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I have died and gone to heaven. I am sitting in the lounge, sipping a cappuccino from a machine that works. Have used the impeccably clean restroom.
Angel the Redcap was acquired at the MTA end of the tunnel by chance as he dropped off others. We are parked on the long term garage and he first took me to the obscure office to fill out my parking form. He than brought us to the lounge.
Sheila and Stephanie greeted us. The Coast Starlight folks just cleared out. They had 42 people. There are only fiveof us here now and Angel will return for us soon.
Nice big TV, pastries like they serve on the train, the lovely cappuccino machine which also has hot chocolate for Art. Wifi working well. This is classy. The baggage storage closet is done, has a combination lock and available for deposits as needed.
We are headed out to SAN and our cruise on the Veendam to Hawaii. Will be heading back on the Surfliner on December 3rd.
-------------------- Vicki in usually sunny Southern California Posts: 951 | From: Redondo Beach, CA | Registered: Aug 2006
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Miss Vickie, pleased to learn Mr. Art has mended well enough to make this cruise.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Am confused--is this a new lounge, or is this the restaurant like before? If the latter, that was open only before the restaurant opened, so not available for SW Chief and Sunset Ltd riders . . . has that changed?
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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New Lounge. I have not seen it but it has been mentioned here before. I believe it's above the ticketing area?
It is open to all sleeper passengers and Surfliner Business Class. I can see it being crowded at some points -- especially if there is a delay -- but certainly much better than the nothing that was available before.
Frank in dark and cool SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Staying at the Hilton Bayfront. Beautiful huge hotel. AT&T wifi which is free if you have AT&T on your device. So I have had wifi all day - in the lounge, on the train and in the hotel.
-------------------- Vicki in usually sunny Southern California Posts: 951 | From: Redondo Beach, CA | Registered: Aug 2006
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The Hilton Bayfront is my good friend's favorite hotel for he and his girlfriend when they vacation down there. Have fun on your cruise!!!
Oh, and speaking of cruises, YES---I am finally going to take a cruise!!!!! I need help and input from the experts here. I just learned that my parents have very generously offered to pay for me to take a cruise somewhere. I told them I don't really care where I go, I just NEED it to be warm, it NEEDS to be a nice, classy ship (none of this Carnival crap), and I need to have a balcony so I can sit out there in the morning drinking my coffee and eating room service breakfast. I prefer to only be gone for about 5 days.
If anyone can point me in the right direction for a cruise like this, I'd sure appreciate it. I'm going solo, so the "land tours" do not interest me very much. I am, however, interested in having an awesome experience on-board the ship with things such as: a nice casino. a nice buffet restaurant that is CASUAL, nice pools, nice theater with good shows----stuff like that. I am an "amenity" person---I don't like to travel bare and I don't look for the cheapest motel near "x" Amtrak station---I want to do it "right". So if someone can help me out there, that would be fantastic. I do not know which cruise lines (or which ships) are good and bad, other than Carnival having a bad reputation. I just want things nice, relaxed, and casual. I will not be getting dressed up and going to any of the fancy dinners in the dining room. I will strictly be doing the buffets, the casual restaurants, and room service---so don't worry about the fancy restaurant stuff because I'm not interested.
Any ideas? Thanks! PS: If I can travel out of San Francisco, great! If not, then I can leave out of San Diego or Florida---whatever works to get me on the right trip!
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Oops, one more thing: I would definitely prefer a modern ship. I don't want "an old classic". Just like with hotels----some people prefer the old, fancy, 1850's types of hotels with the "charming" broiler to heat the rooms or whatever. I find NONE of that stuff charming. I like modern, new, fancy, hi-tech, etc…..Thanks!
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Smitty, go to the websites for Holland America, Princess, Celebrity. They have cruise finders that allow you to put in your desired embarkation port, length of cruise, dates, etc. you should be able to find plenty of choices. Glad to hear you are finally going to cruise.
Jim, I took a few pictures of the lounge. They are in my iPhone. Let me see if I can make them available here.
-------------------- Vicki in usually sunny Southern California Posts: 951 | From: Redondo Beach, CA | Registered: Aug 2006
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Vicki has sent you in the right direction. Princess is doing quite a few short (3-5 day) cruises out of Los Angeles. We enjoyed our Princess cruises but much prefer Celebrity.
Frank in sunny but cool SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Wow, great pics of the Metro Lounge! I never thought I'd see the day where LAUPT had one. This is fantastic!
