that point, short Caribbean itineraries seems to be a last leg of service before they're sold to another line to port-hop around south Asia or eastern Meditteranean. Or sent straight to Turkey to get scrapped.
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Feb 8, 2024 18:45
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I'll be going on my first cruise with Disney later this year. I'm looking forward to it and now I'm in the research nitty gritty details phase. Is it worth buying a magic band? I feel like leaving my wallet in my room would be a nice convenience but not sure if it's worth the price tag. I know there's interactive elements on the ship with the bands, but thats not a big deal. I'd gladly leave my phone behind too, but I don't think I'll be able to keep track of time or the day's events without the navigator app.
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Feb 26, 2024 16:14
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Unless they are no longer issuing room keycards, you can just use a lanyard with your room key in it instead of carrying around your wallet and charge it all to your room.
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Feb 26, 2024 22:45
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Does Disney allow you to pay with cash or card on the ship? Most lines are room charge only.
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Feb 27, 2024 01:26
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Zero One posted:Does Disney allow you to pay with cash or card on the ship? Most lines are room charge only. I'm like 99% sure you charge everything to your room. I've never tried to pay cash on DCL though.
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Feb 27, 2024 01:31
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couldcareless posted:Unless they are no longer issuing room keycards, you can just use a lanyard with your room key in it instead of carrying around your wallet and charge it all to your room. Thanks! Looks like there's no need for me to get a band then. Makes sense why I don't see Disney pushing it on folks.
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Feb 27, 2024 11:30
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Also note that with the MagicBand+, if you want to use it to pay for something you still gotta take it off and hand it to the cast member, so other than the interactive elements they're worthless. I have a MagSafe wallet for my iPhone, and just keep my KttW card in it with my ID. My wife used a lanyard
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Mar 7, 2024 00:55
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Schrute Nation posted:I'll be going on my first cruise with Disney later this year. I'm looking forward to it and now I'm in the research nitty gritty details phase. After 12 DCL sailings, I just did my first one with a MagicBand+ in October. Honestly, I was really unsure about it because I've been so accustomed to wearing a lanyard with my Key to the World card for a little over a decade. But by Day 2, I barely touched my actual card unless I was about to get off the ship. It just hung on a hook in the room for the rest of the trip because I just didn't need it. This was aboard the Disney Fantasy. So my preference is 100% a matter of physical comfort compared to the lanyard. However, I will say the other "interactive" elements, whatever they were supposed to be, just didn't work consistently. I know in one of the dining rooms my wife told me to watch it because it would react to the music or something and the lights on the band would pulse. Well, hers did, but mine never did, even after messing with the settings for about a half-hour. I don't know what else it was supposed to do, but honestly I don't think I really cared. I was too engrossed with what was going on around me to pay attention to whether my band was lighting up or not. That said, your wallet will be literally useless aboard the ship. Just lock it in the safe until you need it. If you really don't want to purchase the MagicBand+, your Key to the World card will provide every function you need to pay for things and open your room. As for the phone, you can still acquire copies of the paper version of the Navigator (daily itinerary) to keep up with what's happening, when and where by visiting Guest Services daily and requesting one. But you miss out on things like having Guest Services at your finger tips, checking your room portfolio, looking at dining menus, or, most importantly, chat feature between the other members in your party. You can also adjust most reservations on the app, and it's the easiest way to purchase and access the internet if you really need it for some reason. So long story short, MagicBand+ is cool and I personally prefer it, but it doesn't do anything the card itself won't do. You also still have to have the card for embarkation, getting off/on at ports and disembarkation. If you ever visit Disney Parks & Resorts on land, then you can milk extra value from your MagicBand+ because you have to have one for the parks, and any MagicBand+ will work. Likewise, if you already have a MagicBand+ from a parks visit, you can use it on the ship. But it has to be a +, not one of the old ones. As for the phones, that is a little tougher to get out of using since the Navigator app packs so much functionality. If you have any questions about DCL, you can feel free to DM me. I've been on all five ships and already have the new one, Treasure, booked for January 2025. Braksgirl posted:I'm like 99% sure you charge everything to your room. I've never tried to pay cash on DCL though. You can definitely charge 100% of your purchases on board to your room. If you try to pay any other way besides your room key/MagicBand, it's a huge pain in the rear end that takes way longer than you'd ever believe it should. The only ways I've used cash on my last 7 or 8 cruises was either as tips at the upgraded dining, or I'll go deposit cash at Guest Services to my room portfolio once charges have accumulated. Cash is super inconvenient on board for the most part. Trying to use a credit or prepaid card that isn't tied to your room account is equally as big of a pain, and most points of sale on board can't run the transaction. Omne posted:Also note that with the MagicBand+, if you want to use it to pay for something you still gotta take it off and hand it to the cast member, so other than the interactive elements they're worthless. I really need to invest in a MagSafe. Can you charge your phone with a wireless docking pad if that thing is attached, or do you have to remove the MagSafe to use one? Doronin fucked around with this message at 20:21 on Mar 8, 2024 |
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Mar 8, 2024 20:17
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Doronin posted:
No, you can't wirelessly charge your phone with the wallet attached. I keep my wallet next to my keys, so it's not a big deal. Also, I had the official Apple one and hated it, as I tended to need to remove it to get a card out. I found this one and have been using it for awhile and love it: https://magbak.com/products/magbak-wallet?variant=22764113002577
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Mar 9, 2024 21:52
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Hell yeah, I think I'm going to invest in that. Looks like exactly what I need. Thanks!
