rupertfrog

On 12/22/2022 at 7:16 PM, reedprincess said:

Anthem of the Seas will almost certainly dock at Pointe Seraphine - there's a large shopping area with all the typical port shops, couple eateries, bars, etc. Rum Therapy is fun if you're wanting to stay right on-site. 

10-15 minutes walk out of port and along the road (turn right out of the port and right 9n the highway) to Castries Craft and Food Market - rated #3 food market in the world by NatGeo several years back. You can see it "across" the water, you don't actually cross the bay, it's easily walkable. 

Take a left out of port on the highway and walk around the end of the airport to Vigie Beach or grab a cab for $10usd one way. About a 30 minute walk, long stretch of beach, smell Boardwalk with local eats and drinks, chairs, tons of shade, clean bathrooms..

There's a water taxi that plies between the two main docks, $5usd pp for 2-3 minutes ride to save a 15 or so minutes walk.. drops off at La Place Carnage, basically - more of the same typical port shops, etc but smack in town - not that's there's much at all to see in town as it's a gritty working city, not a scenic touristy town or village. 

Enjoy. 

Thank you for that information ... We will be in St Lucia in March with RCCL. We usually cruised with a group before Covid so looking for information. Our Roll Call is pretty quiet , not used to that, re: ports and excursions

On 10/30/2022 at 4:47 PM, Sun Lover said:

We are staying at the Sheraton Old San Juan for two days before our cruise.  Does anyone know about how much a cab will cost to get from the hotel to the Pan American pier?  I assume we can get a cab right at the hotel or they can call to get for us?  Do we need to pay the cab driver in cash or do they take cards?

I see you are from Upstate NY ... where? I am from the Capital District area.

When is your cruise? What ship .. We are in March 2023

On 10/31/2022 at 1:37 AM, Ashland said:

I believe we paid about $18.00..taxi's are in front of the hotel they'll hail one for you..yes use cash.

Thank you for the information ... I am just pre-cruise planning for March 2023. Friends stayed at this hotel in the past but we had stayed at the Stellaris. Wasn't sure of cost from here

On 12/5/2022 at 1:35 PM, Grego said:

We are very interested in seeing any progress with the trolley system. Any excursions offered for our January voyage are already sold out.

Also interested to know ... we have a March 2023 cruise and will be in pre & post cruise so that would be good to know about

Thank you so much for the review but especially the pictures & videos!! I am booked for this cruise in April 2019 with a group of friends we met cruising ... so can't wait to be back together again!!!

Ocean Boy nice seeing your comments too. Hope you've been cruising along ...

Peekaboo bridge.

Where is this located???

Does anybody have the soft drink prices so that I can see whether it's worth getting a package or not?

We have always done the soft drink package ... it is roughly $96 for the 2 of us ... and we feel it is well worth the cost. We do like soda with our meal & after walking in port I usually have a couple glasses of tonic water so I believe it is cost effective for us.

Thanks Gambee!!!

 

We're sailing on the Silly March 9th and can't wait! Your most excellent review has kept me going through these long, cold winter months :)

 

thanks again!

Gambee ... I'll be with DWDW on 3/9/14 ... Would love if you were able to get the shots of our sailaway on the Silly ... We signed up for a Webcam Wave shot from Portside Aft .....

Love seeing her each Sunday ... and missed yesterday so glad you posted these!!

I loved your excellent Silly review .... Say hi to Mom!!!

just subscribing.......we sail in march 2014, Have never sailed this class ship. We have done the Jewel and Serenade out of SJ We found that the ships kind of shut down so to speak in port, can anyone tell me how it is for The Adventure on port days? We have excursions booked but not in St lucia or St Croix. We did the Allure then the Jewel, It was a little hard after being on a ship that doesn't stop to one the comes to a screeching halt in port.

 

No matter we just love cruising!!

