Reviews by Kristy

Kristy says "NCL and Mexico, now that's a nice combination!" about Norwegian Cruise Line - Freestyle Mexico

Kristy — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:11:08 GMT

I am a big NCL fan: I love their freestyle dinning as I am not one for pre-set eating schedules! I have done Mexico cruises seven times with 3 of them being on NCL.

To me, all cruise ships serve the same purpose - relaxation. NCL is great for me because they have the freestyle dining, pre-paid tips, great food, decent entertainment, an attentive, friendly staff and the best debarking of all lines!

The NCL Mexico itinerary is very close to the other lines: giving you enough time to get in a tour as well as some sightseeing on your own before heading back to the ship. They do pack the ports back to back which for some, may be too much but you always have the option of sleeping in and going off shore a few hours later.

NCL offers a variety of port tours as well as many things to do onboard from movies to swimming to crafts to seminars to classes to shows to visiting the casino and more. Or you can take the other route and find a quiet spot and read a book or just enjoy being out on the water....

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Kristy says "Cruising on the Caribbean Princess" about Princess Cruises - Caribbean Princess

Kristy — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:03:11 GMT

We sailed the Caribbean Princess last month. It was our first cruise on this ship but not our first one on the Princess Cruise line. There were a total of 18 of us ranging in age from 4 to 65. Everyone had cruised before and everyone had a good time. All areas are rated 1-5 stars

Cabins ****

Between us, we had a variety of rooms from interior to balconies. All of the rooms were as expected: small but well laid out. There was room for everything once we were unpacked and you were easily able to get around. The couple in the inside wished they had a window to tell the weather but that was the only complaint. We had a large covered balcony on the Caribe deck which was nice as I am not a big sit out in the straight sun fan.

Dining *****

Princess ships have the option of "anytime dinning" which allowed us to eat when we wanted to - a big plus when the ages were so varied! On the Caribbean Princess, we preferred the Coral Dining room over the Palm Dining room with its fast service and pleasant...

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Kristy says "Cruise Critic an informative cruise website for all cruise lines" about Cruise Critic

Kristy — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:30:45 GMT

I found cruise critic (cruisecritic.com) a couple of years ago when I was hoping to find an answer about a specific port. What I found was not only the answer to my question but a great little website! While it is not perfect, cruise critic is a site worth checking out before, or after, booking a cruise.

What Cruise Critic IS

At Cruise Critic you can read reviews from other cruisers, book one of their cruise specials, find information on ships and ports you can visit. However, the best part about Cruise Critic is their boards. You will need to register before you can post a question or a response. I have not been swamped with spam after doing so.

On the Cruise Critic boards, you can go under the specific cruise line you are booked on or are just thinking about booking. You can ask specific questions such as, "Are there any cabins to avoid?" Or "What are the not-to-miss desserts?" Other cruisers who have sailed on that ship will then give you their opinion. The food questions will especially...

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Kristy says "Booking a cruise online with Holland America" about Holland America

Kristy — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:56:11 GMT

I am a busy person and find myself with little spare time. Therefore, I really don't want to waste my time and that includes on the telephone. That is the great thing about the Internet; it lets me do things on my schedule. I can order items after midnight look up directions, keep in touch with relatives' countries away and normally, book travel.

I have booked multiple cruises online and so when I saw the Holland America was offering the 3rd and 4th passenger in each cabin to sail for FREE so I figured we should jump on that! And I head over to the Holland America website: hollandamerica.com

I start out stating what region and country I am in and then move onto where, when and how long I want to cruise. I know the dates of the promotion so I start looking in September and find the cruises in that month that leave from Seattle and stop in Sitka. No problem there.

I am allowed to see the itinerary but FIRST STRIKE I must login to go any further. I do not like being forced to give out information...

