Here are a few of my observations; definitely not a definitive list.
It’s “G’day”, not “hello” It’s “How’re you going?” not “How are you doing?” It’s kookaburras maniacally cackling at 5 am outside the window.
It’s a lot of beautiful and unusual animals not seen anywhere else.
It’s driving on the left, so look right before crossing the streets.
Pedestrians don’t have the right of way. See above. It’s muesli, not granola. It’s meals served on planes as well as snacks for morning and afternoon tea times.
It’s a lot of weird meats.
It’s one and two dollar coins instead of bills. It’s shopping malls that are pedestrian streets with shops. It’s shopping centres that are enclosed shopping malls. Roundabouts, lots of roundabouts. More on the driving: highway exits are on the left, slow lane is to the left. Coffee is long black, short black, or flat white.
More on the driving: the turn signal indicator is on the wrong side, so you keep turning on the windshield wipers to indicate a turn.
Woolworth’s is a large grocery store chain.
There’s a large indoor fresh food market in every city.
It’s very friendly and helpful people everywhere you go.
Just got back from finishing up the 4th annual Hill Country Yarn Crawl. 323 miles on my car, plus about 60 miles on DH’s car when we did a shop together. I think this was the best yarn crawl so far, organized by 11 shops and supported by many more suppliers. I ended up going to 10 shops (sorry, Yarnorama, but you were just too far for me to go this time) and bought supplies at a few shops.
For $20 you get a logo tote bag- this time made out of nylon- and the information booklet with the passport page in the back. Each shop stamps the book and has a giveaway, usually a ball or skein of yarn and a pattern. The shops were supposed to give away something worth about $8.00 in retail value, but I think most shops gave away more than that. In addition to the yarn there was the creation and printing of patterns, booklets, putting together of kits, etc.
Yarnivore offered 2 different patterns: one for crochet, one for knit, that made the same basic wrist cuff with the same yarn. Very helpful.
The Tinsmith’s Wife is in a great old building with high ceilings and 2 large rooms. They have a huge selection of yarn and other fiber arts supplies. I picked up a ball of metallic (sparkly) sock yarn there.
Hill Country Weavers gave away yarn and a booklet with 9 patterns in it produced just for the yarn crawl.
Rosewood Yarns gave away a split ring with a mini-crochet hook, 2 darning needles and a stitch marker on it. Very cute and usable.
Gauge Knits gave away a coupon for 10% off your next visit (hope it will be good until next year?) in addition to a choice of free patterns and a skein of yarn. They also said there would be patterns on their Ravelry page soon.
Several shops ( The Knitting Nest, Stonehill Spinning, The Yarn Barn) gave away packaged kits with yarn and directions and any extras needed to make the project. The packaged kits are greatly appreciated.
Each shop has a drawing for a prize selected from the names of people who actually purchase something from the shop.
If you get to at least 8 shops (with stamped passport) you can be entered into the prize drawings, of which there are a number.
If you get to all 11 shops, you can also be entered into the Grand Prize Drawing, which is a huge gift basket worth over $500.00.
The information booklet was well-designed, and the mini-maps for each shop were helpful. All shops agreed to have basically the same hours for all 4 days of the yarn crawl, making it easy to go from one to the other, especially on Sunday.
I don’t know what I’ll make first from my haul. Probably a set of fingerless mitts since I promised them to DD.
All-in-all, a great way to spend a beautiful fall weekend. Thanks to all the shops!
My first full day in Brisbane was a lot of fun. We took the bus to town and it went straight to the Cultural Center on the South Bank of the Brisbane River. The major museums are conveniently located in this Cultural Precinct and within walking distance of one another. The weather was a perfect spring day, brilliantly sunny and warm.
Brisbane River
We started at the Queensland Museum which had these Lego-type people attached to various parts of the walls and roof of the building.
Lego people
Inside we saw an exhibit on recent archeological finds relating to the Australian explorers Burke and Wills who died in the Outback in the 1800s while pioneering a route from the south to the north of the country.
