SportsMomof4

We will be in St. Thomas on 12/30/14 & have nothing planned. We are a group of 13 (9 teens) getting in at 1 pm with 3 ships in port already.

What can we do? We would love to do something with the water & beach. Nervous everything will be so crowded. What would be a good plan for us?

Completely dropped the ball on this port. Please help with ideas. Thank you!

27...On the Sunshine for New Years :)

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We spent the last 2 New Years on the Breeze which happens to be one of the busiest time of the year, if not the busiest. We never encountered any lines anywhere. Never even had a problem at the buffet. We never smelled any sewer issues either that some have complained about & I have a nose of a dog lol.

We love the Breeze & had the time of our lives on both trips. This year we are going on the Sunshine for New Years only because we wanted an itinerary change. I'm actually concerned that the Sunshine won't even compare to the Breeze.

My outlook on it is you have to go & form your own opinion. Have fun :)

38 days until our group of 13 spends New Years on the Sunshine!!

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Thank you!

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Thank you for your help. So the plan will be Sapphire unless there is a wind advisory. If so, we will have to go to crowded Coki. Shopping we will do on our back back to the ship. Does anyone know what time the stores in Havensight close?

Thank you for replying. Is there any shopping near Sapphire? Thank you for your help!

We were thinking about the turtle cove sail & snorkel thru Carnival. Not sure if that would work for us since there is no beach time.

Looked into Island Marketing & their catamaran & snorkeling excursion but haven't seen any reviews.

All charter boats only accommodate up to 6 so that wont work.

We don't get into port until 1 pm that day with 3 ships already there & I am concerned beaches will be packed.

We are looking for beach time, snorkeling, activities, food & drinks for ages 8-48 with 8 teenagers.

Any help?? I would appreciate any suggestions. Thank you!

Can anyone speak to the verandah deck forward section as we are booked there in dec.

Us also. Would love some feedback!

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We spent the last 2 New Years on the Breeze & had not 1 complaint about the food.

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What time does the ship dock? The rainforest sadly isn't an option on ships that pull in later in the day because of the distance from port. If it's an early arrival, you'll be ok.

 

Our celebrity cruise docks at 3 and it's unfortunate because I really wanted to do the rainforest.

We get in at 8 so it would work for us. Although it's NYE so it doesn't seem as if the group wants to be on a long trip that day. So we may decide to have a low key day...forts then maybe OSJ & go shopping.

ATD basically works like a land restaurant.

 

You go any time between 6pm - 9:15pm (or there abouts), the time will be posted in the Fun Times.

 

You do not have to go at the same time every night.

 

You can ask for the same wait team every night, but you might have to wait with that many people.

 

I'm pretty sure the largest table is a 12 top, I guess you could squeeze in 13, but it would be tight.

 

NYE cruise, the ship will be full. I wouldn't wait too long to switch to ATD. It's popular and you might not get it.

 

Are all of your reservations linked? That should put you all at the same dining time.

What are the chances the group of 4 will get early dining like my group of 9? Everyone would rather be set with the early dining than to worry about ATD.

They are linked now but the group of 9 booked months ago. The group of 4 only 2 weeks ago.

We are a group of 13 going on the Sunshine for New Years. Nine of us got early dining. Then 4 booked & got anytime dining. We all want to be together so if the group of 4 do not get 6:00 dining, the group of 9 will switch to anytime dining.

I have never had anytime. Do we go the same time every night? Will 1 table accommodate all 13 of us? Will we get the same table & waiters every night? I am really clueless how ATD works!

Thanks!

We spent the past 2 New Years on the Breeze & had an incredible time both times. We had no complaints whatsoever & the only time we could ever say it was crowded was on New Years Eve which was expected. After docking next to the Sunshine in Grand Cayman, we are changing it up & going on the Sunshine. I'm excited to see the differences for myself.

We were there in 2012 & had a great day hanging out on the beach & at Margaritaville. My Husband & kids event went tubing at the beach. This year we stop there as well & we plan on doing the same thing with our group of 13. A couple of them want to do the flowrider as well.

It's a very relaxing low key beach day. We love it there!

When we were there in Dec 2012, we did this right at the beach. You get off the ship, walk to the beach & there are guys there doing rentals. I'm not sure what else they had but I know for sure you can go in the giant tube pulled by the boat because my Husband & kids did it. They loved it.

We are going back this December & hoping we can do it again.

Thanks for all of the great ideas. I will talk them over with the gang & see what everyone wants to do!

We just got back from a cruise this Sunday. We did the El Yunque Rainforest tour with a private company called Natural Wonders. We had an absolutely incredible time. The guide picked us up at the Sheraton across the street from where we docked. We had a private tour for 8 at a cost of $60 per person for 5 hrs. I can't say enough about this amazing rainforest. The guide educated us on the history of Puerto Rico, its culture, its people, and the richness and beauty of the rainforest. He took us to areas of the national park only accessible by hiking. We also saw and walked under and through waterfalls not seen on the cruise ship shore excursion to the same rainforest. It was definitely for active participants. I very highly recommend this tour.

 

 

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Great feedback...sounded great. We will look into this!

Our ship gets in at 1pm. No private companies offer any excursions after 1pm. What can you suggest we do with a group of 13 besides beach & shopping? Guess we will have to book excursion through the ship? :rolleyes:

One question about Coki...can you rent snorkel gear & kayaks?

Thank you for sorting out the differences. Now we need to decide which suits us best!

We want a low key relaxing day with snorkeling, beach chairs, umbrellas, drinks, bathrooms & food.

From what I am reading, seems like Coki or Sapphire are our best bets?

Are there any other activities offered on these beaches like jet skis, banana boat rides etc??

Any information would be great. Thanks!

This will my 1st time in SJ. I have to be honest....I am really disappointed with the excursions or options in SJ. We are a group of 13 (4 adults, 8 active teenagers & 8 year old) & we don't want to go to the forts or ziplining. What else is there to do?! There doesn't seem like much.

Are there any reputable tour companies?

Are there any water activities (banana boats, paddleboards etc...)offered at Condado beach?

Wondering if it's worth it to do a resort pass.

Any ideas would be great!

We are in port from 8:30-2 & 4 ships will already be there before us! We plan to go to Junkanoo beach 1st, get our spot (there are 13 of us) & then some will go off to do parasailing with Freddie. Will the beach be too crowded by the time we get there?

I have researched everything else. Since we are leaving port at 2, we don't have much time for day passes or a trip to blue lagoon.

Any other suggestions?

I went the safe route...I booked thru Delta direct!

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