CS-RN

We did go on the Royal sponsored excursion.  We were thinking of returning on our own, but in the end we had plenty of time to do what we wanted for the cruise sponsored time.  I probably could've stayed a little longer, but felt satisfied with the time versus the cost of the taxi to return.  We returned to the ship and dropped off snorkeling gear, then my daughter and I went walking and shopping.

I think it would've been easy to catch a cab back if they had called a taxi for us, and was about a 25 minute drive to return to the port.  Like a previous post mentioned we had a different colored wrist band, but didn't see anyone enforcing it or anyone taking a "roll call" to make sure we were back on the bus to return.

On 2/11/2019 at 6:55 PM, BrandFam4 said:

I am also curious about taking a later taxi back. 

When are you cruising?  We leave 3/3 so I can let you know if it works if you are cruising after us!  🙂

16 minutes ago, OCruisers said:

When booked with the cruise line, a bus takes you to where you go to catch the very short boat ride over.  

Enjoy!  

Yes, I am aware of that.  But,  we are going to try and taxi back instead of rising the Royal tour bus on the way back so we can stay longer. 

1 hour ago, LeeW said:

De Palm is an all-inclusive, so drinks and food are included with any package that goes there.  

 

Technically you could probably take a taxi, although the ferry is in an out of the way area behind the airport.  Not sure any taxis will be there - you might have to call for one.  Dock folks probably would do this for you.  Just be aware that the island closes at 5, so you are not going to stay any later than the last ferry.

Yep, the folks from DePalm said they could call a taxi for us and I am aware the island closes at 5.  But, the Royal excursion ends at 2:30, so guessing they'd leave the island by 2:00 .....and extra couple hours would be nice. 🙂 

(Admin- please do not move this to the Aruba port board, these are questions specific to doing this excursion through Royal)

Has anyone does this excursion through Royal?  Looking at the website for DePalm, they are an all-inclusive day- unlimited drinks, food from buffet or grill.  However, when you look at the excursion description on the Royal cruise planner, it states " tour includes.....lunch buffet and complimentary beverage" Does anyone know if they limit you to one drink?  Also, they have a grill and a buffet at De Palm according to their website, does Royal limit this to only the buffet?  (I have one kid who is a picky eater.)

Also,  I contacted De Palm and Royal excursion, and they both said that we could opt to return on our own via taxi instead of with the tour.  Has anyone done this?  We would like to stay longer if possible, and we are in port til 11 p.m. so have plenty of time to return via taxi. 

We looked at De Palm island.....looking at their website if you visit there directly it shows everything is all inclusive- buffet, grill, unlimited drinks, etc..  When looking a the excursion through Royal Caribbean, it says "includes buffet and a beverage". Does anyone know if you get the full food and beverage service/all inclusive when booking through Royal? 

Has anyone done this through RCCL? We are stopping here in November and the ship is in port from 7:00 am til midnight. The ship excursion says it is a 4 1/2 hour excursion for $89. We would obviously like to spend more time there for that price. Can you stay longer? Any info appreciate. TIA.

 

 

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Did you end up doing on your own? Or anyone? In the same predicament......looks like a great option, but we are there from 7 a.m. to midnight and would want to spend longer. It looks like the ferry is only about a 20 min taxi ride?

I've sailed with them both, enjoyed them both. Your research is correct, both are great options.

 

 

 

The difference would be, IMO, in the experience. Calabaza is to be considered a more luxury,or elegant experience, for lack of a better word. Nicer, smaller boat, fewer passengers, constant attention from the staff. Great food and drink, fun and very capable staff. Cabin and head for changing is almost luxurious, considering you are on a small cat.

 

True story, last time I was aboard in March, we were at the turtle site with Cool Runnings, and I said to one of the guys "That's my other choice in Barbados if you guys are unavailable". Without hesitation, he said, "Yep, it would be mine, too".

 

Love that they take and post pix, as well as Gina's wonderful recipes, on the internet.

 

 

 

The downside to the smaller boat experience is that you are closer to your fellow passengers. Last time, since it was just after Inauguration, there was an unpleasant, outspoken, opinionated fellow making a lot of noise. People slowly but surely moved out of earshot, and I believe his wife shut him up. Could have, but did not, ruin the day. Idiots are everywhere.

 

 

 

It's been a few years since I was on Cool Runnings, but I recall also having a very fun day. It's a bigger boat, more room to walk around, with more passengers, yet in no way do they cram the boat full. Also great crew, one guy said to me "Welcome back" and I thought - oh pretty good customer service through data usage.

 

Come to find out, he remembered a tattoo I have that he admired the year before. Nothing to do with a past passenger list.

