Just off CB-Southern Caribbean itinerary, Questions?

[DrivesLikeMario]

This has happened to us before, which is why we used EZ check this time. For the money, it really is worth it. As far as not needing to go through agriculture check, I hear a lot of conflicting information. I would be ready to go through this line if you don't use EZ check. When we got our bags at our final destination, they had the sticker from agriculture on them. Therefore, I think that you probably DO need to wait in that line too. It can be very difficult to make any flight before 3PM if you have to wait in all of these lines. It really can be such a HUGE hassle!

OP

 

Okay, you've convinced me. :) Hope you had a good night's sleep. Even though being on a cruise is great, there's still nothing like your own bed! ;)

[khm1]

What did you do on St Thomas and Dominica? I want to shop & beach in St Thomas, DH would rather be struck with H1N1 than shop! LOL Dominica sounds beautiful, but definitely seems as though you need a tour. Any suggestions/opinions would be greatly apppreciated. We don't leave until March, so relax, recover from your vacation and reply when you lose your sea legs!! :D thank you in advance!!

Ok, I will start this but will have to finish later:

St. Thomas: We had tried to book with Papa Bear of Air Force One tours, but he was booked. He recommended EEE tours, Mr. Henry Christopher. He was great! He met us at Crown Bay right off the ship with a sign. We were his only clients that day, so we had a private tour. He drove us in his Ford Explorer. We went to Secret Harbour. It is a small, secluded beach with a condo resort, bar, restaurant and dive shop. We loved it! We were practically the only people on the beach that day. We rented two chairs from the dive shop to the right side of the beach. There was terrific snokeling around the rocks to the right. We had lunch in the hotel restaurant, the Blue Moon. We both had a wonderful fish sandwich, yummy. Henry picked us up promply at one, and we headed to town for a little shopping. We stayed for about an hour, then headed back to the ship. We had a great day and private transportation for $50 total!

OP

[khm1]

Okay, you've convinced me. :) Hope you had a good night's sleep. Even though being on a cruise is great, there's still nothing like your own bed! ;)

You've got that right! Those Princess beds are a bit too hard for me. I kept waking up with my arm asleep! I am too used to my sleep number bed at home.

OP

[mytime53]

I was thinking of you that day...glad you had a great time (it sounds like all of you did all week).

 

Ok, I will start this but will have to finish later:

St. Thomas: We had tried to book with Papa Bear of Air Force One tours, but he was booked. He recommended EEE tours, Mr. Henry Christopher. He was great! He met us at Crown Bay right off the ship with a sign. We were his only clients that day, so we had a private tour. He drove us in his Ford Explorer. We went to Secret Harbour. It is a small, secluded beach with a condo resort, bar, restaurant and dive shop. We loved it! We were practically the only people on the beach that day. We rented two chairs from the dive shop to the right side of the beach. There was terrific snokeling around the rocks to the right. We had lunch in the hotel restaurant, the Blue Moon. We both had a wonderful fish sandwich, yummy. Henry picked us up promply at one, and we headed to town for a little shopping. We stayed for about an hour, then headed back to the ship. We had a great day and private transportation for $50 total!

OP

[khm1]

I was thinking of you that day...glad you had a great time (it sounds like all of you did all week).

We thought about you too! I hope all is well with you and yours! Sorry you couldn't join us.

[zambonimom]

Could you let us know if you had to tender at any port besides Princess Cays, interested in Dominica, Grenada and Bonaire.

[khm1]

Another port review!

 

Dominica: This was our second trip to this island while cruising. We booked independantly with Antours. We were a little late getting off the ship due to a problen with the thrusters. We got off as soon as we could and met our group. We waited for at least another half hour for the last expected couple (there were 10 of us total). When they finally arrived, it turned out that they were given the wrong meeting time, not their fault. We were a little annoyed at the slow start but quickly got over it.

