seashinesunshine

but 5 days!!!

 

sailing Glory in 5 days, we leave saturday.. welll i DO have to pack..

 

if anyone has any questions they need answered that i can find out while on board let me know.. i WILL bring back all of the daily compasses ( or whatever they are called i forget!!! )

Have Fun!! :)

We are doing the walking tour of the forts and when we finish we would like to walk around old San Juan. Is it a safe town to walk freely?

 

Also wondering if we can make phone calls home. Or if wifi would be commonplace around the city.

Very safe, except for the above mentioned neighborhood, it would be hard to stumble into it by accident though. We really enjoy it.

As far as your cell phone working, that would depend on your carrier and plan. Last time (Jan 2013) Verizon told me I could text but not call free. Others have said different. I usually just get it in writing a few weeks before the trip. Did you know that Verizon has a cruise ship plan. The plan itself is free but you do have to sign up for it and tell them which ship, and not all ships are on it. You can text for 50 cents to send and 5 cents to receive, I can't remember what calls were per min. But you do have to be out to sea and on the ships router. It is a nice way to keep in touch a few times, esp when the kiddos are back home.

We have been to Folkestone Park a few times, the adventure part is the bus ride there. Really fun and an economical way to get around the island. At Folkestone there is of course a beach, not the best beach, but good snorkeling. There is also an old church. I believe it is St James Parish. Very old church and you can walk thru it, there have been people there to tell you about it etc. There is also a graveyard that is very old and really nice to walk thru. One time we didn't feel like swimming so we got back on the bus and took it all the way up the coast and into some farm land. Just be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get back. Really fun island.

I agree that he won't need them, not because his feet are too big, just that they are really not needed. We never use them.

I am confused, I have been on 7 cruises all but one with Carnival and always have a great time and see no reason to switch lines. However to satisfy my curiosity I was checking some other things out which made me have this question:

 

Why would other people cruise elsewhere? I do understand that different ships may be newer or have different activities etc but look at this comparison:

 

Leaving FTL on either 8/2or 8/3 this is what I found

Carnival Freedom 8 day $479 inside room

Royal Carrib. Allure 7 day $1099 inside room

Disney Dream 7 day $2143 inside room

 

To me that money can be spent on other things or additional cruises, yes different strokes for different folks but am I missing something?

I feel the same way, it depends on what you want in a cruise I guess. Our last one was with RCCL, hubbys choice, but I did have a hard time spending more for basicly the same cruise. Oh well next cruise with bring the kids and doing a b2b there is no way I could have justified spending more to do RCCL. We have fun either way.

Is it any good other than the planes? Is there an admission fee or any water activities? Is the water clean/nice? Any snorkeling from it? We would like to see it but I want to make sure it's a nice day apart from just seeing the planes land.

 

What's best way to get there and cost?

 

Thanks

8$ pp for a taxi as of Jan 2013.

The main attraction is the planes, which we love, there are a few bars that are fun and have great looking food.

There is no admission, if you take a chair in the shade in the bar (that's the only shade) it would be courtesy to buy a drink.

The water there is not good for snorkeling or even really swimming. People swim in it and do ok, but the waves are very strong. Didn't just toss me on the beach, picked me up and threw me on the beach. I would not let young kids swim there. However, I will concede that maybe both times we were there it was bad surf days. Conditions can change.

I have heard of a nearby beach that is more of a normal beach area that you can easily go from one to the other but I haven't done that, maybe someone else knows.

My recommendation is to go to another beach in the am and go to Maho by 11 am, that is when the bigger planes will start coming. There are a lot of smaller planes, so the show goes on all the time.

Can't wait to go back!

Is there anywhere to do horse back riding in St Kitts?

There are a few. We did the horseback riding with a small stable on Cockelshell Beach. It was informal and fun, 25$ and we rode about an hour. There was no safety, no helmets, saddles were English with rusted stirrups, etc. But it honestly was very fun. The guys had 3 horses and a donkey, they love their horses and the horses were well taken care of. My daughter has been riding and showing since she was 8 and it has been her dream to ride in the ocean. After the trail ride, he let her ride his donkey too. She thought that was fun. Anyway, might not be what you are looking for, there are more formal places, this was 3 years ago. Here is a link to a quick video from our ride.

