dogsdogs

I was on the Grandeur last month in a junior suite. The coffee pods they provide are Starbucks and while they are too much coffee for a single cup, they also provide a hot pot that heats up very, very fast and you can put some water in it and dilute your cup a bit. We had room service coffee the first day because they had been doing Norovirus cleaning and we had no pot the first day. I certainly thought the coffee we made ourselves in the room was better than that awful room service offering. It was way too strong and not hot.

The cookies were good on that ship (IMO) and they went great with a cup of coffee in the morning. I wish I had one of those cookies now!

We were on the Jewel twice last year and one of the cons for me is the main dining room. They added cabins to that ship, but the dining room is still the same size. The tables are so close together, it is difficult for the wait staff to serve you. You are close enough to snatch a shrimp off the table next to you. We eat later (8:15-8:30) and it was still crowded and loud then--I can only imagine how it was earlier.

We were in Cocoa Beach on 1/15/18 (GOS) and there is a shuttle right at the Port Canaveral port bldg. that charges $15 pp roundtrip. They go to a few different places and the driver we had was very helpful. They give you your round trip stub when you pay. We went into town, but mentioned to the driver that we wanted to go to the Riki Tiki Tavern at the pier and he took us back there on his way back to the ship.

Booked a guarantee JS for a January cruise through an internet TA. I have never booked a guarantee on RCCL before. I keep checking my on-line check-in screen but I'm not sure that will reflect it. The TA isn't much help--I knew that from the get--just used them to get the OBC. Will I be notified?

Has anyone done this excursion? I have found a good many reports of people booking their own excursion, but nothing about the one through RCCL. I would like to know what resort it is and if it was a worthwhile excursion.

We stayed at the Caribe Hilton before our 1/17 cruise on the Jewel. The hotel is a bit tired, but the view from our balcony was wonderful. Where it is situated isn't very good for walking to restaurants, etc. We took a taxi to the Wal-mart and back and it was $34 with tip.

We are going on the Jewel again 4/17 and we are staying at the Condado Plaza Hilton. It is just across from the Caribe, but I understand the location is better for pre-cruise shopping and restaurants.

It is bad enough if they actually run out of something, but I think they mostly just don't want to make the effort to go get it. That is true of food items too. One morning we were told they didn't carry sugar free pancake syrup on the ship and the next morning, the waiter brought some right to us. Same with peanut butter--one day they don't have any, the next day it appears.

Thank you for the great review. Was the OSJ tour a ship excursion?

You can take a small plane to St. Barts from St. Maarten. We did it years ago, and landing on their runway in St. Barts is an excursion in itself! Bring your passport.

Thank you for the detailed review. We were on this same cruise. Next time, try breakfast in the dining room. It is so much nicer to be served. Unfortunately, the coffee isn't any better. We didn't really have a decent cup of coffee the entire cruise. The eggs benedict in the dining room was delicious.

I haven't been to St. Croix before and I was wondering if there are independent tour guides who wait at the pier trying to fill up vans or jitneys for informal tours of the island. This is true of most other islands we have been to, but I wasn't sure it would be the case in St. Croix. The ship's tours are so expensive, and I hate to prepay for a scheduled tour in fear of not stopping in St. Croix for whatever reason.

Is this a Celebrity Cruise? We did a Pacific coastal cruise on a Celebrity ship and they bussed us there from San Diego. You didn't have to buy a transfer--it was part of the cruise. By the way, it was poorly organized and a complete mess. There were people waiting endlessly in a hot tent outside a San Diego hotel. Our bus driver got lost and we drove in circles around Tijuana--we even had to stop for gas. It took close to four hours to get there.

I think the bus fare is about $2.50, but they don't make change.

Xyankee--We have been to the zoo many times while on a cruise. You can catch the public bus not far from the pier. You may need to transfer, but the bus drivers are friendly and helpful. They will drop you off right at the zoo. To go back, you will catch the bus in the same spot where they dropped you off. It is simple as can be.

Often, there is a person just outside the cruise terminal who has brochures for activities in San Diego and they will sometimes have coupons to get a reduced ticket at the zoo.