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Mar 10, 2024 02:21
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Oof, MSC just absolutely put their foot in it. After going back onboard after a bad experience with crew a few years ago, Ben and David got shut down from filming on board despite the fact they were in the middle of a super positive review. Naturally, MSCs socials are blowing up with people calling them out. What absolute idiots, the dude has a pretty unique name (Benedict) so just flag him on embarkation and make sure staff are treating them well and walk out with getting some actually good press for a change. Morons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpP9MzA0WXA
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Mar 11, 2024 06:01
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Wow. Emma Cruises and Tips for Travellers both had recent MSC vlogs, too. That makes me wonder if they were coordinating with MSC or not. Either way, that's some bullshit for MSC to just ban them from filming like they did.
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Mar 11, 2024 17:10
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Woohoo, it’s Triple Up week on NCL so you can use 3 CruiseNext vouchers rather than 2 for any cruise, and as I treat anything bought in the past as FREE MONEY that means a trip booked on a whim. Sailing the Norwegian Aqua in October 2025. I know Prima class has a fair amount of negative reviews, but I really want to see something beyond the class of ships I’ve seen a few times with Norwegian now. So Virgin in September and NCL next October. Friends want us to join them in the ABCs with Celebrity in January and ahhhh that sounds amazing but it’s expensive and we’ve already sailed that ship (Reflection, I really want to try Silhouette if not an Edge class).
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Mar 27, 2024 05:26
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Got a Virgin Voyages cruise booked over Memorial Day weekend. They ended up changing our main port stop from the Dominican Republic to Grand Turk and with the change, somehow ended up wiping our onboard credits. Yay. It's times like this I wish I had booked through a travel agent, because they probably could have handled this by now. Instead, I'm on day 3+ of not hearing back from VV about this and probably have to call them  Also I know nothing about Grand Turk except the excursions look really tame. We had booked an ATV/waterfall tour in DR, but there's nothing really exciting to book in Grand Turk, it seems. I haven't looked outside what is offered by the cruise line yet, though.
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Apr 2, 2024 21:03
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Ah weird, our VV in September was also changed from DR to GT but I assumed it was just a one off based on the email, is this what they sent you too?quote:To keep Valiant Lady ship-shape, our Crew needs to perform some extra maintenance that will impact the amount of time we have in port. To ensure we provide you with an incredible experience and the same amount of time in port stops, we're adjusting our itinerary and replacing Puerto Plata with Grand Turk in the beautiful Turks and Caicos. Just checked my OBC and it’s stayed the same. Funnily enough we didn’t bother getting off at Puerto Plata last year because my gf wasn’t feeling 100% and we knew we had it on this upcoming cruise. Didn’t really have any plans beyond going to the port area anyway, and my sister in law really likes Grand Turk so I’m happy with this.
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Apr 2, 2024 21:14
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EL BROMANCE posted:Ah weird, our VV in September was also changed from DR to GT but I assumed it was just a one off based on the email, is this what they sent you too? Yep, same exact email. I just now checked in the app again and the bar tab was restored, thankfully. Not that we paid for it, we had an insane amount of free OBC for this cruise but I was sad to see it gone. Happy it's back! I've been to DR before, but not the Puerto Playa area. I've heard the port isn't anything special but I was looking forward to that excursion. They still haven't refunded it and it's been like 10 days.
