momscruising

On 10/25/2023 at 8:49 PM, blue_water said:

Hi seahorse001 - Spring Bay is near the Baths and so has a similar topography. The walk to the beach is flat, whereas the boulders of the Baths are accessed by a downhill path. My memory is that the Baths are a much more unique experience, but of course the vast majority of your fellow cruisers will be going there. 
 

How long are you in port?
 

 

 

Hi Blue Water, I'm jumping in here to ask; how long do you feel we would need in port to explore the Baths on your own?  Our port time is 7AM to 4PM.  We've been to the Baths on a previous cruise but would like to try it on our own this time around.  Years ago, you helped us greatly with excellent information about getting to Saphire Beach, so I value your input.  Thank you.

On 12/7/2021 at 10:10 AM, blue_water said:

Yes the facilities for day visitors to Sapphire are just fine IMHO as well, not as nice as the restaurant and restrooms at the Emerald Resort in Lindbergh Bay, but exactly what I would expect at a non-resort beach and nicer than at some other popular beaches…There was talk of the restaurant being taken over and reopened, that would be great!

 

We don’t have any staying friends there now so I have just been asking residents/land visitors what they are seeing day to day. I’m sure you will see some feedback from recent visitors, you may even want to start a new thread. The STT forum on TripAdvisor can also be a good resource, as some residents and most land visitors will be active there and can answer these types of questions. And TTOL (travel talk online) is another source, that is excellent for the BVI and SXM in case you are cruising there…

 

When we stay at Sapphire it is usually in January. There can be sizable swells in the winter months. For example we’ve seen Honeymoon Beach on STJ completely submerged while snorkeling Caneel Bay, and good-sized waves at Sapphire. But never any sargassum at that time…🤞

 

And yes we started seeing the stuff in Playa March/April as usual. It cleared up nicely later in the summer months. you would not expect sargasso to even be part of the discussion right now would you? I questioned that comment above because a friend’s friend who works there reported no sargasso the same week. But another day there was some in the water due to a major storm in the Atlantic so it can happen. 
 

Enjoy your cruise! Three good-sized ships in port, but with nice weather Sapphire is an excellent choice as you know! 😄

 

Blue Water, thank you for all your valuable information on Sapphire Beach.  7 years ago, we visited Sapphire Beach because of your post on CC.  We absolutely loved our day on the beach.  We'll be docking in Havensight in late March, and we are the only ship in port that day.  I believe I read the taxi prices are regulated, do you know if this is in deed the case.  Years ago, we were told to go outside the port to catch a taxi.  I'm not sure if that was for quicker transport, or less expensive.  Would an open air taxi still be the best option for getting to Sapphire Beach?  Any other advice you can give?

Thank you,

7 hours ago, compozer said:

Does anyone know what hotel or hotels Princess uses in Anchorage?   thanks

I don't know if this is the ONLY hotel Princess used, but they put us in Captain Cook hotel.  We've stayed there in the pasted and enjoy the location, so we will be returning for an extended stay between cruises.

When I was searching for a rental car in Saint John, I came across Enterprise, along with Avis.  I ended up booking with Avis, so I don't have any first hand knowledge of the Enterprise company. 

Enterprise is  located at 10 Crown St., Saint John, NB, Canada.  It looks to be about a 20 minute walk from port, but maybe they would deliver a car portside.  Good luck.

Hopefully this link will be helpful.  It is from Tom's Port Guide website.  On page 5 it show the location of an Avis car rental.

https://www.tomsportguides.com/uploads/5/8/5/4/58547429/saintjohn-nb-05-30-2014.pdf

On ‎6‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 9:38 PM, Ombud said:

Love info from natives. To that: can I walk to Reversing Rapids? According to Rome2Rio its only a few miles, but are those miles along a freeway or a walkable path? 

 

The path is VERY walkable.  The wide open paved path is along the waterfront for the most part and toward the end of your approx. 2.5 mile walk is a sidewalk climbing a slight hill to view the rapids.  

We have our reservation already, but unfortunately we have to wait until NEXT July, 2020.  Can anyone tell me if they rent the Go Pro cameras at the zip line, and if they do, do you recall the price?   We rented the Go Pro for our zip line excursion in Canada and it was nice to have.  Thank you,

We had a wonderful meal at Testa's restaurant (Lobster roll) in Bar Harbor, http://www.testasbarharbor.com/ and in Newport we enjoyed a meal at The Red Parrot Restaurant. I would second going to Quincy's Market in Boston, they have quite a selection of food stands.

If you like Boston Cream Pie, be sure to get the 'original' while visiting Boston.

Can anybody who's paid $99 for the all-inclusive photo package comment on when they found that $99 pricing? I've been checking my Cruise personalizer for an upcoming Cruise early next year, and the all inclusive photo package is still listed as $199. Just trying to figure out if there's a chance it'll come down to $99?