And thank you, Vicki, for the suggestion. I will try it. I am a novice and have no clue what I'm doing---but I'll see if I can figure this out and hopefully find something good. I will play around with this today!
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Well, Mr. Art got some facetime in the posted photos; Miss Vicki, why are you in hiding?
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:Originally posted by smitty195: Oops, one more thing: I would definitely prefer a modern ship. I don't want "an old classic". Just like with hotels----some people prefer the old, fancy, 1850's types of hotels with the "charming" broiler to heat the rooms or whatever. I find NONE of that stuff charming. I like modern, new, fancy, hi-tech, etc…..Thanks!
************************ Most of the time, Smitty, I will agree with you. The older, 1800's vintage hotels have frequently disappointed. A number of years ago, while staying in Glenwood Springs, CO, I stayed at the Hotel Colorado, a 1893 hotel which, at least from the outside, looked interesting. However, the rooms were dusty and dirty, cracks in the ceiling, old radiator heating, etc,..it was a terrible hotel. Hopefully, they have renovated it.
However, if you ever take the Durango-Silverton train and stay in Durango, I can recommend the Strater Hotel, dating back to 1887:
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Richard: So funny that you mentioned the Hotel Colorado. That's actually one of the places I had in mind when I was typing my words!! It's one of those places that I can see as being "highly recommended" for its "charm", but I wanted to be clear that I don't want charm....I want flat-screen HDTV's, modern amenities, fancy gizmos, etc. I'm not much of a "charming" vacation type of guy.
Vicki: Aloha!!! Have a Mai Tai for me. And when you hit Lahaina or Wailea, go have a nice lunch at Longhi's.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Can any cruise experts give me an opinion on this one? (Don't forget to change the number of passengers to "1" to get the proper pricing). Thanks for any input!
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I've cruised to Cozumel (from Galveston). It is OK. We got off the ship just to walk around the area close to the ship. It was somewhat interesting. Your balcony price is good. Go for it, or change to Galveston and visit their train museum before or after your cruise.
Next year, we are cruising to Belize. It is an English speaking country a little south of Cozumel.
Posts: 1418 | From: Houston, Republic of Texas | Registered: Jan 2001
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That's an excellent price for a single. The $30.00 OBC seems a bit small to me but every bit helps. I'd go with midship since they all seem to be priced the same. This price doesn't appear to include tips. They usually run about $10.00 a day and will be added to your bill. If you want to change the amount (up OR down) you can do so by contacting Guest Relations. A 15% (or more) tip will be added to any bar service so you don't need to worry about that. There is a place on the tab for a tip but you don't need to do that unless you feel the service was exceptional.
I assume you use your favorite airline to get to FLL?
Frank in sunny but cool SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Frank, but of course! (regarding the airline into FLL). I actually have enough points for a coach round-trip, or first class one way and pay the other. I think I'll just take the freebie and go coach both ways.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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I am going to try booking it TODAY, and I'm going for the "Mini-Suite". Yay!!! I can't believe it! Princess Cays and Turks and Caicos--wow!!! I sure hope it's warm at the end of January. Anybody know? I'm looking online but for some reason I'm having trouble finding exactly what I'm looking for. I want WARM weather!!
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Hmm, maybe I won't do a mini-suite after all. I was reading Cruise Critic, and people on there said that the Dolphin deck was all Mini-Suites, and that the balconies jut out farther than any of the others, and you are also the lowest row of balconies. This means that everybody above you can see right down, and there is no privacy. Not only that, but debris from others can float down onto your deck (like cigarettes)---does anyone have any advice on this? Should I skip the Mini-Suite and instead just get a regular Balcony room that is higher up so that I don't have this situation? I intend on spending a lot of time relaxing on the balcony, and I was hoping it would be shady too from balconies above me. But if it juts out and creates these other issues, I'm not so sure I want that. Any advice? This is the Ruby Princess, which is similar to a few other ships in their fleet. Thanks!
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Pretty sure Princess does not allow smoking on balconies, though it probably happens. For a solo, a regular balcony should be sufficient. Don't forget that there are several areas on the ship that have lounge chairs, shade, a pool and other amenities. Cruise critic will have plenty of opinions, but Frank probably is the best option for good information.
