Miss Vickie

I have tentatively booked with "Sail with Liberty" - they only have 20 tripadvisor posts so hoping to get some additional feedback.

 

Hoping to get feedback on other charters as well.

 

Suggestions on which beaches to go? Other tips?

We like High Pockets. We have had a couple of great days with Capt. Kathleen. Great sailing, great snorkeling, and a wonderful lunch.

We've found that the Discover card is rarely accepted in Europe. However, we have been able to use it in the Caribbean.

For us it's been hit or miss.

Yes, understanding the terms of your credit card is VERY important! Whenever anyone gets a "new" notification of changes to a card . . . Make sure you read it! IF not it could cost you!!!

 

We skated for years and didn't pay any fees here since we used US dollars. We had friends in other countries that got hit every month with extra banking fees. We counted ourselves fortunate! :)

When the Banks and Credit Card companies changed the wording to International Transaction Fee from Foreign Transaction Fee . . . We got hit.

 

The only card that didn't get hit was our AE card. The problem is that AE charges more to merchants that use their cards. Many places here won't accept AE or they charge you an extra fee to use the. :rolleyes:

My biggest complaint when they changed was that they didn't notify us BEFORE they changed to International fees! :( We did get notices about six months after the fact! :o

 

My hubby was hospitalized here and I paid the bill with a credit card that we had used here for years without incuring any fees. We got hit with several $ $ Of International Transaction Fees. We called our state-side bank and talked with the manager. He didn't even know why we were charged. He had to call someone and get back to us. That is when we learned what "International" meant! :)

You are very fortunate that the terms of your cards have not been charges . . . Just please don't be surprised IF you do start to see charges on International purchases.

I will definitely double check before we cruise again. One of our cards is A Discover Card with no international/foreign transaction fee, but like AE, is less accepted by some vendors.

Doesn't matter that the charge is in US dollars! IF the company is outside America, which most are in the Caribbean, you get charged the International Transaction Fee if your chard has that language in the small print! It IS an International Transaction Fee! :p

 

All of our charges here in Panama are in US dollars! IF we use a card that charges International Transaction fees . . . We pay the fee . . . They don't care that the charge is in US dollars . . . It IS International! :D

We've never been charged a fee on charges made in dollars. So, I guess there several factors, and one should understand the terms of their specific credit cards.

The terms of that card (no longer used) specifically included St. Thomas as "foreign" for the purposes of the transaction fee. Now we use a Capital One card when out of the country.

That would have ticked me off! :rolleyes:

We were charged a fee in Aruba for using MasterCard.

Aruba has their own currency (and a unique square coin). Anytime we've used a card there, though, the vendor charged us in USD.

We've paid foreign transaction fees for charges in St. Thomas, which is the US and uses dollars.

Odd! Did you check with your cc company?

Depends on the vendor. On both st. Lucia and Barbados we're had some people charge our card in US dollars, and some in EC, which, depending on your card, would incur a fee. On other islands we've used cards on, though, all transactions have been in USD.

1388/1688 are the best. We love them. The extra room and the fantastic balcony are wonderful.

Not to mention the pole :D:cool::eek:

Check the deck plans.

Checked the deck plans. Those steps you see further aft are crew only. Brilliance is the only Radiance class ship we've not sailed yet (we have a total of 12 cruises on Radiance class ships so far, the most recent being Jewel this past January), 10 of those in an aft cabin. The deck plans are identical for Brilliance and Jewel, which I also checked. Those are not passenger staircases.

I sailed both of those ships last summer. They are both lovely ships, and both provide excellent cruising experiences. However, Jewel was the most boring ship we've ever been on. The shows were well below RCI standards, and the entertainment in smaller venues around the ship was terrible. On the other hand, on the Summit, we were blown away by the quantity and quality of live entertainment all over the ship. (There were 3 production shows on a 7 day cruise, with a significantly larger and more talented troupe. The lounge entertainer was amazing! There were jam sessions and extra concerts scheduled too) Service was superior, and so was the food. The only thing we thought was not as good on Summit was the buffet (less variety and not as pretty) however the free ice cream at the buffet entrance was a bonus (I wish I had a bowl of the cinnamon one now!)

