EeyoreRN

I sailed on this itinerary last May and we had a white party and a 70's party, and 1 or 2 formal nights. It's an amazing cruise, can't wait to repeat.  Did you check your cruise planner recently?  Many saplings have had another Saint added...St. Maarten!

Just now, dreadpirate3 said:

 2021? Holland House is our favorite place to spend the day @EeyoreRN

Our sailing with St. Maarten added is May 24, 2020!  Just found this article:

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/royal-caribbean-adds-summer-calls-st-maarten

Thanks for the advice on Holland House!

This will be the first visit to St. Maarten for DH and me.  We are trying to decide between 2 6-hour tours, one by speedboat, one by catamaran.  Cost is comparable.  Both include several stops, lunch and drinks.  I feel like we'd see much more with the speedboat option, but we are doing a speedboat the day before at St Lucia, so the cat would be a change of pace.

Any CCers out there who have experienced both?  Or have had an amazing experience with either they would like to share?  Will we see enough of the island with the sail option?

Any input appreciated!

What is the name of the place with the huge boulders?  Thanks for sharing!

DH and I are on the May 24 sailing and St. Martin has been added!  We did not get an email yet. I'm not sure if e-mails have so far only been sent to people who had excursions booked, because to make this accommodation with st. Martin, they also switched the order and duration of stops in St. Lucia and Barbados.

We are excited about the added port, and for those who lobe St. Martin, we'd love some suggestions for activities. 

Freedom is not leaving for summer.  It's in dry dock right now but returns March 9. She's getting the Royal Amping, can't wait to sail on her again in May.  She's a great ship and the ports are stunning!

We will be in Crown Bay in the end of May and are looking for a leisurely day excursion to St. John (not a half-day rushed one). Ship is in port 8am-6pm so we don't have to rush. Would most appreciate stops at multiple beaches with snorkeling but would also enjoy a few historical sites and maybe a short hike and a gorgeous vista or two (not necessary, water activies #1 priority). In my search these two tour companies came up and they seem to offer something like what we are seeking. Does anyone on this board have experience with either of these companies? Can you recommend a different idea? We don't want to break the bank $100 pp ideal, would go up to $150ish for something really special.

Any feedback on this excursion would be appreciated! How was the snorkeling?

On 1/13/2020 at 8:28 PM, GMoney said:

You have 2 hiking options. 

 

From the VINP visitors center, access the stairs to Lind Point Trail. Early on, the trail splits into an upper n lower path. They are very similar, but I recommend the upper Trail for access to an overlook of Cruz Bay. It’s well signed. Both trails will take you to Salomon and Honeymoon beaches. 

 

From the Mongoose Junction shops, Which is roughly across from the visitor center, hike up Caneel Trail. It’s less than a mile up to an overlook in a platform about 700 feet above sea level with great views of Cruz Bay, Caneel Bay, STT, and Jost.

Does the Caneel Trail also lead to a beach?  I'm not the OP, but a very interested party. Hubby and I honeymooned in Caneel Bay and would really love to find a way back there. Thanks in advance for your response!

St. Kitts - My Island Tours with Javin is a great full-day comprehensive tour that included history, culture, hiking, snorkeling, beach and sites. Plus the additional bonus of spending the day with a very social and adorable monkey!

St. Lucia - any speed boat that includes views of the pitons and switches to van up the mountain to the mud baths and waterfall, and should also offer some beach/snorkel time. Lots of companies offer this, we used Joy's Adventure.

Have a great time!  We did the Southern Caribbean last year on Royal and are repeating this year same itinerary, it's so great!

I feel your pain!  I am trying to plan for a day in St. Thomas and hubby and I really want to do an excursion over to St. John, but the few excursions offered are very short compared to our time in port. We are thinking of figuring out how to do it on our own, but that is so much more intimidating!