I agree. Skip the $2 bills. I don't know when was the last time I saw one. And I definitely wouldn't go to a bank and ask for a stack of them to use for tips. Use $1 bills and skip trying to be clever and unique. These folks work for money they can easily spend, not novelty items.

Side note, As crazy as it is, we have had a hard time spending them here in the states. Can't tell you how many times a cashier has to ask her manager if they take them. My son likes to ask the bank for them just for his own fun, not to bring along. :D One guy at a gas station tried to tell him they are very rare and he shouldn't spend it. He told the guy he wanted to spend it and the guy bought it from his till as soon as we gave it to him. Money collecting is great fun. And it's always at least worth face value.

Make sure to have the correct birth cert. It has to have the raised seal, and she needs a state issued photo id. I am assuming you checked to see if your cruise needed a passport and know that she doesn't.

Don't forget to have fun and take a lot of photos of the 2 of you together, not just pics of one or the other of you. :)

Great Tips, here are a few I would add

1~ Don't forget to take a group picture!!! We forgot, 16 of us from a few different states, probably won't get together again. :(

2~ Scan copies of your passports, trip itinerary, booking numbers etc and leave them with someone at home. That way, should everything get lost etc, someone at home can fax you info.

3~ For fun, bring some "Where's George" bills. My son finds a lot of them since he works at a gas station, he buys them from the til and we enter them in saying we will spend them on our cruise to ------ in the month of -------. Hopefully when someone comes across it and checks the history, they will enjoy the journey the bill has taken. If I get time, I may get a stack of bills and stamp and enter some new Where's George bills. Anyone who is interested it's at www wheres George dot com. Hope I'm not breaking the rules by posting that.

4~ pack some of each person's clothes in different suitcases in case one suitcase gets lost. Never had it happen, but I don't want to be without.

Happy Cruising

CAN'T Decide - Old San Juan or Condado for 2 nights pre-cruise. Cruise leaves from the Pan Am pier, but don't mind taking a cab from airport, to hotel wherever it is, and to pier. We do not want to spend 300+ per night, so if we stay in Condado, will most likely be a hotel and not a beach resort. Definitely want to walk around Old San Juan one day, but should we stay there or go during the day and go back to Condado at night? Not sure what we will do the second day - maybe rainforest tour or maybe stay around town. I guess the real question is where do we want to be at night?

Thanks for you help!

Either way will be fine, the bus is a cheap way to get back and forth between the 2. The busses stop running at 9pm, so if you stay in OSJ later you will have to take a taxi back. Condado may be quieter, but there are noisy parts there too. We have enjoyed to Comfort Inn in Candado, Da House in OSJ, we also stayed at La Quinta In Condado, that was ok and had an AMAZING roof top breakfast.

On Carnival you can book up until the day of embarkation. We booked 20 hours before a ship left once. In order to book the day of you have to call Carnival directly. I know some of the other lines (I *think* RCI is one of them) you have to be booked a day or more in advance.

 

When we booked a day ahead it was not cheap ($700pp x 3 passengers) for a regular balcony on Pride in February. It was the most expensive cruise we've booked yet, but we had to take whatever they had available and we wanted out of the snow.

Nice to know! :)

Thanks for all the great info! I do love my snorkeling, but since we are doing a b2b I will have more snorkeling opportunities, we'll have to see what our trip brings, but I am intrigued.

It is possible, but I'd check availability at some point early in the second leg. We contemplated this on our last b2b and there were no cabins available.

I would check on the time frame, I know they have to have a list of passengers something like 48 hours ahead of time.

Can someone tell me about the chair lift to the beach in Roatan? I watched a couple of Youtube videos and as someone who grew up on chair lifts on snowy mountains, (uh hills, I skied in Minnesota :D ) it is really strange to see one down there, esp with people coming back at you.

