Guadeloupe really??

[mommabean]

I HIGHLY doubt staff members told you not to get off the ship-If they did, they should be fired, as that is a breach of their contract with the cruiseline.

 

The smart thing for staff and crew to do, if they don't think passengers would find anything to do on their own, would be to tell them to book something with the excursion desk. It's their chance to encourage more business for the company that writes their paycheck.

 

Gina

[printingchick]

To tell you the truth I like Dominica as well. As you can see many don't see it that way.

 

I am not sure why you think Guadeloupe was expensive. The lunch I had was very reasonable as was the pastries I ate from the pastry shop and the spices I purchased from the spice market. My only regret was that I wished I bought more spices. I also purchased a shot glass in Guadeloupe because my daughter collect them and it was the same price as any other port we were at.

 

Shak

 

There are virtually no private excursions/tours available for purchase on-line ahead of time, since this is such a new port of call. Those offered through the cruise line were all very expensive. I'm sure it was at least in part due to exchange rates.

 

In terms of the Euro issue, if I'm traveling in Europe, it's not a big deal to convert money into the local currency. But if I'm on a cruise and will ONLY be in a country for six hours, it adds significantly to my expenses to have to convert US$$. How do I know EXACTLY how much money I'll need? What if I convert too much and have to convert BACK?

 

I think it's a little unfair to imply that people who find this issue annoying on a Caribbean cruise are simply narrow-minded Americans who feel that everyone should speak English and accept US currency. One of the attractions of a Caribbean cruise is being able to see such a wide variety of locations during the same trip in a relatively idiot-proof fashion. Passengers can choose how much research they want to do on their own - either extensive individual planning or cherry-picking an excursion off the cruise-ship supplied list. If I were cruising in Europe, it would be different. I'd be SEEKING OUT that sort of culture immersion. Caribbean ports are typically extremely accommodating to US tourists, as tourism is their #1 form of income.

 

Perhaps my attempt to explain this has just made me seem MORE like a lazy and ignorant American tourist!!

[dwjoe]

Perhaps my attempt to explain this has just made me seem MORE like a lazy and ignorant American tourist!!

If you take the time to think about what you want out of a cruise and make an effort to research the ports of call ahead of time then you can't be lazy or ignorant. :)

 

One good thing about this thread is that it highlights what you can and can't expect out of a day trip to Guadeloupe. Not a great choice if it's your first cruise to the Caribbean and/or you want everything easy and convenient. But if you've seen all the usual islands many times and/or want something different - Guadeloupe might be an excellent choice.

[murfturf]

I find myself siding with both of the types of posters on here. I agree wholeheartedly with those who say to get off the ship and just explore the island. Step out of your comfort zone! (Read the Mark Twain quote in my siggy!) Dominica was one of our favorite places as well. We did a RCI excursion just because we felt more comfortable that way - not knowing the island. We too said we'd love a land trip there, my husband left wanting to buy a house :)

 

HOWEVER - I do feel that the cruise line has a responsibility to inform the passengers of at least the money exchange. In the Cruise Compass there is usually a section on the port - history, culture etc. Was there not information there regarding the port and informing the passengers about needing Euros? I always attend the Shopping Show (Not to find out where Diamonds International is...) but because they give some information about the island and what souvenirs that island is known for. You have to take the show with a grain of salt, yes they want to sell a coupon book and yes they are "plugging" the Big Box stores. But, they have town maps and good information. If you don't attend the show, it's replayed on your TV through the week.

 

I wonder - do they have a similar show more about just the islands? Same idea - but just informational about what each island is like and what they have to offer? If not I think it would be helpful for some cruisers. Not everyone obsessively (who me?) researches each port before they cruise!

[alfaeric]

In terms of the Euro issue, if I'm traveling in Europe, it's not a big deal to convert money into the local currency. But if I'm on a cruise and will ONLY be in a country for six hours, it adds significantly to my expenses to have to convert US$$. How do I know EXACTLY how much money I'll need? What if I convert too much and have to convert BACK?