On to the Queensland Art Gallery, where we saw an exhibit of works of Hans Heysen, the foremost Australian landscape painter. He loved painting the outback and the huge gum trees.
Not a Hans Heysen work
I really liked the “For Kids” labels on many of the artworks. They are placed below the main label, at the right height for kids to read, and they speak directly to the child about the work of art.
For Kids label at lower left
Across the plaza, we ate lunch at the cafe at the Queensland State Library building and explored their bookstore.
After lunch, we headed over to the Gallery of Modern Art and saw a retrospective of haute couture by Valentino. Dresses worn by the rich and famous were on display, including Jackie Kennedy Onassis’ wedding dress, Cate Blanchett’s and Julia Roberts’ Oscar dresses, and many more from 5 decades of fashion. It cost $20 to get in, but if you love clothes, it’s worth it.
We walked over the river on the Kurilpa Bridge The name is the Australian Aboriginal word for the South Brisbane and West End area.
We continued on the north side of the river to the central business district (CBD) and over to the Queen St. Mall, the main shopping area of town. In Australia a “mall” is usually a pedestrian shopping area rather than an indoor mall, but those also exist. The way to tell the difference is if there is “Street” in the name.
We caught a bus back out to Indooroopilly (“IN-dra-pill-ee”), the close-in suburb where I’m staying with DD and DSIL. We ended the day with a delicious Asian-inspired meal at Bali Grill in Rosalie.
So I’m getting ready to leave on a 3-week trip and I realized that I’m spending a lot of money just getting ready to go on the trip. We usually have a “travel budget” and we figure out transportation, hotel, car rental, food, activities, tour costs. But do we put into that budget what it takes for us to get ready to go on the trip?
My list of pre-travel purchases is below. Is it out of line for a long trip?
I headed to the grocery store to get a few boxes of granola bars and packed 4. I also got gum and chewy candies.
I bought some new clothes- a dress, pants, a jacket, shoes. Everything but the shoes needed alterations at the tailor shop.
I bought an international SIM Card for an old Nokia cell phone we had. But then I had to pay for the cell phone to be unlocked and for repairs to the charging port. I also bought a voucher for more talk time on the SIM card. I also bought the smallest international data roaming plan from AT&T, just in case I have to use my iPhone data. I already have international calling and roaming plans on my phone.
I bought a couple of books for my Kindle. I am not actually taking the Kindle reader this trip, but will be reading the books off of my iPhone.
I bought a new suitcase. 25 jn. Cloudstream by Eagle Creek. Lightweight but hopefully sturdy.
I bought a 10.1 “ netbook computer. And a case for it.
Of course, the last 2 will be used on many trips to come, but this particular trip was the impetus for the purchases.
I have read a lot of articles about vacation planning and budgeting , but never one about all the money we spend before we even get out of the driveway.
Carry-on contents-not including jacket
Keep watching this space for trip updates and product reviews!
This is the final post in the Ports of the Freedom of the Seas Western Caribbean Cruise series. We took this cruise is May, 2010, and Cozumel, Mexico is the 4th port on the seven-day cruise.
Party atmosphere in Cozumel!
This port is a mainstay of the Western Caribbean cruise itineraries. The ship’s excursions run the gamut from the full-day trip across to the mainland to see the Maya ruins at Tulum to shorter snorkeling trips and party catamarans. Royal Caribbean docks at the International Pier, while most of Carnival ships dock at Puerta Maya, about 2 miles south. Both terminals have large shopping areas, as well as bars and restaurants. The day we visited there were 3 cruise ships in port. In the winter months, there can be as many as 6 or 7 ships in port at a time.