 

 

 

While certainly not sloppy or out of control, this might be considered a bit more of a party boat, simply because of it's size. That may depend on the passenger mix that day, certainly.

 

 

 

If it matters to you, Cool Runnings has a far superior soovie shirt - long sleeve good quality cotton with their logo on the front pocket area and a big sailboat on the back. Their logo is a gold Rasta Man with a drink in his hand. Very fun.

 

Calabaza's shirts are thin cotton with a Mount Gay Rum ad on it.

 

Yes, I have them both.

 

 

 

I hope it helps with your decision. You'll have a great day, either way. That said, my next trip is going to be with Silver Moon, which I believe to be most like Calabaza. Doing it just for a change. And probably a new long sleeve t shirt.

How much time is spent actually in the water on each? We are all about snorkeling and being in the water, so was curious how the tours compared on that aspect.

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Wondering if anyone has had experience with this....we departed Adventure on Saturday, and our (almost new) suitcase took a beating on disembarkation. The handle was ripped off on one side, and there is a big rip in the corner. I would understand if just the handle was broken, but the fact that there is a big rip also tells me that this bag was treated pretty roughly. Is it worth contacting Royal? Would they assume responsibility for any of this? I'm sure somewhere in the cruise contract there is language releasing them from liability for baggage, but thought I'd check if anyone had experience with this.

Onboard now and our mattress was not changed out, hard as sheet of plywood. Others onboard believe their's were changed. Glass door to balcony is all hazed up in between the double pane door glass, can't see nothing through door of aft balcony. Rest of ship looks good, crew in dining room a little green, just been on since shipyard. I like their effort and attitude. Everyone got to start somewhere for first time. Food is ok, had worst.

Do you mind sharing which aft balcony you are in? We have an aft in January. Any pictures of the room and rest of ship would be great- especially new areas! Thanks.

On a related question...if you book now the voom at 30% pre-sail, can you cancel or change the options if you change your mind prior to sailing? (Or if a better deal comes up?)

Sorry its been a few days, but after 12 hour shifts Ive been too exhausted.

 

IWe took taxis to the beach at St Kitts and Antigua. Because we were a large group, we negotiated price. My daughter loved snorkeling at St Kitts and I believe we went to Valley Church Beach at Antigua ??sorry don't have my notes with me, but it was gorgeous!!! We did a sailing catamoran on the beach for $65 for 5 of us.

 

 

 

Please feel free to let me know if you have any further questions, or if I forgot something. I hope this review was helpful for some, as many of your were for me!!

Do you remember which beach you went to in St. kitts?

Aft balcony 1390: Overall, I love this room and really love the balcony. Our only issue (really for the entire cruise) was that this room smelled of mildew. We reported it the first day and our cabin steward did a great job of trying different things to help with the smell (ionizer, dehumidifier, etc). It did get a little better by day 3, but the smell never went completely away. They said it was because the balcony door was left open, causing condensation in the room and on the walls. I can see that a little (though we never left the door open and were particularly careful once this was suggested as the cause), but I believe the AC unit in the ceiling was also leaking as we saw it dripping a few times (also reported to maintenance). I'm not sure where the odor came from, but hopefully this is addressed during the dry dock if not before. None of this stopped us from enjoying the room and especially the balcony (which is huge!). I really like these balconies even better than when we had the RFS on 8 as deck 10 is above most of the structure of the ship. Even though RC still calls it an obstructed view, we did not feel it was obstructed at all. :)

 

Here are some views from our different cabins while in port and during sail away.

We are going to be in 1390 in January. Hopefully no mildew smell by then, post dry-dock! Any pictures you have of that room would be appreciated!!

I just saw this morning that Adventure of the Seas is getting the Typhoon and Cyclone Water Slides, along with a kid's water play area, a FlowRider surf simulator, an Izumi, among other things. Looking forward for the official release from Royal Caribbean and looking forward to my cruise in February on her!

Sorry if I missed it....where did you find this information? I'm excited to watch for all the updates as we will be on Adventure in January. We will be traveling with our kids that will be 6 and 10, and they will be thrilled if waterslides are added! :)

I'd also love to hear a review of this tour!

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Reggae is on the far left of the beach if you are facing Nevis. Spice Mill is on the far right of the beach. Lion Rock is right beside Spice Mill.

 

 

 

Reggae is on a part of the beach where the water taxis, and boats dock- the beach area is not the best and the water/beach is very shelly. You will definitely need water shoes. The loungers are circa 1970 plastic strapping. Never stayed long enough to try the food. If you are looking for a young age party area where people hang out in the water all day and drink beer then Reggae will be ideal for that.