 

If you consider $10 signifcant, I suppose it's a significant expense to change money. Being that this is France, you can always use a credit card, too. OR ask- we found the merchants we were going to use would take $$.

 

Lets say you Exchange $100, and I bet that with the current rate at $1.35/e, they would sell to you at $1.40 and buy from you at $1.30. So buying at $1.40, you would be given e71.42. Then if you did nothing, and spent nothing, buying that amount back at $1.30, they would give you $92.85.

 

So just exchaning the money back and forth, you would lose just over $7 if you started with $100. Maybe I'm jaded, but that doesn't seem like a lot, when it's the same as the drink of the day on board.

 

If you go out and spend it, then what you "lose" would go down significantly based on what you return.

[DebJ14]

We had a great experience on Guadaloupe when we stopped there a few year back. But, then again we took the advice of those on the cc boards and booked a tour . We got to see both sides of the butterfly shaped island, toured a sugar cane plantation, rum distillery and went to a beautiful beach. We had a lovely older woman as our tour guide. She spoke perfect English and made our day.

 

I can't understand why you would expect them to speak English. Guadaloupe is a department of France - considered just as French as Paris.

[addicted2]

Or, maybe the staff member was able to pick up on the fact that you're a xenophobe who truly was better off staying on board. After all, that staff member was on a cruise with you all week. We've only seen two brief comments from you and we can already tell who you are.:rolleyes:

For the record I had only talked with the loyalty cruise ambassador for about five minutes when I had asked about Guadeloupe and had not even seen her before that. I am not a xenophobe and there is no way you can begin to tell who I am. Since when is it a crime to post my opinion about a port on this site? Everyone else does it and it is the negative people like you and others that ruin this site for the those that truly love cruising like me!! There is a similar post about Samana and I didn't see the rude comments or judgement of character on that thread. I did not like Guadeloupe and the port area looked like a scary runned down dump, so yes that is my opinion and I was just trying to help others who are going there get a feel for the place.

[alfaeric]

HOWEVER - I do feel that the cruise line has a responsibility to inform the passengers of at least the money exchange. In the Cruise Compass there is usually a section on the port - history, culture etc. Was there not information there regarding the port and informing the passengers about needing Euros? I always attend the Shopping Show (Not to find out where Diamonds International is...) but because they give some information about the island and what souvenirs that island is known for. You have to take the show with a grain of salt, yes they want to sell a coupon book and yes they are "plugging" the Big Box stores. But, they have town maps and good information. If you don't attend the show, it's replayed on your TV through the week.

 

 

Well, if you go to the RCI web page- and find Pointe A Pitre, you find this little gem of information (http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ports/group/home.do?portCode=PTP)

 

Currency

 

The currency in Pointe-à-Pitre is the Euro. ( €1 to US$1.28). Some of the larger liquor stores and jewelry stores may accept dollars, but not always.

 

So it's not as if they are hiding it from you. I didn't read the port guide in the Compass, no did I attend the port show- but seeing the information on the pages where I shop for a cruise, I suspect that the Euro info was mentioned more than once.

[alfaeric]

For the record I had only talked with the loyalty cruise ambassador for about five minutes when I had asked about Guadeloupe and had not even seen her before that. I am not a xenophobe and there is no way you can begin to tell who I am. Since when is it a crime to post my opinion about a port on this site? Everyone else does it and it is the negative people like you and others that ruin this site for the those that truly love cruising like me!! There is a similar post about Samana and I didn't see the rude comments or judgement of character on that thread. I did not like Guadeloupe and the port area looked like a scary runned down dump, so yes that is my opinion and I was just trying to help others who are going there get a feel for the place.

 

 

OTOH, since when is it attacking to provide alternative information? :confused:

 

Not all are calling you names, BTW. Just pointing out that we had different experiences.

 

(for the record, calling names is bad- doesn't help anyone)

[mommabean]

For the record I had only talked with the loyalty cruise ambassador for about five minutes when I had asked about Guadeloupe and had not even seen her before that. I am not a xenophobe and there is no way you can begin to tell who I am. Since when is it a crime to post my opinion about a port on this site? Everyone else does it and it is the negative people like you and others that ruin this site for the those that truly love cruising like me!! There is a similar post about Samana and I didn't see the rude comments or judgement of character on that thread. I did not like Guadeloupe and the port area looked like a scary runned down dump, so yes that is my opinion and I was just trying to help others who are going there get a feel for the place.

