tartan cruiser

On my January Edge cruise you have to click "view all" at the bottom of the listed excursions to see the complete list. Not sure if this is for all dates. My booked horseback riding excursion wasn't showing until I clicked the view all tab. Tortola shows about 15 excursions including 2 for Jost Van Dyke.

We stayed in E319 on the Regal in 2/2019.  I looked at that picture too and thought it didn't look right. I think it's the angle which the picture is taken. There is a lifeboat in front of the balcony but it only comes up to the floor of the balcony so looking down is obstructed but looking straight out is fine. We really liked the location, view, price and size of that room. Would book again.

On our 2/16/2019 Punta Cana was cancelled 2 days before we were scheduled to arrive. Samana was substituted on this Eastern itinerary. Shore excursions filled quickly. I heard the cruise before us went to Tortola. I'd research Samana. We had no idea what was available and had no internet to do research so we booked through the ship. Glad we did since it didn't appear there were many options available at the port. This is a tender port also.

Wow, thanks again for all the great information. I am for sure going to get those food truck tacos.

Glad to hear they taste as good as they look. Great prices too. Confirmed our choice of Paradise Beach over Mr. Sanchos this year. I don't mind the added 18% but good to check to make sure they get their tips. Taxi prices helped too so I know what to expect.  I've cruised Regal last year but you've added so much information I've seemed to have forgotten or missed. I'm getting very excited after reading your review. We love movies under the stars and most of these are ones we haven't seen yet. German night is our favorite night in the buffet. If you remember what night that was we would appreciate that also. Thanks again for doing your "live" from the Regal. Enjoy your remaining time and Safe Travels.

Again, thanks so much for the awesome information. An explanation of the internet really helps. I didn 't know about the 25% off for platinum so I'll wait until the 1st day to buy the pkg. Those bug bites look nasty, so I made sure I have bug spray along. You saved me some itiching! We also usually go to Mr. Sanchos but had already decided to go to Paradise Beach this time. I'll have to check how many ships are in port with us. I assume the same ones. Good to know to get there early. Those tocos look delicious. Approximately what to they cost? Is the food reasonable priced too? Love your pictures! Have a great rest of your cruise and I love reading about each day's experience.

Great review. Looking forward to your port reviews also as this is the itinerary we will be doing on our Regal cruise end of January. I was wondering about the 25% platinum discount. I don't see it listed under perks of the Captain Circle. Is this new? Do you have to ask? I was thinking of booking unlimited internet but will wait until onboard if an additional 25% is available. Thanks for your help. Enjoy your 2nd week!

Thanks for your help. I'm guessing if they have a show it's probably shortly after the ship arrives. Will check on board with shore excursion desk.  Not much information regarding this port since so few ships stop here. I'm thinking we'll probably just take the shuttle to one of the beaches. $109 (Celebrity excursion) seems expensive for a beach day. I was originally looking forward to this port since we've never been here before. Now not so much. Again thanks for your response.

boardgirl148, a previous poster talked about a show at the port that was someone on stilts and circus like. Lasted about an hour. Did you notice anything like this when you got off the tender? Just wondering how often it was performed or what time is was scheduled. Any help would be appreciated. Will be on the Equinox in February.

I was also considering this excursion through Celebrity. Hope someone has done this excursion and will post their experience/opinion.

I would also give a thumbs up for bonaire vista tours. Great price and the husband and wife owners are some of the friendliest ever. They really know the island.  If you've never been to Bonaire I would suggest a guided tour rather than on your own. Having someone explain what you are seeing really adds to the experience IMO.

Just a heads up. If you want the oceanfront LQ make sure that is the one you book since there are 2 in the Cocoa Beach area. One is across the street from the Palms and about a block from the ocean. The LQ closer to the Pier is the nicer one and oceanfront.

Thanks Charleysmom for the great information. Good to know there is a dive shop next door, too. Our son and his wife are certified divers and like to snorkel too. This would be the best of both worlds for us. I like the fact they limit the number of guests too. We've been to Tropicante but wanted to try something different.

We've stayed at the International Palms for the last 5 to 6 years every January and February. Have not stayed at the LQ or Best Western. I have to agree with SteerageJoe's advice. LQ first, Best Western then IP.

We were able to find reasonable rates at the IP so that swayed us to that property. They also have an $8.95 resort fee in addition to the quoted rate. Rates lately have been on the high side in my opinion. The rooms are very basic and not all include a microwave and refrigerator. The bathrooms are what I would call rough. The property itself is nice, especially the pool and grounds and nice bar right on the beach.