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Kristy says "NCL Dream - Sailing on Norwegian Cruise Line" about Norwegian Cruise Line - Dream

Kristy — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:27:19 GMT

I will start off saying I am normally a huge NCL fan. The line has a lot of positive things going for it from their crew to their freestyle dining to their ability to get you on and off the ship smoothly. That being said, I am not a huge fan of the Dream. Oddly enough, I seem to get this ship for longer sailings which seem to bring home all her negative aspects. That being said, I do love to cruise and would seldom say no to any cruise!
All areas are rated 1-5 stars

Cabins **

First off the dream is an older ship and this shows not only in the layout (which was stretched) but also in the cabins. My main complaint with the cabins comes is the same with all three that we have had. All three were quads, meaning they sleep four. The thing to watch for with the Dreams quads is that a lot of them are made with the 3rd and 4th person to sleeping together in a pullout bed. This may not be a problem for some but the first time we were traveling with just the twins and so we had to break up the beds...

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Kristy says "Growing Herbs Inside - Quick and Easy!" about Wrapables Italian Herb Garden Kit

Kristy — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:39:05 GMT

Do you live in an apartment but would still enjoy growing (and using) fresh herbs? Then the Italian Herb Garden Terra Cotta Planter with Basil, Chives and Oregano Seeds kit may just be for you! This is a great little kit that comes complete with everything you need to grow fresh herbs right on your windowsill.

The planter is small (5x5x6") but, has four separate planting sections and comes with a little recipe booklet to let you start planning what you are going to make once the herbs are ready to use.

To plant the herbs you simply drop in the little peat pellets and add the water to make them open up and expand. Next, you add a few of your seeds (included) into the soil. You have three sets of herb seeds: oregano, basil and chives. Now you simply care for it as you would any herb seeds, keep them moist and give them a lot of sun, which is why a windowsill is a great spot for this pot. As the herbs grow, you can clip them fresh and use them in your cooking and once you start using fresh,...

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Kristy says "Canning Is Easy To Do - Step by Step " about Presto Aluminum Pressure Canner 16 qt

Kristy — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:37:17 GMT

We are big garden fans - I love to have a continuing supply of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers. It seems like every year we enlarge our gardens and with that we end up with much more than we can eat fresh. We had froze and dried a lot of the fruit but it soon became obvious we were going to need either a third freezer or a canner. I went out and picked up the Presto16-Quart Pressure Canner for less than $55. We canned green beans, beets, dilly beans, many types of fruit nectar, peaches, pears, apricots and even salmon! It had quickly paid for itself.

When I bought the Presto16-Quart Pressure Canner it came with a canning rack, instruction/recipe book, and 5, 10 & 15 pound pressure weights. My only problem has been keeping track of the little pound pressure weights, but that's probably just me.

USING THE CANNER

The good news about today's canners, they are a lot safer and easier to use than the ones our Grandmothers used! To use the Presto16-Quart Pressure Canner I put water in to heat...

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Kristy says "A Unique Gift For Any Age or Occasion!" about Noteable You

Kristy — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:13:30 GMT

If you are like me, you are always searching for unique gifts. One of the best gifts I have found is the Noteable You website where you can make a wonderful personal gift that works for any occasion. Let me tell you about this terrific gift that works for pre-schoolers right up to Great Grandparents!

Briefly, a Noteable YouTM gift is a container filed with your own testimony on why the recipient is so wonderful - with up to 100 messages. It is easy to put together your own personal gift by following their easy to follow instructions. Here are the steps

1. Choose which type of holder you want your messages to be held in: tin ($24), glass ($32), album: $38 or sterling ($45).

2. Pick the color and design you want the label to be. You can choose from 6 colors as well as 6 designs. They also have some new designs for weddings, Mothers Day and Fathers Day that are really nice, especially the floral ones.

3. You then fill in the name of person the gift s going to and how many messages you want...

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Kristy says "My First Fish Bowl is such a great toy" about Lamaze My First Fish Bowl

Kristy — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:11:10 GMT

I picked up the Lamaze My First Fish Bowl as a gift for my 10 month old niece, Beth. It was such a big hit that I ended up ordering two more.

