olemissreb

13 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Kemplinski used to offer a day pass, not sure now.  Give them a call 1 800 426 3135

Thank you!  I'll check it out.

I'll be in San Juan for a pre-cruise stay with my boyfriend and my sister and her boyfriend. I'm thinking an AirBnB may be cheaper for 2 couples for the 1 night. Would like to stay near OSJ...any recommendations? Am I thinking correctly regarding price? Or should we just stick with a hotel?

On 1/26/2023 at 7:03 PM, neverbeenhere said:

Like many of the blow holes throughout the world, watch it once, head to the bar, drink a lot, tell bigger fish tales when you get home. 

My boyfriend wants to experience Maho on our cruise in March '25.  I can hear him now telling friends that he threw sand at a plane and hit the underside.🤣😁🤣

Has anyone gotten a day pass at the Sonesta Maho Beach to watch the planes?  I believe their beach is near the Driftwood Bar on the North (?) side.  I realize we wouldn't be as close as the Sunset Bar, but it is all-inclusive and we would still get to see the planes.  Going to print the Sunset Bar menu though to really do a cost analysis and see if it's a good deal.

28 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Okay, if one is seeking an AI day out, paying North of $100 pp, then consider a special day sailing on

Elegance

https://www.elegancebarbados.com

Or

Silver Moon.

https://silvermoonbarbados.com

 

Note the maximum number of pax per Cat. allowed and what’s included.

Note to self “Book very early”.

 

One considers these far batter value than a Hotel AI

 

 

 

Port Royal, you are a font of information!  Thank you!  Don't be surprised if I "hit" you up several more times during my research.  I've got to put a 3 ring binder together with tabs for each port so I can send to my sister.  😁

1 minute ago, reedprincess said:

To be clear, taxis can take 4 or more people (based on size).

Rates are set for up to three persons, after that, it generally costs more. Most regularly drivers don't actually charge extra for 4 people versus 3 people, but some do, and they can, that's how fares are set up - so definitely make sure the rate is for everyone.  

 

And personally, I'd take Rendezvous over Bel Jou any day of the week. Beach, lazy river, quality food, etc. YMMV. 

Thank you! This is why I asked for information...everybody has a different opinion, but the more information we have, the betted we can make a decision about what to do.

On 8/10/2023 at 5:54 PM, PORT ROYAL said:

Apologies, omitted taxi fares.

This is where it gets complicated, because taxis are licensed to carry three passengers only.

So, 4 people together will have to take a minibus to R, because two off taxis will be about $80 per cab each way.  Think a minibus will set you back about $100 each way.
BJ is just a local run for a taxi, at about $ 10/15 per cab plus tip.  So two cabs for 4 people will be reasonable.

 

Thank you so much for all this information. Still not sure what we'll do, but having this information will help us make our decisions.

On 8/3/2023 at 2:46 AM, luv_crusing said:

 

Has anyone done the Segway Safari and Beach Fun at Castries, St. Lucia?

From the tour description, it's a 5 hour tour and includes the Segway tour, then a beach break... Any feedback is appreciated... 

 

•  

This sounds like a lot of fun...except my sister is accident prone, so the Segway part may be a risk - heck she can do something else while my boyfriend and I maybe do this! 

I'm going to follow along and hope to see other responses soon.

Port Royal - thank you for the information about resorts that offer day passes.  My boyfriend and I along with my sister and her boyfriend will all be visiting St. Lucia in March '25.  Seeing as we'll all be in our early 60's (or within 6 months of turning 60), we'd prefer the adult only resorts (I think).

How much does it cost to take a taxi to Rendezvous?  Bel Jou?  You said Bel Jou has hillside views and Rendezvous has beach access.  Other than that, what are some pros/cons of each of those resorts?  Which has the better pools (I'm a pool person, but would tolerate the beach if I'm out voted)?  Are both AI's?  Who has better food?

I'll check out their websites too, but first hand reviews are so much better.  Thank you!

Also, if there are other things we should experience for our first time in Castries, please let me know.  We're not super active people. 

Thank you!

I'll be in Roseau in March '25.  I've been there before and while we found something fun to do, I wasn't super impressed with the excursion we took.  Starting research for my next trip there with my boyfriend, sister and her boyfriend.  I found a website where you can book day passes to resorts.  I've not seen any reviews about this resort.  Has anyone been there?  How is it?  Do you recommend?

