Ozarkmills

Well done! Truly enjoying you review.

Enjoying your blog! What is I tried a new drink to me, but something our friends recommended an Aperol Spritz-YUM!? 

Hi everyone.

My hubby and I are booked on the Elegance Catamarans. Do they come pick you up at the port or do we have to find our way to their boats?

They will have a driver pick you up. One thing to remember, you must go outside of the terminal/parking to meet your driver. They will meet you at the circle outside of the gates. We waited outside the terminal, where most of the buses pickup their passengers. This is not the area where you will meet your driver. You have to walk through the parking lot to the entrance/exit security gate to meet. It's about a 5 min walk to the circle. We had a great time on Elegance! If Puff Daddy is still a member of the crew, make sure you leave him a cool towel. He collects towels..lol

Hi, I was wondering if you can give us a short review of your visit at CBC in September.

 

Thanks, Mike

CBC is for those that want rest and relaxation. It is not a resort where you would expect jet ski's, parasailing, etc. I don't recall any kids, but that doesn't mean they are not welcomed. It was a slightly older crowd as the resort guests are mainly from the UK. Very friendly guests and the staff as well. The beach is well maintained and you are sure to find shells if you like to beachcomb. There is no need for water shoes as the sand and sea is perfect. There are plenty of lounge chairs and shade. The drinks at the bar are not "watered down" but not overly strong, just right. I don't know what kind of beer or wine they carry because we were happy just drinking pina cooladas. The pool is fantastic, fresh water, which is a nice change from swimming in sea water pools. The restrooms/changing rooms are very big and clean. The food was fantastic comparable to what you would get on the ship. We arrived at CBC shortly after 10:00am and left at 4:00. That was plenty of time for us. I have not read a bad review of CBC on this board and I am happy I booked it and stayed. If I return to Antigua again, I would stay at CBC again. To me, CBC is what vacation is all about, rest and relaxation!

How do I get in touch with Consol? An email address please.

 

Also, I have some mobility issues. Is there a lot of walking?

There is not alot of walking (most of the tour is on the bus) but the beach portion may pose a slight problem. You will need to be able to get in and out of a water taxi. There are folks to help, but if you can manage that, you should be alright. The hardest part getting out of the water taxi is when you arrive on Jealousy Beach. As for contacting Cosol tours, google their name and their website has a way to contact them. They will e-mail you back. So don't worry if it takes a couple days for them to respond. You can discuss your mobility limitations with them and they can customize a trip for you and your group. You may want to join your roll call and see if anyone from your ship has mobility issues and are thinking of taking a tour. Have fun, St. Lucia is beautiful!

Cruised on the JOS 9/7/13 - 1 muster drill at 8:00pm. No escargot. For the Muster drill, our meeting site was Portofino's. You do not bring your life jacket. The sooner everyone gets there, the sooner everyone gets to leave after the instructions. Don't be late!

Hi everyone,

 

Taking the Jewel out of San Juan week of Thanksgiving :) and just wondering how the self disembarking is handled on this ship and port.

 

Do I need to fill out a form to request it or just do it by not putting my luggage out the night before? What obstacles will I have to traverse with family to get off the ship carrying my own luggage at san Juan?

 

Thanks in advance....

Although I didn't self disembark, I believe you don't have to fill anything out to do this. You will be given luggage tags, with a number on it, the night before. The number will correspond with a waiting area and waiting time. We were #16 and we had a disembark time of 8:30. We were to wait in the Safari Club. We left the ship early (8:10?) and was surprised to see everyone's luggage already out in the customs room. I believe we could have disembarked earlier than our time indicated on our tags. Depending on what time you want to disembark, and if it is not to be the first off the ship, you will be fine leaving your luggage out. No sense lugging them off the ship yourselves when they will be right there before you go through customs. They are very efficient getting people on and off the ship.

Aggie (or anybody who's recently cruised Jewel),

 

Does Jewel have the flat-screened tvs, or those giant, obnoxious CRT-looking ones? Hope that I won't have to wait for 2016 drydock for a modern television set (not that anyone spends a whole lot of time in the cabin...)!

Our cabin, 7126, had an old style. We didn't watch much tv, we used it more for background noise in the mornings while we got ready.

We will be going here in Jan. Do they supply beach towels?? When is lunch served?? Many thanks for any other info. We are on the Carnival Freedom (1/11/14). Looking forward to a nice time at the resort!! John & Priscilla :)

Frito58 is correct, they do supply towels. They are white with green stripes instead of blue stripes like the ship. Lunch starts at 12:30 and ended at 2:30. Be ready to eat at 12:30 because they, the resort guests, swarm the food. We ate at 2:00 and it was still hot and good.