The toy consist of five pieces: the fishbowl and four fun sea creatures.

The lower 1/4 or so of the fishbowl has "water" which holds mini sea creatures that move around when you shake it, (think snow globe). Both of the larger fish bowl sides are transparent so the child can see (but not get) the tiny enclosed "floating" creatures. This was at first frustrating to Beth as she so desperately wanted to get to them! Once we shook it, laughed and said "ohhhh their swimming" she would copy us and after shaking it would squeal, "ohhhhhhhhhhh". Too cute.

Each of the four larger sea creatures makes some kind of noise (crinkle, squeak, jingle and rattle. These are great fun on their own as well as to put into then take out the fish bowl, over and over and over again! They are also great fun to put in your mouth which makes them being washable a really good...

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Kristy says "Orlando Savings: Visit Universal Studio and Disneyworld for Less" about Florida Orlando Tickets Online Travel

Kristy — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 21:28:34 GMT

Everyone loves Disneyworld but the ticket prices can be a vacation stopper. Why not save some money by pre-ordering your tickets from FloridaOrlandotickets.net This is a handy site that I and many friends and family have used over and over.

This is the way it works - you visit their site and add all your Orlando tickets (Disneyworld, Universal Studios etc.) to your shopping cart, pick a shipping method (home delivery is free, Orlando hotel pick-up is $10) and wait for them to arrive. How simple as that?

But that's not the reason we buy from there! It is their prices, their selection and their free shipping! I am a comparison shopper and so believe me when I say; their prices are hard to beat! Occasionally, I have found one of the tickets a bit less elsewhere but usually they are the lowest across the board. And they have always been the lowest on the Disneyworld tickets.

Now only do they sell all the regular Disneyworld passes (base pass, park hopper and premium) they sell tickets to fun events...

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Kristy says "Orlando Vacation Rental: VRBO worked for us!" about Vacation Rental By Owner

Kristy — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 04:10:03 GMT

The last two times we went to Disneyworld, we rented a house from Vacation Rental by Owner Online Service or VRBO. I had heard about the site from CyndiA, and thought I'd try them. We had such a great experience with them, we not only used them the next time we went to Florida but also when we went back East.

One of the main reasons I was looking at renting a house over staying in a hotel is that there would be seven of us. Most hotels hold four and a few up to six but it is very hard to find one that will take seven. This means we have to get two rooms, doubling our hotel cost.

The other reason was that with a house, we would have full kitchen access allowing us to cook our own meals. This is great for us because we have a variety of eaters from vegetarian to no red meat to dairy sensitive to downright fussy! Therefore, it isn't always the easiest thing to find restaurants that please everyone. Add in the advantage of not eating out every breakfast, lunch and dinner and it was a great option...

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Kristy says "Disney Hotel: Animal Kingdom Lodge" about Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge - Lake Buena Vista, FL

Kristy — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:31:34 GMT

One of my family's favorite Disney hotels is their Animal Kingdom Lodge: located in the Animal Kingdom Resorts area. We have stayed there five times. It is a bit pricey but worth the splurge, even if it is only for one night.

THE HOTEL

The Animal Kingdom Lodge is shaped like a horseshoe, six-stories high and contains over 800,000-square-feet. This is a BIG place!

It is designed to simulate an African wildlife reserve and is divided into four trails:- Kudu Trail, Ostrich Trail, Giraffe Trail, and Zebra Trail. There are also three Savannahs: Uzima, Arusha, and Sunset which house all the African animals and birds.The Savannah's surround the lodge on three sides.

Since your family may have certain animals they just "have" to see, it is important to know which animals are in which Savannah BEFORE you book you room. That way you will have a better chance of catching a view of them.

In Uzima Savannah you will find Antelope, Blesbok. Bongo, Gazelles, Giraffe, Impala, Kudu and Thompsons Gazelles....

