Syracruisin

Day 3 - Labadee

We watched the ship pull into port from the balcony. We were on the starboard side, so this ended up being the only port we saw from our room. After a quick breakfast in the Windjammer and grabbing towels, we headed off the ship for our reservation at the Dragon's Flight zipline. It's a little pricey, but it was a Christmas present. We had taken towels and a backpack off the ship, but you can't bring them with you on the zipline, so we rented a locker for the day ($8). The lockers aren't huge, so don't bring a lot. The zipline guy was kind enough to let us store our towels with him at his desk because the backpack already took up most of the locker. The zipline was a blast. You do a practice run on a smaller line and then they take you up the mountain for the big one. Interesting ride in what must've been an old Haitian military vehicle that passed by goats, three guys riding one dirtbike and a security guard holding an automatic rifle. Safety first! It's supposedly the longest zipline over water in the Caribbean. From the top, we could see the ship and entire layout of Labadee.

After landing, we grabbed our bag and walked around. There are several beach areas on both sides, with the cove side having calmer water for swimming and snorkeling. Guys were immediately approaching us offering to find us beach chairs (I'm assuming for a tip), but we were looking for our friends and wanted to walk around a bit before settling in one spot. We ended up grabbing two empty chairs at the cove and relaxed for awhile. There are plenty of chairs stacked up behind the beach that you can drag to a spot if you don't find open ones available.

We later walked to the "artist's village". I have mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, Royal Caribbean is giving those people an economic opportunity to sell souvenirs that they won't otherwise have. On the other hand, they're so pushy and persistent that it turns a lot of patrons off. As soon as we walked in, we were approached by a nice young man offering to show us his "store", which was a stall holding the same trinkets as most of the other stalls in there. He was fine but kept showing us various cups, magnets and things we had no interest in. I ended up buying a wooden shot glass because I try to collect them. Pricewise, they start high and you have to really negotiate them down or threaten to walk away. He carved my name in the wood, which was the only "original" part of the thing; I later saw the same wooden glasses for $5 in the actual store at the foot of the artist's village. The artists aren't actually artists, they simply have a small screwdriver or sharpie they use to inscribe "Labadee" or your name in the Chinese-made trinkets. While looking at his wares, we were approached by multiple other people trying to pull us away to their stalls. My girlfriend was hassled until she just decided to walk out and return to the beach. Like I said, I have mixed feelings. I'd rather support a local by buying a souvenir from them rather than Royal's store, but they charge these people rent for being there and then give them no training or regulations over how to interact with customers and allow them to be dishonest about actually creating the things they're selling. It was a pushier version of the straw market in Nassau, only with lesser goods. Their desperation to sell something before the ship leaves really comes through and ends up backfiring because it turns people off.

Later, we ran into one of the other couples, and the wife mentioned wanting to buy a keychain for one of her co-workers. Being a glutton for punishment, I took her back into the artists' village because I had seen one where I bought my shotglass. We walked directly past the welcome committee and to that stall, and she bought it. I was suddenly a hero, which meant everyone else now wanted me to buy something from them! I had to explain we were only there for the keychain before leaving. Also, beware of the guys handing out "free" Haiti bracelets. They give you one, then hand you a second for your significant other and then demand money for the second one.

Back to the beach, the water was calm and very clear. The drink package works in Labadee, and I tried a Labadoozie sans the souvenir mug (which would've been an extra $5 or so with the package). It's strong! We really enjoyed the BBQ lunch at the beach. They had burgers and hot dogs, various salads, ribs, chicken and a Greek/Armenian section that I thought was great. One thing that was not so great was a creepy guy up in the woods on the other side of the barbed wire fence, watching and waving to people while hiding from security. The girls got nervous.

I thought the best area in Labadee was the Lookout Point. It's toward the front, on the other side of the first pavilion and massage area. It's a rocky point that is great for photo opportunities. Royal had a security guard at the end who offered to take pictures of us.

Overall, I enjoyed the stay in Labadee. Other people had previously told us not to even get off the ship because of the hassling from the people trying to sell stuff or get money for beach chairs. But I think that's a missed opportunity to enjoy a good beach day with everything included. Outside of the artists' village, it's fine. The beaches are nice and lunch was good. And I didn't mind giving a couple bucks to the "artists". They depend on that and might not see another ship (and any money that accompanies it) for two weeks.

With respect to show times in the Metropolis Theater, they varied a little. Either 8:30 and 10:30, 9:00 and 10:45 (one late show was 11:15), or 7:00 and 9:00. They also had other evening events (more of the game show type events) in the Star Lounge.