 

 

I have also ask on the SJ area which hotel to choose after the cruise as we have never stayed after. I would like to see old San Juan ive been there twice and not had time to see it. but also have the option of the beach if we want it. I just don't know what to do! any opinion would be great! Ive seen good and bad reviews for so many hotels I cant make up my mind.

Not sure what you mean by "shut down" on port days ... but yes many things are not open while in port but you can still get food, spa services, and pools/bars etc are open - naturally the casino & shops are closed in port.

We've stayed our last few AOS cruises at the Marriott Stellaris .... about $20taxi to/from airport; and very easy to get taxi around town & it's on the beach. GREAT burger joint "BUNS" across the street

Merry Christmas & Happy 2014 to all ... Robyn & OB hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Hey :)

 

My husband and I have booked for the adventure, sailing out of Southampton on May 8th. I only found cruise critic after I booked, and read some awful reviews on the ship.

 

I'm a little worried now, though reading through this and the first thread has made me feel a little better.

 

Is there anything we need to know before we leave? I know it's still a while off, but I like to be prepared :)

Our favorite ship! Great layout & features! Awesome crew each time we sailed her .... and many were thee each year & remembered us!! That says alot for this ship & it's crew!!!

uh oh I haven't heard any of these rumors about our favorite ship moving to another home port....

 

what is the scoop??

My question was because I'm hoping they are only rumors ... & I see a couple cruises from FL, the rest are still from San Juan. I'm hoping it is all "rumor/wishing" for our beautiful ship to be where other people are willing to cruise from & wanting to sail on her!

Hi everyone :D Thought I would pop in my favorite thread about my favorite ship!

 

I made final payment yesterday for my February 23rd cruise and I can't wait for cruise lucky # 13 on the AOS :p We are in an Owner's Suite and are really looking forward to it. We are staying 3 nights pre-cruise at the Marriott Stellaris and 2 nights post-cruise as well.

 

I was on the Explorer a few weeks ago with a stop in San Juan - the AOS had just returned that very same day from it's TA. While in SJ I had dinner at Barrachina - it was very good, and the Pina Colada was outstanding.

 

Happy Sailing!

Welcome back Robyn!!! Nice hearing from you ... Enjoy our ship ... Thinking I'm returning in 2015!!! Is it true she's being transferred to another port permanently after drydock?

We will be on AOS for the Christmas cruise. My info says boarding begins at 1:30pm. We need to check out of our hotel room by 11am. Can we go directly to the Pan American dock that early? If that is too early, is there somewhere near there (walking distance with suitcases) to grab a bite to eat?

Go to the pier .... I've always been onboard before 1:30pm .. we always have lunch on the ship!

Hi all! Leaving on 01/19/14! Can't wait. Going with three teens - 13, 16 and 19. Best excursions????...doing the Aruba, St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Curacao tour. Thanks in advance!

We did the Jeep 4x4 on Aruba in the morning & then took the bus (opp. pier) ask for a "transfer" (gets you the return trip without additional fare) .. up to the Westin walked through & onto the beach. Had lunch at Bugaloos & walked the beach area ... lots of options to stop & great beaches.

Had a tour with Thetford Grey in St Kitts .. his brother was our driver & he went "gingerly" (his favorite word ... they'd recognize that in a referral). He took us all over - AWESOME tour & we had time at the Shipwreck Beach Bar to see green monkeys, mongoose, time in the water & lunch - VERY good food & reasonably priced .. relaxed atmosphere, lots of families there.

ENJOY!!

Originally Posted by Koohiichan

Hey, Robyn and all:

I can't wait for our January 2014 "B" cruise on AOS. We just loved the ship, people and itinerary. It is awesome to leave from San Juan in the wintertime.