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Kristy says "Cracking Crab and Lobster Easily" about Oxo Seafood Cracker and Picks Set

Kristy — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 22:21:41 GMT

We are big seafood fans at our house. During crab season, I make crab cakes, Deviled Crab, crab salad, Crab Roll Appetizers, hot crab dip and more on top of just eating it fresh. But no matter how I prepare it, I have to get the meat out of the shell first which can be a very time consuming project: especially when you are feeding a large family! That is why I am such a fan of the OXO Seafood Cracker and Picks Set; in fact I have two sets!

This set consists of five pieces: a claw cracker and four picks. The claw cracker is solid, sturdy and somewhat heavy. The handles are covered in non-slip rubber and like other OXO products; they absorb the tension as you squeeze them. They allow me to crack open all the crabs (or lobster) I need without ever having pain in my hand. Another good thing about the non-slip handles is they are great when my hands get covered in the crab juice!

The four picks are really well made as well. They have a small oval spoon on one end, and a two pronged fork on the...

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Kristy says "Disney Cruise: A Great family vacation" about Disney Cruise Line - Wonder

Kristy — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:46:16 GMT

The Disney Cruise line has two sister ships: Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, both of which have 875 staterooms. It had been five years since we had last sailed on either of them when we got a chance to sail on the Disney Wonder again. We were going to be in the area and got a great last minute deal so we took just our youngest which was nice for the three of us. It was for three nights and hit two Ports: we had a really good time. All areas are rated 1-5 stars

Cabins *****

Disney's cabins are 25% larger than many of the other lines. They have a done a great job in the layout. For example, our cabin had a bathtub (and shower) as well as another ½ bath which helped avoid any back up when getting ready.

Dining ****

This is a bit hard for me to rate because I am not a fan of regulated dinning times. But, to Disney's credit they have made even that enjoyable! There are three different restaurants: Animators Palate, Beach Blanket Buffet and Parrot Cay Restaurant and you are rotated through them....

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Kristy says "Sweey and Salty Nut: Really Good Tasting Granola Bars!" about Nature Valley - Sweet & Salty Nut Granola Bars

Kristy — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 23:53:52 GMT

I have never been a big granola bar fan. I buy them for the car, the boat and for hikes but I have never found any I really love. Until I found Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut granola bars. I swear this are so good, I could live on these. Really!

They come in four flavors: peanut, almond, cashew and mixed nuts. They are all good but my favorite are the almond followed by mixed nuts, just in case you needed to know that!

They are not the healthiest choice as they contain both High Maltose and high fructose corn syrup as the 2nd and 5th ingredients with sugar coming in as the 4th. The good news is almonds are listed first and well, they taste really good! LOL

The almond Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut granola bars are 160 calories each with 60 of the calories from fat. They have 12g of sugars (which sugar busters says to keep under 3) but no Cholesterol or trans fat. If you are looking for a carbohydrate choice, it isn't bad as it has 22 grams. Did I mention they taste really, really good?

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Kristy says "A Diet plan that works!" about Joy Fit Club Diet

Kristy — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 23:03:18 GMT

I am not a dieter, I am more of an eat what you want, in small amounts kind of girl. When I was younger I never gained weight, never. I was 5'7.5 and didn't weigh 100 pounds until college and I ate whatever and whenever I wanted. I finally landed on 115 and stayed there for over 20 years. THEN something terrible happened, I turned 40! The age never bothered me but the fact I was gaining weight, that I no longer had a flat stomach and that I had less stamina did bother me!

All of this made me learn something about myself: I have no willpower! I really don't! If I tried to follow a diet plan and saw some Dove dark chocolate, I'd have a piece, or two! And coke, I seldom drink pop but if I was trying to follow a diet, I'd crave (and drink) ice cold coke! It was really odd and discouraging.

Then, I came across the Joy Fit Club. It is a diet plan designed by nutritional expert Joy Bauer. The great thing is that it is a simple, common sense diet. It is easy to follow as she gives you 42 meals (14...