I am also looking for much more feedback on this excursion. We will be on Royal's Freedom of the Seas and the description of the tour is "enjoy more than 2 hours to explore..."  TWO HOURS?!  We would love a full day. Our start time is 9 am, but there isn't any indication in our cruise planner what time the boat returns. Hubby and I honeymooned in Caneel Bay and we are celebrating our 30th anniversary on this cruise, would LOVE to spend a LOT of time on the north shore, swimming and snorkeling and lazing around. Is this doable on this tour? We would also consider the trunk bay snorkel in the cruise planner and would book through outside tour companies if anyone can recommend a comprehensive one that doesn't cost and arm and a leg. Would love to keep cost around $100-$150 pp max.

Thanks so much in advance for your feedback.

48 minutes ago, KelSny1011 said:

I could not agree more.

 

Flights from LA to San Juan are horrible.  However, I do see that RCI keeps their fares for the cruise very enticing since they know the flights are horrible.  

Yes!  Flights are high, but cruise fares are pretty low. Breaks about even with cruises out of Florida, but the itineraries are much better IMO, which makes it worth it for us.

We are in the NYC area, so we are lucky with lots of choices and times available. But for times that are reasonable and not red-eyes, the airfares are about double what we'd pay to get to any port in FL.

13 hours ago, prindy24 said:

We're on the 4/12 sailing and getting back 4/19. We have a 2:30 flight home so can anyone give advice on how/where to store bags if we don't go to the airport straight from ship? I'd like to spend a little time in OSJ rather than sit at the airport for half the day.

Barrachina is a restaurant in OSJ I think on Fortaleza you can easily google.  For a small fee you can store luggage while you wander. Try their pina colada!

My adult kids and I loved Freedom last May!  I loved this exact itinerary so much I just convinced hubby to do it with me this May!  Just booked the other night and we have 99 days to go...can't wait to check out the amplifications.  The ship was great before, it will be even better now.

Hotels are expensive in San Juan!  We stayed at the Condado Plaza Hilton which has an amazing location and gorgeous property including a small private beacjh. Though the exterior of the hotel was badly damaged by Hurricane Maria, the interior and grounds are lovely. The price is reasonable and while it doesn't include breakfast there is a Starbucks and a 24-hr Denny's on-site.  DH and I are staying here in May, and I don't hesitate to recommend.  At least take a look.

Regarding your cabin selection...any balcony is great just not deck 10 under pool and Windjammer.  We actually ended up in a spacious ocean balcony not because we need space but because it was cheapest available for our sailing.  Check that out.

The islands are all so amazing, and there are a million things to do it's really what you and your party want.  We did 3 excursions on our own, all amazing!!

St Kitts - my island tours with Javin.  He shows you the rainforest, a bit of an island tour, the black rocks lava thing, then you snorkel and a wreck and get some beach time.  Best of all he has a pet monkey Peaches who plays with you all day!

St. Lucia - we used Joy's Adventure but there are many other companies that do the same tour. Speed boat to the Pitons, volcanic mud baths, waterfall, lunch. We chose Joy's because my daughter has dietary restrictions and they were the most accommodating.

Barbados - Silver Moon catamaran to 2 snorkeling sites with lunch and drinks.  Awesome!

We are considering booking a new Secrets AI in Anse Marcel. It is not open yet and there are no reviews on line.  I would appreciate any feedback on this region of the island.  Thank you!

DH and I are considering booking a week at the not-yet-opened Secrets in Anse Marcel.  Can anyone here offer any thoughts about this property or area?  There are no guest reviews, as it doesn't open until March.  Thanks!

Hi all!

My husband and I are thinking of returning to Celebrity after 25 years (mostly not cruising but have cruised several times the past few years on other lines).  We will be sailing in November with 4 young adults (our kids and their partners) in their mid-20s.  We are seriously considering placing a non-refundable deposit on a a 7 night Eastern Caribbean sailing on the Summit. We have it narrowed down to this or Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas.  We have done FoS before and we know we love that ship and Southern itinerary, but there are a few reasons the Summit might work better for us.  

How is the entertainment on the Summit?  How are the pool areas and the food?  All of your thoughts about the Summit for this demographic would be greatly appreciated.  We dont need rock walls and water slides, just some great live music, fun bars and tasty food and drinks, maybe trivia. I'm pretty sure hubby and I will love it, biggest concern is the young 'uns.  

