MartinsCruise

The Sheraton in Old San Juan is not within walking distance of the cruise terminal. You can see the cruise terminal from the hotel but it's across the bay from it so you have to take a taxi. It's a quick taxi ride though. The Sheraton is a lovely hotel and is right in the City itself. Old San Juan is a lovely walkable city with lots of narrow brick-lined streets, cafes, outdoor restaurants. We stayed one night pre-cruise and enjoyed it immensely.

 

The Marriott is directly on the beach -- completely different from the Sheraton. It's more of a "resort" with an awesome pool (and swim-up bar!). So it depends on what you are looking for. If you want a "beach resort", then the Marriott Stellaris is a perfect choice. But if you're more into site-seeing, then the Sheraton is your choice. We stayed at the Sheraton pre-cruise and the Marriott post-cruise and loved that decision.

 

Hope that's helpful! (and BTW, we just booked a repositioning cruise into San Juan and are really struggling to decide which hotel we want to stay at post-cruise! You can't go wrong with either one!)

We've stayed at both of these hotels and enjoyed the Sheraton just to be able to be walk around OSJ at night. In April we stayed at the Marriott Stellaris for one night and loved it so much, we booked three nights pre-cruise this October. Both locations are great for walking to restaurants. If staying in the Condado district, you can either take a cab or city bus into OSJ.

Has anyone been to both Cruzan and Captain Morgans? If you have, which did you prefer?

Hi Gambee, Here's a video we took last year that you will enjoy. It's the bartender at the Martini Bar on the Solstice pouring 3 flights (18 glasses) of martinis. Once he had all of the shakers ready he had to stand on a stool to pour. Everyone of them came out perfectly.

Thank you again for taking the time to entertain all of us. :)

Sue

Gambee, Your review is very entertaining. It's like a good book that I can't wait to get back to. My only complaint is that I normally only have one glass of wine while reading the boards each night but with yours, I'm drinking an extra glass!!! :rolleyes: You and your mom are very fortunate to have each other. :)

Sue

On S Class ships we prefer the hump cabins over the aft. There is not as much protection from the sun and it's a long walk to the elevator or stairs if you're in a aft. On the M class we love the aft cabins but sometimes get a hump if there's a big difference in price.

We don't cruise the =X= just because of their smoking policy, although it's a definite selling point. On one of our cruises, we were talking to the head housekeeper, when she got a call about a smoker on a veranda, she quickly advised one of her staff to confront the passenger and make them aware of the fine they are going to get. Most of the veranda smoking was dicontinued several years ago after a few fires were started by "stray" cigarettes/cigars. I believe they ignited towels, etc that were hung out to dry. ( another issue entirely)

Doug

Orange Fever gets my vote, great food, great prices and great location. Oliver the owner takes very good care of you and I have been there 30-40 times. He will do anything to accomodate your needs. On one vacation I didn't rent a car and he brought me a case of wine to take back to the hotel.

Does Orange Fever offer a package with two chairs, an umbrella and drinks?

Hi Sue!

 

Here is the statement in the "Sticky Notes" from Celebrity:

 

If Guests can upgrade to premium when onboard, will only 1 Guest be allowed to upgrade ? Must both Guests upgrade to premium if they do so onboard ?

Yes both must upgrade

 

I know you and Doug will have a great time regardless! :D

Hi Beth,

We'll have a good time but mine will be even better if I can somehow get the premium upgrade on my own. :D I thought that someone had said that once on board they were able to upgrade just one person but it may have not been with the special.

Sue

Hi Everyone,

 

FYI - Celebrity has posted clarification regarding the beverage packages on the FAQ Thread : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1764876 . IMO, if you generally purchase alcoholic drinks above 8.00, it seems the premium upgrade is the way to go. I hope this helps !

 

Here's what Celebrity posted today :

 

Clarification

Guests must have a premium package to pay the difference for drinks priced above $12. Guests with a classic package must pay the full price for drinks above $8. Guests with the complimentary classic package as part of the 123 Go promotion can upgrade to the premium package for $10 more per day.

Host Andy,

Once on board, do you know if Celebrity will allow just one person in a cabin upgrade to Premium with this promotion while the other person keeps the classic package? I've been reading conflicting answers to this question.