Likewise - if you have any other suggestions on what to do in Dominica, please let me know.  The guys do like to golf.  My sister and I like to cook (we're taking a cooking class in Antigua while the guys go golf).  This will be the first cruise for the guys, so sis and I are trying to do fun things with them to keep them interested and maybe look forward to going on more cruises.  We range in age from 59-64 at cruise time, so please keep that in mind with your recommendations...we aren't as agile as we used to be (although we seem to think we are and then pay for it later). 🤣

Thank y'all for the help.

I've got plenty of time for research so I'm taking advantage! 😁  I don't sail until March 2025 so I'm trying to get ideas on what to do for me and my boyfriend as well as my sister and her boyfriend. 

I found a website that offers day passes for various resorts everywhere!  One of the resorts is the Hilton Barbados Resort.  Has anyone taken advantage of the day pass and stayed at this property?  How was it?  Would you recommend?  I'm seeing mixed reviews on the day pass website, so I figured I'd ask here.

Thanks for all the help.

4 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

Here is a YouTube video of 7130 

 

 

Thank you!  The cabin looks great!  I've been on the Millie (Celebrity Suite) and Connie (Sky Suite) and loved them both.  I have to cruise with a balcony and since price precluded me from any of the suites, this was the next best choice and I can see we made a great choice!  Can't wait!

Looking for information on Summit cabins 7128 & 7130.  Pictures too if you have them.  Trying to get some first time cruisers excited about what is to come in March '25.

Thanks!

On 7/25/2023 at 11:41 AM, garyl62 said:

Quick summary of yesterday before we head out again today and lose our connectivity.

 

Sorry I don't have many pictures to show, I took them with my other camera so I'll provide more later in the trip. In the morning we took the Wilderness Tour of Denali and we were fortunate to see a bear, moose, dalls sheep and caribou, 4 of the big 5!

 

 In the afternoon we took an ATV adventure which was another good experience in the wilderness for good weather.

 

 

 

 

Off to the Palmer Farm now then on to Alyeska where we have dinner reservations at Seven Glaciers tonight. 

That looks like the same ATV tour we did 10 years ago - except we did ours at Midnight on the Summer Solstice!  So much fun - and if you weren't wearing 100% DEET, you got eaten up by mosquitoes!

On 7/27/2023 at 1:16 PM, Kmangel said:

I really liked when champagne was offered to me as I walked on to the ship.  However, the champagne was readily available just outside Cafe Al Baccio.  Almost as good, but I hope the former event resumes--getting my bubbly when I first board the ship!

I've got about 18 months before we sail, so hopefully they bring it back by then.  Either way, I'll have a glass of champagne in my hand shortly after boarding and I'll get my boyfriend a beer or bourbon (depending on his mood).  We're sailing out of San Juan, so I'll be sure to be on the top deck with my travel mates for sail away - my favorite port to sail out of!

23 minutes ago, davekathy said:

You can also do the health questioner on the app after or before doing your muster drill while sitting in your hotel room.  FYI, you will still need to report to your muster station once onboard to have your names checked off that you have completed the requirement. 

Thanks!  Boy have things changed since my last cruise (on RCL) in 2019!  So much easier to just check in to the muster station and then continue to explore the ship.

On 7/23/2023 at 6:31 PM, RichYak said:

They no longer do this.

 

Yes! Super easy.

Well that stinks that they no longer greet you with champagne.  It was such a nice touch and really set the tone for the cruise and set the line apart a little.

And good to know about the app.  We can watch the muster drill the night before we board the ship in San Juan.

Thank you!

I haven't been on a Celebrity cruise in 10 years. Last one was on the Millie in Alaska.  Do you still get greeted with champagne/mimosas/oj as you first come aboard?

I'll ve on the Summit in '25...does it have the option to do the muster drill on the app? 

We'll be sailing with 2 newbies, so want to prepare them the best we can.  Good to know we can drop off our carry-ons and pick up our Seapass cards right away...what a nice and welcome change!

Can you tell me what is on the menu at Le Petit Chef? We aren't going to be on Summit till March '25 and we have a picky eater in the group. Dinner there sounds interesting, but don't want to book anything if there won't be anything for him to eat.

Thanks!

When I was doing my research for the Alaska cruise we took 10 years ago, I made up a spreadsheet of all the ports, the ships that sailed there and when and the port times.  I found without a doubt that the longer port times were on the one way ships (Seward/Whittier to Vancouver or vice versa).  I also discovered that the fees associated with flying on airline points was so much more expensive flying from/to Vancouver, so we took Amtrak from Vancouver to Seattle and flew home from there (after a couple extra days of sightseeing).

We were on the Celebrity Millennium.  My sons were a little bored (they were 13 & 17 at the time), because Celebrity doesn't typically cater to kids.  I may have gone with Radiance of the Seas if that ship's departure date coincided with our vacation time as it would have had more stuff geared to the boys.