We decided not to do a ship excursion, but take a taxi to Chankanaab Nature Park-about 6 miles south of the pier. This park is costly to get into-upwards of $20 per person, depending on your package. We got some coupons off the internet for a free drink, free t-shirt, and entrance to the shows for about $25 per person. We could have gone snorkeling, as the reef is right off the beach here. We could have gone swimming with the dolphins, as they have a section of the beach set up for this. The dolphins are in separate enclosures, and each small group of people gets its own dolphin with which to get up close and personal. Those activities cost more money. We did see the manatee and get a tour of the dolphin enclosure, and we saw the sea lion show. At the end of the show, each member of the audience can get a photo with a sea lion. Purchase available in the gift shop about 30 minutes after the show.
There is also a botanical garden with walkways through the jungle, a pretty lagoon, a nice beach area with shaded chairs, 2 restaurants and several bar areas. We walked the length of the park and had our free drinks at a bar. We did the show and the tour of the dolphin enclosures, perused the gift shop. We hadn’t brought our suits, or we would have sat on the beach and gone swimming. It was quite hot that day, so by the time we left the park and headed back to town, we just went back to the ship. The taxi to the beach was about $12.00 and the taxi to town would have been about $5 more.
I would recommend Chankanaab for a full day of activities all in one place.
Since Cozumel is such a popular cruise port for many cruise lines, what follows is more info about things to do in town.
The town of Cozumel has a main shopping strip along the water that goes for several miles. There are many many shops selling everything from cheap souvenirs to the expensive jewelry and watches.There are good restaurants just a few blocks off the main drag. One we liked is called La Choza Restaurant. There is also the Cozumel Museum which costs $3.00 entry fee and has art exhibits as well as 2 rooms devoted to the biology, history, and geology of Cozumel.
If you want to head to a beach, the taxi stand outside the port terminal has signs that tell you the cost to each beach. Several websites have info about all the beaches and offer coupons. One good one is www.cozumelinsider.com. Another one is www.cozumelmycozumel.com
The farthest beaches on the leeward side can cost about $25 one way. Most beaches have free entrance, and you buy food and drink there. Some beaches charge for chair rental, but most hope you’ll spend lots on food and drink. There are a few beaches that cost money and take reservations, notably one called Nachi Cocom. It is a nice, quiet beach, and the entrance fee comes with included food and drink. Here as well as at a lot of the beaches, you can rent snorkeling equipment or hire a boat for parasailing trips.
We ended our day in port with some shopping for souvenirs.
If you are heading out on a cruise, I highly recommend joining www.cruisecritic.com and browsing the pages for port and excursion information.
This is a tender port, and the cruise ships anchor or electronically hover very near the port terminal. The water is crystal clear and azure blue. The coral reefs are close to the shore. Grand Cayman is a low island, much drier and flatter than Haiti or Jamaica. We had a wait for the tender, but that’s a different topic for another post.
Tender boat leaving the ship
We had booked the RCCL Reef and Wreck Snorkel trip and were given the 11:00 tour. We chose this as it was the least expensive of the snorkeling excursions offered, and only lasted 2 hours. We finally got on a tender to the pier and landed at the port terminal area where there are a few shops and a patio bar. There was also a Carnival ship in port that day, so the area was crowded with people trying to find their excursions.
We finally got in the group for our tour and a guide led us out of the port terminal, across the parking lot, and onto the street. No bus was waiting for us. We walked down the street, around a corner and down another block to a different pier area and then onto our boat.
The lower level had a glass bottom with places to sit and watch the underwater sights. The middle deck had bins with the snorkeling equipment, and the upper deck was open to the sun. We got our gear, then went on top and claimed places on the side benches. Our captain talked to us about safety and what we’d be doing on this trip.
The boat moved away from the dock and slowly made its way across the harbor, past the tender pier, close to the shore until he dropped anchor within 200 yards of the tender pier. Underneath was the “wreck” portion of the excursion, a transport boat that had sunk in the harbor about 60 years ago. We got in the water and had about 30 minutes to cover the area.
We saw lots of fish, and the wreckage of the boat was interesting. Back on our boat, I realized that I still had on my pedometer. Oh dear. At least it died a scenic death.
