MrZoey

I just called the Miami airport, and they told me that there is no luggage valet at all for RCCL. 🤷‍♀️

We had a wonderful day in St. Martin on September 11 on the Celebrity Equinox. We have vacationed many times there and love Orient Beach. We had heard that Orient Beach had been devastated by the hurricane last year but that one of the beachside restaurants was open.

 

We were among the first off the ship at 9:00 and there was one other ship in Port. We walked through what looks like a brand new port complex and took a cab with another couple to Bikini Beach and it was $8 a person (the driver was delightful and we all gave her $10 a person). We also arranged for her to pick us up at 2:00.

 

We rented two chairs and an umbrella for $20 — they were very comfortable! Plus the fellows that rent you the chair will bring you food and drinks if you like from the restaurant. There is a brand new bar and restaurant and it’s great. You can tell they have worked very hard to rebuild. We were told that a few of the other beach bars will be opening in November. We had heard that there was seaweed at the beach — there was a bit but nothing to worry about. There were locals peddling their wares and all you had to say was no thankful — it was not a problem at all. Our driver was waiting for us at 2:00 and we headed back to the ship.

 

Having been in St. Martin many times before we love Front Street for shopping. We usually stop at the Guavaberry Emporium, The Belgian Chocolate Box by Beatrix and purchase an “ice” watch (they are hard to find in the U.S.) somewhere along the line. Since we were on a ship we decided to bypass Front Street and promised ourselves we would be back in the next year ... but

 

We were thrilled when we walked back through the cruise port that there was Guavaberry Emporium, The Belgian Chocolate Box by Beatrix and a jewelry store that carried “ice” watches. As an added bonus there was a Pandora store that actually had charms for St. Martin. We got all our shopping done in 30 minutes and headed back to the Equinox.

 

A great day in St. Martin and it was wonderful to go to Orient Beach.

 

 

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Thank you so much. We usually go to Orient or the Westin. The Westin does not reopen until February, so very happy to hear we can go to the French side !

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I’m not a fan of oasis and the others of that size. That said, it was a beautiful, clean and well laid out ship. You should really try it sometime, you may end up loving it!

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Chocolate buffet at night, after dinner drink of the night for sale that they brought around after dinner in the dining room, you got to keep the cool little glasses

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I’m partial to the Voyager and Freedom class ships. My DH loves the Royal Promenade. Oasis is just too big for us. Just our personal choice.

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I guess I should have been more clear [emoji4]. I really do like the Voyager size and amenities. I also like the price point on those ships. Thanks for all the feedback!

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Guess we aren’t their demographic anymore 🤨

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I’m finally updating my original post[emoji4]. The week improved slightly with the quality of the food. I’m not a foodie and am not as critical as some. I was still dissatisfied with the lack of staff. The majority I encountered were very nice, they just had no time to give anything extra. The dining room people were spread very thin, I felt really bad for them. Our cabin was always immaculate, but we rarely saw our attendant. We would have to hunt him down to request anything. The few times we saw him he was very nice and working hard. The couple we took with us are looking to take 10 people on an Alaskan cruise and decided not even to look at RCCL after this cruise. For what you get, I wouldn’t pay for anything above the class we were on. The prices jump up so much for the bigger ships, and I’m going to assume the lack of staff is the same. Will I try again? Of course, just with much lower expectations. We’ll see what happens next year.

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Are they planning any new smaller ships? Would love to see something a tiny bit smaller than what have been built. Wishful thinking [emoji6]

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Let me start this out with my background. I’m Diamond and really do enjoy the RCCL product. Is it perfect? No, but still a good value. That said, we are on Freedom right now, and the changes in one year are very disappointing. The food venues have been overcrowded and understaffed. The first day on the ship, they literally ran out of food in the Windjammer. Our dinner in the dining room was painfully slow, and we hardly saw the waiter and assistant waiter. We were never even offered coffee with dessert. Breakfast in the dining room today was again short staffed. No one bothered to check back to see if we needed anything. No coffee refills at all. Right no we are at the Solarium. The place has got tons of trash sitting around, and we had to chase down, the lone waiter to get a drink. The staff has been very nice, but the lack of them is glaring. We talked friends into joining us, and they keep comparing other cruiselines to the poor service. Anyone else noticing this?

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Does anyone remember the 5 day cruises out of San Juan? I loved spending a few days in San Juan before the cruise without taking more than a week off!

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They have plenty of pumpkin seeds on the rolls right now on Freedom, I keep stealing them off my husbands roll at dinner[emoji6]

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Sitting in my cabin waiting for dinner on Freedom. We had a discussion about this yesterday (sea day). We never saw a single roaming bartender and the solarium looked a mess with only one person cleaning up glasses and plates. The line for the bar was terrible. The bartenders were very nice, but overwhelmed. Service in the Windjammer was few and far between also. Staff has been very nice just spread thin.

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Let me start this out with that I love going to Nachi, in fact we will be going there in 2 weeks. The only time any of us got Noro( or some sort of GI upset) was after going snorkeling there ( this was a few years ago). We have been there 5 times, only went snorkeling the one time. Only people in our group that got sick were the ones using their equipment. I feel like maybe it isn't cleaned very well. Just a heads up.

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Can't wait to hear more, we are doing the 6 day on Freedom in January!

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We have used this multiple times, well worth the money. The only time we had any problems was a year ago. The only time we were in a suite using this service we lost 2 bags out of 8 people [emoji51]. Two of our bags were sent to MIA instead of FLL. They eventually made it home. We still used the service again a few months later. Will keep using it!!!!![emoji4]

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Bring a pack and play sheet and ask for a regular blanket. We folded it up and put it under the fitted sheet. It makes the pack and play much more comfortable. Our 19 month old GS, slept with out any problems. We also signed out toys, great idea. We were on the Independance, so I'm not sure if they have the baby / toddler program on your ship.

Always good to have an emergency number if your cell isn't cooperating. I've always used my cell phone, but our last cruise it NEVER worked. Fortunately, anyone who might need me was with us on this trip.

My 4 year old grandson has Crohns and does not tolerate cows milk. I contacted Royal and let them know we were bringing Almond milk in our suitcases. They noted this under our names, so the bags didn't end up in the "naughty room". We packed four 1 qt. boxes and that amt was more then enough for a week. Bringing our own wasn't a big issue. Hope this helps.

I agree about getting there early to sign out toys. We got a bag of toys as soon as they opened for sign up. The 19 month old and the 4 year old both loved the "new toys" for the week. We also brought an umbrella stroller because it fit thru all the doors. It was used constantly with both boys (4 year old is small).

Enjoy, it is absolutely amazing!!!!! We were in one in November for a special family trip.

Did you have a longer stay in San Juan the next day?

Stay home.........after all you are going through to have a child, now is not the time to not be cautious. Hopefully this is the first of many "sacrifices" you will make for your child. All part of being a parent.

While I'm kinda bummed we will be missing Labadee ( I really don't think things will have gone back to normal in two weeks), I would be thrilled to spend all day in San Juan (our next stop). How early did anyone find out any of the changes after the decision not to stop in Haiti?

Curious who got emails. We are leaving on Navigator Feb. 6th. I haven't gotten any notice of any changes. We love Labadee and took our kids and grandkids there in November. I'm assuming no one will be going there for awhile.