 

 

 

Spice Mill is on the wider part of the beach, the water is calm and not as shelly. They have new lounge chairs, probably over 200 chairs. The food is very good, its more a upscale beach bar, so quieter, older in age and classier.

 

 

 

There's about a half dozen bar huts that offer chairs and food, but no washroom facilities with plumbing.

 

 

 

Chair prices are around the $5.00 price, umbrellas are extra.

 

 

 

All depends on what you want on your beach day.

What does a taxi from the port to Spice Mill cost?

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Today on the street an elderly native of Grenada said, "Americans, thank you and your president for keeping us safe so long ago. The good thing is that we have never seen Cuban soldiers in this country since that time". He smiled and gave a little bow.

What a neat experience and interaction!

We are now onboard Adventure. Left Friday morning from MSP to ATL; then ATL to SJU on Delta. Taxi from SJU airport to Embassy Suites on Isla Verde was exactly 6 minutes to ES and the flat fee was $16.00 plus $1 per bag; so $19 for us before tip. The taxi line at the airport is very efficient.

 

 

 

ES is a great hotel: quick check in at 2:40, two hours of free drinks and snacks from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, on site Outback Steakhouse and wonderful pool area that is lush with foliage. Morning cooked to order breakfast this morning and then checked out at 11:00 am.

 

 

 

Bellman hailed a taxi and it was 12 minutes to the port. Flat rate of $21 and then $1 per bag extra.

 

 

 

There is no special suites or pinnacle line for baggage drop off, as opposed to Ft. Lauderdale. There is a suites and pinnacle line for bag security and x-ray. BUT there are so many suite and pinnacle passengers now that this line was actually longer than those with no C&A status. After security there was a short line and an employee directed us to the next available person to check us in. Filled out and signed the health forms, get pictures taken, got our Seapass cards and good to go. They do check your passport one more time at the top of the ramp before crossing the bridge to the ship.

 

 

 

Enter on deck 4 as usual. We walked to the aft set of elevators and went up to WJ. They opened a few minutes after 11:30. No huge crowd, no masses running for tables. Actually by 12:30 when we left there were more tables open than occupied. It was a very comfortable lunch; plus arriving when it first opened meant that the hot food was hot and the cold food was cold.

Do you mind sharing when you booked your airfare/how long before your cruise? We'll be looking at SunCountry and Delta from MSP to San Juan in January, trying to guess when the best deals on airfare will be....

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It's hard to come up with a single moment, but I'll try.

 

On board, I'd have to say just the times in the evening that I walk around the lower decks of ship. I do this on every cruise, regardless if I'm traveling alone or not. I find it takes on more meaning when I am traveling solo. During my Jewel sailing, each evening I was passed by a female officer who would say hello. On the last night, she spent a few extra minutes chatting to me, which was nice. Also, on my last Explorer cruise, I lucked out and got an aft balcony. I was going through a bit of a tough time in life during that cruise and was grateful for every moment I could spend out there enjoying the company of the sea :)

 

For ports, I'd have to say my favourite excursions were in St Lucia, Antigua, my first trip to Atlantis in Nassau (which was on my bucket list), Labadee during my Allure sailing and most recently, my day in Curacao. These 5 excursions go down as some of the highlights of my cruising experience so far.

What did you do in Curaçao? We are going there next cruise. It'd be interesting to hear what you did that landed in one of your top memories! [emoji4]

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Thanks for posting the pictures. The room looks great

Did you notice much noise from the Windjammer above?

Was there noticeable motion being on the back of the ship?...Most times if we had a balcony it was more mid ship.

Did you have lounge chairs or did you have to request them?

Thanks again for the info.

- Noticed ZERO noise from Windjammer

- Some motion, but we had some rough seas on the last day or two. Not really much more than I noticed anywhere else on the ship. At night it was kinda relaxing like being slightly rocked to sleep

- Lounge chairs that you see in the pics are exactly what was there when we arrived.

We LOVED this cabin. I was trying for the corner in 1700 or 1400, but it was taken. Regardless, we were very happy with this room. So much so, we booked a comparable cabin on Adventure for next January. Our prior cruise, we had adjoining promenade rooms, and I was worried about only one bathroom, one closet, etc. But it worked out fine with being organized. This room is longer than the other balcony rooms, and had 2 extra night stands (4 total.) That helped with storage and less feeling cramped. I thought the walk aft would be really bad, but it was fine. And the balcony was amazing! I'll post some pics (excuse messy cabin). Let me know if specific questions!

And let me know if more questions!