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Apr 2, 2024 21:31
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It seems that every cruise company, no matter how different they sell themselves as, will always find ways to have the most frustrating systems in place possible so you never know exactly what’s going on, I hope it sorts out soon. And better then NCL who canceled a beach house I booked on their island due to weather, and proceeded to give me $1,200 in cash (I booked for the 12 of us) as I left the ship rather than refund my card. Thanks. Yeah for VV we ended up with a good amount of credit, $700 in regular OBC and $300 in bar tab. They’ve also raised the price of our cabin from the $3,100 we paid to $6,100 now which is absurd. Really lucky to have booked this when we did.
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Apr 2, 2024 21:38
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If you miss the stated time to get back on the ship at a port, don't loving go on the news and bitch that you were left behind
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Apr 2, 2024 23:11
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stabbity posted:Got a Virgin Voyages cruise booked over Memorial Day weekend. They ended up changing our main port stop from the Dominican Republic to Grand Turk and with the change, somehow ended up wiping our onboard credits. Yay. It's times like this I wish I had booked through a travel agent, because they probably could have handled this by now. Instead, I'm on day 3+ of not hearing back from VV about this and probably have to call them ...I book cruises. Just saying.
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Apr 3, 2024 00:50
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Omne posted:If you miss the stated time to get back on the ship at a port, don't loving go on the news and bitch that you were left behind Why would you book a third party with elderly and pregnant companions? Why would you disembark without your passport in the unfortunate, but apparently likely, event of you not getting back on?
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Apr 3, 2024 01:19
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Any recommendations for beachy things in Grand Turk? Sounds like I'll be there next week on RC instead of on a beach in a cabana in Haiti like I had planned (extremely understandable), and the few excursions they just put up were instantly sold out. Going and sitting at a beach is literally the only thing I wanted to get out of this vacation.
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Apr 3, 2024 01:27
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Walk off the ship and turn left, beachy is right right there. Super handy spot. You can go a nice long way on the beach. Check to see if Jack’s Shack is open and grab some grub. Or walk into the pool area there at Margaritaville if you need some pool time from the water.
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Apr 3, 2024 02:00
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nikosoft posted:Any recommendations for beachy things in Grand Turk? Sounds like I'll be there next week on RC instead of on a beach in a cabana in Haiti like I had planned (extremely understandable), and the few excursions they just put up were instantly sold out. Going and sitting at a beach is literally the only thing I wanted to get out of this vacation. It's a few years since I have been but Grand Turk probably has one of the closest cruise pier to good beach distances in the Caribbean (if not the world). Just get off the ship.
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Apr 3, 2024 09:03
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My wife's family wants to go on a cruise in 2026. For whatever reason, my brother-in-law really wants to do Disney (I think they went with his in-laws, maybe). The prices sound insane, and evidently it's best if you book at least 18 months in advance, which also sounds insane to me. My wife and I did a Carnival cruise to Alaska for our honeymoon, and we thought it was a great time. Is Disney still double the price of most other cruise lines? We do all have kids, so the ability to park them somewhere for a while is very appealing, but I think Disney's not unique in that regard. Anything aside from the name and IP is there anything that really sets them apart?
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Apr 5, 2024 11:54
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I think once you get past the real cost of other cruise lines, Disney isn't entirely outrageous. I also think Disney's sticker price for a booking assumes 2 adults in a room whereas looking at Carnival will advertise their cost as "per person". I also personally find costs on the ship for Disney to be easier to stomach vs Carnival. $5 drink of the day and the 21oz beer for the cost of a 16oz if you get the mug make things a little easier to stomach.
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Apr 22, 2024 20:50
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couldcareless posted:I think once you get past the real cost of other cruise lines, Disney isn't entirely outrageous.
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Apr 23, 2024 02:12
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Has anyone ever tried a Galapagos expedition cruise? Any general advice? Mrs. and I were discussing last night our next trip and we think we should look to do that in 2025. It's one of those things we want to make sure we do while we're "relatively" young and fit/able.
