FredZiffle

Our last cruise, we stood around outside the terminal looking for a porter. Finally decided they taking bags inside, so we got in line. Nope. Checked in and were told we could drop our luggage off on the way to the ship. Nope. Ended up just bringing our luggage on board with us. It was a bit of a pain to drag suitcases for an hour or so until cabins opened up, but so nice to be able to unpack immediately instead of waiting for luggage to be delivered. I might do it again.

I just read the answer in another thread. Yes.

We paid in US dollars a couple of weeks ago - no problem. I don't recall whether they accepted credit cards.

We took a taxi from the port to the fort with the intent of catching another taxi when we were ready to visit the walled city. From what I had read here, it didn't sound like walking was a good option. But, once we were in the fort, we could easily see the road leading to the clock tower entrance to the walled city, and it didn't look too bad, so we decided to walk it.

The walk was actually pretty easy - all level and while the sidewalk was broken up in spots, you always at least had a dirt path so you weren't walking in the road. Not once did we feel the least bit unsafe. There were locals walking (mothers and children) the same route and lots of vehicle traffic, so it's not like you're walking down deserted streets. We even passed a police station on the way. It took about 15 minutes to reach the old town. There's even a nice park on your right just before you reach old town that is worth exploring.

Hope this helps someone.

You were fortunate to be the first off the ship. Most of us had to endure an hour in line to get through Customs. I can't believe someone thought that two Customs agents could handle all the US residents getting off the ship.

SweetJack has a deal going on right now for a 2 night stay at the Ramada Plaza in Ft. Lauderdale for $55. Reviews on Trip Advisor are not the best, but for this price, I can live with the negatives. From what I read, this is the hotel Carnival uses as part of their pre-cruise package. Draw your own conclusion there. You can check availability before you purchase. http://www.sweetjack.com/travel/deal/national/ft-lauderdale-ramada-1519602?utm_source=SweetJack&utm_medium=MerchantAPI&utm_campaign=SweetJack_1519602&linksrc=title&_wcsid=ED251361C53067827BDF1E4C4CAE085529562911B8FB78E7

Fort Lauderdale is considered part of the Miami service area. I just typed FLL in the starting point and Port Everglades in the destination, and received quotes of $13-16 for UberX and $20-25 for UberXL.

Thanks for the info. It won't let me type in a destination (maybe because I'm not signed in?), but you've provided the info I was looking for. Appreciate it.

https://www.uber.com/cities/miami#

If you go here, you can get a fare estimate.

 

 

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I may be doing something wrong, but I can't seem to get an estimate from FLL to Port Everglades. The site won't even recognize Ft. Lauderdale as a location and selecting Miami as the location seems to preclude using FLL as the trip origin.

We live in FL so don't have any hassle getting flights home after our cruise.

Don't mind assigned disembarkation times at all. Tried disembarking by ourselves once and it really was a pain dragging our own luggage off the ship.

 

It always amazes me that many cruisers want to be first ones on the ship to start enjoying their cruise and sometimes wait patiently hours before they can board. However, they go through the stress rushing to disembark so they can catch early flights.

 

I think it would be much less stressful to make flights later if at all possible and enjoy a nice lunch near the airport while reminiscing about your cruise.

Barbara-

I agree with you about not scheduling early flights although I can sympathize with cruisers who may not have much choice about scheduling an early flight. I recall being in that situation once, and, you're right, it was not a lot of fun. We're on a 12:30 flight after our Equinox sailing, so we have plenty of time, but that won't keep us from choosing self-disembarkation. That's less stressful to me knowing that I won't have to hunt for my luggage at the port (and god forbid, it's not where it's supposed to be). Also, I've always wondered how returning cruisers answer the question at the airport when they're asked if they packed their own bag, and has it been under your control since? "Yes, I packed my own bag, but then it sat unattended outside my cabin for several hours and also at the port."

We'll find a comfortable seat somewhere on board after we vacate our cabin, read for an hour or so, and then follow one of the last groups off the ship.

No, you don't have to get off early, but that is the point in doing so.

The other point is that some just don't want to let their luggage outta their sight. You can do self-disembarkation and be the last one off, but you would have to drag your luggage around the whole time, so what is the point.