We motored west for about 15 minutes, until we were between the cruise ship anchorages and the shore. This is the “reef” portion of the dive. We saw several barracuda and lots of colorful parrotfish, angel fish, and other species of reef fish. The reefs aren’t that pretty, but we saw brain coral and some tube coral.
When time was called, we all got back on the boat for the 20 minute ride past the tender pier to the other dock. Water and a fruit drink were provided, but that was it for the refreshments. The snorkeling equipment was in good shape. Definitely a bare bones operation, but fine for us.
We walked down the street from this dock to the Paradise Restaurant for lunch. A nice covered patio looking out over the water was appreciated. A rambling walk back to the port terminal, stopping in the fancy duty-free jewelry, perfume and art stores concluded our stay in Grand Cayman.
Again, the ship docks at a large pier and it’s not a long walk to the port terminal buildings. There is a building to the right where ship excursions meet but as we had booked ourselves with Peat Taylor Tours we followed a sign to the left that said “Pre-Booked Tours.” This led us to a parking lot with taxis but no other signs for our tour. Jamaicans eyed us but didn’t offer any information. We were definitely in the wrong place. We walked back to the terminal entrance and walked straight ahead to the main gates where we saw women with shirts that read “Dispatcher.” We asked them for Peat Taylor and they directed us to our bus. We met our driver who did have our name on his list. The bus held about 20 people and we got underway quickly.
We had signed up to climb Dunn’s River Falls, a long-time tourist attraction here. Peat Taylor Tours promises to get you up the falls before the crowds arrive and they lived up to that promise. We left the port area before many buses did, and were among the first to arrive at the waterfall park. We were quickly ushered into the park and got with our tour guides. We were the first group to go up the falls that day.
We walked down to the beach, probably 100 feet down. The Dunn’s River rushes to the ocean over hundreds of feet of rocky terraces and this is where you climb up 300 feet to the take-out platform. People scrub the rocks daily, so there is a minimum of slippage on the rocks. There is a guide in the front, the group holds hands for support, and the guide tells you where to place your feet as you climb up alongside the edges of the falls. There is also a videographer, who takes video of the tour. You can buy your tour’s video (with about 10 minutes of tourism commercial added) for about $40 at the end of the tour.
Don’t wear flip flops or crocs, but a water shoe with straps is fine. I wore Keens, with the toe protection, and they were great. You will get wet, and the guides love to get you under a rock with water rushing over it for photo ops. The guides will carry your camera for you and take appropriately scenic shots with you and without you in them.
It took about 45 minutes to climb up the falls, and by the time our group finished, there were lines of tourists going up the falls behind us.
The scenery is dense tropical forest, and you can’t see the top of the falls. It is beautiful, but hard to stop and enjoy since the group is moving up the rocks so quickly.
We had ample time to get changed and get a drink at the food stall area of the park. The Peat Taylor guides had warned us about the aggressive shop keepers and to be prepared to bargain and purchase if you stopped to handle merchandise or strike up a conversation with sellers. We walked through the outdoor shopping area quickly, with polite “no thanks” when we were approached.
We did give a couple of dollars to the man with the donkey who let us take his picture.
Back on the bus, O’Neal, Peat Taylor’s son led us on a tour of the city of Ocho Rios, up the mountain via the rainforest road called Fern Gully, over the mountain ridge to a lookout spot, then down to town. We saw Ian Fleming’s house, and the area where some of the Rolling Stones’ band had homes. A few of us wanted to go to a beach, so the bus dropped us at Mahogany Beach, a small cove with palapas, food stalls and shops. We spend a couple of hours relaxing and then our driver was there to collect us and take us back to town.
Near the port terminal are several shopping areas, so we checked out a few. We felt very safe walking in these well-trafficked areas. We enjoyed our tour. and would recommend Peat Taylor Tours.