 

There is no way I would take a cruise on Jewel over a cruise on Summit

Our experience was just the opposite. We loved our 2 weeks on a jewel this January and are booked for 2 more next January and Yet again in January 2016. We cruised Summit the year before she was refurb end, and we're bored on board Summit. We couldn't sit through any of the shows in the theater, they were all so boring, and the lounges weren't any better.

Just be aware that Brilliance does not have aft elevators. There are stairs.

 

If anyone in your party has mobility issues, you might want to consider mid-ship or forward cabins.

The stairs nearest the aft cabins are crew-only. The nearest stairs available to guests are amidships, near the elevators.

Miss Vickie - seeing as you have done both tours and are looking to book again with Javin, am I to assume you preferred Javin's tour?

 

We will be sailing on the Disney Magic in October with a four and a one year old. Can you recommend which tour might be better for my family based on your experiences? My older boy loves the beach, hoping the same for the baby.

We enjoyed both tours - they are very different from each other, and we usually pick the more active option. Javin's is the more active of the two, including climbIng around on Black Rocks, a rain forest hike and snorkeling, plus a little chill out on the beach at then end.

Normally when someone asks if an excursion is appropriate for their children and I trust the tour operator to be truthful, I recommend that you contact the operator for their advice. A good tour operator won't encourage you to bring someone who won't be able to manage the tour. And I do trust Javin to be honest, if you ask him. That being said, I don't think it would be the best choice for your family. Your 4 year old might be able to handle Black Rocks with assistance. One of you would have to stay at the top with the baby (you clamber down and then back up). Depending on your older child's endurance, he would probably be okay on the rain forest hike. The baby would be okay in a backpack; it would not be great to carry him/her - you do have to watch where you're stepping and can face some slippery rocks and roots and stones to deal with. The snorkeling isn't off a gentle beach - entry is from a dock, and wasn't a child-friendly snorkel when we were there. And we're all experienced. The swim out is relatively far, the day we were there there was a fair amount of current. And there's nothing to see closer in - the attraction is the wreck in the middle of the bay. The beach stop at the end is about an hour, from what I remember, on a quiet beach. One thing is guaranteed - your kids would sleep well that night!

Thenford's tour would be okay for the kids, they'd probably really enjoy the fortress. And it is a fabulous place for photography.

You may want to consider the train ride - all the cruise lines offer that trip, and kids usually love trains!

We are also on a b2b in July on the Jewel. Let us know what you did on turnaround day. Considering going into Old San Juan to tour the Forts but am afraid of getting a taxi back to the ship. What time to return to the ship, etc. Would like to know if they will offer you a special lunch. Will be looking forward to your review.

There was a b2b lunch in the dining room for us. There wouldn't have been time to go to the forts before the lunch, and on a normal Saturday it might be okay to so after - it shouldn't be hard to get a taxi in either direction, and all aboard should be late enough to allow it, providing you're not planning on early dinner in the MDR. Our turnaround day this year was during the San Sebastián Festival and traffic between the port and OSJ was very bad. It made trying to go into OSJ a bad idea.

Thank you. I guess we'll be finding out for ourselves in just a little over two weeks!:D

Have a great time!

This is our first time upon Jewel of the Seas. In looking up the Seaview Cafe I have found that they serve burgers, sandwiches, and chili and other items. Anyone know what those other items may be? What other food is served in this restaurant?

 

On the Allure and Oasis this type of cafe served bagel dogs and we LOVED them and we were hoping we could find them in this cafe on the Jewel of the Seas???

The Seaview does not have bagel dogs. They have salads, Nathan's hotdogs, burgers, fish and chips, Cuban sandwiches, chicken tenders, fries, great onion rings, and yummy brownies.

Has anyone done the B2B on the Jewel of the seas since she started sailing out of San Juan? What were the procedures?

