soonernstlouis

16 minutes ago, LuckyStar said:

Because most of the people who book them, use the pools and chairs during the day.  The pool was virtually empty at nights.  People were in shows, dinner, etc. 

This 3 minute video from Greg Powers (who posts on Cruise Critic) was all it took to get me to pay the premium for a Havana cabin.  I might even do my own video when I sail alternating views of the Havana pool with the “swamped” Lido pool.  
 

https://youtu.be/i5OmI3cwb04

29 minutes ago, Jamesatgsu said:

I'm not sure how many more people would pay the $250 - $300 per person type of cost to use the Havana.

Folks are willing to spend $1,000+ for 6 hours use of a private island cabana.  So I’m sure there would be demand.  I wouldn’t even go on a 5k pax ship without some less crowded area being available.

@graphicguy

As I previously said you got a deal....really a steal since even the price you paid is a good price for Havana Interior, much less a balcony.  That is why those who book Havana are so protective of its exclusivity.

Do a mock booking on a future Vista Havana Balcony.  You won’t get within 1k of what you paid via the Carnival website.

4 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Must be a Havana Interior "thing".  I booked a Havana Balcony on the Vista just 3 weeks ago.  Sailing this coming Saturday.  Pricing was good, too (~$1,500 for the cabin).

Not a “thing”.  I paid slightly more than you for 2 pax in an interior 11 months out.  At the time, balcony cabins were 3-4K on Horizon.  You got a great deal.

There are only 16 Havana Interior rooms on Horizon.  I booked mine 11 months out and now (7 months out) are sold out.

I noticed price went up significantly as fewer rooms were available.  This is definitely one cabin selection you want to book as early as possible.

In my opinion you waited too long to book the flight.  You should look a minimum 6 months out.  I booked STL-SJU for $304/pp about 8 months out last Feb for last Fall. Just buck it up or book for 2021.

16 minutes ago, dltvermont said:

 

True. I loved it as PR seemed just like another part of the vacation to us. We went in a day early and stayed a couple days after so added an island! I thought the smaller ship was always full, didnt realize they had trouble. NCL has one of their larger ships there and seem to do ok.

I remember seeing this cheap route 10+ years ago....still had kids in school & never could swing a cruise x 4 in our budget.  When kids graduated college this is the route I wanted.  Fascination was much cheaper than Freedom.  Found great airfare by looking far in advance & planning.  Was really a no brainer and we had a great time despite the typical Fall weather re-routes (probably better since I over-plan & was duh when St Thomas became a stop in Dominica).  

Food was meh (as expected without current dining options on Fantasy class), entertainment & cruise director was meh (they could really help out in this area), room & ship conditions were actually good.  Port stops were amazing!  If you find better 5 ports in 7 days within the Caribbean, book now!

4 hours ago, so,ton saint said:

 

British ships that home base Barbados during our winter period  U.K

BRITANNIA    3500 PAX

AZURA           3,000 PAX

MARELLA  EXPLORER   2,850

MARELLA CELEBRATION   1,200

BREAMAR   1,200

My point is few of the budget US based ships are also embarking in Barbados (I think only Princess and maybe MSC).  Why put all your energy into complaining about feeling short-changed by Carnival when they actually DO embark from your island.  Obviously this reply is to you but not directed your way.

1 hour ago, Aplmac said:

 

You're not the only one

who's been holding out on the Southern Caribbean route

hoping for a ship to replace the 26 yr.old boat!

 

Hundreds of islanders remain ticked off that, over the last decade or more,

we got to enjoy decent Carnival ships in this order: Destiny, replaced by Victory

replaced by Valor, replaced by Liberty -

each replacement improving on the previous ship!

 

And then we get this thing.............

 

 

Ironic that you included a picture of an RCCL ship next to Fascination since you can’t embark on one from Barbados.  Nor can you embark on an NCL ship there.  Even with the Brits using that port I doubt it accounts for more than 200-300 of the 2,000+ capacity each week on that ship.