 

Clear as mudd!:D

EW

Nope....as mentioned by others, it's a sep line and procedure......all others wait in their assigned areas with coded tags. Any disabled pax doing self disembark on Connie were allowed to wait aside...but not sure when they were sent off...the main line went first as soon as ship was cleared...and then right to customs lines....

With differing opinions throughout this thread, I thought I'd call Celebrity to see what answer is correct. According to the rep, you are free to self-disembark at any point. Either sign up to disembark with a late group, or just let Guest Relations know ahead of time what you want to do.

I cannot imagine if "everyone" wanted to do self-disembarkation:eek:

The original poster wants to know why everyone doesn't do it? OMG...

So you want to line up with 3,000 people all trying to get off the ship

at the same time with all their luggage?........no thanks, not me.

 

I usually ask to be in the very last group off the ship.....no lines, very

little luggage left in the terminal too. Easy Peasy.

Admittedly, we've never sailed on X before, but unless they're different from all the other cruise lines, they don't have a separate line for self-disembarkation. Everyone gets in the same line to exit the ship. We've always been able to disembark at any point after our scheduled time. So, just because we're doing self-disembarkation doesn't mean that we're waiting in a longer line than anybody else. We're usually in no rush, so we'll hang around until one of the last groups are called. So, we're exiting at the same time you are, but while you're retrieving your luggage in the port, we're already in the customs line.

I am glad that everyone doesn't self-disembark because there would invariably be people who would struggle with too much luggage and slow everyone down. And, other posters are correct that the elevators are sometimes a challenge, but, since we're in no rush, we either wait for space, or ride it up and then back down as some have suggested.

After our first few cruises, we started using self-disembarkation for several reasons:

- No wasting time the night before having to pack. There are still lots of activities going on, and we like to enjoy our last night on board. The ship is dead the next morning, so I don't mind spending the time packing in my cabin.

- No worries that we'll accidentally pack some necessity we'll need the next morning.

- No worries about our suitcases sitting out unprotected in the hall.

- No worries about our suitcases walking off from the pier before we manage to disembark.

- No wasting time trying to locate our suitcases at the pier.

- Freedom to walk off whenever instead of being assigned a disembarkation group time which may be earlier or later than we'd prefer. I realize one can get around this assigned time, but I don't even have to think about it. Just so we're off by the time the cabin steward needs to start on our cabin.

The only negative I can think of is having to roll our own suitcases down the gangplank. To me, that's less of a hassle than rolling it through the airport.

So, what am I missing? Why do the vast majority of cruise passengers go with regular disembarkation?

Let say, I am on the fish and how do I get the UK version ?

Thanks

instead of .com after celebritycruises, use .co.uk

I love NCL but happens to hate the Epic - have cruised on her twice and didn't like the layout of the cabins and also didn't like the layout of the entire ship. But that is only my own, very subjective opinion. Many others love the Epic, and you could be in either group - so difficult to advice you regarding what to choose.

I agree with you. We've sailed on other NCL ships and loved them, as well as ships on other lines. The Epic is the only ship that I absolutely would not set foot on again. I hated the bathroom setup, but my biggest issue was the lack of spaces inside to relax with a book. It seems you have two options: sit out in the sun, or find a lounge buried in the bowels of the ship with no view.

Sadly, they didn't have the opportunity.

No Select Dining so that they could have the "opportunity" to pre-pay their gratuities.

I have no problem changing into slacks for dinner. I'll even pack a jacket since that's required for formal nights. But, I usually change back into shorts right after dinner. If I'm reading the Celebrity policy correctly, I've go to stay in slacks if I intend to go to a show in the theater later that evening since it specifies "smart casual". I'm not asking if this is enforced, but is the dress code in the theater actually followed by most guests?

First off, if you're expecting a typical review of our 7/12 Southern Caribbean cruise on the Jewel, you may want to look elsewhere. I'm going to keep this brief and basically address things I read on this board prior to the cruise.

1) It was painless to get a taxi at the airport in San Juan. Walk right out and tell the dispatcher where you want to go and how many bags you have. He'll fill out a ticket and select a taxi for you.

2) We stayed at the Embassy Suites near the airport in Isla Verde. Nice place with free breakfast and happy hour reception. From what I read, I was expecting it to take 20 - 30 minutes to get to the ship from there on Saturday. 15 minutes and we were at the port. Same thing returning to the airport after the cruise. It did take us a hour to disembark though - very long lines to clear customs.