Trying to get the hang of the photo thing, so please bear with me!

I thought we'd be hanging out at Two Poets as "our bar" since it had TVs for games, but it ended up being Schooner Bar, on the 4th Floor outside of the casino. The bartenders Ranley ("Release the Kraken!"), Keyi and Christopher were fantastic and a bunch of good guys (get to know your bartenders, especially if you find one you like). The bar had a menu with various takes on classics like Tom Collins (try the Sandy Collins for a more Caribbean feel), Old Fashioned, etc. Drink package includes everything $12 and under, which was most drinks, even Grey Goose or Belvedere for vodka tonics. With beers being around $6, plus the 18% gratuity, we mostly drank cocktails. And Schooner Bar was the location of ship trivia. I wish you could win a trophy to brag about back home like Carnival rather than highlighters and other Royal swag, but we never won (damn you, Chile!) so there is nothing to brag about.

We also played Bingo. Two of the girls split wins. Mine did not.

Formal Dinner

Day 2 was one of our two formal nights. Most people I saw did dress the part, with men in suits (or at least with ties) and women in dresses. I saw more tuxedos than I had expected. I also saw one guy in shorts, a hat and T-shirt. He did get served in the dining room, but he was the only one who looked like that. There's also a chance to take your picture with the captain in the Promenade (along with free champagne) on the way to the dining room. I thought the food was very good. I neglected to write down what nights served what, but if it was the duck it was decent. Not the best duck I ever had but ok. The lamb chop and prime rib got good reviews from tablemates. Later in the cruise I got lamb shank and thought it was fantastic.

The show that night was "Ballroom Fever", a bunch of singing and dancing. It was fun to watch. The featured professional dance couple was fantastic.

I did find out there was a second omelet station but too late. I usually just either grabbed the ham & cheese omelets, because they were readily stocking those as they made the "to order" ones, or took the over easy eggs and made my own breakfast sandwiches with bagels (also wicked hot FYI), bacon and cheese.

 

As far as favorite bar? Absolutely we found ours

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I did find out there was a second omelet station but too late. I usually just either grabbed the ham & cheese omelets, because they were readily stocking those as they made the "to order" ones, or took the over easy eggs and made my own breakfast sandwiches with bagels (also wicked hot FYI), bacon and cheese.

As far as favorite bar? Absolutely we found ours

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One thing I forgot to mention last night. If you have a gluten (or other food allergy) person at your table, you get a bonus of getting to see what's on the next night's dinner menu a day early so the chefs have time to prepare their choices to meet their needs. Also, they sure do try to upsell specialty dining packages. It seemed every day the head waiter was coming to us at dinner or someone was standing outside the Windjammer or Promenade offering deals at one of the restaurants or sushi rolling demonstrations ($), wine tasting demonstrations ($) and anything else that they can get $ from.

Anyway, did I mention the ship seemed empty the first day? There was a sign saying it was at capacity, and as the week went on we noticed more and more people onboard. Not sure if everyone just stays in their rooms the first couple days or what.

Day 2 - At Sea

We ate breakfast in Windjammer. If you don't see seating right away, keep walking to the second set of stations; there seemed to be more availability the further you go, but this depends on what time you hit breakfast. There was a line for at the omelet station, but if you don't mind ham & cheese omelets or just eggs over easy, you can get them readily in the buffet line. A woman was complaining the bacon wasn't cooked (I just shook my head and grabbed a pile as she stood in horror) but it looked like regular bacon to me. If anything, it was a little salty.

If you have the ultimate drink package, it includes fresh squeezed juice and specialty coffees. If not, you can get the coffee and juice water and/or milk. That's what I did the first day. Coffee is very hot. I didn't know where the fresh juice was, but learned to just ask the waiters that come by. They have to go get it out at the bar. It does taste better (I love pulp in my OJ), but it's much easier to just grab what's out in the buffet.

After breakfast (which four of us made it to - late night in the casino for the last 2 but at least they did win), we went and hung out by the pool for awhile. There were some chairs occupied only by towels, but there were also a number still available. No pool police yet. I get leaving a towel if you're running to grab something to eat or drink, but some people leave them for hours. I don't get that - if you never enjoy being at the pool, why do you need to have the spot right in front of the pool reserved for you? The 12th floor had more availability throughout the week and we usually went to the same spot up there. It can be windier up there and there's a track running around it that people (not us) actually do run on in the morning, so be careful if you're just standing on it. Towel girl was not the most pleasant person on the ship, but I suppose if I had to spend all day handing towels to people who asked for more than the limit, I wouldn't be too excited either. And she did strictly enforce the two per person rule. After all, why do you need more than two towels (unless you're one of the chair hogs trying to reserve a whole roll for your party that isn't at the pool)?