-------------------- Railrev Escondido, CA Posts: 99 | From: Escondido, California | Registered: Jul 2003
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The "Mini-Suites" do have the larger balconies but they are, as you've discovered, not exactly public space. The odd thing is the two TV sets mounted back to back. I think the idea is that the people in the bedroom area can watch one show while those in the living area can watch another. If I remember correctly there is a drape to separate the two areas.
As for smoking I believe, as Railrev said, that Princess no longer allows smoking in cabins or balconies. There was a fire several years ago on Star Princess caused by that.
Frank in dark and cool SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Okay thanks guys! I actually have a FINAL verdict and plan---we did all of the fine-tuning tonight. Okay, so here's the scoop:
On January 12th, I'm flying Virgin America from SFO to FLL, where I will stay overnight at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, Fort Lauderdale Airport and Cruise Port (1 night). The next day, I'm taking the hotel's shuttle to the port for boarding my ship (the Ruby Princess). I will be on board the ship in a mini-suite on the Dolphin Deck, room D329 (which is an "MA" category, which I'm told is the best). Departure out of FLL on the 13th (a Monday) to Princess Cay the next morning (Tuesday). Spend all day on the Bahamian Island of Eleuthera, then back on the boat and will be "AT SEA" all day Wednesday. Thursday we arrive at Turks and Caicos (Grand Turk) for a full day of whatever you want! (I'm lining up a tour of the island---I want to learn about the local people and their history. I'm not into the beach or anything). Then Thursday is "AT SEA", and on Friday morning, it's back to where we started at FLL. So that is 5 nights/6 days on the ship (for a total of 6 nights for me, including the first night at the hotel).
The ship arrives back in port at FLL at 7AM, but here is where I need some guidance. I already booked my Virgin America flight back home for that SAME DAY---Saturday the 18th---for a 5:20PM departure out of FLL to take me home to SFO. Can someone please tell me if I did this correctly? Have I left enough time for when the ship pulls in at 7AM (I don't know when we will be allowed off), and then a flight home at 5:40PM that same day? Will I be okay here? I would love the advice because I am doing this blindly.
After studying YouTube videos of the ship and my various room options, I stuck with the Mini-Suite because it's just so neat!! And the bathroom is SO MUCH BIGGER!! In a regular room, holy smokes, the stand-up shower, toilet, and sink are all RIGHT THERE, which is a little too close for comfort for me. In the Mini-Suite, the shower is a nice big tub-style shower, the counter is nice and big, and things are spaced-out nicely as well.
So I will be "cruising" in less than 8 weeks. How about that??? After all these years, I'm doing it guys and gals!! I'm really doing it! (In GBN speak, I will be on a "Love Tub". Hah hah!! No love coming from this solo traveler though. I'll probably wear a shirt that says, "Leave me alone--I'm a crazy cat lady". That should keep folks away.
But seriously, any advice would be awesome. Oh, I am not bringing nice clothing to wear. I intend to skip all of the restaurants except for the buffet and room service (and any other casual, walk-up food service places they might have, like pizzas, hamburgers, or whatever). This is a t-shirt and shorts trip for me--NO desire----NONE----to get dressed up and go eat in a fancy place. I'll be perfectly happy with the other type of food. I'm going to book one shore excursion at each port (two total) to learn about the people and the history, but that's all. On-board, I'll go to any shows they might have as well as any movies they might show. I really just want to be a big, fat, blob on this trip and do nothing except be in awe that I'm actually on a cruise ship in a suite and I'm in the Caribbean. That will be enough to blow me away!!
What about internet? Will I be able to go online in my room and use my iPad for email, surfing, etc? Is it free? And what about cell phones--do they work? (I have a Verizon iPhone 5S).
Thanks in advance for any advice. I am so incredibly excited that this trip is really taking place. *I* am going on a cruise---ME!!! How 'bout that??? Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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First, your flight time will give you around 7 hours to kill. Princess unloads the boat fairly quick so they can clean and re-stock it then load up the next group.
WiFi is EXPENSIVE! on the boat. You will not have a cell out on the water, you may have a cell at the ports, but your plan needs to have free roaming, or you will pay A LOT! for the roam charges.
On your t-shirt, you may want ""Leave me alone--I'm a crazy California cat lady". You will be shunned!
FYI, my Princess cruise went to Alaska, and my Carnival cruise went to Cozumel. I prefer Carnival.
Posts: 1418 | From: Houston, Republic of Texas | Registered: Jan 2001
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You will have plenty of time to make your flight. The last group off the ship will probably be around 9:00AM. I would suggest you request to be in that group so you can enjoy a leisurely breakfast in the buffet. (Generally no room service on that morning.)