 

You didn't? Go see the attacks I got there. Just brush it off when people read into your posts what isn't there.

 

And never believe it when anyone here or on the ship tells you how bad a port is. If you are the least bit adventurous, you'll enjoy every port.

 

Just because it's on the internet, doesn't make it true as you know. The same can be said about cc. :)

 

We had a fabulous day in Guadelope and didn't spend any time near the port. It was fabulous in spite of our high priced driver/thief.

 

Gina

[mommabean]

We had a great experience on Guadaloupe when we stopped there a few year back. But, then again we took the advice of those on the cc boards and booked a tour . We got to see both sides of the butterfly shaped island, toured a sugar cane plantation, rum distillery and went to a beautiful beach. We had a lovely older woman as our tour guide. She spoke perfect English and made our day.

 

I can't understand why you would expect them to speak English. Guadaloupe is a department of France - considered just as French as Paris.

 

Was that the worst rum you ever tasted in your life? :eek: We thought it was. But bought some anyway. :p

 

I do believe you will find MANY English speakers in Paris. Probably many more than in Guadeloupe. We plan on going there later this year and will find out. My DH is so good at faking any language that we seem to communicate well wherever we go. OK, so he does the communicating while I'm busy looking it up. :)

 

Gina

[printingchick]

Dominica is the one island we'd go back to to stay on land. Only we'd need to hire a driver because we don't do left side of the road driving very well even on high quality streets. They were really working on the road conditions when we were there a couple of years ago.

 

People can keep Aruba...give me Dominica. :)

 

Gina

 

You and I are apparently Caribbean soul mates!! :p

 

Not a fan of Aruba...don't really get the attraction.

 

LOVE Dominica and St. John (reachable by ferry from St. Thomas) and those are two ports I'd LOVE to return to for an extended stay. (On my bucket list!!) I prefer the less developed (and less crowded) ports of call. Not that Cozumel isn't a fun stop. But it's not a place I'd go for an extended stay.

[mommabean]

I find myself siding with both of the types of posters on here. I agree wholeheartedly with those who say to get off the ship and just explore the island. Step out of your comfort zone! (Read the Mark Twain quote in my siggy!) Dominica was one of our favorite places as well. We did a RCI excursion just because we felt more comfortable that way - not knowing the island. We too said we'd love a land trip there, my husband left wanting to buy a house :)

 

HOWEVER - I do feel that the cruise line has a responsibility to inform the passengers of at least the money exchange. In the Cruise Compass there is usually a section on the port - history, culture etc. Was there not information there regarding the port and informing the passengers about needing Euros? I always attend the Shopping Show (Not to find out where Diamonds International is...) but because they give some information about the island and what souvenirs that island is known for. You have to take the show with a grain of salt, yes they want to sell a coupon book and yes they are "plugging" the Big Box stores. But, they have town maps and good information. If you don't attend the show, it's replayed on your TV through the week.

 

I wonder - do they have a similar show more about just the islands? Same idea - but just informational about what each island is like and what they have to offer? If not I think it would be helpful for some cruisers. Not everyone obsessively (who me?) researches each port before they cruise!

 

Yes they do have a show on TV about each port stop including the embarkation port. All of the $$ information can also be found in the cruise compass along with safety information. Emergency phone numbers for the port agent are also in the cruise compass.

 

The port and shopping guide also has desk hours so people can stop by and ask questions even if they haven't attended the show.

 

There are enough ATMs in Guadeloupe that it's easy to use a debit card to withdraw Euros. Some of us have cards with no ATM fee and a much better exchange rate than the ship or an exchange store. If we ever have to use a card to pay, we always have them run it in their own currency and let our bank do the exchange since it's cheaper that way.

 

In my opinion, if someone can't afford a few dollars for the exchange rate, they shouldn't be spending money in the port or on the cruise for that matter. Living beyond one's means isn't a good idea.

