Zoey00123

Has anybody been on this excursion recently? I am going on the Allure in Sept. 2017 and wanted to make sure the island still looked like in the pictures. Is it still clean and calm, or full of trash? Also, I read that the Columbus Cove beach on Labadee is nice as well. Is it just as nice as Amiga Island? I have a limited budget for excursions so I don't want to book Amiga if I would get a similar water and beach experience at Columbus Cove.

 

Thanks so much for any help you can provide!

I was just on Labadee this past Thursday, and while I cannot tell you anything about Amiga Island, I would say "save your money" because Columbus Cove beach is beautiful. I found no reason whatsoever to spend additional money on Labadee. There are so many places to go, and things to do, on Labadee. And Columbus Cove, while a bit crowded, met every expectation. You won't be disappointed.

I believe I read that the limit on Oasis class ships is $13.

Whew! Thank you.

I was reading over the same blog post and it's a little confusing on the pricing. I may be wrong, but the $13 prices listed might be from the Oasis class ships possibly. I had the same initial reservation that if there is $12 cap on the drinks, how can they make all the cocktails $13?? But it does state that prices are little more on the larger class ships. I think this is a great package for those that drink scotch and bourbons for sure. I'm not sure how easy it is to drink your daily average on a port day, but I can definitely put a dent in it on a sea day. Still though, for 2 people that's in the realm of $900+ on drinks. I'm not sure I could do that personally.

Hey Bob, can you confirm this? We are on the Harmony - so will we have to pay $1.18 every time we want a cocktail because we're on the bigger ship on top of what we already paid for the deluxe drink package? That's crazy!

:confused:

Seriously this was the most overpriced excursion I have ever been on!

$69 to go to a boring island with no fish and tons of plastic & beer bottles in the water.

No food...one drink with no liquor..the entire stop was awful!

Compare this with excursions like Woodwind/Bonaire where you get a full day on a Cat with food & drinks!

Huge ripoff!...

Never again..

So... With all the hype I'm reading through all the pages, and then I come across this one. What?! So is the island dirty - plastic & bear bottles in the water. Nothing truly exciting about this excursion? Has it become run down since over the years since people first began posting, or is it still a good option?

Okay. Thanks. Just wanted to be absolutely sure before I make my purchase.

All of a sudden I'm confused :(

I'm ready to purchase my drink package, and I'm reading the overview to make sure I click on the correct one, Deluxe Beverage Package, and I read this:

"Toast to virtually unlimited options on your vacation – wake up with premium coffee, tea, and fresh-squeezed juices, then keep cool onboard with non-alcoholic drinks and bottled still and sparkling water. Relax and unwind with premium and frozen cocktails, domestic and imported beers and a wide selection of wines by the glass."

Non-alcoholic drinks? I thought it included all the fancy drinks too. Am I just reading this wrong?? :o

 

My AKASO EK7000 looks just like a GoPro in every respect right down to the packaging. But we will call it the FauxPro from now on. There is one very important difference between the GoPro and the FauxPro; the knock off costs less than $90.

Are you happy with your AKASO EK7000 and the quality of the video? Thinking about getting one...

El Yunque National Forest – Death Defying

First off, kudos to Puerto Rico Green Transportation for being so responsive. We used them for all our transfers and for a rain forest tour. We were scheduled for an 8 am pickup, my fault I should have known better. There was no way our group was ready for an 8 am tour departure so I emailed Green after 8 pm and to my surprise they called me right away and we pushed back our tour to 10 am.

 

Harold was our driver and he was great. The vehicles they use are Mercedes Benz Sprinter Vans, very nice, roomy and comfortable. I always look for transport companies using the Sprinters. We got underway on time and made our way to El Yunque with just enough commentary from the driver to be informational but not overwhelming.

 

The park itself is beautiful and well maintained. The flora and fauna are thick. We stopped at the visitors center for a few minutes and the headed on into the park. It was busy and there were no ships in port that day. We made several stops but the best one was a change on the fly. A trail that had been closed for several months for renovation had just re-opened and Harold decided to use that trail. It was a good suggestion since it was much closer to where we were, and shorter in length. We had a couple of people that would have struggled with the longer trail.

 

We hiked up the trail and it was outstanding. I wanted to just keep hiking for the rest of the day. Eventually we made our way to the waterfall. We had the place to ourselves! Several of us got in for a swim in the cool water. We swam into the falls and went behind the falls. And that’s when it happened. The near death experience. I was behind the waterfall so I couldn’t hear anything but the roar of the falls. Luckily, one of the non-swimmers had the GoPro running or we might never have known what happened. There was a loud splash, very loud and very violent. My wife wasn’t looking and just assumed I had climbed up the side of the hill and jumped in to make a big splash. But as they looked, nothing was surfacing. Then one by one we all were emerging from behind the waterfall. So, what happened? We guessed it must have been a rock but no one really saw it. When we got back to the Sprinter we connected the GoPro to the app on the iPhone and watched the video. That’s when we realized how bad this little swim could have turned out. In an area where we had all been standing not 2 minutes before and very large rock came flying into the picture and crashed into the pool. It looked like a meteor hitting the water. This thing fell from a very high place and was moving fast. If it had hit someone it would have been very bad, quite possibly fatal.