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Apr 25, 2024 21:30
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I did a Galapagos cruise with Ecoventura in 2018 (on a ship that's since been sold) and had a great time. There are fairly strict rules about vessel and group size so don't expect the experience to be much like a normal cruise even if you've sailed on an expedition ship from a line like Seabourn or Lindblad before. Aside from Celebrity, your choices are mostly local operators due to the requirement for vessels to be flagged in Ecuador. All of the cruises will be fairly expensive. The "cheap" option is to book last-minute day trips from town, but this is pretty limited since a lot of the really interesting sites are too remote to be visited in a day. The cruises feature 3-4 activities per day, mostly via a panga (basically a zodiac) but sometimes directly from the ship. I didn't find anything we did to be particularly strenuous. It's all short walks on established trails, snorkeling in protected waters, etc, so the main physical limitation is just being able to do a hike, a snorkel trip, a beach walk and maybe a kayaking trip in a single day. That said, the big issue with a Galapagos cruise is that the seas are pretty rough and the itineraries require the ships to sail pretty fast between islands. If you ever get seasick, you will get seasick here. If so, trust the crew's advise as to when to take Dramamine. Your choices are mostly "north or south" and "wet season or dry season". All the famous wildlife is abundant year-round but you should read up on seasons and islands if there's something specific you want to see. On my northern itinerary in November, we saw mating displays from the birds on Isla Genovesa and sea lion pups on all of the beaches. I do think a smaller ship is the way to go as the group sizes are limited by law and you will be too exhausted to want to do much in the evening anyway.
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Apr 28, 2024 03:00
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Thanks everyone on Grand Turk, like you said, the beach is literally right there when you get off the ship, so we were able to grab some chairs. We did walk down to the pier and eat at Jack's Shack and that definitely was one of the better local eateries that you get in these types of places. Best place we visited by far was St Croix, I definitely want to go back there and just chill for a few days. It was low key and sleepy, absolutely perfect.
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Apr 28, 2024 05:01
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lavaca posted:I did a Galapagos cruise with Ecoventura in 2018 (on a ship that's since been sold) and had a great time. There are fairly strict rules about vessel and group size so don't expect the experience to be much like a normal cruise even if you've sailed on an expedition ship from a line like Seabourn or Lindblad before. Aside from Celebrity, your choices are mostly local operators due to the requirement for vessels to be flagged in Ecuador. All of the cruises will be fairly expensive. The "cheap" option is to book last-minute day trips from town, but this is pretty limited since a lot of the really interesting sites are too remote to be visited in a day. We're just doing some preliminary research right now... probably leaning towards Celebrity Flora, but that's just based on the little bit we've checked. And yeah, I see it won't be cheap. It'll be rivaling our 2 week Regent trip last year. I don't know if there are any other ships due to be coming on line in the next year? I do understand the small ship and requirements for Ecuadorian flag/crew which we actually like. Even our "main" cruises, we prefer the smaller ships, although I realize even the smaller Regent ships we like are huge compared to anything there. Interesting on the seasickness. Mrs. Slidebite does easily get seasick and that makes sense being the smaller ships. I was wondering if 7 days is enough, but all the activities and tight schedule probably make it about right. Wildlife and snorkelling are a pretty big draw for us. I could imagine 2 weeks of it might be too much. How was the whole flight/transfer process with your cruise? Did the line arrange all that and the flight to the island to meet the ship?
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Apr 29, 2024 19:56
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nikosoft posted:Thanks everyone on Grand Turk, like you said, the beach is literally right there when you get off the ship, so we were able to grab some chairs. We did walk down to the pier and eat at Jack's Shack and that definitely was one of the better local eateries that you get in these types of places. I hope you used sunscreen appropriately and did not spend your next day in Amber Cove hiding from the sun like I did due to the wind pushing my spray sunscreen from my skin while at Jack’s Shack
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Apr 30, 2024 00:52
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slidebite posted:Thanks for this. The north and south itineraries aren't so different that you will feel like you have missed out by seeing only one side of the archipelago. It's probably better just to come back during a different season if 7 days isn't enough. Nobody on our cruise did a back-to-back trip. The cruise line handled our flights from the mainland and transfers from the airport to the ship. The flight stops at both Guayaquil and Quito so you can choose whichever makes more sense to you. I also found the provided packing list to be pretty helpful. Do heed the entry requirements, which are fairly strict regarding outside food, dirt, etc.
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May 1, 2024 01:29
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nikosoft posted:Best place we visited by far was St Croix, I definitely want to go back there and just chill for a few days. It was low key and sleepy, absolutely perfect. Just chiming in to say that of all the islands in the Caribbean, St. Croix is the main one I wish Disney would go to since that's all we've cruised the past decade. It really is the best. Pristinely beautiful, and everywhere we went everyone was so friendly.
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May 1, 2024 18:16
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