Thanks for your thoughts!!

Eeyore

25 minutes ago, JohninDC said:

Money Bar is about a $10-12 taxi ride from the piers (3 cruise ship piers on Cozumel). No admission fee, great facilities, lockers, and good food, drinks and service. Check out their web site and the trip advisor reviews.

Thanks so much for this advice, it's exactly what we are looking for.  Is the taxi a quick ride?

Thanks!

Edited to add, just checked Google maps, looks like it's about 3km from the cruise ship terminal. Do you know if this is a walkable road?

DH and I are doing the Original Jose Cuervo Tequila Tasting and lunch off the Disney Fantasy in January. We will have a few hours after the tour and before all-aboard, and I would love to spend and hour or two on a beach. Is there a free or cheap beach close to the port where we can go for a short time? Any advise from those experienced with this port would be appreciated.

Thanks!

On 6/18/2019 at 11:10 PM, ubish00 said:

Loving your review.  Very helpful.

 

Thanks for sticking with me!

6 hours ago, FirstAnthem said:

Can’t wait to hear about your day in St Kitts! 

It was SO GREAT!!

May 27 continued

Proof that the sun tried to peak out

Enjoying our balcony

Peter and I had spent our Honeymoon at Caneel Bay, St. John, back when it was a RockResort.  I spied this boat with the logo and got all nostalgic

Somewhere on the ship... advertising the beverage package?  Or displaying available drinks!  Maybe this was the promenade cafe I'm thinking.  We needed something to remind us where we were that day!

Eventually we put on our swim suits and went up to the pool deck to listen to Caribbean tunes with One Love.  Very relaxing!

Tonight was the first formal night and there was quite a range of outfits from very casual to gowns and tuxes.  We took a middle of the road approach.  We met Rama as suggested after 6:30 at the 4th floor dining room podium.  It took him about one second to show us to a great four top in the corner by the windows

Dinner was good, some items were downright great! Service was also good, considering we were kind of barging in. 

Appetizers:

Bouillabaisse

Wedge salad

GF french onion soup (pre-ordered the night before)

Escargots

Mains:

GF vegetable casserole-tasted like recycled ratatouille from buffet, good but not original

Beef so delicious perfectly cooked great flavor!

Seafood pasta

Desserts

This one not memorable.  Strawberry or peach shortcake?  Sundae?

Grand Marnier souffle absolutely delicious!

Cheese plate, meh.  They need to up their cheese game overall on this ship

We went back to the room so joey could change before the headliner, Marquee.  Stopped at schooner bar for some piano with Lyndon Davies

Marquee was great. Performers terrific but some of the choices a little odd, maybe it could be updated.

Back in the room for bed, Peter ( our cabin steward, not my hubby) had left us a towel animal.  Cute, but what is it?  Thoughts?

We loved our first full day on Freedom!  Up next, St. Kitts!

Thank you all!  I was hoping for more options, but when I think about it, this keeps it simple!

May 27 continued

Today we had no excursion booked. The plan was to take the ferry over to Water Island and hang out at Dinghy's. We woke up a little late to pouring rain and decided to go up to the buffet for some brunch. I only took a photo of Emma's plate to show the GF options.  She said the French toast was pretty good.

We decided to check our Olive or Twist but the bar wasn't open yet.  Here's the view

Pretty gray and stormy.  It did this all morning and seemed to start clearing up almost by around noon, but every time we thought we might venture off the ship it started to sprinkle again.  By around 1 or two it started really looking almost nice but by then we we were really enjoying our "downtime" so we ultimately decided to just enjoy the ship.

We got some drinks from Boleros. My favorite the coconut mojito...can't remember what the kids had but it was a boleros favorite

Love the glass sculptures around the ship esp Boleros

May 27, cruise day 2, St. Thomas

Cruise Compass: CC Day 2 0527.pdf

Today we had no excursion booked. The plan was to take the ferry over to Water Island and hang out at Dinghy's. We woke up a little late to pouring rain and decided to go up to Olive and Twist to see if the bar was open yet.