How Much does it cost?

How long is the ride?

What beach is at the end?

Is it a good snorkeling beach?

Can you walk to or from that beach?

If snorkeling is not good there, is there another beach close by that you can walk to?

Haven't been there before but plan to be there next January.

Thanks in Advance for any insight.

Looking to book my first balcony stateroom and can't decide!!

 

Serenade of the Seas has two D1's on deck 9 I am waffling over: 9658 is an aft, and then either 9076/9074 which are the first/last on the portside hump.

 

I've been reading older threads that talk about the 'long' walk to the aft and how convenient the hump balcony rooms are, but I wonder about sun and the view.

 

How much sun do the hump balconies get vs. the aft? Which view do most prefer?

 

We're not sun worshippers and I think that the more shade there is, the more we would enjoy the balcony.

 

Any and all comments (as well as photos!!) would be appreciated!

Our only balcony so far was an aft on the Victory. We have one on our next cruise. :D

My thoughts on the aft were this. It was nice and big and really functional. We had a port every day that cruise so we did not use it as much as if we had had a sea day. It was not at all private. If you were standing at the railing, the dividers slant so the divider is at railing height, so if you turn your head, you can very easily see into your neighbors room, as well as their entire balcony. Not that I am needing privacy on the balcony, but it is nice to leave the curtains open to let the sun in your room and not worry if you make a quick clothing change or something, that people can see in. I can't wait for a balcony again! We picked just a normal side one for this cruise.

Going to be in St. Thomas in 2 weeks on the Allure was wondering about some good snorkeling places ? Thanks

My personal favorite is Coki. here is my video. Easy snorkeling from the beach and even if you want to just walk in and not swim in, you can see the fish.

Are there lockers to rent here?

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I have always felt that putting lockers on these beaches would be a huge money maker for the locals. Wish there were more so we could snorkel together instead of one of us always having to watch the stuff.

DH is a big hot sauce fan, but not Tabasco, which is only thing he can seem to find on the ship. Have they changed to different brands? And is so does anyone know what kind? Also can DH bring his own hot sauce onboard? Thanks in advance!

You could also buy some in port, try some new ones. Might not work if you are flying home, but then again, for a few dollars, he can eat what he wants in the week, then leave the rest.

Any questions, just ask

 

 

 

Looks like you had fun, I'm sad Funship Freddy is gone. I also love the towel animal that is laying on your bed, haven't seen that one before. :)

I have read on here to bring one but I've heard they can be confiscated??

Do I bring one and where do I put it?

 

 

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Yep, we have always packed ours in our checked. I am pretty sure they are on the list not to bring, but I didn't know that until we had brought ours a few times, I bring it fully expecting that if they take it, they take it and I won't complain.

Not so sure what to do in the night time, we arrive at 4pm and depart at 11pm, any suggestions would be very appreciated!

OSJ is a great port to just walk around, I would suggest being at El Morrow at sunset, and there is a sidewalk along the old city wall beneath the fort, or you can find a local place to eat.

When we do our b2b we are taking the kids the first week, then sending them to the airport to fly home while we cruise alone the second week. Has anyone done this before, I should say my "kids" will be 17 and 19 so they will be fine, but I can't convince the mommy in me that they will be fine. Depending on my brothers travel plans, they may or may not have adults with them when they go to the airport. I know I could get off the ship with them, and then come back but listening to all these stories, it sounds so much easier to stay on the ship. This will be in the Port of Miami and they fly out of Miami airport.

Any Advice? Thanks in advance.

I am looking at any suggestions that might be something different/fun to do that isn't through the cruise ship shore excursion desk or beach related. If anyone has any suggestions and also a fun place to drink/eat, I would greatly appreciate it!

 

 

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Coral World. Sort of like beachy, but not really. I am pretty sure there was food and drink there.

Secret Harbor. Smaller and quiet, but not much shade. There is a bar there and chairs etc to rent. Great snorkeling!

7 ships are a lot, but not totally uncommon.