HarpHarp

Former St Thomas resident here. There is probably not a better place equipped to handle the crowds. We had nearly that many when I lived there & then the Eisenhower carrier group arrived, so add 3,000+ drunken sailors on shore leave to the mix:eek:

 

I was there on the Escape last month for the first time in decades & heard no complaints about the crowds with a passenger load of about 17000. That said, I would not plan to go to Magens Bay or Coki if I wanted some beach time. Try Sapphire or Hull. If you want to take the ferry to St. John, head for Cinnamon rather than Trunk. Downtown shopping will be congested but doable. I'd hit the shops near the dock in Havensight & the market for some local things, especially the St John Bay Rum factory & avoid the millions of Jewelry stores. There will be plenty of taxis.

Any more questions ask away.

Tortola, one of my favorite islands, is the real problem with this itinerary. I love this place & VIrgin Gorda & Jost Van Dyke, but they are not organized to handle the mega ships.

Going to Virgin Gorda on your own is about half price & easy to do.

The Baths trail down, the way they have it set now requires a lot of scrambling through boulders & even crawling, if you are taller than me. I'm under 5 ft.:) The clerk at the excursion desk said it really should be marked as level 3 & I agree. She was surprised that my husband & I at 64 & 62 made it all the way down & back I don't remember that trail being such an obstacle course, but I arrived by boat many times. Some people were injured on the ship excursion & it was so crowded that there was much standing & waiting to get through the narrow areas.

Go by boat or go up & down the Devil's bay trail or take one of Blue Water's suggestions. The tour vendors will eventually catch up to the volume of passengers, but this trip really left my DH wondering what I was raving about.

 

I also concur with Blue Water on the St John trip. Very easy to do on your own & head for Cinnamon instead of Trunk Bay

I've been to the Baths many times when I lived on St Thomas, one of my favorite places on earth, and was just there a few weeks ago on the Escape.

 

The Baths were terribly crowded, with just enough time to get through the trail & spend about 20 minutes at the beach. All in all, not a wonderful experience. It was very slow going with the crowd. If beach time is your objective, boat & snorkel to the baths or at the very least, go up & down the Devil's Bay trail.

 

Tortola also has many beautiful beaches, so there are other options. Take a taxi to Brewers or Cane Garden & skip the baths, take a private catamaran or excursion to Jost Van Dyke.

I've been on both. I sailed the Breeze in the Med though.

I love the promenade hot tubs & the seating nearby on the Breeze. It is a beautiful ship. Ocean plaza has a problem IMHO.The entertainment is too loud

& at times music be heard from 3 different venues, since the piano bar, ocean plaza stage & the Red Frog are all open. Liked the pool deck, but no live music & a poor DJ. Guest services the excursion desk, & computer center were lacking.

 

The Escape has better food, the flow of the buffet was the best, we never waited to get seated in the main dining room or O'Sheehans. Loved the District & the entertainment was phenomenal. The staff was very friendly & helpful

We were on the inaugural 7 day & spent many evenings there. It was most busy during popular music trivia games & Sunday night football.

 

Thad every thing we asked for on tap & I didn't hear any complaints. Our favorite server also resided there:D

If you have not been to St. T previously, take a taxi tour. The dispatcher at the pier will fix you up with sightseeing/shopping /beach or any combination. The VI taxi association has been doing this for decades.

 

There are other wonderful things to do & possible private tours , depending on the interests ages & number in your party.

Great review!

I agree with you on most points except maybe the Casino bar. I liked having it there and just sit at the bar with a drink and play poker, but I'm not a nightclub fan. I do think they should use that little stage they have there at night though for something.

 

They did have Sandra & Thierry there one night on our cruise. Many people were dancing, & I agree some of the smaller acts should be there.

Any decent snorkeling?

 

f you want snorkeling head to Brewer's bay or take a snorkel & sail excursion to the baths.

Hi, we are booking the Captain so we have a legal ceremony.

 

We have been informed all suggested venue's are still available and 60-90 days out we will receive confirmation.

 

Still trying to put together a few options to submit.

 

What are the venues?

 

They do have a dedicated photography studio on board.

The breakfast hours were 8 to 10:30am on the transatlantic cruise. How does cutting those hours have any effect on wait times at lunch? That makes no sense.

 

Obviously, if they have a fixed number of staff, having them work just lunch means more people serving then, therefore shorter wait times.

I saw some of the wait staff in the buffet and the bartender on the waterfront at times.

As someone who did scheduling for many years, having 1 less venue to cover makes a drastic difference. I have no knowledge of the galley set up, but I would guess that made a big difference in the buffet also. Never had more than 2 people ahead of me at the omlet station.

I think it's pretty easy to understand myself. You book a cruise. The dining room food is included. Suddenly half the menu becomes for an upcharge of items that were normally available for no extra cost. You don't understand how people would get upset? Maybe they aren't items you want. Maybe you are glad they offer them versus not being on the menu at all. Okay, I get that.

 

Would you happily pay for soup or ice cream in the MDR?

 

Prime Rib was offered 3 nights on our Escape cruise at O'Sheehan's for free & the a la carte version was not on the dining room menu those days.