 

It wasn’t really anyone’s fault. It was just one of those things that can happen. We were very glad it didn’t happen to us. The guide did report it and they let the park know what had occurred. Again, not sure there is anything that could have been done to prevent it.

 

The rock that could have killed us! Watch closely at the end of the clip -- lower left corner

 

We finished our time in the rain forest and then headed to eat at Terruno in Luquillo. Great seafood selections and good drinks. Harold helped us with ordering suggestions that were spot on and delicious. The coconut rice was a huge hit with everyone. Do not miss the appetizer Piononitos Artesanales de Camarones y Churrasco (stuffed sweet plantain w/ shrimp and skirt steak). It was fantastic. If you are in the area you cannot go wrong here!

 

The rain forest is a "must do attraction" in Puerto Rico as far as I'm concerned and Green will do an excellent job of getting you there and making your day a good one. Don’t miss this place. When I return to Puerto Rico I am going to do a tour with more hiking and exploring on the trails! This group didn’t have the makeup for that kind of trip but I will be back!

Which tour is this? There are at least three listed - $49, $69 and $139.

No it is not which is a shame because it is much better than Jamies.

Totally bummed. I love love love Giovanni's, but then again, I cannot say anything about Jamies because I've never been...

Do you know why it was cancelled? I have reservations for the first night also? Did you do the eastern or western? Can you post the entertainment at a glance & the daily compasses.

I, too, have Grease scheduled for the first night, and would like to know why it was cancelled. Please tell us...

Okay. Thank you.

Is Giovanni's Table offered on the Harmony? Does anyone have a menu?

I hope these are the reasons - and it isn't because the excursion is full. We are looking forward to kayaking. :D

Hoping you will continue to post your review for the rest of your trip - very informative!

A couple questions, if you wouldn't mind answering...

For the "First Night Done Right" - when did you purchase this - when you got on the ship or before online, and also, when and where did you make the switch from Chops to Giovanni's? And who picks the time of the reservation?

Thanks for your info.(y)

I'm attempting to reserve shore excursions online through the cruise planner. It allows me to pick the number of guests, but does not allow me to pick day/time. Does this mean the excursion is full or just another glitch in the RCI system?

I was thinking of buying one before my trip, but if I can just rent one, that would be great. Can someone confirm?

I am reading one of the Compasses for Harmony that was posted, and it advertises "Take Your Memories to the Next Level. The most advanced GoPro yet! GoPro Hero 5 camera takes Emmy Award -winning GoPro performance to a whole new level. Available in the Focus Photo Gallery located on Deck 6." Can anyone confirm - can you rent a GoPro camera for the entire cruise?

A woman had her "therapy" dog on her lap in the MDR feeding it from the table. How can you tell if they are legit or not? No identifying vest of any sort AND nobody said a word. Forums

I would guess that if the cruise line allowed her to bring the dog on the ship, then she must have been able to "prove" that it was her "therapy" dog, right? Am I wrong? :confused:

Like Clarea stated, anyone can go there.

 

Since I'm preplanning for our upcoming Harmony cruise, I checked specialty dining prices.

 

Ultimate Dining package-$168 per person - specialty restaurants for lunch and dinner all seven nights($50 food credit for ala carte restaurants)

Did I read that correctly - $168 per person? So for the entire seven day cruise, basically I can eat wherever I want for both lunch and dinner and it will only cost $24 per day? Can I just make reservations pre-cruise for all the places I want to eat?

Okay, thanks. I am planning to visit Izumi, but I thought maybe there was complimentary sushi on board Harmony instead...

Is Jade Sushi a restaurant that is currently on the Harmony, and if so, is it complimentary, and good?

CP 150: Tenderloin on the menu, no ribeye.

Is CP 150 only for guests with status such as Diamond and such? Or can anyone make reservations to eat there?

Things I have questions about in the “disclaimer” for the Deluxe Drink Package - It says "Package does not include souvenir glassware, specialty beers as listed on bar menus…" So, does this mean we pay extra for the cute pineapple drink? And does anyone know what “specialty beers" might be included in this list?

Yes, you can use the Royal IQ app. Texting capability is $8 per phone per cruise.

$8 per phone per day, or just $8 per phone total?