 

Gina

[addicted2]

Well, if you go to the RCI web page- and find Pointe A Pitre, you find this little gem of information (http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ports/group/home.do?portCode=PTP)

 

 

 

So it's not as if they are hiding it from you. I didn't read the port guide in the Compass, no did I attend the port show- but seeing the information on the pages where I shop for a cruise, I suspect that the Euro info was mentioned more than once.

 

I read the cruise compass thoroughly and there was no mention of the money or language difference. I brought them home and reread it again so I am sure. There was also no history of the island provided on this port in the compass insert like there was for all of other stops on this cruise.

[mommabean]

You and I are apparently Caribbean soul mates!! :p

 

Not a fan of Aruba...don't really get the attraction.

 

LOVE Dominica and St. John (reachable by ferry from St. Thomas) and those are two ports I'd LOVE to return to for an extended stay. (On my bucket list!!) I prefer the less developed (and less crowded) ports of call. Not that Cozumel isn't a fun stop. But it's not a place I'd go for an extended stay.

 

:D:D

 

I love Cozumel, too. How people can say they don't get off the ship because they've been there before is beyond my comprehension. I mean, there are so many places to go, have they been everywhere? And not liked any place enough to go there a second time.

 

Someone said this to me last cruise and I responded back with, "haven't you been on this ship before?" And they did admit I had a point. This was in the Concierge Lounge. Of all places. ;)

 

Since you like the kinds of ports I like, if you ever can (and haven't already) you should do a South Pacific cruise. I absolutely loved Vanuatu. The S. Pacific was recommended to us by the captain who lived there on his sail boat for 10 years and recently resigned from the company. :( We went because of what he said and LOVED it. The people there are the nicest and friendliest people we've met at any port. We enjoyed it so much we're going back. And there are NO Diamond's International. :) I have to find a picture to show you of a blue hole we went to for a swim. WOW!

 

Gina

[mommabean]

I read the cruise compass thoroughly and there was no mention of the money or language difference. I brought them home and reread it again so I am sure. There was also no history of the island provided on this port in the compass insert like there was for all of other stops on this cruise.

 

You are absolutely correct that there was no special insert on this port. I specifically remember not getting it since I read it each night before going to bed. And someone asked me the next morning if I got one because they didn't.

 

We knew from pre-cruise research that it is a French speaking island that uses Euros. We were able to use dollars in some places, too. We tried to negotiate a price with the driver for dollars but he refused. So we got the money from the ATM he took us to at the end of the day.

 

It is still easy to ask the port and shopping guide or someone at the excursion desk, or for some of us, the concierge offers the info. Most of the crew who has been on the ship for a few months will know.

 

The safety information and port agent info along with phone numbers is on the main cruise compass which I brought home. The other insert with the daily specials is thrown out by me so I don't know what was on that page. I do know there is no Guadeloupe special insert and we figured it was because there wasn't much to say. Or maybe it's because it's the embarkation port and they don't have one for Puerto Rico either. Maybe.

 

That is a good point about this port though. There should be a full 2 page information insert like there is for the other ports. It would be most helpful.

 

Gina

[mommabean]

You and I are apparently Caribbean soul mates!! :p

 

Not a fan of Aruba...don't really get the attraction.

 

LOVE Dominica and St. John (reachable by ferry from St. Thomas) and those are two ports I'd LOVE to return to for an extended stay. (On my bucket list!!) I prefer the less developed (and less crowded) ports of call. Not that Cozumel isn't a fun stop. But it's not a place I'd go for an extended stay.

 

This is Luganville, Vanuatu. Wouldn't you like to swim there?

 

 

 

You need to hire a former headhunter to drive you a long way down a deserted road in the middle of nowhere and hope he's taking you where he says he is. You'll see no cars going the other way which will have you wondering. And then there you are! In Paradise! Unfortunately our next S. Pacific cruise skips this port. :(

[cruisinfanatic]

We have been to Dominica and loved it, nature at it's best.

