B&J_Pgh
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Enjoy a narrated ferry ride along St. Thomas' picturesque southern coast, then shop, sightsee or snorkel the azure waters of St. John. Armed with your island information package, you'll spend 4-1/2 hours freely exploring the beautiful isle. Swim at a local beach, see the "Arawak" archaeological site, or follow the snorkel trail at Trunk Bay. Browse boutiques or dine in Cruz Bay. STO3
$39
Here's a link for someone who has recently done this one:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2448208&page=3
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because we arrive in San Juan on the day of The Feast of San Sebastian and San Fabian we are considering using them just for guarantee we won't be left behind. LOL.
Has anyone done this and can you tell us how much we can expect to pay?
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What is this Borrachinas in San Juan and (if a restaurant) under what conditions do they take your bags for you? If you eat there or do they charge you (how much) per bag. Where is it in relation to the Airport? In other words after you leave the Cruise Port what part of San Juan would they be dropping you off at?
Just to clarify that it's in a town with shopping available?
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Yes...just lined up (safari type)...For an extra fee you can go to Havensight as these usually are just taking cruiser's from Crown Bay into town....Just be aware since you're docking at CB if there isn't another ship docking that day at Havensight many of the shops there will not be open...personal experience ;)
How about things being open on Sundays?
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to convince me which would be better. To stay at St. Thomas or take the trip to St. Johns. Right now we are trying to decide on Brewer's Bay or Emerald Beach. Unfortunately, it will be a Sunday so I don't imagine and actually calm relaxing beach experience will be too easy to come by.
I know it's usually a personal preference but I'm a information is power type of person so things that would work are you won't be as rushed and stressed if you go to St. John as you think to (only guessing) since so many of the itineraries include St. Thomas but not St. Johns you have less opportunity to get to St. Johns. That sort of thing.
I think we are there 8:00 - 5:00. So I don't want to feel rushed the entire time BUT we do have a full sea day and then a 3 full beach days to follow.
I know a lot of pressure and no problem if you don't want to sell me but I'm really not too excited even after all the information I collected on St. Thomas.
We have been on the St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, and St. Croix itinerary. So my desire is to get to lots of different places at least once.
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Thank you for your kind words!
I love Baby beach. I will try to give you more details with a list of pros and cons:
Pros
-Calm, shallow water
-wide beach
-good parking
-restaurant
-snorkeling (if you bring your own equipment)
-chairs and cabanas available for rent
-uncrowded
-beautiful scenery
Cons
-It is farther away and off the beaten track. 40 minute drive.
-I couldn't find a bathroom, even in the restaurant!
-large groups of school children come here for swim lessons. Didn't bother me, but may bother some.
-I saw NO taxis go there. You will probably need to rent a car.
In short, it is a great beach if you have the time and transportation to get there. However, there is nothing else in the area. It is strictly a beach-goers place.
I was just asking my husband if he may be sick of back to back beaches and if we needed to do something different in Aruba. First he stated "that it will just be different". When I asked what he meant he just said that he had no problems with 3 beaches so 4 won't be a problem.
Maybe this discussion will compel me to inspire him to rent a car for Baby Beach. I also found GoldenDomer's thread which reminded me to check back on a response abou this beach.
His thread is: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2069703
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Yes.
awsome!! We forgot to mention our money saving idea for RCC on our review Imagine how many hundreds of thousands of dollars a year could be saved if they made their coffee a proper strength. It's truly mud and that's by my husband's standards. I like mine little more dark than black tea. LOL
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There is no connecting door in this cabin. It is an E class cabin, 7688. The sofa is more of a love seat size. The D class cabins have the full sofa. Not all of the cabins have this type of bed, although I think all RCL ships have cabins almost just like this one. All 3 person E class cabins on Adventure have this configuration. The D class cabins have the upper bed over the sofa (if they have an upper bed). Some D cabins have an upper bed AND an upper berth or just the sofa bed. The bed will completely disappear into a panel on the ceiling when it is not needed. Our daughter slept up there. I slept on one for a cruise I took with my Mom and sister in 2012. They are actually quite comfortable!
we booked on board for nearly a month later than our actual trip and we were able to secure the Superior Balcony. None were available on the earlier cruise. I WAS disappointed but we really like the sofa so not so bothered now. We are hoping because of a mistake when the new schedule came out on the Junior Suites that either Cyber Monday or even after final payment date we can snag one for this cruise. Dying to go Emerald.
