cruisesR4me

La Toc has a very small beach and can be rough surf at times. Its more of a pool resort with not as many on the small crecent shaped beach. Grande St Lucian sits in Rodney Bay - some of the calmest waters in all of St Lucia and in walking distance of Pigeon Island. If you are looking for a "beach day" then its totally worth it to head to Grande St Lucian.

Is Grande St Lucian a Sandals resort? How long of a taxi ride is it from the port?

Sheraton Old San Juan - had reservations booked since April - three nights in mid December, plus January 6-8. Both were cancelled. Their note said they would not be able to accept reservations until after Jan 8....but nothing specific. Honestly, I would not trust reservations at this property....

Thanks for your quick reply. I am thinking of booking the other Sheraton. I will try to book it later today and see what happens. Fingers crossed!!

Sheraton cancelled our January reservations- take a look at the various hotel threads, and maybe book some back up Hotels?

 

I have spent the night in an airport - not San Juan -

So.....maybe book back up Hotels just to try and protect your chances.....

Which Sheraton canceled your reservation in January? The convention one or the one in old San Juan? Also what date did you have booked?

I was going to book at the Sheraton for 1/13 so I'm very interested to hear if this will work.

Hi there! If you haven't already, come on over and join the roll call for this cruise! https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2343734 We are also on this cruise and the one afterwards. We love traveling to beaches by taxi as well. Here is what we will be doing for the cruise!

 

St. Thomas - Magen's Bay or Emerald Beach (not sure which one we are going to yet)

St. Kitts - Carambola Beach Club

Antigua - Dickenson Bay

St. Lucia - Rodney Bay is nice but we are doing an excursion through Shore Excursioneer to Pigeon Island Beach for 6 hours

Barbados - Boatyard Beach (BEST ever!)

 

In reference to the hotel, we are staying at Embassy Suites San Juan the night before. It's a short ride from the airport and it doesn't take long to get to the pier either. It's nice and not a bad price at all.

 

If you have any questions, let me know!

Thank you so much for this info on beaches!! I will start to research them. I have not been to most of these islands before so I am excited to see new places.

I am headed over to the roll call now.

The Pan American Pier is right across the Bay from Old San Juan, probably a 10 minute taxi ride. We use a taxi to the airport all the time, around $20-$25 depending on the number of bags. Closest hotel to the Pan American Pier is the Sheraton Convention Center.

 

 

Not aware of any "usual" hotel that people use in San Juan, there are many, but some are still damaged from the storm.

 

Check the port of call forum for more info on hotels: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=131

Thank you so much for this information. I am starting to visualize the lay of the land. I am thinking we may stay at the Sheraton near the cruise port, I believe it is next to the convention center. It is super expensive for us but it seems like it might be the most convenient to the ship and also to get into old San Juan if we decide to tour the day before our cruise.

How far is the Pan American Pier from Old San Juan and also the airport? Is a taxi doable to and from the airport? Are there any convenience stores near the Pan American pier or is it an industrial area? Are there any hotels near this pier?

Where do people usually stay the night before embarking?

We just booked the jewel for 1/14. So excited!! Does anyone know if the ship will be docked at the pier near the Sheraton at old San Juan or at some other pier? I know there is another pier somewhere but I have never been to that one.

Also we like to take cabs to nice beaches when we are on the islands. Does anyone have any suggestions as to nice beaches?

In the spring/summer months does Celebrity have any shorter cruises than 7 nights?

Thanks so much for sharing your vacation with us. It has helped me get my "cruise Fix" as I don't have any sailings booked in the near future.

I wanted to tell you that the thread that you did while on the Freedom was so compelling. That is when I first started following you. You have a very nice writing style and I like the way you view life.

After sailing 2 of the big ships, my husband and I have decided too that they are not for us. The radiance class is a perfect size for us and such beautiful ships.

Safe travels home tomorrow!

Just started looking at cruises out of this port for March sailings and saw this 5 nighter. Ant thoughts on why this is happening? I thought all summit's sailings were 7 nights.

Safe travels home. Really enjoyed following along on your cruise!

Thanks for that link. I still do not see shelves above the sink to put your face wash, moisturizer, etc...... I do see them in the smaller bathroom but not the big bathroom.

I was just looking at videos on utube of the bigger bathroom in this suite and it looks like there are no cabinets of shelves above the sink to hold your toiletries?

For any that have stayed in this category, where did you keep your stuff?

Are slip on shoes acceptable (like Go Walks) or must they be lace up?

We were on the Brilliance last March and the solarium pool was heated. It was so nice and warm.

Now we are going on the Anthem in October and I was wondering if any of the pools will be heated?

Also are any of the pools salt water? Mostly interested in the indoor pool and the solarium pool.

What are your plans on boarding day? Your question about how late you can board makes me a little nervous.

We are planning to leave from our home in West Chester PA around 10:00 am and drive straight there but I am afraid of getting lost or some other mishap:eek:

For any that drive there from PA, is it a pretty straight forward if we plug the address of the port into our car navigation?

Thank you so much for all the great answers.

We will get to coastal kitchen for sure!!!

We were in a Spa JS on the Anthem TA last fall. We were allowed to eat in Coastal Kitchen for dinner. This was a fabulous perk; excellent food and service to match.

 

BTW, we just loved the stateroom. Elegant, tons of storage, wonderful sitting area near the window, big balcony, great stall shower... (With two bathrooms, it took a couple of days to remember where I had my toothbrush. :))

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

The room looks beautiful.... I am so excited!!!!

Thank you both so much for your quick replies.

With the wine that you bring on board, does this mean you can bring a bottle to dinner? ex: If I have an open bottle of wine in the cabin can I bring that along to be with me at dinner and then take it back to the cabin after dinner?

We just booked the Anthem to BDA and I have a few questions?

-can those staying in a jr spa suite eat in the coastal kitchen?

-what is the latest you can board on embarkation day?

-is the starboard side facing the dock in BDA?

-can you bring wine on board? How much?

- do the jr spa suites pay regular gratuity or suite gratuity?

-are Diamond drinks still loaded on seapass card? 3 each?

-do Diamond members still each get 24 hour free internet?

Thank you so much for help with these questions!!

Is there a place to rent and ride jet skis right at the dockyard? If so does any one know the price?

Thanks so much for this info.

I just booked us on the Anthem to Bermuda so I'm sure over the next couple of weeks I will be posting lots of questions.

Is there a vegetarian menu on the Anthem that is good in all the complimentary restaurants? If so, does anyone have a copy of it?

Are either of the pools heated on Brilliance?

Can jeans be stuffed into the bag or are they not allowed?