JMTtor

I live in GC most of the time. I have lived there and Little Cayman since 1979. My home is in Gov. Harbor, right across from Calico Jack's. I totally agree with snorkeling Eden Rock! Friends that come to visit love it there. I would bring my own snorkel and mask. Rent a bc and fins. It's a lovely clean place. Much better than shopping! Your wife could shop an hour then join you? Be sure and wave at the underwater mermaid for me! The turtles are hit and miss. You might get lucky.

Have a great trip!

You won't get anywhere near the mermaid if you snorkel at Eden Rock; the mermaid is on the Sunset House reef, which is about a mile from downtown. I'm going to Sunset House for the day on our port stop from the Celebrity Reflection (http://www.SunsetHouse.com). Sunset House has no beach, but it has a tremendous salt pool with an opening into the ocean and the main reef. I took a group from my cruise there two years ago and they all loved it! From beginning snorkelers to divers, it's fantastic (I've gone to Sunset House with my PA dive group for a week for the last four years). There is rental of all gear, from snorkel sets to dive gear, and there are lockers there (but the number is limited due to the large number of divers who go for the week). The house reef is world-class, with tons of hard and soft corals, sponges, and all varieties of tropical fish. Might even see a turtle if you're lucky!

And the best part is that after you're done with your snorkeling or diving, just park yourself at My Bar for great food and drinks! It's big with both dive folks and Cayman locals. http://www.sunsethouse.com/resort/seaharvest-and-my-bar.htm

If you're interested, one of the former Sunset House staff, Julian Turner, now runs a tour company (IslandLuxeConcierge.com) and will provide shuttle service from the tender pier to Sunset House for $5 cash (price last time I checked). You won't find a better snorkel site than the house reef there - there are ladders from the ocean entry point (jump in or climb down) and steps to a ladder in the salt pool (which is full of small fish, urchins, squid, and the occasional larger fish).

And if you want to see the mermaid, look at my profile pic! :D

I've sailed on Epic three times. Loved the studios! The living room is a great place to meet others; in fact, I'm at several people that I've kept up online friendships with and one with whom I went on a Royal Caribbean cruise on Allure of the Seas in January this year. NCL has it all over the other cruise lines when it comes to the cello cabins. I wish well Caribbean and/or celebrity would do the same, as those are my favorite lines, but NCL is also great.

If you want to meet people, there is a bar in the Living Room, and every evening there is a happy hour from I believe 5 to 7 PM. Most evenings, people gather at that. You'll also get to know the bartender there; hopefully you'll have a good one! Enjoy your trip!

Also, there is a free cappuccino/Macchiato/latte machine in the Living Room, so don't pay the extra freight to get expensive coffee elsewhere on the ship! The machine is available 24 hours, so you can get something there at any time. There's also a small refrigerator that has fruit, cereal, yogurt, and other little snack foods available whenever you want them, and also a little cabinet with fresh cookies.

Don't forget to join your week's roll call here on Cruise Critic. That's always a good way to meet people before you go. Enjoy!

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I recommend Cardow jewelers if for nothing else than their convertible rings. You get two different gemstones featured on one ring. The ring itself flips over and. It's hard to explain, but if you Google Cardow, you will see examples on their website. I believe they have a patent on the ring. I have two of them! My favorite has a Tanzanite on one side and an Australian opal on the other. Both stones are surrounded by small diamonds.

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Hi -

My cage having been rattled ;), the last three times I was in Bermuda I went with Triangle Diving in Grotto Bay; tremendous operation! But the last time I was there was in 2009, and apparently Graham (Triangle's owner) must have finally retired, as I see Dive Bermuda has taken over Triangle's operation (so there are now two locations of that operator).

I'd suggest going to TripAdvisor.com to check out the ratings for the various Bermuda dive operators and read some of the reviews to see what others think and what the dives included. Bermuda has an amazing assortment of dive sites with lots of wrecks; nearly all are fairly shallow (30'-70').

You could also try posting something on Scuba Board (scubaboard.com/community) to see if anyone there might have more recent tips for you. Regardless, you should have some great dives in Bermuda!

Sorry to ask what seems to be a silly question, but although I'm Diamond, I haven't been on a RCI ship for almost ten years; going on the Allure in January with someone who's never cruised RCI before.

Will I be able to bring him with me to any of the special Diamond events, or (if there is one on Allure) to the lounge? I know the website says no friends or family, but I wasn't sure whether that applied to people in the same cabin (versus family and friends traveling in separate cabins). TIA -

Quote debnjoe1438: "Next Sunday is the 18th Enjoy your trip."

Quote trish1c: "Are you doing B2Bs? 'Cause I thought you were organizing our informal sailaway on the 18th :cool:"

To which I say:

DUH!

Trish, don't I WISH I were doing a B2B - but no, the 18th is the correct date for our sailing! Maybe I can get away with blaming it on the remnants of my flu? :o

To all of you sailing on the 25th who aren't on our roll call - come join us! We have a HUGE, active group.

And if you just want to hang out at sailaway, there'll be a bunch of us at Spice on deck 16 aft - to be recognized as a Cruise Critic cruiser, wear Mardi Gras beads (available super-cheap at most dollar stores)!

Church Bay is another great beach to snorkel and it is the first beach as you arrive on South Shore Road.

Church Bay is quite nice also, so long as it's not rough water (and it's closer to King's Wharf as it's on the west end of the island). Be aware there are long and steep stairs to climb down (and back up) if you go there.

There's also John Smith's Bay, which is on the south side of the island, east of Hamilton. It has concessions and lifeguards, and there are also very nice little limestone "caves" (carved out areas under the rock) on the left side of the beach as you look at the ocean - lovely for resting out of the sun! There are no stairs at that beach.

Google any of these spots and you'll see many nice photos, as well as find the Trip Advisor reviews. Whatever you choose to do, enjoy!

I second the recommendation for Restless Native. It's a beautiful catamaran, and when my then-teenaged daughter and I first took the trip some time ago, the Canadian family who run the boat brought us into lovely snorkeling spots not otherwise easily accessible on the shore (secluded beaches and coves) and there was wonderful life there! You also get freshly-baked cookies on the trip (the smell from the oven is wonderful!). I've gone again, and it's every bit as nice as it was on the first trip.

The other incredible snorkeling in Bermuda would be Tobacco Bay. It's on the far east end of the island, so you'd have to take the ferry or bus from King's Wharf to St. George's (the ferry is faster and takes less time) and then either walk up the LONG hill or take a shuttle van (shared ride, only a couple of bucks) that will deliver you quickly directly there. There's a snack bar with food and beverages, and the beach is VERY small, but if you're a water rat as I am, you'll be very happy!

The bay itself is very shallow most of the way out to the enclosing limestone pillars, and you can either stay in the protected area or swim around the rocks to the other side which is open sea. It's a perfect spot for relaxing in the water, as the rock pillars provide protection as a breakwater from rougher ocean waves.

To the right facing the bay there's a shallow area with a lot of rock where there are always juvenile fish - like a fish nursery. In the bay itself, I've seen HUGE parrotfish, sweet little squid, and many other varieties of beautiful fish. Google for pictures; it's quite lovely!

Went with a LARGE group of folks, including my soon-to-be-ex-husband back in 1989, for my first-ever cruise experience. Had a great time!