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Kristy says "Pedigree has a dry dog food to help your dog lose weight." about Pedigree Weight Maintenance Dry Dog Food

Kristy — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 21:12:46 GMT

Our dogs are normally, very active. When the weather is nice, they run around on the property and beach with the kids. They spend their days chasing balls, catching Frisbees, playing in the water and taunting the cats. Not a bad life! But, when the weather is colder, they get MUCH less exercise and since their eating habits remain the same, they put on a bit of weight. Not a LOT but enough that when the vet saw Jake she mentioned we might want to add some "lighter" dog foods into his diet for a couple of months. She wrote down three kinds she felt would work and Pedigree Lean Dry Dog Food was one of them.

OFF TO THE STORE

I was having trouble finding Pedigree Lean Dry Dog Food and that was when I was informed that while they still called the canned food "lean" the dry food Pedigree Lean Dry Dog Food is now called Pedigree Weight Loss Formula Not only that, it is step one. Once the dog is back to his/her ideal weight, you now move onto part two, Pedigree Weight Maintenance

I doubted we would......

Kristy says "Purfect brush for long haired cats!" about Safari Cat Soft Slicker Brush

Kristy — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:57:00 GMT

We have two longhaired cats and if they aren't brushed regularly, their fur can get matted and/or get fur balls. Their favorite brush is Safari Cat Slicker

WHAT MAKES THIS BRUSH SO GREAT?

We had tried using the "soft bristle" type brushes and while all of the cats enjoyed that, it did very little to get rid of all the excess hair and debris the two longhaired cats always had. When I saw the Safari Cat Slicker at the pet store, I bought it.

Instead of soft bristles, it has stainless steel wire pins. These pins gently pick up loose fur and debris while you brush your cat.

Mine is self-cleaning which is great because it is so fast and easy. By pushing the button you make the pins retract which causes the hair to fall away. Just wipe the pad clean and it is ready to use again.

USING THE BRUSH

Gently brush in the direction of hair growth. If you work on small areas, you are able to remove the fur and debris easier. Kind of like tangles in a child's long hair. Once the pad becomes full, remove...

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Kristy says "Hairspray: a fun movie for the whole family" about Hairspray

Kristy — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 03:43:37 GMT

I was a bit surprised at how much I enjoyed Hairspray We first saw it at the theater and then bought it when it came out on DVD.

Hairspray is a story about Tracy, (Nikki Blonsky) a pudgy teenage girl who dreams of two things: being a dancer on the The Corny Collins Show (think American Bandstand) and the girlfriend of her popular schoolmate, Link (Zac Efron), who is already on the show. Tracy and her best friend, Penny (Amanda Bynes), hurry home everyday after school to catch the show. When one of the regulars unexpectedly takes a break (for 9 months LOL) Tracy sees her chance to get on the show. Of course it isn't that easy but, it is when the fun starts!

Hairspray is set in 1962, not only follows Tracy as she becomes an unlikely star but also an wide-eyed force for racial integration. In addressing the social unrest of that time, the movie does so in a PG way that still makes a clear racism is bad message.

It is a musical, and there are plenty of fun, memorable songs to make a best selling,...

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Kristy says "Picnic in style with the Optima Sporting Picnic Basket" about Optima Sporting Picnic Basket

Kristy — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 04:17:40 GMT

I love my Optima Sporting Picnic Basket! It was given to my husband and me as a gift on our 20th wedding anniversary. Our children were getting older and some friends thought we could take it with us out on our boat when we had some kid free time. It was a wonderful gesture. What really surprised me was how much I enjoyed eating from real china instead of the plastic we normally used! I never really thought about it before and so it was unexpected to find it made such a difference.

After enjoying our basket for so long, I decided it would be a great Christmas gift for our friends that just became empty nesters in September. They often take picnics with them down to their beach and I only hope they will enjoy theirs as much as we have ours.

The Optima Sporting Picnic Basket is handmade in England. It is shaped like the traditional picnic basket, measuring 20.75 X 13.75 X 9.75". A full widow is used, varnished and then trimmed with high quality leather. The leather basket handles are held...

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