We did a b2b on Jewel in January, are booked for b2b's in January 2015 and January 2016 on Jewel. There was a meeting on the sea day where everyone got their new sea passes and in-transit passes. On turn around day all the b2b'ers met in the Safari Lounge, and waited until everyone else had disembarked, then before they started embarking the new passengers they took us out as a group, we dinged out with our old cards, went through immigration and then could leave the terminal if we wanted or get back on with the new sea pass. The in transit pass gets you through security if you leave and come back before the new passengers start embarkation. This procedure could change from week to week; Immigration and Customs actually dictates the process.

If you take a cab to the pier, where do you bring your luggage?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Your taxi will drop you at the curb right next to the luggage drop off line.

My TA had said it was taking 10-14 days. I faxed the form to RCI on Thursday, my TA had the booking the following Tuesday. That was just a couple of weeks ago. Have to say, I was amazed it happened so quickly.

I would discuss your plans with your waiter before you make any decisions. If your family has their own table then you won't be disrupting anyone's dinner but your own. However, the problem may be the second seating time. Your waitstaff needs time to clear and reset tables for the traditional second seating.

 

I have seen 2&4 tops show up 30 minutes late for the second seating. But IMHO it would be very rude to show up more than 10 minutes late if you are seated with others.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Absolutely not true - they switch lines over in the galley, and having people come in late makes it difficult for the waiters and galley. And it does affect the other tables the waiters are serving - they have to work harder to "catch up" the late comers, and it affects their service to the other tables in their station. We know; we've had it happen to us.

I personally wouldn't get upset, but that wouldn't stop me from asking the purpose of the inquiry. And just like your son, my daughter would have no issue complying with request either. I'm the "trouble maker" in the family. I just have "issues" dealing with "requests" when there is no probable cause for the "request".

Royal's published policy is that when they sail from a US port the drinking age is 21. Not a secret or a mystery. There you go.

When our son was younger, but still over 18, he got hassled by security every time he went into the casino. He wasn't gambling, he was standing with his father, who vouched for him. When it continued we did go to guest services to address the issue. Questioning why he was carded for a drink never even crossed our mind. He, and we, knew why.

I personally wouldn't get upset, but that wouldn't stop me from asking the purpose of the inquiry. And just like your son, my daughter would have no issue complying with request either. I'm the "trouble maker" in the family. I just have "issues" dealing with "requests" when there is no probable cause for the "request".

Royal's published policy is that when they sail from a US port the drinking age is 21. Not a secret or a mystery. There you go.

When our son was younger, but still over 18, he got hassled by security every time he went into the casino. He wash' gambling, he was standing with his father, who vouched for him. When it continued we did go to guest services to address the issue. Questioning why he was carded for a drink never even crossed our mind. He, and we, knew why.

I understand that this has obviously happened. But logically speaking, why would the bartender or wait staff refuse to serve the of age young adult when Mom and Dad are standing or sitting there with them without first requiring a picture ID?

 

I will agree that a photo ID can be requested when ordering a drink. But in my opinion, it is the exception to the rule. And if it happened to my daughter while I was with her, I would politely inquire as to the reason for the request.

Would you question a bartender on land? It's their job, and the rules. No point being upset or offended. Our son wasn't. He simply acted like the adult he is and showed his license. No big deal.

Your daughter has to carry her sea pass anyhow, it's easy enough simply to keep her license with it.

"Testing," as you suggested in a previous post, serves no point other than to give you a reason to be upset and offended.

Our young-looking son got carded frequently on board at your age, even when he was with us - I'd carry your driver's license.

We've been out with Javin twice and loved every minute of it! The first trip with just DH and myself and the second it was more of a 'tour' on his new safari bus. We had our 'kids' with us the second time (22&18) and they said Javin was their favorite part of the whole cruise. I actually just emailed him to see what we can do different in 2015 (hopefully with him) and stopping at the beach after. No tour is complete without stopping at Lions Bar!

 

Can't wait for our return trip in 2015. The snacks he has are delicious and yes, the soap and water to wash up with are a huge plus. You won't regret your day with Javin

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We're back in St. Kitts first week of February 3015. I've been keeping in touch with Javin and his wife, they aren't taking 2015 bookings just yet. Last time it was 4 of us with Javin in his 4 wheel drive, haven't seen the safari bus yet. By the way, have you seen is Facebook page, Myisland Tours by Javin?