There is a Denny's across the street for breakfast and a Dunkin Donuts about 2 blocks away. They don't offer breakfast as part of their standard room rate.

At times the property can be noisy due to lots of cruise groups and sports groups that book this property. I would book this property if it is a lot cheaper than the other options otherwise consider staying somewhere else.

Hope this gives you more food for thought.

Jaime's Tropical Resort sounds great. I looked at their web page and they say unlimited food and drink. How did this work? Could you order from the menu or was a buffet set up. Just curious. I see the boats in the picture. Could you also book this at an extra cost? Was it snorkeling, diving or both? Thanks for your help. I think we would really enjoy this place.

Have enjoyed reading your experiences as we will be on the ship Friday 1/26. We also have the Exotic Garden tour booked through the ship. Was looking forward to it but now not so sure. It does say a complimentary umbrella is provided along with a chair. Might have to get some clarification from the shore excursion desk. Thanks for the heads up.

We just got off the Getaway today, too. We disembarked at 7:45 am so no delay at that time other than walking half way around the ship to the gangway. Looking forward to your review as we are on the 1/26/2018 sailing. Wondering if you could find out if cans of soda are available on the classic drink package? Thanks, Will be following along. Love the pictures you shared of your stateroom. Wow! Enjoy your cruise.

I was told my gratuities for my 1/26/2018 cruise will increase to $14.50 pp/day. Wanted to pre-pay with OBC but can't use it for gratuities pre-cruise. I have lots of OBC so wanted to use it instead of money out of my pocket. So will have to pay the increased charge onboard. Would have liked to use the extra $1 per day to tip the room steward extra myself. That way I would be sure he/she got the increase.

I'll second Rose and Jim's taxi service tours. Excellent. Used them last year with a group from cruise critic. Both Rose and Jim give tours but don't count on being able to book with them at the pier. We had no space left on our van since our group of 10 filled it. They said they also contract to do island tours through the ships which Jim was doing that day. Just a heads up on our experience.

It might be hard to do both dinner and a show so close together. A show reservation will only allow you to get into the theater not assigned seats. If you get there just a few minutes before the show you could have to split up since might not be 12 seats together. Just something to consider. Also haven guests have reserved seating but if they are not filled they usually open them to anyone about 5 to 10 minutes before show time. This might work with or without a reservation. Someone might have more experience with a large group and what has worked for them.

I agree most survive just fine .We were not willing to take the risk as I stated in my post. Just wanted her to be aware that the rocks are slippery and injury was something to consider, especially with a 6 year old. My young grandkids always seem to be more prone to slipping and falling.

Regarding Red Stripe beach, yes it was with Royal Caribbean. Didn't realize it was exclusive to RCCL. Looks like Bamboo beach is over by Dunn River Falls so a longer bus ride. We went to Dunn River Falls when we cruised on another cruise line but did not hike the falls. We walked the stairs along side the falls. Saw lots of people falling and slipping on the rocks and didn't want to spend the rest of our vacation injured. But I think our age had some influence on that. Late 50s at the time. Not sure it would be worth the hour each way bus ride. The vendors around the Falls are pretty aggressive so I didn't like that aspect either.

I seem to remember you could buy shuttle service to Montego Bay inside the port area. Not sure of all the details. Maybe someone else has done this or has more information. Also I seem to remember seeing a pirate ship in the bay but don't know if this was exclusive to RCCL either or if it is still available. To me exploring the port area and then spending the day on the ship doesn't sound all bad to me especially if you will have other beach stops.

This is one place you'll want to do a ship excursion in my opinion. We usually do private excursions but not here. We went to Red Stripe beach through the ship with the grandkids twice. They provided the bus transportation. About 15 minutes from the ship and return transportation about every 1/2 hour. Bamboo beach sounds similar, just a different beach. Really enjoyed the plantation tour, too. Not sure the kids would be impressed though. Agree the river tubing sounds like fun although I've never done it.

It's still $17.69 for a plate of nachos. No way, I don't care how many people are sharing it.

We've done both with our adult children and would go with the Escape because of the drink package as a perk. If everyone is a non-drinker then it's probably a toss up. Our grandchildren love the Freedom but their parents like a few cocktails and wine with dinner. The costs add up quickly. So we are trying Getaway for our next family cruise. Not perfect, but the included drink package tipped the scale. Also I like the entertainment currently on the Getaway. I thnik the entertainment is good on Escape too.

I agree about the "cream" topping. I think they used real whipped cream in the past and now it's the artificial version. Wish they would use the real thing. Usually we skip the fake stuff and get a scoop of ice cream for on top. It's good we don't eat like this all the time.