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Yes! We didn't even have to ask our driver. He just stopped for us. There is a place for the taxi drivers to pull over. I was delighted with Carambola. It was absolutely gorgeous!
It is a 15 minute drive from the port area. The views are incredible. When you get to Carambola, be sure to work out a time for your driver to pick you up, although there are taxis there all the time. You go inside the restaurant and pay for your chairs at the front desk. They give you a ticket and you see the beach attendant. The beach service was prompt and the food very good. We did not have anyone pestering us to buy things on the beach. We didn't try to snorkel, but we saw others snorkeling by the rocks to the right side of the beach as you face the water. There are showers and good restroom facilities. I would highly recommend this place!:)
WOW. So to the point. Much thanks.
We were told the same thing about the taxi driver setting up a time to come get us at Grand Cayman two weeks ago but he did NOT show and then in Cozumel the reviews led us to believe our taxi driver was staying at Buccanos Grill & Beach Club also known as Cozumel Club Calibre while we were there. Not so. Much confusion when the manager left and we had to ask TWO people to call us a taxi. Not having such a good experience with transportation.
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Day 7 final sea day and debarkation
Sea day 2 was mostly a repeat of sea day one. We spent a lot of time aft at the FlowRider and slides. I had to complete the dreaded task of packing that last day. I got it all done before lunch. I wanted to get it out of the way so that I could enjoy the final moments of my cruise. Again I skipped the loud craziness of the pool deck. Instead I retreated to my balcony to nap and read. I LOVE those wake views!
I visited NextCruise on our final night. I ended up booking a Celebrity ship for winter of '19. It is for the Summit sailing from SJ. I have never sailed Celebrity before. We get Elite status on Celebrity for being Diamond on RCL. This gives us some benefits that I am not entirely familiar with yet. I feel that I got a good deal since I ended up with $300 on-board credit and free internet. I had a choice of two benefits. The other 2 choices were pre-paid tips or a free drink package. This deal came with booking a concierge class cabin. Aqua class was already sold out 2 years in advance of the sailing date!
Our flight for debarkation day was at 2:30. I printed my boarding passes from the ship's computers.
Just a note to the gentlemen out there: We witnessed TWO men on two separate occasions get locked out of their cabins in their underwear! [emoji15]They were putting their bags out in the hallway for the night. One poor guy wandered around in his tightly-whities for about 15 minutes before he was rescued. My DH took pity and gave him a towel from our stateroom. The attendant who let him back in made him show his ID and cruise card before he left.
Another final thought is the beds. Boy are they hard! Disclaimer: I like a softer bed. I can usually manage and I travel a lot. These beds are just terrible, IMO. I knew this and took 2 pads for DH and I. I used a Klymit camping mattress under our mattress pad. It worked wonders for my comfort level.
We did not rush off the ship. We ate as late as we could and waited in the Diamond debarkation area: deck 4 MDR. We left the ship at around 10 am. Most of the crowd had dissipated. It took no time to retrieve outperform luggage and get through customs. We were in a taxi by 10:30 and at the airport before 11.
We had our luggage scanned by the FDA and checked our bags for our SouthWest flight very quickly. TSA was much quicker than the last time we were at SJU. We had about 3 hours to wait for our flight once we were at the gate. They have made a lot of improvements to the airport in SJ in the last few years. It used to be pretty sparse and basic.
Thanks for reading along! I am happy to answer any questions that you may have. My post cruise depression has been alleviated somewhat by writing this review!
yes for me it's best to treat post trip depression by planning the next cruise. I've been at it now for 10 days nearly non-stop. It works.
Your review is perfect for me in every way. Detail, facts, pictures and clear responses. Thank you. Yesterday I had figured out St. Thomas and St. Kitts and very easily in just one day I think I'm pretty clear on Curacao and Aruba.
Aruba was my bucket list item which compelled us to this cruise in the first place.
You didn't really offer much comment on Baby Beach and I don't want to assume that lack of comment meant (and moving to two others) "not so much". LOL
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This excursion only lasts 2 hours. It was just after noon and we still had the rest of the day before us. All my reading on Cruise critic paid off! I knew about Carambola beach club from my port research. We got a cab right from the dolphin place to Carambola.