I had the chef's special most nights & I have to say it was great. The food in the MDR was so good, we never got back to Food Republic.

Did they flip any omelets or do any fun tricks?

 

Yep a lot of flipping going on. They were also the quickest at filling orders I've seen.

Free prime rib at O'Sheehan's 3 nights, along with a seafood night & a ribs night. The new menus appeal to me. The beef wellington was the best thing I've ever had on a cruise and the chocolate lava cake is a magnitude better than CCL's.

How much live music was there? Daytime at the pool? At night for dancing?

 

Lot's of live music both places. There was a D.J. at the pool some times. Dancing in the Manhattan, Skyline, 5'Oclock & atrium at different times.

Bruce did a fabulous tour for us last week. Have him finish by dropping you at Paradise Point to take the sky ride down. You will be in for a real treat.

 

Bruce Flamon - "The Real Deal" - 340-513-4041 therealdealusvi@yahoo.com

http://www.therealdealusvi.com/

No, no Margaritaville breakfast last week. The place is VERY popular, & I think to try to cut sown the wait times, they made this concession.

 

The Cheeseburger in Paradise is delicious however :D

Sotermarler did they tell you why the Million Dollar Quartet was canceled, was it for the whole trip.

Sure hope they will be playing on the Nov 28th sailing.

Thanks for all the pictures and reviews

Karen

 

We were fortunate to see the show on Monday. Sorry to hear about the illness of the cast member.

I hated to leave the Escape on Saturday. The ship is just lovely. The standard balconies are larger than the /away ships.

The only wait we had to be seated was at Margaritaville. but we had drinks in hand while we waited. We could have walked right in to Food Republic, but never made it, since the food in the complimentary venues was so good. Prime rib special 3 nights at O'Sheehans, but the Beef Wellington chef special is the real taste treat of this menu set. District Brewhouse was our place to hang & the beer choices are excellent.

 

We had a spa balcony & on one negative was the thermal spa had heating problems on & off. You must do the sauna & then the snow room.:eek:

 

The entertainment was simply the best. The Broadway production of After Midnight with Vanessa Williams could not have been any better than this production. Some large groups tied up some venues, mainly 5 O'clock & La Cucina during the day. The waterfront location was open to all.

The staff was the best.

[quote name='calgaryhhr']For anyone that was on the first Caribbean sailing, how was disembarking in St Thomas? Quick and easy hopefully. We are on the Dec 12 sailing and have a fishing charter scheduled for 8:30am. Is it easy enough to get off the boat by 8:30?[/QUOTE]

The debarks on this cruise were the easiest I've experienced. Have fun on the charter.

For all you prime rib fans, O'Sheehan's had it 3 nights, but the Beef Wellington & the beef with polenta were to die for. The Chocolate Lava cake is much, much better than carnival's.

We agree with your DH about the Beef Wellington, delicious. The food was the best I've had on a cruise.

We talked to Guy Harvey, a delightful man, & asked him to sign our Meet & Greet surprise from Terri.

 

The food at the supper club was good, the show & the rest of the entertainment was wonderful!

This ship felt less crowded than the Breakaway. We even remarked on the empty chairs on the pool deck at 10 am on a sea day.

The main dining rooms & the buffet were the best on any of my cruises. There were always seats at the buffet and the only place we waited was Margaritaville. The location & the food make this extremely popular for lunch. They give beepers at the hostess station & they have a section to sit & have a drink while you wait.

District Brewhouse was our favorite venue. It was only crowded when a bunch of Bengals fans invaded during the Monday Night football game.

Loved the ship

As promised, I'm posting this from the YVE. Yes the room & bath are a bit small but very clean & quiet. The tavern serves great drinks , a tasty breakfast & the staff is outstanding. CVS next door &Bayside Marketplace is right across Biscayne.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to stay here again

Fries with gravy is VERY common here is Pittsburgh....along with fries on our chicken and steak salads. Regional preferences - I know - but still yummy! ;):D

 

Not to mention on our sandwiches or with a good dollop of Heinz

 

Parking is at a premium downtown.

 

As far as beaches go, It depends on what you want to do. Magens is lovely, but tends to be crowded & is not good for snorkeling. Sapphire was my favorite beach when I lived there. They have food, a beach bar & the snorkeling by the reef is good.

Here is the web cam

http://www.sapphireinthesun.com/

 

Smith Bay/ Lindquist is the beach in the Hannah & her horse commercial & is gorgeous, but they are in the process of adding amenities. Like Magens, there is a small fee for this beach.

 

Coki is lively & next to Coral world which is a fun stop.

Burn The Floor on the Breakaway was wonderful. They also have Comedy shows & Howl at the moon in The Headliners comedy club on deck 6. There are musical acts in Fat Cats, Shakers and the atrium. We never found the venues crowded except Howl at the Moon in Headliners

 

Breakaway has great entertainment. Since you like comedy, Howl at the Moon is the best. The Cirque Show is well worth the money and a winner for most kids. Were your children in the kids club? They even did there own talent show on our cruise.

Stopped at the Watling rum distillery last time, but will have to try this. Thanks