Labadee is a private port of call owned by Royal Caribbean, so its other ships (Celebrity) stop there as well. In some of the company literature it’s called a private “island” but it’s actually a small peninsula on the northern coast of Haiti. There is a large wall and gate at the eastern end of the property that seals it off from the rest of the area. This part of Haiti was substantially unaffected by last year’s hurricane. Royal Caribbeanoffered cargo space for relief supplies on all its ships, and we saw pallets marked “Haiti Relief” on the pier.
There is a large pier and not too long of a walk to the entrance to the park. Labadee consists of several beach areas (an ocean side and a bay side) and lots of bars and plazas. There are 2 main shopping areas and a smaller shed with some artisan stalls inside. There’s a private beachfront area for suite and Concierge level guests, complete with its own bar and patio area. Bands play in various locations and there are 3 places to get food during the lunch buffet hours, so lines aren’t long. There is a trolley that will take people from one section to another; I think it took us about 20 minutes to walk around the whole property.
There is also a spa on top of a hill that seemed an ideal setting to get some pampering.
Art for Sale
There are several walking paths up hills with interesting overlooks. One highlight is the “Dragon’s Breath”- a natural phenomenon caused by holes in the rocks near the shore that whoosh with sounds when waves rush under the rocks.
There are activities to do which cost money and are booked like shore excursions. You can book ahead, or go to the shop on the plaza and sign up there. There’s a huge zip line that goes from the crest of a hill above the beach down over the water to the edge of the beach. You can rent jet skis and kayaks. You can do snorkeling trips as well. There is a cove for families and kids with lots of climbing structures and a special swimming area with floats and bouncy things.
We found a quite place on the bay side of the area and could choose hammocks or beach lounges. We swam a bit and just relaxed. The lunch buffet was jerk chicken, fried fish, salads, vegetables and fruits. There were cookies for dessert. The food is only out for a couple of hours.
I liked this port more than I thought I would. It’s larger than I expected, so the people from the ship are spread out and we never felt crowded. We enjoyed relaxing on the beach and chose not to do much shopping or sign up for any activities. Next time I think I’d opt for the 2 hour kayak tour to learn more about the area and to see
DH and I had the opportunity to cruise on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas on a 7-day Western Caribbean itinerary. We were part of the OSSN (Outside Sales Support Network) Seminar at Sea program.
In this post I'll talk about the ship and our experiences. In subsequent posts, I'll talk about the ports we visited and activities.
The Freedom is a huge ship, carrying about 3600 people at max capacity. It's 1100 feet long and 158,000 tons. It was one of the largest cruise ships until Royal Caribbean introduced the Oasis of the Seas last year. It was launched in 2006, so it is a fairly new ship. It has similar features to the Navigator of the Seas (earlier post), including the Rock Climbing Wall and ice skating rink, similar food offerings and on board activities. This ship has extra stabilizers because of its size, and the ride was extremely smooth. We did have extraordinarily calm seas this week, so that really helped.
Being a larger ship, Freedom has the Flowrider, a boogie-boarding/surfing wave pool, a large basketball/volleyball court, and 2 specialty restaurants. We tried Portofino, a $20 pp upcharge, but enjoyed a cozy table by the window, excellent service and a dinner similar to an expensive night out at home. The other specialty restaurant, Chops Grille, focuses on meats and is a $25 pp upcharge.
Shadows of people on deck for sail away from Port Canaveral.
We also enjoyed the ice show, called Freedom On Ice, and I thought this was a better show than the one on the Navigator.
We saw the "Headliner" show with the magician Drew Thomas. You may remember him from "You've Got Talent" . I thought it was more show than magic, but the illusions were interesting.
The funniest show is called "The Quest." It's held on the last night and attracts more of the 20s -40s crowd. They put a wooden floor over the ice rink and the theater is standing room only. The audience is divided into teams and each team has 2 representatives that have to complete each "quest" or challenge with help from their team in the shortest time possible. Near chaos reigns as the quests get more and more, shall we say, interesting. Only attend this show if you have a sense of humor, and you don't have to participate. Observers have fun, too!