The funny thing is that the weather completely cleared up about an hour after they cancelled our original excursion. It was a gorgeous day! I guess they had to do it due to the uncertainty.
It was a gorgeous drive!
We got to the beach and paid for 2 chairs and an umbrella at the front desk of the restaurant. I believe it was around $30. I think we paid $7 per person for the taxi each way. Our driver met us at the appointed time at the beach club to take us back.
The beach is gorgeous!
We spent an enjoyable 2-3 hours here before we headed back to the ship. Here is a photo of our ship (left) at the pier in St. Kitts.
I'm esctatic to have found your review via aubrey1988's. Even more excited to see since I had already decided on Carambola in St. Kitts (I've been researching for our next cruise for 10 days non-stop now) that the first picture appears to show the view I've read about called Timothy Hill.
I thought that my beach choice was going to circumvent this view and was constantly wavering on my prefered beach. Is there an overlook or pull off spot that the taxi might have stopped if you'd request?
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What is with the extra Murphy bed looking mattress above the head of your bed? I've never seen anything like it. They didn't have these on the Adventure in 2014. Perhaps it's because of the adjoining door not allowing for a sofa?
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Here is a PDF of the general cab fare calculation sheet. Hope it helps.
when it's mentioned there's also a charge for bags is that only suitcases or does it include the usual backpack and "purse" taken on the plane and kept in my lap on the taxi ride?
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There's a single cup maker, which I can't recall the brand- but it uses paper pods (that don't fit that well). Or you can use the other pot to boil water and use your own pour over device. I got one that folds flat at REI.
do they have coffee makers in Junior suites as well?
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sunshinechgo and blue_water
Thank you so much. Sorry I pulled the trigger sooner than I should have. Indeed it took me a couple hours of map comparing to come to the same results but confirmation helps.
Sunshinechgo
you mention how good it is to love St. Thomas "again". I'd love to hear more. Also what can you tell me about Emerald Beach.
This will be our first port of call and as such my husband and I make it a rule that we need an entire beach day so even though RCC has a very reasonable excursion to Sapphire Beach we won't join it because we don't want to be in a bus for untold time when we'd rather have the sun in our faces and feet in the sand.
to blue_water
Even though this is our first time to all four of the ports I always keep a running list of what I will do in these places another time around. It'll be our 5th time in Cozumel when next we go and I still have ideas. So all my research (thanks to your help) means I have everything I need for a visit to Sapphire Beach next time. I do regret that because of our port we won't be able to hit PARADISE POINT either.
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sunshinechgo is correct in that Lindbergh Bay (aka Emerald Beach) is a shorter taxi from Crown Bay than the East End beaches like Coki, Sapphire, Lindqvist, and Secret Harbor. But be aware that Lindbergh is nothing like Sapphire, and in our opinion Sapphire is definitely worth the $11 or $12pp and 25 min taxi. But if you want a nice beach close to Crown Bay (you are docking at Crown I take it?) Lindbergh is certainly more convenient.
The Emerald Beach Resort has a restaurant and beach bar and nice restrooms, and you can rent chairs from a vendor on the beach. No pool or other facility access for day visitors unless you rent a room for the day which is pricey. Island Beachcomber is another hotel on the beach and also has a beach bar and a bit more casual vibe. You will just not find the same beach, water, and island views that Sapphire offers but a fine beach to relax at. The jets at the nearby airport aren't too bothersome for most folks.
If you go to an East End beach you could hit Paradise Point on the way back, but you would need to budget your time for that and then taxi back to Crown.
Good luck! :)
Could you please help me blue_water?
I need someone with some geographical insight to help me choose between two beaches (Magen's or Emerald) since we will be docking at Crown Bay and want to go to the beach and then on the way back to the ship want to go to Paradise Point. We get in at 8:00 am and have to be on board at 4:00 pm so I know due to the skylift schedule we wouldn't be able to do that before the beach.
How do I keep from zig zagging over the Island?
Thank you.
J
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Yes you walk through right onto the beach. If you dock at Havensight this beach is a long drive. You go past the downtown area. RCCL is docking now at crown bay.
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First, do you know if Magen's Bay Beach is considerd an East End beach?
and
Is Paradise Point closer to Crown Bay or Haversight?
