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jawouds

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Posts posted by jawouds

  1. We booked a Premium tour for two $300 and Angel was our guide. He met us at the Rum museum just a block from the dock and we started our day with a convertible ride to the suburb to see embassies and grand old mansions of pre revolution, Fusterlandia, Malecon, and Revolution Square. Then a walking tour of Old Havan, lunch at a great Paladar, and more sightseeing to Hemingway's hotel with a drink on the rooftop bar with live music and a spectacular view.  It was hot and humid so we went back to the ship late afternoon to shower and change before meeting Angel again and taking another vintage car ride to dinner at another fabulous Paladar with more live music and flamingo dancers!  We had opted out of going to the cannon ceremony and had told Angel we were not that interested in a large show like the Tropicana. Angel found just what we were hoping for!  We drove to a local venue and enjoyed a 6 piece local band of great musicians in a relaxed atmosphere!! We thoroughly enjoyed the evening's activities which included driving to a spot to take in the views of Havana at night before they returned us to the ship!  Angel adjusted the schedule to meet our interests and physical needs - we are both in our 60's and have some issues with back, knees, and feet. Angel's English was excellent and he was very personable and gracious!  I think he made our trip to Cuba for us with his knowledge of history and culture as well as a good sense of humor!!!  He was a delight and I highly recommend him and Fer tours! Www.fertour2havana.com

  2. Just a thought from a grandma who just booked a houseboat for one night on the canal in Jordaan neighborhood before our cruise in July...I was thinking it would be something my grandson would enjoy. You might want to check out airbnb or Homeaway.com for possibilities. Just read all the reviews.:)

  3. We enjoyed our tour with Heidi Cowen of Byways Tours in October. Heidi grew up living in Gibbs Hill Lighthouse as the granddaughter of the keeper. She knows the ins and outs of the island and is very personable. We've taken many tours while cruising and found her to be one of the most enjoyable!

  4. We were first timers to Bermuda and just returned. We highly recommend Byways Tours by Heidi Cowen. www.bywaysbermuda.com This was advertised as "uncommon & unusual tours" and it included all of the tourist highlights plus some unusual stop and insights from a Bermuda native who grew up living in Gibbs Hill Lighthouse as her grandfather was the keeper when that was a 24/7 position of great responsibility. Heidi was joined by her sweet dog, Buddy, who is blind. Save your pity as Buddy does very well thanks to Heidi. As a dog lover missing my own, Buddy graciously met my need for a "dog fix". We were impresses with our 6 hr tour which covered the entire island, but even more so when we compared notes with our tablemates that evening. When we thought about all of our stops, included admissions, included lunch and even an afternoon ice cream stop, we were very thankful we had booked with Heidi! We are snorkelers and she showed us Tobacco Bay, Horseshoe Bay, and Warwick Long Bay where we checked out Jobson's cove. Knowing we wanted to snorkel on our next two days, she also checked on weather forecast which, unfortunately wasn't promising. Rain was coming, but Heidi then checked with the island's true forecasters, the silk spiders, and pulled us over for a photo op with these amazing creatures. (they come down low in the trees when a storm is coming). My husband is a history buff and was pleased that he knew the answers to questions asked by our table mates that evening (thanks to Heidi's pointing out places and answering his questions on tour!) While Heidi is proud of Bermuda, she does not gloss over the high cost of living there and the struggles of hurricanes and drought. But she wouldn't live anywhere else and that enthusiasm and love shines through! While first timers to Bermuda, we have been on many cruises and tours and have to put Heidi's tour up there as a don't miss opportunity!

  5. We are booked on RCCL out of Port Liberty 10/20. We are looking at flying out of Detroit that morning due into Laguardia 10:30 am. (We usually fly in a day early, but U of Michigan game is on the 19th. ) We have never cruised out of Port Liberty and I am wondering if this seems possible. How long does it take to get to Port Liberty from LGA and can we book transportation from there? Thanks so much!

  6. Just back from Brilliance and based on CC recomendations we took the ship's Discover Guadeloupe tour. We didn't regret taking it as it did provide a narrated tour and we got to see some of Guadeloupe. But it certainly was nothing to write home about - which is what I'd say for this port. It's just very so-so. The tour stopped at a Botanical garden, good for some pictures. Second stop was a crayfish waterfall with a walking path through the rainforest. Just ho-hum, I'm afraid. Next stop was at a distillery. Very small and possibly quite quaint, but there were two bus loads of tourists swarming a very small tasting bar. Looked a bit like locusts and quite a bit of pushing and shoving so I never did get a sample. We returned to port by early afternoon. My husband did venture out to see the "town", but returned shortly and said it was certainly not worth walking to see. There were some vendors at the pier, some had spices and they were very gracious, not pushy like some port vendors. Not really sure just what RCCL feels is the appeal of this port, but pretty sure it must mean some added income for them as over 300 passengers left and 300 got on. We had hoped it may have some charm due to the culture, but we certainly didn't experience any. Language is a big barrier unless you speak French. It's certainly no St Bart's!

  7. My husband and I did a snorkeling trip to Buck Island in January a few years ago. I can't say that it was the greatest snorkeling we've done, but we enjoyed it. It's a long ride out there from St Croix and it was a bit rough. I would also advise taking your own equipment as I was not impressed with what was provided. When you are on a cruise, you are at the mercy of the weather and the currents, so you sometimes have to go with the flow. You will see more than Trunk Bay, but you'll work harder!

  8. The lunch was true Cayman cuisine - fish with a pepper relish sauce, beans & rice, plantains, and a fritter. Dessert was Cassava cake. Beverage and tip were included. I think those that did not like fish were served a BBQ pork dish. All delicious! Shirley also had beverages in the Land Rover and banana cake for a morning snack. At Rum Point there was an opportunity to buy other beverages.

  9. The website is www.caymansafari.com/adventures. Shirley's Email is shirley@caymansafari.com The cost for the tour was $95 (this includes all entance fees and lunch) Our tour was 5 - 6 hours. I think we were at the Botanical park about an hour with Shirley acting as our guide (including tasting buds and smelling crushed leaves). She knows everyone and we quickly found several iguanas. I have been to GC several times and have done the stingrays and turtle tours to Hell before. This was a whole new look at Grand Cayman! Shirley is 6th generation Caymanian and truly is a delight. My friends and I are in our 50s and there was another couple with their 8 y.o. daughter along. Everyone enjoyed it.

  10. Just returned from a cruise on the Navigator. In Grand Cayman we used Cayman Safari Adventures and had a delightful tour with Shirley. She picked us up at the dock with a Land Rover and six of us hopped in the back for an insiders tour of Pedro Castle for the historic overview before heading to the Botanical Park for a visit with the blue iguanas and stroll through the park. She took us to Rum Point for a beach break and past the blow holes along with a Cayman lunch at Miss Vivene's. Shirley is great and we enjoyed her wisdon, wit and candor!

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