We had an inside cabin for this trip (read: special price for the seminar group) but we were on Deck 10, the highest of the cabin decks. The Freedom has 15 decks, more than 20 stories high. The buffet is on Deck 11, but the dining rooms are on decks 3, 4 and 5, so we did a lot of walking. The elevators are all glass walled in the middle decks, but I always walk the stairs. The stair wells all have interesting art work, so that is a plus. Our cabin steward, Orlando, was excellent, and we really got used to twice daily cleaning service and the cute towel animals. The halls were always really quiet all the time.
The Royal Promenade has shops, bars, and eateries galore, even a Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream shop. Two different cafes serve free food all day, changing menus according to the time: muffins in the am, sandwiches in the afternoon, salads and tapas in the evening. Also pizza almost 24 hrs a day. On the pool deck there is a self-serve soft ice cream machine open most of the day and into the night.
On the last sea day, I saw the kids all dressed up and having a circus themed activity. I don't think there were hundreds of kids on board, due to the time of year, but they seemed to be having a lot of fun.
With such a large ship, you would think there would be long lines and no free deck chairs, and people everywhere. We didn't find that to be the case. The adults only Solarium pool area was usually full, but many other chairs were always available on several decks. We also found a very quiet place on deck where we liked to go for the sail away from each port. It's on Deck 4, at the aft of the ship, either port or starboard side (on this ship the starboard side was the smoking side).
We had to try some of the specialty drinks, here are 2 frozen lemonades with lemon flavored vodka. The Schooner Bar is a quiet place and the spot to go for the trivia contests.
There were a lot of places we never went to: The Crypt disco for one. And we bypassed the art auction this time. I think there were 3 different auctions on this 7-day cruise. I made use of the fitness center and the spa, especially when it was too windy or hot to walk the outside track. This ship is so large that the track says 4.5 laps is one mile.
I was pleasantly surprised by the amenities and service on this ship. They were excellent.
Next post: The ports of call.
What follows is my review of a recent 4-night cruise to Cozumel on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas. This is one of the line's Voyager Class of ships. This was my first time on a RCCL ship, so I spent a lot of time walking around and thinking about how this ship compares to the Carnival cruises I've done before.
First of all, this is a big ship, carrying 3100 passengers. It is 1020 feet long and weighs 138,000 tons. It has 14 decks. Think 10 football fields long. The largest ship I'd been on before was the Carnival Pride, which only carries 2124 people and is 88,000 tons. We are dwarfed by the ship.
My main rule on cruise ships is to never take the elevators, so I certainly got exercise going from the dining room on Deck 4 to my cabin on Deck 7, up to the jogging track on Deck 13, to the Ice Rink on Deck 3, from fore to aft and back again, etc. Ok, I took an elevator a few times, but not more than a few!
The Navigator was launched in 2002, and it seemed to me that it is showing some signs of wear and tear. The upholstery looked very worn and dated in some of the lounges, and the carpet in the stateroom halls looked faded. Glitzy Atrium with glass elevators
I was continually surprised at the range of decor throughout the ship. The casino has a Mardi Gras theme, the dining rooms have ballet themes, the casual dining spaces have an Asian theme in front ("Jade") and Polynesian theme in the back ("Windjammer"). The stateroom halls have pale pink walls with green leaf-print carpeting.
There are several themed bars, which are repeated on many RCCL ships: Schooner Bar, with nautical decor, Boleros, the Latin-themed lounge, Vintages Wine Bar, looking like a wine cellar, an Irish pub with dark paneled walls and small tables on the Promenade in front of it. Many of the Carnival ships have one theme that is repeated throughout the ship. For example, the Carnival Ecstasy has a theme of "Great Cities of the World" and it's lounges and bars and stairwells reflect that theme. Every space on the Navigator has a different theme and decor and I'm sure people like that.
