Just off Eurodam 3/16/13 - 3/23/13

[ej22ndrow]

Just of Eurodam. Still waiting at airport for our flight home so this will be short but I wanted to report in.

 

We were NOT in Code Red at any time during the week! Yay. Code Orange for the initial 48 hours as usual but that's it.

 

We did skip Grand Turk. A little disappointed but we were ok with it as we'd much rather be safe than sorry (or sick). Had an extra sea day instead and arrived early to San Juan. It seems they had been skipping Grand Turk for 1or 2 weeks before our cruise but we didn't find out until we were boarding. Would have been nice to know at least a day or 2ahead because there were a couple independent excursions that only left in the morning that I would have booked online had I known.

 

We had a Retreat Cabana on the Observation Deck. Paid $299 for the week and IMO worth every penny!!! Two cabana stewards, Julius & Mer, pampered us to no end. Waited on us (and the other 11cabanas) hand and foot. Brought us anything we wanted: breakfast, lunch, snacks, drinks, champaign & chocolate covered strawberries, fresh fruit, water, Evian Spritzers. They actually looked kind of disappointed if the came to ask us if we wanted anything and we didn't. Very peaceful and relaxing up there.

 

We had a category SA Deluxe Neptune Suite for the first time. We splurged because it was my 40th birthday during the cruise. We'd had an SZ before. The rooms were almost identical except the SA did have a dressing area just outside the bathroom and thus was a tiny bit larger than the SZ. Main difference for us was the free laundry which we did use twice, the use of the Neptune Lounge, and breakfast every morning in the Pinnacle Grill. That was very nice.

 

The B.B. King Blues Band was on this cruise and they were outstanding. However, they played all their shows except for 1 in the Queen's Lounge which was way too small for them. If you didnt get there before the show started you couldnt get in. They did play one night on the Mainstage which was much more suited for them.

 

San Juan: Been there a few times and done a lot of things already. We just got off the ship and walked around the shops in Old Town for a while. Then we got back on the ship and hung out in our cabana.

 

St. Thomas: Caught an open air safari taxi to Sapphire Beach. Trip too 45 minutes there and cost $11 per person each way. I usually dont get car sick but i thought i was going to this time. Very rough, bumpy, curvy, hilly ride there in the back of the safari van. Beach was gorgeous. Not overly crowded. Rented chairs for $7 each. Plenty of trees for natural shade if you get there in the morning. I think by the afternoon all shady spots had been claimed. Starting around 11:15am, there are a couple people walking around taking lunch orders. DH got the spicy tuna wrap and i got the chipotle chicken sandwhich. Both came with fries and both were very good. Cost $15 each. Total was $35 with delivery fee.

 

Half Moon Cay: rented a clamshell online about 6weeks before the cruise. Good thing because they all soldout and there is no shade without one unless you rented a cabana. One of the most beautiful beaches and the clearest, bluest water I've ever seen!

 

We did the expedited debarkation where we took our own luggage off. Once they called the people who had expedited debarkation (about 7:25 am), we were off the ship, thru customs (there were 2 customs agents) caught a cab to the airport, checked in and thru security in exactly 1hour! Of course now our flight has been delayed so here we still sit! Go figure.

 

As I said, this cruise was to celebrate my 40th birthday. It was everything we hoped for! Very relaxing and very pampering. Only a couple minor complaints that don't even warrant mentioning specifically.

If you have any questions, ask away.

[cruz chic]

Thanks for the review. I love those cabanas too!

[scamper]

We were on the Rotterdam deck, too. Those balloons on the door must have been yours!

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[Vict0riann]

Thanks for the review. So happy to hear there was no Code Red. Hope it stays that way for us!

[canadianbear]

Happy 40th! What a great way to celebrate and in an SA suite too-very nice!

 

Great review-appreciate your thoughts and experience in the ports.

 

Have a safe trip home.

[lovetocruise2020]

Thanks for the report!

I asked this on another thread but now have another question lol.

 

1. Did the retreat close for any bad weather days?

2. Did they have the cabana dinner in the retreat area on your sailing?

 

So glad you had a great time!

[aliaschief]

Very nice review. Thank you.

[ej22ndrow]

We were on the Rotterdam deck, too. Those balloons on the door must have been yours!

 

Yes, they were :)

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[sevenseasnomad]

Just of Eurodam. We had a Retreat Cabana on the Observation Deck. Paid $299 for the week and IMO worth every penny!!! Two cabana stewards, Julius & Mer, pampered us to no end. Waited on us (and the other 11cabanas) hand and foot. Brought us anything we wanted: breakfast, lunch, snacks, drinks, champaign & chocolate covered strawberries, fresh fruit, water, Evian Spritzers. They actually looked kind of disappointed if the came to ask us if we wanted anything and we didn't. Very peaceful and relaxing up there.

 

Wow! We'll be aboard next week. Can't wait. Have rented the family cabana. Hope our experiece matches yours.

 

Do you know if BB King Orchestra will be aboard next week too?

[Spark44]

Happy Birthday and thanks so much! Good to know you didn't have a Code Red this time. We are leaving in a few weeks and are hopeful that it won't start up. Thanks for the advice on the Queen's lounge and the cabanas. Do they have a good library? Is the internet as slow and expensive as ever?

[JamesEM]

Thanks for sharing, when you were in san Juan did you notice how full the free buses were?

[kazu]

Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise experiences with us. Great review. Sounds like a good time was had.

 

Welcome home and Happy Birthday:D

[BM64]

We will have our first Neptune Suite this summer, is the menu in the Pinnacle different then the main dining room for breakfast? Looking forward to being able to have breakfast each morning in the Pinnacle.

[djhsolara]

Thanks for the review. We were on the week prior to you, so I'm glad to hear you were out of the "red".

 

 

Douglas...Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ej22ndrow]

We will have our first Neptune Suite this summer, is the menu in the Pinnacle different then the main dining room for breakfast? Looking forward to being able to have breakfast each morning in the Pinnacle.

 

We did not eat in the MDR for breakfast on this cruise but I believe it is the same menu. But, the service in the Pinnacle for breakfast is very fast and you aren't seated with anyone else.

[ej22ndrow]

Thanks for sharing, when you were in san Juan did you notice how full the free buses were?

 

No sorry, we saw plenty of trolley stops but only actually saw the trolley once and I didn't pay attention to how many people were on it.

[ej22ndrow]

Happy Birthday and thanks so much! Good to know you didn't have a Code Red this time. We are leaving in a few weeks and are hopeful that it won't start up. Thanks for the advice on the Queen's lounge and the cabanas. Do they have a good library? Is the internet as slow and expensive as ever?

 

Didn't really pay attention to the library as we both loaded up our Kindles before we left home.

 

Yes, the internet is still expensive. We only used it on Friday, the last day before returning back to Ft. Lauderdale, mainly so we could check in for our flights and print our boarding passes. But we did check our emails also. They did offer 2 packages that day. I believe they were 15 minutes for around $8 plus activation fee and 30 minutes for $12 plus activation fee. We bought the 30 minute package. It did not really seem slow to me but we used it while we were still anchored at Half Moon Bay so a lot of people were still off the ship.

[ej22ndrow]

Wow! We'll be aboard next week. Can't wait. Have rented the family cabana. Hope our experiece matches yours.

 

Do you know if BB King Orchestra will be aboard next week too?

 

 

I think they will be onboard throughout the Caribbean season which is a few more weeks.

[Valley Girl of VA]

Sounds like you had a great time. Thanks for your review.

[startwin]

Thanks for your report and glad you had a great cruise.:)