Even though you will be in a "Mini" suite be prepared for it being smaller than it appears in the pictures online. It will be fine for one person, however.
Have a great time!
Frank in sunny but cool SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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I'm surprised to hear how early I'll be off the ship! I thought it would be closer to noon. Any suggestions on what I can do between the time I get off, and my flight at 5:20PM (I'll be there by 4PM at the latest, so I guess I'm free until about 4). I didn't know there would be that large of a gap in time. QUESTION: I do have the option of one alternate flight. I could take a flight that leaves FLL at noon, getting me home to SFO about 3 1/2 hours sooner. What are my chances of making it to FLL for a noon flight (with checking one bag)? Should I switch to the noon flight, or should I keep my 5:20PM flight?
And thank you for the info about the cell phone charges! That never even crossed my mind. I'll check with Verizon to see how that works and what they charge. (and if my iPhone will even work out in that area). And internet is expensive as well? Shoot---I was hoping to keep current on emails. Does this mean I should leave my laptop at home? Is there WiFi in my room?
Frank: Great idea about the last group off so that I can have breakfast. I was wondering how they worked the food thing on the final morning. A buffet would be great if I can swing that. Who would I ask---my room attendant?
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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I would think the noon flight would be doable. The airport is very close to the cruise port.
You would want to speak to guest relations about your departure time. They usually put something in your cabin mid cruise asking for your departure details. At least that's what Celebrity does.
Wi-fi charges are expensive. About 75 cents a minute unless you buy a package which can reduce that quite a bit. We have reached a level at Celebrity where we each get 90 minutes free and we rarely use all of that. We just go online, download mail, answer it off line and go on again to send. All we travel with now are two phones and an iPad.
As for wi-fi in your cabin (Cabins not rooms and decks not floors, please. ) that depends on the ship. Some do offer it and others have hotspots around the vessel.
An option for wi-fi is the terminals in the ports. Many have free wi-fi that the crew makes good use of. Or just ask a crew member where the cheapest location in town is. They WILL know.
One other thing, make sure you have a valid passport. Generally it's a good idea to make sure you still have six months validity on it. Frank in sunny and cool SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Okay, I'll contact VA to see if I can switch my flight over to the "nooner" (it goes to LAX where I change planes, but that's okay with me).
WiFi: Yikes!! That is VERY expensive. I'm an internet addict. It's going to be hard to stay away for six days, that's for sure. I guess I'll just bring my iPhone and iPad and leave it at that. (Noted on cabin versus room. Heh heh….I'll learn the lingo and become a pro in no time!).
My passport is good---no issues there. I'm good until 2019, and I've already gone onto the "Cruise Personalizer" page to input all of the stuff that they ask for. I was also reviewing a package in the spa just to get a massage. A simple, 50 minute massage starts at $165!!!! Good grief, maybe I'll have to skip that part of my trip.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Frank: I just want to understand this correctly. When the ship gets to a port, I will go ashore and somewhere off-ship there will be "deals" listed for things on-board the ship? Do I understand that correctly?
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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My favorite shipboard scam: the lower-back-problems "class" "taught" by a "personal trainer" who said the answer to all our woes was a couple of "orthotic" inserts for our shoes. They were identical to the $6.95 Dr. Scholl's heel pads available in drugstores. She wanted $179 a pair.
This was on Holland-America's Zeendam to Hawaii in January.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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The offers will be made onboard. You will (unless Princess has changed its policy) get a lot of "invitations" sent to your cabin. These will include "In Port" specials. Some people never leave the ship.
I hope that clears things up.
Frank in cloudy and cool SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Ah, okay---I didn't realize that this sort of thing happened. Hmmm, that would be great to do an in-port special in the afternoon like you mentioned. My tour of Eleuthera Island (Princess Cays---but I'm not participating in that huge tourist trap!) will only be a few hours, and then back to the ship after a stop for lunch. That would be great if I could do it that day.
Also, sort of an off the wall question, but is the pool on-board the ship available for swimming while the ship is under-way and moving? Or do they empty it out, and only fill it when you're stopped in a port somewhere?
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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![[Smile]](smile.gif)
And when you hit Lahaina or Wailea, go have a nice lunch at Longhi's.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
) that depends on the ship. Some do offer it and others have hotspots around the vessel. 