When we did Western itinerary, we didn't stop in Costa Maya- we went to Coco Cay and Falmouth instead. So, I can't speak about that. I don't know how adventurous your kids are- my kids snorkel. So, at Grand Cayman we did the Sting Ray city and 2 snorkel stops through Captain Marvin excursions. It was amazing!!! If you just want shopping and beach, there is plenty of shopping right off the port. You can take a taxi to 7 mile beach.

In Cozumel, we went to Chankanaab park. Great beach day! It was too windy for us to snorkel. But it's a family friendly set up- a walking path with some manufactured ruins/sculptures, swim with the Dolphins, a seal show, fish pond, several restaurants/bars, and of course a beautiful beach. My mom and 8 yr old did the swim with the Dolphins and manatees and loved it. We just took a cab there, easy to do right outside the port. We did some shopping at the port and walked around outside the port a bit when we were there. I wish it had been quieter so we could've snorkeled! I was in Cozumel in 1997 and loved snorkeling there!

There are some other beach set ups, too. I've heard Nachi Coccum mentioned in Cozumel that sounds family friendly. In the 2 cruises we've done, we haven't done a RCL sponsored excursion. I do my homework and save TONS of $$ doing our own thing. And we have much more flexibility, get to stay at places longer, etc. We just make sure we have plenty of cushion time to get back to the ship. We've always been back plenty early.

My wife and I are leaving for the Western Caribbean on RCI Freedom of the Seas on January 17. We are sailing with other couples and finally got around to trying to book on the same excursions with the others. All six of the excursions are booked full and I have spent over an hour on the RCI www site trying to find other excursions. I've looked at twenty or so and all are full.

 

First - this really surprises me. Having cruised on Princess to Alaska, Australia/NZ, and British Isles, when an excursion fills up, they start another group on the same excursion.

 

Second the RCI www site is horrible. Users need to search and click on an excursion and start the reservation process before finding out that the excursion is full. A better approach would be to list only the ones that are available, or at least to design the site with a notation "currently full" or something to that effect.

 

Okay - enough complaining - now for my need for advice.

 

1. Is there any chance that I can book after the cruise starts?
   
2. Are third-party excursions reliable?
   
3. What are some recommendations for easily booked excursions at the various ports of call?
   

 

One of my buddies that has cruised extensively says that he never books excursions until on the boat. I've never tried that. Any success/failure comments for RCI?

 

My wife is extremely skeptical about 3rd party excursions. Mostly for the unlikely possibility that the excursion will result in missing the cruise departure due to e.g., transportation issues (broken bus, traffic, etc.). She also is concerned about security - especially in Mexico (even though El Chapo has been recaptured :) )

 

We both are interested in scenic beauty and historical excursions like Maya ruins and such. Moderate exertion is okay. We both walk a couple of miles daily. I'm interested in snorkeling if tropical fish are plentiful. I'll admit to being spoiled by Hawaii and Fiji, but I understand that there is some clear water in the Caribbean where snorkeling is great. What I'm saying is that I don't want a snorkeling experience just to get wet in murky water.

 

On the "missing the boat" issue, maybe there are some excursions with multiple units so that if one breaks down there is another to the rescue?

 

Well, I'll stop here so that experienced cruisers won't get turned off by a too lengthy post.

 

I will appreciate your comments and advice - especially if it is specific to our upcoming cruise. I'll be checking this board frequently since we will be leaving soon.

 

Thanks in advance.

We always do our own or 3rd party excursions. In Grand Cayman, the snorkeling was amazing! We did the 3 stop through Captain Marvin's that included Sting Ray city. It's less than a block down from the port, had plenty of time to get there and they returned to the same spot several hours before the last tender. Cozumel, we went to Chankanaab park. Doing things one your own are significantly less expensive, give you more flexibility, and you can easily get back to the ship on time with a little research. The ports of call boards are very helpful in addition to TripAdvisor.

Our only 2 cruises were both on Freedom, both with kids. They were 2 and 6 the first time, 4 and 8 last year. They LOVED being on the ship. My kids did a lot of activities with us - all the port activities, some shows, etc. they spent an hour or 2 typically once a day, sometimes twice and were never bored. (Except when my daughter was 2 she spent less time because she wasn't old enough to go to the free Adventure Ocean program since she was too young. She did go to the Royal Tots babysitting that you paid for by the hour, it was excellent.)

The kids loved the pools/H2O zone , the food, snorkeling and beach activities in port, DreamWorks parade, mini golf. My oldest liked the Sports Court. We wanted to go to open ice skating, but ran out of time!! They love cruising, we are going on Adventure next January!

Let me know if specific questions.