crisp1

So if I booked the 'Free at sea' with the $50 excursion credit per port- unless I called it in or booked on board I'd lose the credit? And let's say I did book excursion (s) pre cruise online- can I cancel it (them) and re-book either by phone or on the ship and get my money back

The Gem is the only ship docked that day. So getting picked up on the second level should not be a problem- I hope :)

Our last cruise on the Gem we were told that we had to cross the highway in order to get picked up by our driver. I read on another board that it's possible to get picked up on the second level- same as the drop off for the cruise- is this correct- has anyone done this- have you had any problems with doing this?

Thanks

Don't worry, it won't be the same night. :)

I'm thinking it's the night we leave Tortola at 1 pm- the next night ( a whole day at sea) would be the Norwegians Night Out

We're booked on the 11 night Gem out of NYC- what I gather is the Norwegian Nights Out ( dress up or not) are the second day at sea and the second to last on the way back- When is the White Hot Night- I hope it isn't one of these- I don't get enough days to 'dress up' :) ;)

Chris

1. why would their travel agent call you?

2. how would the T.A. know they were a no show?

3. don't they have a cell phone?

 

 

CCL is extremely organized with boarding. They know exactly how many people have checked in or out. The whole scenario is a bit sketchy.

I'm a friend of those (onboard) and also a client of the TA- The TA got an email saying that my friends 'cancelled'- he called CCL and asked why it was cancelled and was told it was because they were a no show- cell phones only work while you are in a 'home' port- think about it, this all came to his attention after they were at sea on their second leg- they don't stay connected while at sea and only use phones while in the States

I have friends on a BTB on the Vista last week/ this week- same cabin- bookings were linked/ connected. I got an email from their TA that they cancelled the second leg- I couldn't believe it- they only cruise CCL. My only thought was that it was due to a family emergency. I sent an email to my friends and asked our TA to keep me informed. They haven't responded ( don't do email while at sea) He called CCL and was told they were a no-show for the second leg- so I think it's a family emergency, so I email my friends again and get no response- then I message their daughter- she responds that they are on the ship- talked to them in between sailings while they were on the Lido watching the next bunch board and that they had walked back through customs before re-boarding Seems to me CCL ships and shore don't know what each are doing- I'm just glad they are ok ( along with family) and enjoying the 8 day second part of their cruise

Momof3etc- Thanks for your insight as time of arrival back in NYC- I get where they are coming from- but I have never been on a cruise that ending in NYC/ NJ that got into port after 8 am- although I saw a couple ( from the beach in NJ that didn't)

Enjoyed your review. We are on the 4/18 11day. Your review brought back memories of our last Gem cruise.

The itinerary for our cruise has us arriving back in NY at 10 am- what time did your cruise docs have you arriving. We are using a car service- less expensive than driving/ parking. I don't want to get thrown off the ship and end up waiting around for our driver

thanks

I know that these days most people/ kids drink 2% or fat free, but is whole milk available in the Lido and restaurants?

We usually go to Club O, but I have read that happy Bay is an alternative. We'll have a car. The map shows a road that leads to Happy Bay. Does anyone know if there is parking at Happy Bay, and how long of a walk from the parking area

Thanks

Having a 'senior' moment- yes, counterclockwise will get you to Maho later vs sooner. I think that if you leave Maho by 2:30- 2:45 you won't have any problem getting back to the pier before 4. If you do get back a bit early- there are plenty of shops, live entertainment etc right at the pier.

thanks again...for any info...we leave on Saturday Dec 19, our day in St Maarten is on a Tuesday 8-5. i want to be able to see as many interesting points as we can during the day, but hit the bigger planes at Maho then make sure we get back to drop off the car before 4

 

i need a timeline i think so we don't get hung up somewhere too long, we will go counterclockwise around the island so Maho near the end of our tour

Going counterclockwise you'll pass the airport and Maho early. Is there anything other than Maho that's on your list- beach/es, sites, shopping? I recommend a stop in Marigot and check out the open air market and Fort St Lois overlooking Marigot. There is a hill near the port overlooking the port and Philipsburg for photos of the ship. I also like Pinel Island, but you really don't have enough time for that. If you plan on hitting Orient Beach you could have lunch there- I prefer Grand Case- depending on your tastes/ budget. There are some good restaurants on the water or the LOLO's- also on the water for bbq. I prefer the Sunset Cafe at the Grand Case Beach Club

Chris

that's awesome info, thanks very much for all the help!

I just remembered that we will not be any where near the airport on Saturday- we'll be driving into Philipsburg from Orient that afternoon. We will be driving to Grand Case on Friday afternoon and will drive over the bridge on the lagoon. I will still try and report what I see traffic wise both days

good info, thank you. My biggest concern is being able to see the bigger planes at Maho (#1 priority for us!) in the early afternoon, then getting thru the bad traffic back to the pier in time to drop off rental car! All the reports of the bad traffic are scary.