Don’t get me wrong-Barbados was my 2nd favorite island I’ve been to (Big Island-Hawaii #1), but it’s much more of a destination than a source of tourists.

2 hours ago, jasong38501 said:

Have you looked at the prices Carnival is getting for the 7 day trips out of PR? The cheapest 7 day cruises in the fleet most weeks. I would be shocked to see much of a capacity upgrade. The press release sounds like Carnival has no current plans to put any ship there.

Greg, I would recommend you take Freedom of the Seas if sailing a Fantasy ship is the reason you are holding out on the Southern route; similar itinerary & not a 10 day trip that many can’t take that much vacation at once for.

Just as jasongg38501 said it’s usually very well priced (I think I paid $350/pp for a window view) and the ports more than made up for what the ship lacked.

St Maarten-definitely go to Amsterdam Cheese and Wine near port (about a 10 minute walk past the security gates).  Great prices on Gouda wheels (leave sealed in order to be allowed to return to the U.S.

If you port in Roseau Dominica I do not recommend you walk from port.  No real shops nearby and definitely sketchy.  Would recommend doing a ship-based tour there as it is a beautiful island once you get out of port and they need your $$.

@dcapek7

Both ports are “safe” but you will notice a huge difference in the aggressive tour vendors in St Kitts vs St Maarten which has restricted access from locals.  Don’t let that discourage you from getting off the ship in St Kitts since those vendors usually disappear an hour or two after ships port (unless their are later porting ships).  
 

My St Kitts recommendations: shop in port if you like a huge selection and lower prices than other ports.  Nicer beaches are a 30 minute taxi ride away (taxi stand is by the casino to the right once past the gate).  We chose going to the nearby Palm Court Gardens which has an infinity pool overlooking the cruise bay and nice gardens.  Price was $7/person when we went last Fall but is currently priced at $15 (I guess due to high season).  Bring your ship towel to save on rental if you go.  Taxi is about $5/person from port.

St Maarten offers great beaches (one as close as a 10 minute ferry ride from port).  Maho beach is the famous plane landing beach but don’t schedule your whole day around it if you go as it is crowded and small.  Would recommend Mullet Bay beach for less crowds (about a 25 minute taxi ride from port at $10/person).  Make sure you arrange a return trip/time from your driver if you go as taxis rarely wait there.  Obviously you can go to the Flying Dutchman zip line which has a great overlook of the port and airport.  You can also taxi to the French side and Orient Beach.  These latter 2 options will take more travel or wait time.

Make sure you research the individual port boards for prior posts or ask questions.  

12 hours ago, BlueHerons said:

Brightline has all kinds of discount codes.  Sign up on their website.

Someone who frequently uses Brightline may want to see if they can use the Allstate gift cards (discounted 25%) to book a trip AND use one of the discount codes resulting in a bigger savings.  

@jelomu

Hope you have a great time as we did.  Try to spend at least 1-2 extra days in San Juan before or after the cruise as it’s like combining a destination vacation with a cruise.  And since flights in/out of SJU tend to be higher on Sundays, it would offset some of the extra hotel night’s cost.

1 hour ago, deubank said:

Something like “pork belly” does sound a bit on the out there side

Tell him pork belly is just uncured uncut bacon.  Tastes really good since like bacon it absorbed seasoning really good.

I just noticed that Allstate Rewards is currently selling discounted Brightline gift cards.  See this thread if you’ve never used the service or have questions.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2363984-allstate-drive-wise-cards-too/

You can store luggage for free at Barrachinas Restaurant in OSJ starting at 9am (7 days a week).  They open for breakfast at 7 or 7:30am & have plenty of room to sit your luggage next to your table until then.  

@klfhngr

I think you missed the boat on this one.  Carnival is moving to bigger and bigger ships that hold more pax.  While the buffet seating may not usually fill 100%, the line process for the buffet is very efficient compared to say Guys Burgers.  And the food stations on the newer ships appear to be an improvement over the single stations.

