Carlo8863

Right now:

Picture credit goes to Jonathan Vazquez 

Here are a couple more pictures from various Facebook pages in Puerto Rico. 

Pictures of the Amp’d up Freedom of the Seas entering its Homeport in San Juan. Getting ready for its first sailing this Sunday March 8. 
 

picture credit goes to: Melvin Colon Maysonet

Try mocking it on a Junior Suite instead. The majority are built for 3 or more guests, and the price within a booking for 2 adults vs 2 adults and 2 kids should be pretty much the same. Nonetheless, you still need to pay $250 per person for the deposit even though the kids are free. I have a booking for September this year on the same cruise and I’m traveling with my kid. I only paid the taxes, gratuities and the insurance for the little one. Wife and I were full price. When mocking it without the kid there was no price difference.

So it depends on the stateroom category, and there are a lot of categories for interior, ocean view and balcony, in contrast to a Junior Suite where there are only 2, J4 for 2 guests and J3 for 3 and 4 guests. The variance in categories alternates the price of each cabin. You may not fit 4 people in a 2 person cabin. 

I see that you’ll be in San Juan tomorrow. Make sure to go to Sofia’s. Sofia’s is an Italian restaurant with good food close to the dock in Old San Juan. If you would like to try some local cuisine, there is Mojito’s restaurant. Also close to the pier and they serve the best puertorrican cuisine. For drinks, try La Factoría. Is also in Old San Juan, and the best cocktails are served there. If you’re looking for a local ice cream treat, find Señor Paleta. Is a small place also near the docks. I hope you enjoy Puerto Rico tomorrow! :) 

Was your 3rd call a different day?

About half an hour after my second call. The third time I choose a Spanish representative instead.

This happened to me last month with a Crown Loft Suite, it was priced similarly to the Junior Suite I had paid off. My first two calls (1 hour apart from each) had the same answer. It was part of a sale for new bookings. On my third call, I was able to book it. I guess it depends on the agent.

Hi! Which CL are you on? I’ll be in a CL2 also on May 20.

Thanks Carlo! Is one nicer than the other- or which would you recommend?

Well, it depends the day you're getting to the port. If it is on a weekend, both tend to get crowded. I personally like Ocean Park better. There are many places to eat that are relatively close. Isla Verde is huge, so it depends on the spot where you get dropped off to find something nice to eat by the beach. If you decide to go to Isla Verde, try Pine Groove Beach, it has the nicest beach front bars and spots. It is a safe area as well.

Thanks for this post! We're stopping in San Juan at the end of August and trying to figure out if we have enough time to visit any beaches since we are only in port from 7 am until 2 pm. Great reviews on TripAdvisor for both Isla Verde and Ocean Park. For those that have been- would we have enough time for either and if so, which is recommended?

You'll have more than enough time. Just make sure to grab a taxi/uber back by 1pm. Both are really nearby the cruise terminals. Ocean Park is closer, Isla Verde have an express way.

Hi guys,

I believe this is my first post here. I started cruising when I was 12 years old. Since then its been non-stop. I'm obsessed with cruising, up to the point where my friends tells me I'm crazy, but I don't care, is my passion and I really boats and big ships. So far I've been in 8 cruises (I'm 29). Being the last one where my wife and I got spoiled from upgrading to a Junior Suite in the Adventure of the Seas.

Enough about the past, let's talk about my May booking on the Allure of the Seas. We originally booked an Ocean View Balcony, for $2,400 including gratuities in total for the both of us. Not bad, not a bargain either. I requested to be waitlisted on a Junior Suite (non available at the time of booking last January). Right after I paid off the cruise on February, I received an email notifying me that a Junior Suite was available for a modest $2,000 upgrade fee for both of us. I said no thanks. Next month I gave a call to see if the upgrade fee dropped (typically tends to happen), and it did, but to $1,600 for both of us. No thanks again. And finally on April, when I called again the price dropped to $1,000 for both of us, now it was a deal, so we got us into a Junior Suite Guarantee for $3,400 in total for both of us including taxes and gratuities. About 24 hours later, luckily we got our Junior Suite assigned (what, you thought I was going to get the Crown Loft Suite now? I wish), it was on deck 7, center, and near the elevators, not bad. Nevertheless, I was obsessed with the Crown Loft Suite. This was more of a wish, the price point was at $7,000 for both us (total fare including gratuities). So I kept verifying almost daily for a miracle price drop to happen, and this is the craziest part and probably the most unbelievable because I don't know if it has ever happened to any of you before. One day, I noticed that the price for the CLS dropped to the level where it was the same as a GS. So it dropped to $1,899 per person, for a total of more or less $4,000 for both. At first, I thought it was an error, so I immediately called RC to verify if what I was seeing was truth, and it was. During the first call, I got a no from the representative, telling me that it was a fare for new bookings. If I wanted the upgrade, it was for almost $5,000 in difference. He offered me the option of cancelling my booking and rebooking again, but the price difference was crazy. So I hung up. An hour later I verified the website and the fare I saw before was still there, I decided to try again, this time, by providing the stateroom number that I was trying to book while using the booking tool, you're right, got the same answer as before. Called a third time, and after half hour in the phone, and multiple hold times, I was able to book the deal! So yes!!! we got the CLS for $4,000 total for the both of us! Can you believe that? My wife and I are really excited about this upgrade and we are totally looking forward to get on the ship.

Have this happened to any of you before?

Try the Ocean Park beach. A short Uber/Taxi ride. About 10 minutes without traffic from the port. You can also try the Isla Verde area, very tourist favorable area. (I'm a local);)