It was the anniversary for the two of our party who missed dinner and breakfast, and the Mrs. found us at the pool. She told us her husband was still sleeping off last night. Interestingly, they had an inside promenade cabin, and you can't tell if it's 11pm or 11am in there. We decided to have a little fun and woke him up, telling him it was 11pm and he had slept all day. He was upset and said, "What am I supposed to do now? I might as well go back to sleep til the morning." After fessing up, he joined us in walking around the ship.

I'll post more in a few. Got to do some work outside while it's sunny and not snowing here!

Thanks for reading! I'll post more in the morning. I'm trying to slip in things I found to be helpful tips here and there, which are probably already known to regular cruisers but might be helpful to newer ones.

MIA had a seemingly steady lineup of cabs (cars and vans) outside of baggage claim. I know the ship has an airport transfer after the cruise; not sure if they offer one on arrival or if it runs as late as we got in. I also believe certain Miami hotels run shuttles to/from the airport.

Pre-Cruise

We did get off to a bit of a rocky start and almost didn't make it down there the night before because the plane had to be re-de-iced (if that's a term). I definitely recommend when flying to your cruise port to get there the day before. We did get to Miami around 1:00 a.m. Not a fan of MIA and had disappointing experiences arriving and later departing. But I didn't care too much because I was in Miami and about to cruise!

We ordered an Uber, and the driver arrived early, which would have been great except that MIA was still unloading and dumping in a pile luggage from the previous DFW flight. The driver was kind enough to wait for us, but then proceeded to chastise us for using "Uber Pool" when carrying luggage. Now, we don't have Uber yet here in Upstate NY, but I've used it in other cities. Uber Pool allows you to travel with other people for a cheaper price per person. We figured other people might be looking for a ride from an airport and didn't mind pooling our trip. But alas, it was just the two of us (the other four in our group had flown to FLL earlier that day). You might figure that a cabbie arriving to an airport to pick up a "pool" of people might show up in something larger than a Corolla to fit said people and their luggage, but I guess it was our fault. Nevertheless, he got us to our hotel - the Holiday Inn Port of Miami. I thought it was a very nice hotel and it's really in a good location. The lobby was nice and our room was huge! Seriously, we could have fit a second king size bed in there. Unfortunately, we had no use for the room at 2:15 a.m., other than for crashing after eating a quick late dinner (animal crackers). Perhaps an airport hotel would have been a better choice with such a late arrival.

The next morning, we awoke excited to get to the port. We had completed online checkin to the ship in advance, and our Set Sail pass called for boarding from 11:30-4. If you need any last minute toiletries, there's a CVS one block away from this hotel, and I walked there to buy a beach towel that for some reason I thought I'd need (Spoiler Alert: You can take your ship towel off the ship. Just return it by the end of the day). Oh, well, I guess now I have a souvenir "Miami" towel. Cabs come regularly to the hotel, and it's a $12 ride to the port.

Boarding

We arrived at 11:00, left our bags (mistake I'll get to later) with and tipped the porters a few bucks and saw two more from our group standing in line (they told us the third couple got to sit while waiting to board because of the previously mentioned Diamond status - fancy). Don't get to the port too early; those two got there at 9:00 but boarding didn't start til after 10. I'd heard horror stories about boarding (we weren't in the tent), but I thought the line moved steadily and orderly. Checking in ahead of time on Royal Caribbean's website really speeds things up.

We met our group at the pool, and our drink packages had been activated upon boarding, so I tried the drink of the day. It was the Royal Lemonade - lemonade, vodka and sprite. Not the greatest drink in the world. Fortunately, the bars offer drink menus featuring a number of classic (and variations on classic) cocktails. We band at the pool was great and a welcoming introduction. We walked around to the area of the flowrider, mini golf course and basketball court and played basketball while the court was empty until we tired (about five minutes). But having subsisted on airplane pretzels and animal crackers for the past 24 hours, we needed food! Fortunately, the Windjammer was open and had a good selection of burgers, hot dogs, mashed potatoes, sandwich meats, etc. They have a gluten free section (one of our group was gluten free) and vegetarian options as well.

