whee-sailing

Thank you for this! I didn't think my request had worked either, but there it is. My first time with Princess so I'm still not sure where to find everything.

I dropped off some family for a cruise in April. Their ship was the only ship in port. Their allotted time was 10:40 and it took them until 1:30 to get on the ship. Crazy!

https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/san-juan-port-39?tab=schedule&month=2024-02#schedule

My experience with Celebrity this February was similar to yours. In general, fellow guests just weren't as friendly as they were on other cruise lines. Still had a great time though. Enjoy your trip in June!

Thanks @PORT ROYAL. I did contact them and they're the ones who told me 8:50, but that didn't seem doable to me. What time would you recommend heading down to the line up to get off the ship in time? I have limited cruising experience and have only done ship excursions or just gone exploring by myself in which case I left the ship later in the day when the crowds were gone.

I'm thinking of booking the Adventure Antigua eco tour, but pickup is at 8:50 (about a five-minute walk from the ship) and Celebrity Millennium does not get in until 8:00. That doesn't seem like enough time given how long the line ups usually are to get off the ship first thing after docking and given that Celebrity excursion likely get priority disembarking (I'm assuming). Any insight on if that's enough time? Thanks!

You can look for cruises with a low or no single supplement here: https://www.cruiseplum.com/solo-supplement-deals

Ah thank you. Somehow I missed that thread entirely.

There's a fee for room service now?? Is room service breakfast free still or is that a charge, too?

An esim is not an option with my current phone, unfortunately. I'll look into pre-purchasing a global sim card.

My current company does not offer any service at all outside of Canada. That's why I have to pick up a SIM card whenever I travel.

Is there somewhere in the Fort Lauderdale airport where I can purchase and activate a SIM card that will work in the US and Puerto Rico? Even better if it will work in the Caribbean, too! I can do this in San Juan instead if that's a better option. I'm thinking something along the lines of the super easy Telcel card you can pick up and activate at OXXO in Mexico and instantly have service. Thanks!

It's still showing the no single supplement prices for me (higher because Canadian dollars, of course), but every time I try to proceed with the booking I get this error message (no matter which browser I use). Super frustrating!

Me neither unfortunately. And, according to the site, the sale is over in 25 minutes...

J n J Tours is still active.

I went with the Jet Blue red eye leaving Vancouver at midnight, going through JFK, and arriving in San Juan around three in the afternoon.

Thank you. I wasn't sure because the snorkelling isn't off the boat for the one, at least. Glad to know I won't need a big dry bag.

Apologies for this really basic/naive question, but for snorkelling excursions such as these... https://www.celebritycruises.com/pcp-excursions/kralendijk-bonaire-tours/samur-sail-klein-bonaire-beach-and-snorkel?excursionItemID=100000004095560211 https://www.celebritycruises.com/pcp-excursions/bridgetown-barbados-tours/swim-with-turtles-shipwrecks-snorkel?excursionItemID=100000004095196066 ...what do I do with my belongings/change of clothes? Are you expected to take them with you in a dry bag while you snorkel or do they have a (secure?) place where you leave your things? Thank you!

If you read through some of the other topics on the Solo Cruisers board you'll find many tips for solo cruisers. This site is always recommended as the place to find fares with low or no single supplement: https://www.cruiseplum.com/solo-supplement-deals

Resort for a Day - web site where you can purchase these day passes.

Thank you for the info on West Jet. They are indeed going direct to Miami at that time but only on Saturdays, which does not work out. Bummer. My concern with splitting it up with an overnight somewhere is if something happens to my luggage between Vancouver - Seattle - Orlando, then the next day when I fly to San Juan I'll be out of luck because the luggage would only be sent to Orlando as everything is not the same ticket. I do get that JFK has more weather risk in the winter, but if I book through the cruise line then that's their problem. Although all day I've just gotten "The application has encountered an error. Please try again." whenever I try to check flights. Maybe I should take that as a sign. 🙂

There are no direct flights from Vancouver to anywhere in Florida (currently, that is). It's always been a hassle for us to get to east coast sun destinations. Air Transat started direct flights to Fort Lauderdale in 2019. I got to take their direct flight back from a cruise in Feb 2020 and it was SO nice, but they haven't brought those back post Covid. Unless the TA can scramble up something better I'm probably going to go with the red eye leaving at midnight, going through JFK, and arriving in San Juan at four in the afternoon. It's JetBlue, so that's a big con, but it's only one stop instead of two so that's a pro.

I won't be canceling; it's three back to backs that I got at a great price and with no single supplement! I was just curious what other people's experience was. Whether they found it easier to arrive in the middle of the night or do the red eye.

That's what I thought I could do: Vancouver to Toronto or Montreal to hop on those direct flights, but unfortunately they are only going on Sundays during my time frame.

I had no idea how difficult it was going to be to fly Vancouver - Puerto Rico! The flight times are just awful. Most arrive in the middle of the night or are red eyes (but with multiple stops and layovers so it's not like you're sleeping). I thought about flying to Fort Lauderdale an extra day earlier and spending the night (I was already intending to arrive in San Juan the day before) and then flying from there but if my luggage gets lost on the flight to Fort Lauderdale (there will be a layover) then I'm hooped. For those who've done it, how did you do it? And yes, I do regret not looking into this before I booked the cruises. The last time I flew to Puerto Rico I lived somewhere else.