Just have a few questions:

1. Did you pay for your tour before or day of tour?

2. What time did you meet for the tour and what time did you get back to the ship?

3. Were you nervous at all about booking outside of the cruise ship?

4. Did you have fun??? and also would you recommend this tour?

 

Thanks :D

Just back from my cruise, here's my review... First I'll answer the above questions. You pay after the tour before you get off to walk to the ship. We met at 8:15 and was back to the shopping area by the pier at 3:00. I was not nervous about booking (reserving on-line) outside of the cruise ship. They do match up your e-mail address to their list of reservations, so you just can't decide that morning. Now my review - Our driver was "Fat Man". FM was ok, he didn't talk much during the drives, but enough. I like more history and sites pointed out when I take a tour. This tour is 5+ hours long. Most of the time is in the van. Long distances to get to the stops. When we did make stops for photo's and such, there were always vendors around to bug you. We passed many scenic overlooks that I felt were better places to stop, but they didn't have vendors there. I think there is an arrangement between the tours and vendors. The feeling I got on tour was we needed to hurry up to the next stop. When we stopped for breakfast, we were rushed to eat and eat it all up. The food was ok, all finger type foods. I wasn't too hungry since I ate big on the ship prior. The "blue van" was always waiting for us at the stops for refreshments. The water taxi to Jealousy beach was fun, the water a shade of blue I've never seen before. The area at the beach is very small for the tour groups, so chairs are few. You only get to spend around an hour there. Please talk to the fruit man and ask him for fish food. Thousands of fish all around you to feed. The mud bath is a must! The volcano is similar to Yellowstone, so not so much to see there. The waterfalls are beautiful with spectacular flowers everywhere. I understood the water to be very cold. I don't know if I would do the tour again, once is enough. If you get car sick or drink too much, beware, you will get sick. The roads are very winding.

Just back from my cruise and here is my review..I booked a tour with Rose a couple months ahead of time. She responded to my e-mail the next day. We booked a 3 1/2 tour which included Romney Manor, Batik factory, Brimstone Hill Fortress, and the black rocks area. The cost for 4 was $120. The cost includes admission to all the sites. I can honestly say that Rose is the best tour guide I have ever met. She talked the whole tour, enlightening us on the history and sites as we passed by. There was never a time of awkward silence. She has lived on the island for 30+ years and raised her family there. She is originally from the UK. Everywhere we stopped, the other drivers knew her and the gate guards at the sites knew her. She has a very good reputation! She was so good, we all tipped her very generously! Her van fit 4 of us very comfortably and probably would fit 6 as well. The island is very beautiful and there is no better way to see it than with Rose! Ask her for her Yorkshire Pudding recipe!

Just got back from our cruise. I spent the day on Elegance. Here's my review..I booked the cruise, via e-mail, a couple months before our sail date. Sarah, the owner, responded the next day. The price I paid was $90 per person. The day we arrived, we made the mistake of waiting for the taxi she arranged outside where all the tour taxi's pull up. It's like a bus depot. We actually had to walk through the parking lot and go out the exit where there is a roundabout island where other drivers wait. He had a sign, so he was easy to find. He took us to the ship's pier. Sarah has a small office right next to the ship, where she takes payment before boarding. She takes cc and charges in Barbados dollars. She will tell you, don't freak the receipt says $360 (for 2 people) it's in Barbados dollars. The conversion is $180 USD. After paying, you remove your shoes and board. Coffee, juices, and banana bread await you. There was 11 passengers on our boat with 3 crew. The Capt. (Sarah's husband), Puff Daddy, and Ramone are great hosts. They take care of your every needs. They have a 5+ rating on CC. Because of the encroaching weather, they took us to the turtles first. Because of the weather, the other tours were there and it was a little bit crowded. But you will see plenty of turtles. After that, we snorkeled 3 ship wrecks. Don't shoot all your pictures on the first wreck. The last one is the best. They spent plenty of time at all these locations. Then when high tailed it out of there to another spot, just missing the downpours. Other tours decided to turn around, but the Capt. did a great job keeping us out of the storms. We set anchor and had lunch which was flying fish and chicken. There was a ton of food. After lunch and swimming, we sailed back to port. Very relaxing, we saw flying fish jump in front of the boat. I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed it and I would highly recommend you book with them. Very professional!

My DH and I are booked to go on Jewel of the Seas in March and it is the first time I have managed to get him to agree to go on a cruise so need it to be great in order to be able to do more in the future. I have sailed myself many times before in the past so have a better idea of what to expect.

I have been reading all the reviews lately on the Jewel and they have not all been positive with lots of mention of the food not being so good and bad smells. I appreciate this ship is now getting old and is due to go into dry dock in a couple of years time but anyone had any experience of this ship lately or do you think It would be safer for me to cancel and re-book on a newer bigger ship?