Afterward, we walked around the ship promenade. Two Poets is a cool-looking pub with TVs that showed NFL games. We then went to grab our bags. Three of the four were down the hall from our room, but the fourth was not. I was assured that bags were still coming. Two hours later, after the 4:30 muster drill, I checked again. Still missing. Assured again that bags were still coming. The fourth time I checked (OCD and anxiety kicking in), it was 7:45 and our room steward (Kareem) introduced himself. I told him offhanded that I was just waiting on the last bag (which had all of my dress clothes), and he confusedly replied that there were no more bags coming. Ummm....

Kareem told me to check with guest services, because sometimes the tags come off, and when they do they bring the bags there. Sure enough, there it was! I went to grab it, and Kareem appeared out of nowhere to say he'd take it up so I wouldn't be late for dinner at 8. He already had our names and room number memorized. Throughout the week, Kareem would prove himself to be an excellent steward (the guy's a ninja I swear) and a good guy.

Dinner - Sapphire Dining Room

Stay tuned for more!

Having gotten back almost a week ago, I wanted to write a review of our cruise and give back to everyone at Cruise Critic for being such a great resource for me (and before I forget anything else). Here goes!

A little background...

Six of us (three couples in our 30s-40s) cruised together on the Navigator out of Miami from January 6-15th. A first-timer, a few people on their second (me) or third cruise, a cruise line sampler with several under her belt, and one Royal Caribbean Diamond member. It was nice to have people to hang out or go to dinner with, but to also be able to break off and do our own things during the day. We did get the Ultimate Drink Package, which I was hesitant about doing beforehand but ended up being glad we did. I'll try to be somewhat brief with this review because not everyone cares what I ate every day, but I do want to include some pictures to show the ship and ports. Overall, we had a great trip and enjoyed almost everything about the ship. Hope you enjoy the review (and, more importantly, your cruise)! Feel free to ask questions.

Fine in that they'll still serve you on formal night. But with most people on our ship last week wearing tuxes or suits on formal nights, you might look a little underdressed in jeans and a golf shirt. The OP asked about casual/smart casual, and what he described wearing fits for those nights.

Was just on the Navigator Jan 6-15 (I'll hopefully post my review by tonight). We all had a great time. I thought the food was very good in both Windjammer and Sapphire. The rooms were clean and staff for the most part was pleasant. Guest services was a little slow and gave a bunch of nonanswers (including about my missing bag the first day that was sitting right behind them), but they were inundated every day. Seems the biggest issues onboard are with the "stripes" thinking they're better than everyone (guests as well as other employees), Diamond and Pinnacles not feeling pampered enough, and rude cruisers. But I really don't care what some "officer" on a cruise ship or rude cruiser is doing; I'm too busy enjoying my vacation. And if you go with that attitude, you should have a great time.

That's fine for the casual nights. Last week, they just reminded us each night about "no short pants" for dinner in the dining room, although one or two people did wear shorts and were served. They just looked a little out of place. It seems the unofficial policy is pants and some type of collared shirt for casual nights (golf/polo shirts are fine).

Just got back from Bonaire, where we took Windows to the Sea kayak tour at Lac Cai/Lac Bay. Due to the rain that morning, the road was in terrible condition, and our guide remarked that she would cancel the following day due to the condition. I'm not sure if taxis drive down there or not, but I know you could also contact the mangrove center there to ask about transportation options.

I will say that kayaking across the bay and through the mangroves was amazing and beautiful. We snorkeled down one of the mangrove "trails" and saw fish and corals, but it's not like a coral reef (at least in the mangroves). Klein Bonaire has the good reef snorkeling if that's what you're seeking.

We just got back from these islands on the Navigator. In Curacao, we did the Surf and Turf Tour through Irie Tours. For $55, they took us on an open-air school bus to Hato Cave, stopped to photograph flamingos on the salt lake, to an artist gallery (10 minute purely shopping stop despite the description of it being about a "haunted plantation" on the website), and to the beach. Price included beer, soda and water, and entrances to the cave and beach. I think the price is great compared to cabbing it to any of those places and paying entrance fees on your own. We still had plenty of time to walk around town when we got back. I'd probably try to do the West Side short island hopper tour first ($75 tour) because it goes to more places and the stop at Nena Sanchez's gallery, while interesting in its own right, is just a stop to buy her art and not of any historical or other interest.