The Navigator has a great adult space in the aft called the Solarium, with nice lounge chairs, a pool, hot tubs, and partial roofing, making it a good place to relax out of the sun and out of the crowds of the main pools.
The jogging track is long, only 5 laps to a mile, but it winds around and between many lounge chairs on the deck. It's hard to concentrate on exercise when the track is also the main walkway around that deck, (people are in the way of the joggers) and one of the main lounge chair areas (not too relaxing to sit there when people are huffing and puffing past you, flinging sweat). A dedicated jogging track would be much appreciated. This trip I didn't use the exercise equipment, but the Navigator has a large space with lots of machines and weights. They also have spinning classes (which I didn't try). RoyalCaribbean is also known for the rock climbing walls. Next trip, I'm definitely doing this!
I did go to the spa for a massage, and that was great. It's operated by the same spa company as the Carnival ships I've been on.
The ice rink at open skate time
I went to the Ice Show, a feature only on RCCL ships (and only the larger ships). The ice rink is open for anyone to skate at certain times, as well.
I went to one of the big production shows featuring rock music, and lasted about 10 minutes at one of the comedy shows. I would say the productions weren't any better than I've experienced on Carnival. The Love and Marriage Show is a hoot (on both lines)-think Newlywed Game with 3 couples who have been married for short, medium and long times. Also, the karaoke shows are really interesting and fun. They usually have several sessions, winnow down participants and have a sing-off on the last day of the cruise. The final participants are really good.
Another staple of cruise activities is the art auction. I like the fact that they give out free champagne, and you can get a free print for showing up. The print I got this time wasn't to my liking but that's the fun of it: you might get something you like. The art auctioneers give out raffle prizes, so it's also fun to stick around to see if I'd win anything.
People go there looking for a bargain, but there really aren't any out there. I asked about a print I liked and they told me if I would agree to "start the bidding" for it at a certain amount, and no one bid against me, I could buy it for that special price. Interesting way to run an auction. They advertise a 30 minute preview period, but it usually lasts closer to 1 hour, as they are trying to get people to agree to "start the bidding" on pieces. I must confess that I never stay for the whole auction, as the auctioneers drag it out as long as possible....I think when lots of people start to leave they know to wrap it up.
We also joined in the Afternoon Trivia contest. Teams compete on a 20 question trivia test. I'm happy to say my team tied for the win! Abundant food is the hallmark of a good cruise! Our waiters in the dining room were very friendly and accommodating, bringing extra desserts-count the 9 desserts on the table-and meeting special requests for food not on the menu. Food quality is very good, about the same as Carnival. We never felt rushed to finish quickly, even as the dining room emptied out and the staff started to clean. On two of the nights the staff paraded through the dining room to music. On the 4-night Carnival cruise, I think the dining room staff had a performance each night, with more dancing and singing. But Carnival bills itself as "The Fun Ships" and the staff work hard to create that sense of fun.
Our cabin was roomy enough, and we enjoyed the balcony with the sliding glass door. The beds were rather short and had a temporary feel, rather than a comfortable hotel bed feel. Not any better than Carnival. The Navigator does have curved panels around the shower, which makes for a nicer configuration in the bathroom. No samples of shampoo, conditioner, etc. that Carnival has. Also our category of cabin did not come with bathrobes.
Aside from the dining room service, I found other attendants and waiters varied in the quality of service received. On the short 4-night cruises there's not a lot of time to get to know the staff, and the same for them getting to know the passengers. We never had poor service, but didn't feel wowed except for our dining room waiters. The Head Waiter also made an effort to stop by our table and talk with us each night.
I was pleasantly surprised by the ship and the range of activities. For such a large ship, we didn't wait in lines for food or shows-except for the ice show. Line up 30 min. before the doors open because the good seats fill up fast. The atmosphere on board ship was nice, different from Carnival's, but not too sedate.
I don't feel I've had enough experience to really compare the cruise lines, so that means a few more trips. Don't know when I'll actually become an expert....but I'll have fun working on it!
