flowers44

Just now, Joyefulcrusier said:

Yes, we are on the Equinox.  Sailing August 19 - 27.  Counting the days. 🙂

 

We are on the same sailing.  I have been to the ABC Islands one other time.  My Cruise Partner has not been there.  I know it is going to be very warm there in August.  I have a golf cart reserved but have been looking at car rentals too.  The Golf Carts sound like fun but using one might be really warm.  I am thinking the rental car would have AC and we would be out of the sun while we traveled.  Still, the Golf Carts sound like a fun way to travel.  I just got a message on Facebook back from Bonaire Cruisers.  I asked them if they rented snorkel gear and they do.  It is $5 for a mask and snorkel tube.  Not bad.  I understand that the snorkeling on Bonaire is rated once of the best places in the Caribbean.  My Cruise Partner has never done it and I have done it once in Hawaii so we are going to give it a try on Aruba with a shore excursion so we get some instruction and then on our own in Bonaire with a drive around the island.  

On 3/31/2023 at 9:25 PM, hannah508 said:

UPDATE: I received a reply from Stinapa directly: 

As a cruise passenger you don’t have to pay any nature fee. Just identify yourself as a cruise passenger by showing your cruise ID. And you should be good to do any water activity on the island.

Hope this helps.

 

This is good to know.  Thanks for posting.  

On 4/24/2023 at 12:34 PM, Joyefulcrusier said:

We will be in Bonaire from 7:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.  Is this enough time to do the north and south loop on the golf carts?

 

Thanks for any information. 

 

Joye 

Are you on the Equinox?  Those are the hours we will be in port also in August.  We were 8-5 and they changed our time about a week ago.  

44 minutes ago, janetz said:

I believe they do but I would double check with them via email 

I have sent them an email but have not heard anything back from them yet.  

We are going to rent a golf cart to tour around Bonaire in August while there on a cruise ship.  Do any of the shops rent snorkel equipment.  We really don't want to buy our own and have to bring it with us on the airplanes getting to the port.  Any Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  

Does Bonaire Cruisers have snorkel equipment to rent?  We want to stop at a few beaches and snorkel but don't want to buy the equipment and haul it along with us form home.  Or are there places on Bonaire who rent the equipment?  

I am sure this is probably covered someplace in this section but I just find it easier to ask the question again.  I am doing a 14 day cruise/land tour of Alaska in June.  Just wondering if there is anyplace to do laundry so that I don't have to pack 14 days of clothes.  How does the laundry on the Noordam work and are there laundry facilities at the various hotels along the land portion of the tour.  We will be staying in Hotel Aleska and the Mt. McKinley Princess lodge in  Denali before we end our tour in Fairbanks.  Looking for laundry facilities about half way through the trip either onboard the ship are at the Hotel Aleska.  

So do all of us hope this cruise happens.  We are really looking forward to it.  

We have a reservation on Nieuw Amsterdam for the May 23, 2021 cruise out of Vancouver.   We are keeping our fingers crossed.  I was able to get a signature suite with a really nice balcony.  Great thing for an Alaskan cruise.  First they need to open the boarder between Canada and the US so we can fly into Vancouver to get on the ship.  There are three of us ladies going on this trip.  It should be a good time as long as we get to go.  

You can usually get your passport stamped at a Post Office in the port and sometimes at the Port of Entry itself. Not sure on this port. You could ask one of the attendants as you enter the port. They can probably give you directions to the nearest place.

Just checked on line. It says once you tender into port, there is a small building where the Custom Agents are. Go in there and they will stamp it for you. It says it is a really cool stamp. It is a Turtle Pirate with a peg leg. Good luck.

Can you get your Passport stamped at the cruise port?

 

Thanks,

David n Kelley

You can usually get your passport stamped at a Post Office in the port and sometimes at the Port of Entry itself. Not sure on this port. You could ask one of the attendants as you enter the port. They can probably give you directions to the nearest place.

Or just fill out the form

https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/allaboutcruising/guestSpecialNeeds.do

Thank you for the link. I have filled it out and submitted the form. I also sent an email to the Special Needs Department. We are in a Promenade Room so I know the outlet will be on the opposite wall from the bed. I am planning on bring some duct tape along to fasten down the extension cord to the carpet to prevent a trip hazard during the cruise.