In Aruba, we did ABC Tours' UTV tour. It was a blast. We traveled across mild dirt "off-roads" and up much more intense "no road" rocky paths. We stopped at the lighthouse, natural bridge/baby bridge, gold mill ruins, and a beach. Due to the weather, we couldn't swim in the natural pool so the beach right down the shore was a worthy alternative where we stood and had waves crash upon us. It was a little pricey ($100 apiece), but they offer a discount if you book in advance. They also offer jeep safari tours for those who want to go off-road but not as crazy as the UTVs that went up and down rocky hillsides.

$27. We just did it today. The cab had the fare posted on the rear driver's side window, and the cabbie didn't turn the meter on. There's a line right when you get off the ship where the taxis meet you.

We had purchased the drink package at a 20% discount for our upcoming January cruise. Just got the email for "up to 30% off" so I went to Royal Caribbean's website and this weekend only it's 25% off for the new deluxe package and 30% off the non-alcoholic package. I canceled our previous drink packages and then re-purchased them at the 25% off rate ($41/day). Saves the two of us about $75. I'll take it, thanks!

On a related note, it did take a few minutes after I canceled the original packages to rebook them. The site said the account was undergoing maintenance, so be patient. Otherwise, there's a phone number to call if you experience difficulty.

Don't let one negative drama queen bother you. The purpose of these forums is to share info and ask questions. I'd say pick the one with the ports you'd prefer to see, depending on what/how much you want to do on your trip. I loved St. Kitts and St. Thomas (because you can take the ferry to St. John). Nassau is nice for a day if you haven't been there, with the fish fry and straw market, and you can go over to Atlantis if you want.

Haiti is pretty much just a beach day, but Jamaica and Cozumel offer many options. If it was my choice, I'd pick Oasis' itinerary. Whichever you choose, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Merion Mom, yes as of right now Royal Caribbean is only offering it to FLL. I called and confirmed that. They said they might open an option to MIA as we get closer and/or depending on the level of interest. The problem with that is I will have booked my flights by then.

My big debate right now is whether I should book my return flight through FLL in order to do this excursion, or just fly out of MIA and try to either plan it on my own, wait to see if the ship offers it to MIA, or schedule something else between disembarking and the flight home.

I'm going to be cruising out of Miami in January, and return flights are in late afternoon. Royal Caribbean is offering an Everglades airboat excursion for $79pp, but only with a return to FLL (rather than MIA). I'd be willing to fly home from FLL but wanted to get more info on this excursion first. Has anyone taken this excursion that can provide more information -- which of the companies does it go to, what exactly is included and what isn't, etc? The RCI website is vague.

In my experience, ship-sponsored excursions are shorter, more crowded and more expensive, but they're convenient compared to doing them on your own. Since the Everglades one includes airport transfer (albeit to FLL), I'd take that convenience if it's a decent excursion. I'd like to get more info before deciding whether to book the ship's excursion over planning a trip to the Everglades on my own with a rental car (which I priced at about $80 for the day). Thanks!

The ship kept calling 2 people that never showed up. I was port side as well and noticed how long they kept the gangways out. 2 of the other people they kept calling where at the balcony below us and they said she had her phone on, but it was an hour behind so she didn't think she was late.

 

 

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We were on the 4/6/14 cruise also and will be posting our review this weekend. The Carnival people told us we got stuck in Barbados because we had to wait for the Celebrity ship next to us to leave, and they had a holdup. Carnival was paging passengers, though, so it could've been a combination of both issues. Either way, we got to St. Lucia on time the next day.

We (fiance and I) will be stopping in St. Kitts during our Southern Caribbean cruise, and I'd like to book an excursion on the island. I've heard great things about several tour operators. I know people have asked for recommendations before, and responses regarding Royston and Javin (myislandtours) both indicate the tours are can be customizable, but has anyone actually had a tour where they deviated from what's in the itinerary?

The main differences between the two types of tours seems to be that Royston/Thenford go to Brimstone Hill Fortress and Romney Manor, and Javin doesn't but instead goes into the rain forest and to two beaches. Also, he doesn't include lunch or alcohol in his price. Royston mentions a rain forest as part of his tour on his website, but has anyone actually gone into one on Royston or Thenford's tour? If so, what was it like? Or has Javin taken anyone at their request to Brimstone?

We are really interested in experiencing a rain forest (our favorite stop during a week in Mexico was visiting Sian Ka'an biosphere), and the more active nature of that excursion really appeals to us, but we don't want to end up feeling like we missed out on the #1 "must see" attraction on the island. And at nearly twice the cost, we want to make sure Javin's tour will be best for us.

Thank you for any advice you provide!