AnchorsAweigh2011

When we were on our first cruise on the Celebrity Solstice we saw a US Coast Guard helicopter circling our ship after leaving San Juan. It turned out that a someone had a medical emergency and the helicopter was there to medevac the person to a hospital.

I would book an excursion to Stingray City. You'll have a great time!

I would still tip the people who go above and beyond to give you an outstanding vacation.

We enjoyed the Silhouette and would recommend you go ahead and book your cruise today!

We are back in the states and waiting at FLL Airport. We had an amazing time and met so many wonderful people. I will start a new thread and write a comprehensive review complete with all my photos, video, etc. I have kept all the dailys and I will upload them as well.

 

 

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Thank you for sharing your adventure with us and I am looking forward to your comprehensive review!

You can also book a stingray excursion in Cozumel.

I wouldn't fly in the day of the cruise. I would recommend that you fly in 2 days before your cruise and get settled in. When we flew in on the day of our cruise two years ago, we had to get up at 3:30 am to make our flight out of Montreal. We were so tired that we didn't go to dinner in the main dining room that night and we were in bed by 8 pm. We felt we had missed out on the first day of our cruise and vowed to never do it again. Another couple that we know missed their flight because of a snow storm and , as a result, missed their cruise trying to fly out the day of the cruise.

I am about to take my 2nd cruise and both times we fly in the day off. I guess I just like living on the edge. LOL

When we flew in on the day of our cruise two years ago, we were so tired that night that we didn't go to dinner in the main dining room and went to to bed at 8 pm. We felt we had missed out on our first day of our cruise and vowed to never do it again!

My favorite Solstice class ship is the Celebrity Silhouette. We did a Western Caribbean cruise last March and the overall vacation experience was exceptional. The staff and crew were approachable and friendly, the food was excellent and the ship was beautiful and well-maintained. We also enjoyed the coffee and the Hideaway Lounge on deck 7. The only caveat here is that the Silhouette needs to go in for repairs and is not able to cruise at top speed at the present time.

Just back from the Norwegian Sun cruise and excursion independently booked with cavetubing.bz.

 

No problems with tender times. I think the cruise lines like to "scare" folks into thinking they have to book a ship's excursion in order to get "priority" tendering to the dock. Our ship docked at 8:00 am and we got tickets to the first tender, and boarded by 8:30 am.

 

We were met by a myriad of staff people wearing the CaveTubing.bz yellow shirts at the exit of Terminal One, as directed. We were quickly loaded into a 12-person van for the 45-minute ride to Caves Branch National Park. We opted for the longer tubing excursion with lunch included for $50/person, and it was a wonderful day. Did not have to carry our own tubes, and the lunch and unlimited rum punch was delicious. Guides were safety conscious and knowledgeable. We were back in plenty of time to browse the shops and pharmacies before taking the 4:00 tender back to the ship.

 

Hint: wear good hard-soled water shoes for the hike to the cave. NO flip flops are allowed. They rent water shoes for $3.00. There are changing rooms at the park, and you can leave your belongings in the locked van with the driver. Do NOT wear scuba booties, as the path the to river is gravel. Husband learned this the hard way. Also, no water bottles are allowed in the park!

 

Tip generously, as they folks really earn it! You can tell they love what they do.

 

It is too bad that this cave system has been publicized so much, as it was crowded with lots of other ships' tours and outfitters. My husband was afraid that the water would be cold, but our tubes had "bottoms" to protect you from touching the water with your rear. But, the water was warm enough for swimming and cliff jumping. We even saw some bats as we floated out into the sunlight.

 

Go and enjoy!

We have booked this cave tubing excursion and are looking forward to it. Thank you for posting such detailed update!

We are new to cruising and have cruised on 4 ships with an upcoming cruise on our fifth ship this March.

Our first cruise was on the Celebrity Solstice to San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Maarten in 2011.

I agree with that 100%. Even if it's something that doesn't interest me, I'm all for having a wide range of entertainment choices. It would be extremely boring if the entertainment choices came down to a house band playing some sort of rock music in one bar, a solo guitarist playing some other rock tunes in another bar, or some DJ spinning rock tunes in a 3rd bar (and I'm a fan of most rock music)....

Variety is the spice of life. I agree with happygran and Paterson3 that we need more variety to suit every musical taste.

We just did a great Street Food Tour in Cartagena last week. $30 per person for a 2 hour tour that took us out of the old city and into the residential areas. We tasted 10-12 different food from a variety of vendors and got a feel for the "real" Cartagena. It's offered through Kristy, an Australian ex-pat who has settled here. http://www.cartagenaconnections.com/street-food-tour.html Just make sure to bring plenty of water - it gets very hot!

 

Oh - and someone on our cruise was mugged walking back to the port alone. Take a cab back and forth instead of trying to walk it.

Thank you for information about the Great Street Food Tour and the warning about walking alone while in Cartagena.

Thank you for posting your outstanding pictures and excellent review! We were on the Silhouette last March and are reliving our cruise!

Tipping?

 

 

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I think you should tip them well because it is an important source of income for the tour guides!

We are going to Belize this coming March and I was also concerned about the tenders. After doing more research on the subject, I feel much more confident now and have booked a private excursion.

No matter what it is, if you get 10 people in the business talking about something, you get 10 different opinions, but you know, they're amazingly well informed.

James Woods

Happy New Year Everyone!

Music is like food, everyone has different tastes!

I would recommend Stingray Sailing too! We went with Captain Chip and his crew last year and have booked them again for March of next year!

My wife and I have enjoyed listening to an a cappella group entertain us on our past cruises. We felt it added a touch of class and ambiance to our cruise. Do you want Celebrity to bring back the a cappella groups on their ships?

Thank you for posting the list on CC!

I would pick the Tuscan Grille for a romantic dinner. The food is outstanding, the service is excellent and the view of the sunset out of the ship's windows is breathtaking! I hope you you enjoy your anniversary dinner!

Thank you for sharing your Celebrity tips! I will have to try a few of them on our next cruise!

You'll want to snap some pictures on the top deck of of your ship as it is sailing into port. The scenery is beautiful!