My cousin and I are traveling on the Liberty of the Seas on Sept. 16th. She uses a C-Pap machine. This is my first time traveling with someone who uses one. What should we do in preparation for her being able to use her machine while onboard the ship. Knowing the lack of outlets in the cabins, do we bring a power strip and extension cord or will RCI provide approved ones for her to use? She also needs distilled water for it. Does RCI provide that as well? Just want to make sure we have everything in place when we check in.

I always enjoy your reviews. The pictures were awesome as usual. The pictures you took on St. Maarten made me very sad. It will years before those islands are as beautiful as they use to be. Feel so sorry for the people who live there. Thanks again for sharing a wonderful review.

My DH and I took our first cruise in 1984 on the Song of America. It was out of Miami and went to San Juan, St. Thomas, the Bahamas. Classic first cruise itinerary. We also sail on her on her last voyage as a RCCI ship but I can't remember the itinerary, I think it might have been our first trip to Bermuda. Would have to check my cruise history to be sure of that one.

Yep, I was right. It was a 7 day to Bermuda on the Song of America in Sept. of 1998. I fell in love with Bermuda and have been back about 8 times on different cruises. We took our family to Bermuda for our 50th Wedding Anniversary back in July of 2013. Wonderful trip and the kids and grandkids fell in love with Bermuda too. Great memories to hold onto since my DH sudden passing last June.

My DH and I took our first cruise in 1984 on the Song of America. It was out of Miami and went to San Juan, St. Thomas, the Bahamas. Classic first cruise itinerary. We also sail on her on her last voyage as a RCCI ship but I can't remember the itinerary, I think it might have been our first trip to Bermuda. Would have to check my cruise history to be sure of that one.

If you have sail on Celebrity and Princess, I would say you will not find NCL as glitzy. NCL is more of an entry level cruise line. Don't get me wrong, you will have a good time with NCL but it won't be as fancy. There are no designated Formal Nights. Every night is casual.

Tips can be prepaid with the reservation. They will be a daily charge on your stateroom statement if they are not prepaid.

The pool area is always crowded and there are chair hogs that seem to think the "no reserving" does not apply to them.

I do believe there are up charge items on the menus but really can't remember for sure.

I have done one Celebrity and one Princess cruise in the past. I travel most often on RCI or NCL. NCL is my favorite way to get to Bermuda because of their itinerary.

Happy Cruising.

Price drops would be great, maybe we'll be able to upgrade ourselves. What's the NRD fare?

NRD is No Refund on Deposit fare. It is something RCI is doing now. Sometimes give a slightly lower fare than one that you can get a refund of your deposit.

Just remember airline restrictions if you are flying back home after your cruise. It would have to go into your checked baggage and that is always a risk that it will get smashed in transit. Just saying, it might make for quite a mess in your suitcase.

We are flying into Hobby in October and taking a shuttle to the port. Anyone have an idea where we can purchase 12 pack to take on ship?

I doubt you will be able to take a 12 pack of anything onto the ship. Most ships have put a stop to taking anything other that water onboard. They can't make their money if you bring your own beverages.

Sunday should be a perfect time to drive. About 5 hours. Be sure to stop at Bucee's in Madison ville (about half way between DFW and Houston)

Thanks, I kind of figured traffic would be a little bit lighter on Sunday. Will definitely look for Bucee's in Madisonville.

We are sailing on Sunday, Sept. 16 out of Galveston. I will be flying into Love Field in Fort Worth/Dallas and staying with my cousin in McKinney. We are planning on leaving early in the AM and driving to Galveston. Will traffic be less since we are traveling both ways on Sunday and how much time should we allow for the drive? MapQuest says 4 hours and 45 min.

We are lucky enough to get to take three totally different cruises in 2018. Though we have been on all three ships before, they now have different ports and itineraries.

First, Freedom in January. Do they offer walk disembarkation off on this ship?

Jewel out of San Juan, how much is cab service to and from the airport to port? Or are the transfers from RCCL a better price? Liberty out of Galveston, same question about cab, transfer etc. We are thinking of driving to Galveston, what are parking options ?

Thanks for any input.

We are sailing out of Galveston in September. I just made parking reservations at Park n Cruise. It is supposed to be just one block from the terminal and is gated parking. They also offer inside parking. The outside parking was $65 a week if you make your reservation and prepay.

DH and I have done this several times and many different hotels. Some have taken our license numbers, others have given us something to place on the dashboard, and others did nothing. Best bet is to call the hotel directly and see what their policy is. No use in worrying about it when you can just ask someone.

They use tenders from the Port of Bar Harbor, not off from the ship. We were there in October on the Serenade of the Seas and had no problems. The port tenders hold a lot of people each trip.