I, too, am worried that we may be overdoing it on excursions, even though ours don't look as active as Sjpsoccer's. Here are my ideas:

- Barbados: Calabaza Catamaran (already reserved)

- St Lucia: Cosol's Island tour

- Antigua: Day Pass as Jolly Beach

- St Maartin: Dolphin swim on Anguilla

- St Croix: ?? Maybe stay on boat and just get off to shop/look around

I am considering cancelling Jolly Beach for saving money and giving us another ship day (just get off to look around and shop.) I think our excursions are becoming very costly. The dolphin swim is for dd and the catamaran is for us adults!

I would love advice on what to do on St. Croix

Cheers,

Koohiichan

I just saw this post ....

Calabaza is AWESOME!! Gina & her staff treat you royally ... she gave a top notch day and so refined! The food is all homemade & delish ... We would do another tour with Gina on Calabaza in a minute!!

Cozol tours - we did our first with him this past March. Since many of us had been to the island before we asked to change up the tour a bit which Cosol was more than willing to do for us. He met us at different points during our tour to check in with us (as we were a smaller private group with our own plan through him) ... VERY impressed from the moment we met him personally at the pier gathering area.

Antigua's claim to fame is 365 beaches ... and we've visited a few, so far not a bad one was found.

St Croix - I was personally a bit disappointed but knew it didn't want to be like St Thomas so it is MUCH less developed. We took a "ride" to the other side of the island and browsed the shops, ate & found a little brewpub by the water ... then returned to the pier area shops. I did like being off the ship & it was a "lowkey" type day on an island which in the long run was nice after many busy stops.

I agree this is a GREAT itinerary ... we've done it several times!!! Enjoy!!! Say hello to Gina for me!

We board adventure of the seas on dec.1 we get there at 5 in the morning any suggestions what we could do till it's time to go the port . I know it's real early any suggestions would really be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Check to see if there are any "precruise" activities ... San Juan is a beautiful place & lots to see. Love just walking around the area, old buildings & churches to see ... much won't be open at 5am. Rainforest is beautiful too ...

Hi, all!

 

I've enjoyed reading the thread on Adventure of the Seas! I haven't gotten through all of the old thread, but I've read the "new" thread and there is a treasure trove of information, so, thank you all! I'm glad to hear it's a favorite for some.

 

I've just paid in full for our group of 20 (yes, 20), sailing on the February 9th cruise. My husband and I were on Mariner in July 2010, so we feel pretty comfortable with the lay-out of Adventure. We've only cruised as a couple, so we have no idea how embarkation is with a big group! I know on-line check-in helps with embarkation waits, but does anyone have any tips on making this as painless as possible? My sister is traveling with us with very small children, for example, and is worried about melt-downs. My hubby and I could ditch the whole group (we're in a Grand Suite and Gold level), but that would be a bit cowardly, especially as our kids are among them! :)

 

Thank you in advance,

Amy

Amy ... In March we arrived at the pier a little after 10:30am for the Summit .... we were 2nd in line our group friends (20 in total) arrived shortly after us ... were just a few people back in the line. We all just did "standard" check-in with our preprinted SeaPass information. Took only minutes & we were seated together waiting to board the ship ... wait time was about 30 minutes ... We were eating lunch before noon onboard!! Hope that helps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HARP

The room steward only gets $3.85 out of it (non suite).

The steward helper on turn around day gets $1.00 of it.

Food people get 6.80.

Got a letter on it.

If you add it all up 11.65 plus $0.36 CC charge it's $12.01 per day.

But they raised from suggested $11.65 per day to $12.00. A 3% raise to cover the Credit Card cost.

If you pay your bill with cash who gets the 3%? Great question...

Will have to ask that question sometime....:D

I dunno, I'm no big shot, but these folks work awful hard and are far less fortunate than I am partly due to my good fortune being born in America....I hope they don't lose any money

__________________

We pay in cash based on $12/pp/day. In advance I calculate what the "cruise line" would say is the gratuity ... then I usually round it up to an even amount. IF/WHEN we have had "excellent" or "special" service from a particular person, we add extra cash.