The only reason I complained about Guadaloupe and the language and money issue is that we were on a cruise leaving and returning from a US port. All the other stops were at islands that spoke english readily and took the american dollar. So having a stop in the middle of the cruise that didn't do either seemed out of place. If I wanted to have to exchange my money to euros and have a language barrier I would have left out of Europe. When the staff of the ship is telling you not to go off the ship then something must be up!!

I've been to Guadeloupe twice and didn't exchange currency either time. Hopped in a taxi and got a tour of the island.

Run down?

Try going to the other side of St Thomas and many other top RCL ports. You'll see all of the "run down" that you'd want.

[WetToes]

For the record I had only talked with the loyalty cruise ambassador for about five minutes when I had asked about Guadeloupe and had not even seen her before that. I am not a xenophobe and there is no way you can begin to tell who I am. Since when is it a crime to post my opinion about a port on this site? Everyone else does it and it is the negative people like you and others that ruin this site for the those that truly love cruising like me!! There is a similar post about Samana and I didn't see the rude comments or judgement of character on that thread. I did not like Guadeloupe and the port area looked like a scary runned down dump, so yes that is my opinion and I was just trying to help others who are going there get a feel for the place.

 

No crime committed here.

I have to disagree about the Samana thread ... poor OP. Got beat up pretty good by some posters. :(

Apparently some posters think if they didn't see it, hear it, or experience it themselves ... couldn't have happened. :rolleyes:

Don't let' em get to you. ;)

[alfaeric]

I read the cruise compass thoroughly and there was no mention of the money or language difference. I brought them home and reread it again so I am sure. There was also no history of the island provided on this port in the compass insert like there was for all of other stops on this cruise.

 

So who's fault is it that you didn't know anything about Guadaloupe?

 

Information was on RCI's website that you didn't apparenlty use, but then they didn't tell you when it was much later....

 

All I can say is that WE had a great time wandering about Pointe A Pitre. And we didn't use pre-information, nor rely on the compass/shopping guide. Just followed the history trail the best we could. No problems with French being spoken, no problem with the Euro being used. Heck, was shocked by what Pointe A Pitre was AS we arrived. And STILL managed to have fun.

 

Draw your own conclusions.

[jp30338]

I read the cruise compass thoroughly and there was no mention of the money or language difference. I brought them home and reread it again so I am sure. There was also no history of the island provided on this port in the compass insert like there was for all of other stops on this cruise.

 

 

However, if you look under your reservation on RCI website and click on ports, then click on the corresponding ports for your itinerary it will say what the native language is, what money is used and accepted, places to visit in the port, and background info on the port, even the average temperature

 

Not hard to do a little research...

[OHCruisin]

I was in Guadeloupe this past November. I have to say I wasn't impressed. It wasn't the euro or the french. We ended up at St. Anne's. Not impressed. Glad I went, but it's not someplace I would return to.

 

Dominica, on the other hand...LOVE IT!

[printingchick]

This is Luganville, Vanuatu. Wouldn't you like to swim there?

 

 

 

You need to hire a former headhunter to drive you a long way down a deserted road in the middle of nowhere and hope he's taking you where he says he is. You'll see no cars going the other way which will have you wondering. And then there you are! In Paradise! Unfortunately our next S. Pacific cruise skips this port. :(

 

WOW!!! We clearly are on the same page!!

 

I can't afford to travel beyond the Caribbean right now. As you can see, I've taken a few years off cruising lately. The company I worked for was sold and my lay-off induced unemployment lasted FAR longer than I'd have imagined. I finally took a new job at a GREATLY reduced salary, so I'm recovering VERY slowly. I just HAD to feed the addiction, so I started putting aside $25/week and booked a cruise nearly TWO years out!! It's hard having to wait so long, but reassuring to have a cruise booked. (I'm SURE you can relate to the symptoms of the addiction!!)

 

South Pacific has just been added to my bucket list!!! Thanks!!!

[mommabean]

Pictures from our day in Guadeloupe coming up. I'll switch to tapatalk, it's easier to do from there.

 

Gina

[pspercy]

Including French pastries!!

... and Pastis :)