3) The Jewel is an awesome ship. I kept looking for the signs of aging that so many people have mentioned here. Never saw one. Entertainment was hit or miss like most cruises. Ron Lucas was great. We loved all the lounges and bars where you could curl up with a good book and watch the water. So many ships seem like floating hotels where you'd never know you were even on a ship in many spots.

4) Food was outstanding. We ate in the main dining room every night. BTW, the menu which is posted on these threads is not 100% accurate. The Basil (I think that's its name) menu has been replaced by Arugula, so no surf 'n turf. We had MTD dining with a standing reservation, so we had the same wait staff and table every night.

5) Formal nights were actually formal. I'd estimate 90% of the passengers dressed for the first one on day 2 and close to 75% for the second on day 5.

6) In St. Thomas, if you want to walk to town, the route is clearly marked. Just stay left along the water as you exit the ship.

7) In St. Kitts, it is very easy to get your own taxi and private tour once you arrive. Look for the taxi dispatcher inside the terminal, and he'll set you up for whatever you're interested in. A half day tour (as they call it) was $60 for the three of us, and we were out for a little over 3 hours. We were mainly interested in Brimstone Fortress and Romney Manor, but I gathered that you just tell him what you want, and he'll quote you the going rate. This seemed cheaper than what I was seeing from others who pre-booked private tours, but I don't think we were shorted on the experience. Our driver knew the island backwards and forwards and kept up a running commentary as we passed different sites.

8) After reading all the raves about the Seaview Café, I had to try it. I was not as impressed as others, but maybe it was what I ordered. The weird hours it's open make it a challenge to plan a meal there.

Hope this helps somebody. I'm happy to try and answer any questions.

There are no coupons, so to speak. The discounts by C&A level are already loaded onto your SeaPass Card when you check in. Not being a C&A Member at Check-In your card would have nothing loaded.

 

You really don't become a Gold Member until you've completed your first cruise, but I would see the Loyalty Ambassador once on board when signing up and see what he/she says. Never hurts to ask.:)

 

Here is the link to the most recent Current Listing of Exclusive Onboard Offers by C&A Level Since I complied this list while on our recent cruise on Rhapsody, there may be some additions to the various C&A levels depending on the ship.

Are these benefits per SeaPass card or per cabin? As an example, buy a glass of wine, get one free. If I use that perk once with my card, can my spouse also take advantage of it once with her card?

Totally off your question, but don't be afraid to rent a car in Akureyri. We had a car waiting for us at the port. Roads are in better shape than in the US and are well marked. As you might expect, not much traffic either. We visited every site on the excursions and added a few others along the way.

Thanks.

We're staying there next month. The reviews say that they do have a reserved section of the beach with chairs and umbrellas for guests. Most say it's about a 5 minute walk from the hotel.

Omg, ta, no ncc ocb c&a, rccl...?

Idk w t f yta...

Says the man who understands "2 bells on the first dog watch".;)

If you don't care for an extra long pour in your drinks, just tell the waiter/bartender. They might think they are doing you a service by pouring your drink a bit on the strong side but if you don't want it, just tell them. I don't like the 'extra' in my drink either and have never had a problem getting what I want. In fact, they will come out ahead saving their booze for those who want it.;):D

It sounds to me like the OP is fine with a long pour. I think he's just asking so he knows whether a package is justified. Less alcohol per drink means he has to buy more drinks, so a package would be better. Extra long pours might mean he only has 3 or 4 drinks a day, so best to buy them individually.

I really want a bushwacker, but I've been up to Paradise Point on a previous cruise and don't really want to pay the cost of the tram just to get a drink. Is there any place in or around Havensight that serves a bushwacker comparable to those at Paradise Point?

I would assume that tours are available, either through the ship or at the port. But, I see no reason why you'd want one for going to El Yunque. You're basically paying for transport, which should be much cheaper if you rent a car. 45 minutes to an hour sounds about right. My question would be whether there are rental cars available at the port, or if you'll need to grab a taxi to the nearest agency. From my research, there appear to be rental car agencies located all over San Juan, so it shouldn't be more than a 5 minute ride to the closest one. If you can find an Avis, try using AWD # B037400. I'm using it in San Juan in July for $25/day for an SUV.