@ddled

How does Vista compare to an Oasis class ship in terms of pools (number & crowdedness)?  I assume there is something similar to Serenity area for over 21.  Are the RCCL pay restaurants worth the surcharge?  
 

Sorry I haven’t researched RCCL before but plan to try an Oasis class ship one day-maybe to take the grandkids to CocoCay.

@jelomu

Having been on the Fascination cruise within the past 6 months, I usually check in for questions like this.  
 

Obviously what you get on that ship is a terrific itinerary usually at a great price but Fantasy-level accommodations and food options.  If you’ve not looked at Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas this certainly is a comparable debarkment and  similar ports.  Quality is higher on the RCCL but I found price to be higher too.  You would need to choose what fits your budget and expectations. 
 

I don’t try to sell anyone on a ship just because I enjoyed it.  But I also stress how much I enjoyed the Southern Caribbean route and every cruiser should have that on their bucket list.

1 hour ago, skrufy said:

Embassy Suites, 17th st Fort Lauderdale. Two nights under $300.00.

Sounds like you got a great rate for March.  I assume this is not a prepaid discount.  Do you

feel rates change much over time for the same period (eg booking March 9 months in advance vs booking 1-2 months before being higher)?

I’m torn on prepaying hotel for October before booking air (opens next month).  I know I want 1 day in hotel before cruise.  Might want one day after (6 day cruise) since it would not require additional vacation.  At that point I’d prefer sub-$200 rates over the $250-$300/night currently available near POM.

1 hour ago, BlueHerons said:

You'll find pretty quickly that Miami is Midtown Manhattan expensive. Even dinner for two at Havana 1957 with one mojito each and an appetizer will be over $100 for two.

 

FWIW, eating Cuban in Miami is like eating Italian in Italy.  It's everywhere and it is authentic.

Thanks for the feedback.  I’ve only cruised out of Canaveral and San Juan so was not expecting hotel and food to be this high.  Working on mitigating the hotel costs.  Not

sure what to do about reasonably priced food when I show my wife pics before discussing how we keep things in budget!

1 hour ago, BlueHerons said:

Garcias

Casablanca

Sea Spice

River Oyster

American Social

Yardbird

Havana 1957

Casa Tua

Macchialina

Michaels Genuine

Ortanique

Komodo

Plant Miami

Smith & Wollensky

Prime 112

Joes Stone Crab

Tigertail + Mary

Wynwood Kitchen

Thanks for the extensive list you’ve provided.  I’ve looked into 2 of these the past few days.  Havana 1957 looks like a great introduction into Cuban food.  Yardbird looks very interesting for Southern Cuisine but I still think the price is way over the top.  Will definitely look into the others.  Thanks

39 minutes ago, 2PinaColadas said:

Thank you, Soonernstlouis.  What was the reason for Dominica instead of St. Thomas?   

Weather.  We had 4 of the 5 ports change in some capacity (day, location or time).

St. Maarten was moved from Tuesday to Monday.  Then St Kitts was supposed to be moved to Tuesday but weather wouldn’t allow us to dock.  Wednesday was Dominica as a replacement for St Thomas.  Thursday was St Lucia as scheduled.  Friday was Barbados but the hours were shortened to allow us to then make up the missed St Kitts stop on Saturday (a scheduled sea day).  
 

Really was a nice cruise once we docked at each port but a little rough at sea (hit 50kt winds at one point).

36 minutes ago, Tomato53 said:

Stinger - do you know if Uber/Lyft are allowed to pick up at the hotels now? Last time we stayed at the Marriott Stelarris (Condado) they were not allowed to pick up at the hotel; only taxis were allowed.  Thanks

I had no problem being picked up at the nearby Holiday Inn Express Condado last September by Uber.  Maybe Marriott doesn’t allow Uber to turn onto their private circle drive but you could always asked to be picked up in front of nearby CVS if that was the issue.  I really think highly of the service & speed we got from Uber on 4 separate pickups on our trip.