FYI - I was told by the staff (when we had missed our waiter in the MDR for the tip envelope & hunted on disembarkation morning) ..... that if you leave the gratuity envelopes at the desk the staff do not receive them for over 1 week after the cruise. NOT sure how true that is but that is what we were told, & the person who told us offered to call the person we were looking for so we wouldn't leave the envelope at the desk.

Check the daily schedule, or ask the Captains Club host(ess). I asked in another thread and was told that they have them on all ships.

 

The samples are OK, but you can get food in other places on the ship. The tour is something you have to see! I actually went twice last cruise since they offered it on two different days. Be sure to bring a camera!

Thank you with 2 sea days on the Silhouette I'll be sure to check it out & always have my camera ready!

Premium drinks package will get you Grey Goose Bloody Mary or Screwdrivers at the brunch:D Do not miss the brunch. Go early to admire the hard work the staff put in for this presentation and to grab a table.

 

On a sea day we noticed staff setting up cooking stations and we were told to come back for a galley tour. When we returned we were escorted in parties of 30 for a tour of the galley and educated how each station worked. After the tour we tasted 5 or 6 samples. This was totally free on the Reflection last December. It was a very nice treat that other lines charge a fee for.

Would love to do a galley tour .... where more specifically did you go to get told to return for the tour? The samples would be great too!

aaaaah, I miss the old thread :(:( Many happy memories made on the old thread.....:o

I agree Robyn & OB ...

Robyn like the new picture!!

I will be on Adventure in March 2014 and I can't wait!

 

In the research I have done so far I am considering:

- Barbados: Calabaza Catamaran One of the best excursions EVER!!! Gina & her crew treat you like royalty ... absolutely fantastic day ... I'd book again in a heartbeat!!!

- St Lucia: Cosol's Island tour Did Cosol's tour this year although since others had used him before we "customized" our tour ... one of our best land/sea excursions to date! Cosol was visible throughout the day & we were treated well!

- Antigua: Adventure Antigua Eco tour or the Circumnavigation tour 365 beaches .... you can go to a great beach here ... sure there are other options. We did a land tour .... Roads are at times "severe" (mention this as I get car sick - not a great day; & my neighbor does not get car sick - was scared half to death on the roads --- just our opinions!)

- St Maartin: Bernard's Tour II Not sure what you are after but you can get the water taxi at the pier & head across to the bay ... We've used another taxi & been very satisfied... even sent notes to reserve him for upcoming dates.

- St Croix: Gecko's Island Tour This port didn't do much for me.

 

With such a port intensive cruise' date=' am I trying to do too much at each port?[/quote']

 

 

Aaaaw!

Unfortunately we are not doing a b2b this time. Instead we are 3 nights pre cruise in San Juan and 2 nights post cruise. We really enjoy San Juan and consider it a big part of our vacation experience.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Robyn we love San Juan & know that is a big part of the vacation!! 2014 - we are doing a Western itinerary from Florida .... will miss the AOS 2 years in a row :(:(:(:( But when we finally are onboard again she's going to be Fresh!!! We will be on the Celebrity Silhouette in 2014 ...

Gambee ... I love sailing & the catamarans we've done in the Caribbean. Glad you had a good time ... it sure looked like a great cat! I've wanted to go to Bermuda but DH wasn't sure ... your pictures are certainly helping me convince him .. THANK YOU!

We are going on the Sili in March ... followed your review of that cruise too since it will be the same itinerary for us. Just hope we have better weather than you had ... it's our first western carib cruise.

I'm also watching the Quantum .... I was interested in the SoCarib ... my favorite places & leaving from NJ means just a 3+ hour ride to the port vs a flight.

Gambee ... thank you for taking me along on the Breakaway!! I just finished Day 1 .... great job as always & you do a fantastic job with the pictures plus your descriptions.

My boss is on the Breakaway right now ... Hoping I'll finish the review (at least a good portion of it) before the boss returns.