In other words, we are going Royal Carribbean . . which I see you mention now docks at Crown Bay. First planning on going to Magen's Bay (we get in at 8:00am and be back on board 4:00 pm) and then hit Paradise Point. Is this a geographically good plan?
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Happened to me as well, getting charged extra for a drink posted on the menu for 12.00. I would get charged 2.38. I went to dispute this charge at guest services and it took the lady 10 minutes to refund 2.38 to my Seapass and she had to call 2 people to do it! I mean, it's only 2.00 but it's just kind of the principle of the thing - I ordered a drink within the 12.00, was charged extra without being told, and didn't even have to sign a paper. Just ridiculous imho! I ended up just ordering the same thing so I wouldn't have any extra surprises!
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I hear you!! Even though we didn't get a drink package we did get a shock.
Hey folks, I'm not a typically skeptical person but after what I have now seen after finally reviewing our bill; I feel I need to advise you all to look closely!!
Here is the problem. . . three times my husband and I ordered 2 mojitos at a charge of $23.60. The first time was at the Schooner Bar and it appears the barmaid added a $1.20 tip after the receipt was signed. It would appear she was trying to get even with us for cutting into her flirting time.
Told my husband if we get a package next time he'll have to request a receipt because from now on we'll write "None" on the tip line.
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I have two links for you. The first is someone else also wondering what to do during the same hours. Notice my response (which is also linked) beneath that.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=52125080#post52125080
#50 on the above thread
I was given this recommendation on my last cruises roll call and thought it might be of interest as there's an option of tours starting at 2:00 p.m. Take a look (I can give you specifics on who it was who suggested it if you'd like)
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I was given this recommendation on my last cruises roll call and thought it might be of interest as there's an option of tours starting at 2:00 p.m. Take a look (I can give you specifics on who it was who suggested it if you'd like)
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From the London/UK Daily Mail and National Geographic today, they have this headline: "21 Best Beaches in the World" with these highlights: "Cas Abao Beach, Curaçao: Ringed by reefs, Curaçao hides a Caribbean underwater wonderland, and this beach is one of the few sandy ones on the arid island, with a bar and a shop to rent snorkel gear. Slip straight into the shallow crystalline bay alive with sea fans and coral, tropical fish, sponges, sea turtles, and more."
For Curaçao, unfortunately, we did not get a chance to snorkel here and/or visit this beach. Yes, this is a good reason to go back to this part of the Dutch ABC Islands. Love the below picture. Looks like great fun!!
Full stories at:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/top-beaches-world/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4139598/The-world-s-21-best-beaches-revealed.html
THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio
From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:
http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696
Now at 47,015 views for these postings.
This picture from the NG article showed snorkelers swimming with fish at Cas Abao Beach, Curaçao.:
I just wanted to let you know that all your hard work and research are still being appreciated. Headed for the first time to Curacao on January 21, 2018
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It might have just changed, but I am on the adventure now and there are no receipts for the people on packages
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I read somewhere that "The 10 drink card went on sale early...I think we first saw it on the evening of day 3, but it might have been day 4. The cost was $85 plus tip, for a total of $100.30." Can you confirm this?
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Check your cruise planner on a regular basis before sailing. They sometimes have sales for 20%, 25%, and 30% off pre sail. If you buy the package at 20% off and then it goes to 30% off you just cancel and rebuy it. You can do this all the way up to 3 days before you cruise. Sign up for your role call and sometimes people will post on their when they find it on sale. Occasionally royal will also send you an email to buy the package and it is on sale. Sales are different for different ships and even varies by the week you are sailing so the only way to know for sure is to check your cruise planner for your sailing.
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thanks so much. How would one find out about a Junior Suite sale vs. the balcony we have booked?
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It might have just changed, but I am on the adventure now and there are no receipts for the people on packages
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good to know. Thank you. I'm anxiously waiting for your review to hear about St. Kitts so I can finalize our trip for January 20, 2018.
Spending a Day on St. John
in St. Thomas/St. John
Posted
St. John on Your Own is Available on the Adventure.
Enjoy a narrated ferry ride along St. Thomas' picturesque southern coast, then shop, sightsee or snorkel the azure waters of St. John. Armed with your island information package, you'll spend 4-1/2 hours freely exploring the beautiful isle. Swim at a local beach, see the "Arawak" archaeological site, or follow the snorkel trail at Trunk Bay. Browse boutiques or dine in Cruz Bay. STO3
$39