Sunday, November 29, 2009

Shore Excursion Indecision '09


One of my greatest pet peeves is a person who is indecisive. But more specifically a person who is given all the information they can handle and yet still be indecisive. You can tell a person what they should choose and they still cannot decide. That is the beauty of the internet is that you can ponder and decide well before your cruise about tours, restaurants, spa treatments etc. The cruise line even has a toll free number for potential guests to call and get even more information. Use it! Most cruiseline websites also have UGC (user generated content). It's shows reviews from past cruise guests about the tour, good or bad. So my advice is make sure you soak up the info but formulate a game plan then ask for recommendations. For all we know, you say, "what's the most recommended tour for XYZ?" We will say you should snorkel and what happen's if you cannot swim. Not very helpful. The staff onboard are more than happy to help you decide but don't just come up and say "I don't know what to do". It's like fingernails on a chalkboard. Here is another suggestion: Divide the tours up by activity, i.e. sightseeing, snorkeling, beach, golf and adventure tours. Eliminate the category you don't want for each port then start reading the descriptions and other info. If your still unsure, then come to the information desk with specific questions on the tours that might interest you and fall into the category you want. This will save you time at the desk and the whole process will be more efficient. Another piece of advice, try to book everything at once, that way you can enjoy the rest of the cruise!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

In NYC and need photos done?


Go to http://www.roxxepro.com/default.html
Contact Roxxe and set up your professional photo shoot!

At Sea - Norwegian Pearl

It is a beautiful Thanksgiving Day at sea! It's hard to imagine or even describe your feelings when you work onboard a cruise ship and it is a holiday. After a while holidays become just another day. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and even New Year's come and go. When I was younger and wasn't married, I would just email my parents or send flowers online. Sometimes not even call, as you don't feel as if it was a holiday. Now that I am married, part of me wishes I was at home with her. Anyway, nice thing about a sea day there is not much work for our department before we arrive to our private island tomorrow. So, after work its off to stuff myself with all the turkey (cuz we can get that at sea) and watch football. Not that bad considering...

Monday, November 23, 2009

Pub Crawl - Tortola BVI



Pub Crawl
Originally uploaded by The Garret
This is also work...well I like to call quality control. the quality of the Cruzan Rum is good and so is the tour. Its called the Tortola Pub Crawl. Its the fun way to sightsee the island and see local culture and taste local cuisine. Plus, all the rum you can drink!

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Cruise with my wife - Honeymoon?




Brought the wife on the cruise for a week! She took pictures and we acted like tourists. Of course, I still had work to do.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Great Stirrup Cay - NCLs Private Island



Beautiful day on the Private Island. Water was 78 degrees and crystal clear. Lots of sun and fun. Check out these pics on the way back to the ship!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

St. Thomas bird eye view


Great day in St. Thomas. The weather was calling for a T-storms etc but turned out great. Did some photo shooting on the backside of Charlotte Amalie as well as Paradise Point.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

St Thomas revisited....

Great day in port today. Weather was great (despite forecast) and smooth tour dispatch. Went to Skyride to Paradise Point and got some great pics and great food and a BUSHWHACKER! Then off to Charlotte Amalie to explore the unknown part of the city where my wife got some really killer pics. Will post some iPhone pics tomorrow. Too tired to now!

Monday, November 9, 2009

Samana, Dominican Republic

Just finished an excellent day in Samana. It rained in the morning but burnt off by the afternoon and had a glorious sailaway. However, the rain does present issues with the roads in Samana. They are very bumpy nearly everywhere if you want to go to the waterfalls, nearest town or even the beach. Whether you on a ship sponsored tour or a taxi on your own expect it. Taxis are unregulated so be careful when negotiating. Honestly, there is not much to do on your own and even if you are the most seasoned traveler, there is not much you can do there. Happy Travels!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Samana, Dominican Republic - Bienvenidos


We will be arriving in Samana, Dominican Republic around 10:30am. This is the tender pier that all ship's tenders will drop guests off to meet tours or if on your own to explore. Not much to see except small village about 15 minute walk to the left. Lots of taxi drivers, open air trucks and motorcycle taxis but you need to be careful as they will tell you $10 to the beach and it is $10 per person when you get there. Ship tours are much more convenient although they may be more expensive.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Follow me to the Caribbean on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/hellfish1974

Miami, FLA

Just returned from a conference in downtown Miami and stayed at the Viceroy Icon Hotel. The rooms were sick with a very modern posh layout...marble bathroom floors, espresso machines in the room and nice big flatscreen and comfortable king bed. A must stay in Miami!