We enjoyed meeting you and your family on the Eclipse last November.

Sue

The walk isn't far at all from where the taxi's will drop you off.

Is there snorkeling off the beach or is there another beach you would recommend that has decent snorkeling along with a beach bar and facilities?

november is low season compared to april when did you go

We just got back last week.

We just stayed at the Radisson and the guests have a difficult time getting a palapa. Our group had 3 reserved everyday but for those who don't they have to line up every afternoon to reserve one for the next day. There were extra chairs on the beach if you get there early but the ones around the pool are usually taken by guests. The restrooms near the beach on front of the spa can only be opened with a room key. You may want to check to see if other restrooms are open for those with day passes. When we are back for a day in Nov we feel that it would not be worth paying for a day pass. There are plenty of places nearby who will rent chairs for the day.

We had this cabin on a sister ship and loved it. We used the stairs to run up to get lunch or snacks and bring them back down to eat on the verandah. Enjoy and make the most of it. This is a cabin you'll always remember. :)

If we are staying at the Sheraton in OSJ and need a cab to the Pan Am pier, how do I figure out the fare?

My wife and I had 9191 on the Summit last November. We are totally spoiled. It took a lot of bit of "smoozing" to get the cabin.

Doug

Hi Martins ~ when it says you "tour the town" and then you are on your own for 3 hours, does it mean the town of Cruz Bay on St. John? There isn't much there "to tour." The town itself is just a couple of blocks long and wide and is filled with shopping and restaurant. If it included an "island tour" that would be different but if it's $40 for transportation and a run through town, you need to factor in the additional costs you'll have to pay once you get there to go to any of the beaches or see the island. I hope I'm making sense. And yes, if the ferry ride is 45 minutes, you'd be leaving from Charlotte Amalie, the bumpy ride :-)

 

Since you are the only ship in St. Thomas, I'd be going it alone. Nothing will be crowded and getting to and from St. John will be relatively easy on your own. But I certain appreciate those who feel more comfortable doing a ships tour.

 

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Thanks, Anne. You have been a wealth of information! I'm not sure which town but assumed that it would be where the ferry lets us off since I couldn't imagine them transporting us elsewhere for that price. We are comfortable going on our own but from what I read it seems like we would have to pay almost as much to do our transportation. I think we'll wait until on board to get more details and then make a decision.

Sue

The Summit has a 6 1/2 hour tour which takes you to and from St John via a 45 min boat ride (probably the bumpy ferry). You tour the town before exploring on your own for over 3 hours. The total cost is $40 which may be a little more than going on your own but we wouldn't have to worry about being late returning. Has anyone done this and if you have, do you have to stay with the group in the beginning or can you take a taxi whenever you want? We're the only ship in St Thomas that day so that should make it much less crowded. Just how bumpy is this ferry?!?

We will be leaving out of Bayonne on a repo cruise so will only need the bus to get there. Does anyone know if Entainment Tours will do one way only? Also do they take you right to the terminal?

Silver Sea and Seabourn still offer these tours, and this leads me to believe that most lines eliminating them is more likely due to the dramatic increase in the number of passangers that they haul, than any security issue.

We had bridge and galley tours on the last 3 Celebrity cruises (Galaxy, Summit, and Constellation)

The picture says it all !!! Hide the camera from your spouse when you're on the Pirate Ship in Aruba !!!

Glad to hear in the end the medical issue was resolved satisfactorily.

 

We are traveling on the Emerald Princess in March and have contacted Levi twice via his website but he has not responded. I am surprised since he is so highly recommended by cruise critic members. I used the contact form supplied in his website, and in the comment section indicated what we would be interested in.

 

I did contact Mangoo in Grenada and have a commitment from him for a tour there.

 

Maybe January is too early to get a commitment from him? I don't know whether to look for someone else for our tour or for a third time, contact Levi via his website.

 

We are also going to Bonaire, and know he runs tours there too and would be interested in his group in Bonaire also.

 

Any suggestions to me from you?

We also did not get a response when emailing through his website so we emailed him directly using the address on his website. When we emailed him directly he responds within a day. I just emailed him today with a question and let him know that there may be a problem with his website.