 

We were take by van to the Emerald Pool. It was a short hike to the falls through the beautiful rainforest. We were given about 20 minutes to swim and enjoy the falls. We then got back in the van for our next stop.

 

We stopped at Mr. Nice's fruit stand. There was Mr. Nice, chopping up every kind of fruit that you can imagine, handing it out to the tourists. He does not charge for this, but has a tip container;). Very delicious!

 

We then were take to the river. I don't know the name of it since there are 365 fresh water rivers on Dominica. It was about 25 yrds wide and was from 6 inches to about 3 ft deep. The guides said that the water level was a little low. We were given helmets, life vests and tubes and set off down the river for an hour. There were slow parts and fast parts. It was very beautiful. We went through mostly uninhabited rainforest. The guides helped along the fast parts and got you un-stuck if you foundered. We all had a fabulous time.

 

At the end, we were alowed to swim in the river and were given rum punch. We then went to a black sand beach for a bit before returning to the ship. What a fabulous day!

 

More ports to come......

OP

[khm1]

Could you let us know if you had to tender at any port besides Princess Cays, interested in Dominica, Grenada and Bonaire.

This cruise does not go to Princess Cays. No tenders at all, all docks.:)

[vikqueen]

Sounds like a fabulous trip so far! Thanks for sharing!

[In The Water]

Hope this helps!

 

I'm on the CB in December. Can you tell me which airlines were listed as participating in the EZ Check program in San Juan? I'm flying US Airways and was hoping to use this service. Thanks in advance for your help!

[johncharles]

Our first Princess Cruise! Celebrating our 25th anniversery....of course our honeymoon was also a cruise...Carnival's Tropicale. What do you reccomed on Bonaire!

[Carolyn R]

It used to be that if you got off a cruise ship in San Juan you did not have to go through agriculture inspection. This is no longer the case. My advice is to either use EZ check or stay one night and go home on Monday. The San Juan airport check-in on Sundays is horrific!

[DrivesLikeMario]

It used to be that if you got off a cruise ship in San Juan you did not have to go through agriculture inspection. This is no longer the case. My advice is to either use EZ check or stay one night and go home on Monday. The San Juan airport check-in on Sundays is horrific!

 

Thanks for that information. We'll use EZ Check. DH cannot have another day off work and nothing is more depressing to me to go to a hotel for one night after a terrific cruise. It feels like a waiting game at that point.

Thanks for the info.!

[khm1]

Wow, what a week! I got the H1N1 shot on Tuesday and it really knocked me out for a couple of days! Sorry to drop out on everyone! Anyway, I will try to answer the questions posted and continue with my port reviews.

 

Grenada: We had originally booked a tour with A & E. We decided that after such an active day in Dominica, we needed a beach day.

 

We arrived in Grenada around 7 am, as scheduled. We headed off the ship and to the water taxi area, to the left of the dock. We paid $8 per person for a return ticket to Grand Anse beach. We were on the beach before 9 am, well ahead of the crowd. Be warned, you will be rushed by people trying to sell you a chair, spices, drinks, and food. They will try to "herd" you to their little territory and it may not be where you want to sit. We really did not want to deal with all of this, so we walked to the right, way past the crowds. There was a public beach area with a guy renting chairs. This was the low-pressure area of the beach. This is one of the most beautiful beaches that you will ever see. Try not to miss it!

 

After a short time, we smelled the distinctive aroma of marjuana. There were about 4-5 guys under a tree smoking. They did not bother us and there were beach patrol people around. Despite this, we did not feel unsafe at all and enjoyed our time at this incredible beach. Caution: the sun is VERY strong here!

 

We started heading back to the ship at 11 am since we were to be on board by 1:30. Be warned, the water taxis take a while to leave the dock. If you do not catch one that is almost full, you will need to wait until it is full before they head out. They also sometimes make several stops. Allow plenty of time to get back to the ship. I have a friend that missed her ship once due to this. She allowed an hour to get back, and still missed her ship. The water taxi guys aren't in a rush like the passengers are! We went to the cruise terminal building and did a little spice shopping before getting back on board by 1 pm.