I returned from being on the JOS last week. I posted my review of the ship and the excursions I took in the CC ship review forum. If you are looking for a ship that prides itself on superior customer service, than the Jewel is for you. Were some of the meals less than spectacular? Yes, but we never went hungry. Could the furniture on our balcony use a little paint on their legs? Sure, but we managed to still sit in them and enjoy every sunrise the morning offered and the frolicking dolphins as we sailed away. Were there a few passengers that seemed to not enjoy themselves? There were, however, everyone we met on the ship and on the excursions, wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. Royal Caribbean goes beyond what is expected on other cruise lines and the staff of the Jewel goes well beyond what other newer RCL ships provide. Is the ship too small? Perhaps to someone coming off an Oasis class ship, but for me it is just right. Not too small, not too big. It's like your favorite pillow at home, that certain ahh when you lay your head down. Critics will point out all the imperfections of an older ship while overlooking the comfortableness of her. The Jewel is just that, a Jewel. If you are worried about an occasional smell or chipping paint, better stay put with a brand new ship. But if you are one that doesn't judge a book by its cover and can see beyond the cosmetics, you will find what you are looking for in a cruise. The people of the Jewel and the people who sail on her.

My group of 4 is booked on this tour. You may want to check your "Roll Call" to see if anyone else from your ship is booked with Cosol. We have several folks from our Roll Call that are booked with Cosol. My estimate count is around 30 folks. If for some reason the tour runs late, I'm sure the boat will not take off with that many folks left to board. They, the ship, will know a tour is running late. I'm sure Cosol has a contingency plan to notify the ship that they are on their way back. I'm not worried if we run late.

I was in the pest control industry for 16 years and was an Associate Certified Entomologist. You are more likely to find a bed bug, in a hotel room for example, in the corners of the night stands, headboard, pictures, and drapes than in the edging of the mattress and box springs. If bed bugs are present in the mattress, that would be a sign of a heavy infestation and someone would have reported it to management. Bed bugs are attracted to the carbon dioxide you breathe out when you sleep at night. As posted before, never put your suitcase on any bed, whether in a hotel room or your own bed. Do all packing and unpacking away from your bedroom. Store your luggage away from your bed when traveling. At home store in a garage, attic, or basement. NEVER IN YOUR CLOSET. How you can tell if you have been bit by bed bugs, you will have bites similar to mosquitos. That is the only similarity. Bed bugs feed on you in straight lines, following your veins. The bites would not be in random sites. Usually you will find bites on your arms, since most people sleep with the arms close to their heads (source of carbon dioxide). Heat is the primary source of killing bed bugs. Should you discover bed bugs in any luggage you bring home, contact a pest control professional to inspect your home. Some companies utilize dogs to sniff for bed bugs. If the infestation is only in your luggage, some pest control companies will heat treat your luggage. Or you can throw them away (outside!) and treat yourself to new luggage. Remember, Bed Bugs have been around for a very long time and with the reduction of insecticides being introduced into our environment, the bed bug population has exploded. As for bed bugs on ships, it's possible, but any sign would be quickly taken care of. Their reputation is more valuable than say the local, independent hotel owner. I'm sure both are concerned, but the cruise industry has to keep "bad press" down to a minimum.

I think you just sealed the deal for us. This sounds perfect for the two of us. How much was transportation there & how far is it from the cruise port?

Although I haven't been yet, from what I gather it is approximately 10-15 minutes from the pier. There is 4 in my group that will be visiting, and from what I gather, a taxi will run $15 one-way for all of us. It costs $3 per person, ata 4:00pm for the return trip. Our ship departs at 5:00, so we will travel back just after 4:00 to catch the reduced rate. If you leave the resort before 4:00, I assume it would be the same rate as the morning rate.

You didn't say how many you have but she takes a minimum of 4 at $45 per person. She includes the entry to Brimstone Fort in her fee! It was a GREAT day, and she is a kind woman, her husband is a native there. Knowledgable and proud of her island! We only had 4 & no one else had requested, so the day was most excellent, and we ended our day on Cockleshell beach. We saw monkeys at Romney Manor and the beach, and they are super cute in the wild! :D. Enjoy your day. http://www.roseandjimstaxi.com/ourtours.htm

I booked with Rose and Jim for my upcoming cruise. Rose quickly e-mailed me back with pricing. I told her the 4 of us wanted to visit the Manor, Fort, T-Hill, and Black Rocks. She wrote where to meet, and was flexible on the meeting time (9:15-9:30). I was told to pay after the trip. The trip is around 3 1/2 hours. Her fees included the price of admission into the fort. I will post pictures and a review in late September.

I booked with Sarah on the Elegance. The pictures on their website looked great, and the reviews on this forum helped seal the deal. They also had a discount advertised, so I took advantage of it. I will report back at the end of September with pictures and a review.

I've booked it based on what I read in this forum. I will report back at the end of September. They confirmed everything that is written, $45, lunch, drinks, pool, chairs, tips, etc. I was told to pay when I arrive. They take credit cards. They open at 10:00am. I promise to post pictures and a review. If there is something particular you want photographed (please family rated photo's only) I will do so. I will take the usual pictures of the beach, buffet, bar, pool, and anything else you might suggest.