One week is not enough in Alaska.  As someone pointed out, most of the port stops are pretty touristy and reminded me of many ports in the Caribbean.  We were able to spend an extra week before the cruise and went up to Denali and over to the Matanuska Glacier (where we trekked on the glacier).  So glad we did that!  We ended up taking the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Seward (a day early) and took a Kenai Fjords tour and got so close to a glacier we heard it calving - AMAZING!

Excursions are expensive - both private and through the cruise line - but there used to be TourSaver books that you could use to save some money.  We booked all private excursions and they were all so totally worth it!  In Skagway, we took the train up to the Yukon and while all the cruise line excursion people were getting on huge greyhound type tour buses, we got on a small van (15 passenger) type bus and were able to stop at places the tour buses couldn't get in to - and where we went wasn't overly crowded because we got ahead of the buses.  In Icy Strait, we booked an excursion with a local boat owner to take us out whale watching - just the 5 members of my family along with the boat owner .  We were with all the cruise tours at one point and all we kept seeing were just tail flips, but then we left the crowd behind and went in to what is technically part of Glacier Bay and we ended up catching a baby whale practicing his breaches!  OMG we were the only ones out there and it was just breathtaking!  In Ketchikan, we booked a flight seeing tour to the Misty Fjords National Monument - there were 6 of us plus the pilot (5 of us were family) - SPECTACULAR.  The pilot had some music playing that fit so perfectly with the beauty of the area, my mom and I both got teary eyed!  All this to say - don't skimp on the excursions.  Pay a local as their tourist season is only 5 months or so long and they can use the tourist dollars way more than the cruise line.

I've been on Princess (many moons ago when I was probably one of the youngest ones on board), Carnival (one 5 day cruise that kind of soured me on the line as a whole), Royal and Celebrity.  I've had my kids on 1 each of the latter and they loved it.  Not as much for them to do on Celebrity, but we were in Alaska and they found other kids on board to hang with and they kept themselves entertained (they were 13 & 17 at the time).  The Royal cruise, the kids (10 & 14 at the time) had much more to do and the youngest loved the kids club with all the things they had them doing.

My favorite is Celebrity - they just feel a little more "upscale" from the time you get on board and they greet you with a complementary glass of champagne (or at least they did the last time I was on Celebrity 10 years ago in Alaska).  First time I was on Celebrity for a Caribbean cruise, they had a tent set up dockside and they would greet you with cold towels to cool yourself off after a HOT day on the islands. I hope they still do that on my March '25 cruise!

I'm now in my 60s and feel like I just fit in more with the other passengers.  No I'm not really well traveled, but I've never really been a party animal and I'm perfectly content to sit at a bar and listen to the music with a good glass of wine or to have great conversations with my travel companions.  Next cruise will be with my boyfriend (who will turn 60 that year), my sister and her boyfriend (both in their 60s) and while we may venture to the "disco" for a little while, we'll probably just be content to hang out and enjoy the trip and each other's company.  I find that that is much easier to do on Celebrity because it's not as "loud" - seems more toned down in terms of the volume (both amount and decibel level) of announcements and the volume of the music throughout the ship.  Just a more relaxed atmosphere all around.

Not sure how many days it was, but the minute the Alaska itineraries for 2013 opened up, I booked...I think it was close to 2 years before we set sail.  I just booked a March 2025 cruise Memorial day this year. 

2 hours ago, verizon said:

I am also interested about the pre cruise transportation from Anchorage to Seaward.

Any suggestions?

When I went 10 years ago, we took the train from Anchorage to Seward the day before the cruise. Absolutely gorgeous scenery and relaxing ride. When we got to Seward, we did a Kenai Fjords tour and the train operator took our luggage to our hotel. The next day, we did a behind the scenes tour at the SeaLife Center before going to the ship. If I remember correctly, we were able to have the hotel send our luggage straight to the ship when we checked out.

On 3/19/2023 at 3:30 PM, njkruzer said:

Yes.  Have done it in the past and never found it so bad.  Baggage handlers were totally disorganized. 

Did you get to Pan Am pier early for embarkation?  We are going in March 2025 and thinking that we may get some sightseeing in in the morning and get to the pier maybe 1 or 2pm - just to avoid the crowds.  Last time I sailed out of there, my former FIL wanted to get to the pier by 10 or 11am and it was crowded and traffic was horrid.  Thought by delaying our arrival we might avoid all of that.

This is making me even more excited for my Southern Caribbean cruise in March 2025.  It will be my 3rd time on a Celebrity M Class ship (Connie and Millie were the first 2).