I purchased our $99 deal for our upcoming March 2018 cruise. I believe the deal went for approx. 3 weeks, possibly starting the end of Jan. to the first or second week of Feb. I'm watching for it again for our 2019 cruise. It looks like a great deal!

We cruise a lot on Princess.

Finally I can get rid of some of the cards to each of my family members on our first family cruise on 11/5/17 on Regal. My two grandchild will be so happy to use their cards for gelato.

We just got off the Regal last week and we were not allowed to use a coffee card punch for our gelato purchase. Maybe this varies from ship to ship. Hopefully it works out for your grandchildren.

I grabbed the $99 deal for an upcoming cruise also. If I remember correctly, it came out in late February or early March. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it will come out again next February (or earlier), and I can grab it for the following year.

Personally, I would grab a private tour or even a taxi that leaves a little earlier than the ship tour. That has three advantages. One, you'll get there before the ship excursion, so less crowds. Two, you'll probably save enough to more than pay for your lunch. And, third, you can pick the restaurant you want to eat lunch at (or skip it altogether) rather than having to eat at the excursion's choice.

Can you recommend a private tour that takes you to Peggy's Cove? Also, if we took a taxi, do you know the approx. cost? Thank you,

We did this tour last Oct. 2016. You are correct that Princess stops at one winery, called Grand Pre` Winery and you get 4 or 5 small samples. We were disappointed that it was only one winery, but the tour was nice. One the way to the winery, we made one stop at a country market to stretch our legs. We made one other photo stop where we actually got to disembark the bus before making our way to Wolfville, there we had about an hour or so for lunch on our own. We did get to see the Bay of Fundy (from the bus) before and after the tides, and that was quite interesting. We spent quite a bit of time on the bus just touring. We personally like to be more active than just sitting, but if that's your thing, this would be a nice tour.

We were on the Regal last week, Oct. 22-27 and my DH and I were lucky enough to have the parmesan basket with fettuccini three times as an appetizer. When I first ordered the dish, the waiter told us they were no longer available, but to our surprise, the parmesan basket came out in our order. I was a happy cruiser!:D

We'll be in Belize in a couple weeks and I'm looking at a tour through Shore Excursioneer that has no reviews :eek: which makes me a little anxious. Here's the description:

 

Belize 2 Site Snorkel with Sea Turtles and Caye Caulker Beach Break Excursion (S2282)

 

 

We're using Shore Excursioneer in Belize too. We leave in 2 weeks, I can give a review when we return if you are leaving at a later date.

 

http://www.shopperapproved.com/reviews/shoreexcursioneer.com/

I know some of you are using Trikes- Aruba as an excursion. I saw this coupon and I thought maybe some of you could use it. I wasn't sure how you booked the excursion, because this coupon states you have to book directly with them.

http://digital.nightspublications.com/pdf/A_Offer_Trikes-Aruba.pdf

http://nightspublications.com/aruba/offers/activities/10-trikes-aruba

I hope the link works. Good luck.

I tried Shoreexcursioneer but they don't offer anything in Belize.

I am looking for some place similar to book excursions.

 

Can anyone help?

Thank you' date='[/quote']

 

We just booked our excursion through Shore Excursioneer for Belize, maybe it depends on when you're traveling. We're traveling in November. https://www.shoreexcursioneer.com/belize

We are looking into driving to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal for a cruise and driving there on our own. I've research to try to find recent information for parking at the terminal, but what I've found is several years old. I called the phone number, but the office isn't open until May 17th for information. Has anyone used the parking at the terminal recently that could share their price per day and experiences?

Does anyone know when it's scheduled for the drydock? We'll be on it in April 2017.

Thank you Karen and Sid 6169 for the websites, I'll check them out. We're looking forward to experiencing the waverunners in St. Thomas.

Does anyone know which beach would have the most motorized water gear for rent? Banana boat rides, tubing?

 

Thanks!

I've been asking this question for over a year. Just last month, someone got back to me and mentioned that Emerald Beach had water sports. I specifically asked about wave runners, so I'm hoping we'll find them at this beach. We're cruising in March and plan to check it out.

I agree with Robin, sail with Calabaza. Very small group of visitors and they cater to your every need! They served a delicious lunch and had your choice of drinks.

We're going to be in St. Thomas in late March and are looking for somewhere to enjoy some water activities. We're looking for possibly jet skiing, parasailing or banana boat rides. I read that Blue Reef Watersports has closed, so was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for locations.

If St. Thomas doesn't work out for water activities, we'll take suggestions for St. Johns. We could always catch the ferry over for the day. Thanks in advance.

On the subject of luggage tags; do the paper luggage tags (from Princess) hold up during an airplane flight? I've always had access to a stapler before our cruise, and attached them at the hotel. This is one of the few cruises, we are not doing a pre cruise night. We'll be flying in to Fort Lauderdale in the morning, so I was wondering if I should attach the tags pre flight. Any insight is welcome. Thanks