[khm1]

My favorite day was Bonaire!

 

Bonaire: We got off the ship right after we docked at 11 am and went to the Divi Flamingo. They offer a day pass for $10 per person which includes the use of the pool, beach, chairs, etc. When you get off the ship, go to the street that runs along the shore, in front of the dock and turn right. It is a 5 minute walk at most, very easy.

 

We went on the Woodwind snorkel tour at 1:30 pm. It leaves from the dock at the Divi resort. We arranged this in advance of our trip. They take you on a catamaran to an incredible reef on the protected area off Klein Bonaire. You are separated into groups based on ability. We did a drift snorkel for a full hour. I have been to a lot of islands and have done a lot of snorkeling. This was the best that I have ever seen. We saw at leas 15 large sea turtles, tons of coral, schools of colorful fish, sponges, puffer fish......the list goes on. The guides Tina snd Dee were fantastic. When they saw something of interest, they would free dive and point it out and then surface to tell you about it. There was a underwater photographer taking photos of us and the scenery. We bought a disc of the photos from her, they were beautiful. I highly recommend this trip!

OP

[californiagirl]

Our flight leaves at 3:20. Can you do E-Z check then leave the airport for a few hours? Or, come to the airport a little later and meet up with your bags?

 

Does JetBlue participate in E-Z check? Thank you in advance.

[DrivesLikeMario]

With EZ Check, you don't see your bags from the time you leave the port until you get home. Do whatever you want between that time and the time for your flight. That's the beauty of it.

 

I don't think JetBlue participates. ???

[californiagirl]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll try calling Princess and hopefully they will know about which airline participate.

[robgvic]

doesTHE EZCHECK CHARGE OF $20 APPLY FOR PERSON, PER BAG,OR PER CABIN?

[caribill]

doesTHE EZCHECK CHARGE OF $20 APPLY FOR PERSON, PER BAG,OR PER CABIN?

 

Per person. And the airline may impose charges of its own just as they would if you checked your bags yourself at the airport.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Per person. And the airline may impose charges of its own just as they would if you checked your bags yourself at the airport.

 

That's right - it's $20 per person with a maximum of 2 bags per person. All flights from SJU (and I believe some other ports) must be after 11am.

[khm1]

Ok, Here are the airlines that participate with EZ check in San Juan:

 

• 
  
  • US Air: Bag #1=$20, Bag #2=$35
    
  • American Airlines/Eagle: Bag #1=$20, Bag#2-$30
    
  • Continental: Bag #1=$20, Bag #2=$30
    
  • Northwest: Bag #1=$20, bag #2= $30
    
  • United: Bag #1= no charge, bag #2 no charge/onboard only
    
  • Delta: Bag #1= $20, Bag #2= $30
    
  • Airtran: Bag #1= $15, Bag #2= $25
    
  • JetBlue: Bag #1=no charge, Bag #2= $30
    

These charges listed above are charged by the airline to your Princess shipboard account. The additional $20 charge for EZ check is per ticketed person using the service. Therefore, if you have two people flying on American with three bags, you would pay $40 for EZ check, then pay $20 each for the first two bags, then $30 for the third bag. Your total charges for EZ check and the Airline baggage fees would be $110. I know that this can be confusing. I will try to post a photo of the EZ check form that I took before I turned it in.

[khm1]

I don't see my photo that I tried to upload in my last post. I'm not sure what I did wrong. I used the attachment icon on the message window. Does anyone know how to do this?

OP

[DrivesLikeMario]

Thanks so much on the participating airlines in SJU, khm1. That's great information and I'm sure it'll help a lot of people. :)

[asnaleah]

Thank you so much for your information about disembarkation. I've been so worried because our return flight is at 10 am! Thanks also for the reviews of the ship - this will be our first time on Princess.