 

Reviewing maps, it looks like there are a couple ways to get back to the pier from Maho, is any particular route more likely to have less traffic?

The newer maps should show the new bridge over Simpson Bay Lagoon. Definitely take that bridge to Union Road. The worst traffic is on Welfare road/ along the coast. It is a little longer ride , but going around the Salt Pond past the zoo instead of through town should also cut down your travel time. I see you're leaving on the 19th. We drop off the car on the 12th and board right after - a Saturday, commuter traffic shouldn't be a problem for us, but I'll try to post from the ship on our experience

We've been to St Maarten/ Martin numerous times. Our first time we did a tour with Bernard-a good idea- get a local's input, see all the highlights, and get beach time at Orient. Getting around by car is very easy- very hard to get lost. The important thing is to avoid the afternoon commuter traffic. We rent our cars from Coastal- they have a booth right at the port and their cars are just across the street. Pick up a map when exiting the pier area- the car companies have a limited supply. The best way to 'do' the island is counter clockwise so you'll miss the afternoon commuter traffic. Most first timers want to see the planes land-I don't have the link, but from my experience most flights don't land until the afternoon- our's arrives on 12/11 at 2 pm. The beach at Maho is nothing to get excited about and I haven't eaten at the grill there in years, so I can't comment. The most popular beach is Orient- my dw's fave- food at O is nothing to get excited about-but not bad for beach food. If you like open air markets a stop in Marigot is a must. My favorite stop is Grand Case. Some nice shops, plenty of restaurants- many overpriced- but there's the LOLO's ( locally owned, locally operated) with decent food and good prices- right on the water. We love the Sunset Grill at the Grand Case Beach Club there- great food, also right on the water. This trip we arrive in the afternoon pick up our car at the airport, staying at the Grand Case Beach club- we'll shop in Grand Case eat dinner and breakfast at the hotel, then head to Club O for a couple of hours and then drop off the car at the pier

Chris

PG only offers 2 excursions. We've been there before and found the locals rude to the non french speaking. We did manage to take the island tour/ fort/ beach. We are considering the other excursion offered by the TM- glass bottom kayak. Has anyone ever done this- are the kayaks single seated or double. Any other possibilities for this port- there isn't much information out there

Thanks

An update. We usually visit St Maarten by ship- occasionally fly in. We've used Coastal before when visiting by ship- they are 1 of a few that have a pickup at the pier. Their cars are just across the street. The main office is in Sucker Garden so they charge $15 fee to the rental- but I have found that their price is still much lower with that added fee, cars are new, service fine. This time we're flying in and cruising from Philipsburg the next day. Coastal is the only agency that offers (that I know of) that offers an airport pickup and a pier dropoff. It will add 2x$15 to the booking, but after checking out our other options, I chose them. A Coastal agent will meet us at the baggage claim in the airport and walk us to our car and complete our paperwork, the next day we get to drop off our luggage and car at the pier. Comparing prices to pickup/dropoff at the airport and adding taxi fees and (time waiting) I think it's just costing us an extra $5 or $10 ( without tip)

I'm going to answer my own question. Coastal does offer pickup/dropoff at airport or cruise terminal. We've rented from them before. I just have to find out if they have a free shuttle at the airport or if we have to pay for it

Has anyone ever rented a car, picked it up at the airport and dropped it off at the pier?

Curious, our last time on the TM we were in port every day. This time we'll have 3 sea days. What type of activities can we expect

We'll be disembarking on Saturday morning in Colon and have a hotel reservation at the Toscana Inn in Panama city. Is there a way to combine a tour with pickup at the pier and drop off at the hotel?

Well, I do!

I see you are on the Dec 12 th cruise.

Capt Zupan will be on board. He is joining the ship next week. I am sure of this as I had thought of joining you on this cruise and asked him if he would be onboard and he replied yes to me. I believe that Nelson Trindade will be the Hotel Director.

They are the BEST tag team on a ship. You will really enjoy all the wonderful things they will arrange.

 

Please say a big hi to them both when you meet them.

 

Miriam

Emdee ( Miriam ) I knew I could count on you knowing. We both cruised the inaugural season with all it's kinks. We got to cruise on the PG this summer and it was wonderful. I'll probably get some flack on this but the TM is still my fave- she will be missed. We had several options for our December week and thought it would be great to say 'bon voyage' to her.

I can't remember who we had as HD the first season, but we did enjoy Captain Lebrum- quite the character- hope Captain Zupan is as engaging. Really looking forward to some sea days this time, the first time was port intensive.

Chris

I did, and they didn't know- go figure

Can anyone tell me who the current captain is?