GAPearl's Big BREEZE Review! 8 Day Southern Itinerary 9/28/13.

[mizro]

This is my first time reading one your review and I m loving it! I'm going on the Valor next year so I MUST go back and read your review for it. Thanks in advance. I am on pge 3 of your Breeze review :D

[tamirpr]

Just trying to understand what's going on here with the taxis...

 

Who is the "big man" you're referring to? Is it the cruise lines or Seavis or big tour companies in general?

 

My understanding is the pier is on private property. The owner has a deal with the cruise lines for excursions. The owner also is in charge of the taxis. He doesn't want to make it easy to use other excursions so passengers will use his. There isn't anything that people like Seavis and the other companies can do about it.

Edited October 14, 2013 by tamirpr

[alreadypacked]

My understanding is the pier is on private property. The owner has a deal with the cruise lines for excursions. The owner also is in charge of the taxis. He doesn't want to make it easy to use other excursions so passengers will use his. There isn't anything that people like Seavis and the other companies can do about it.

 

I see. What a shame. We went to La Romana last year on the Freedom and I did a lot of research ahead of time, but anything worth going to just seemed so far away.

 

We ended up just getting off the ship briefly, going to the duty free store right there and buying some booze, then getting back on.

[Aelsantokie]

Finally caught up on reading the review! I can't wait to read more!

[TwizzlersAddict]

Our after dinner drink was mamajuana.

It’s a Dominican drink made from rum, red wine, and honey. Cinnamon is on the tree bark inside the bottle. Every bottle of mamajuana will taste different every time. She told us to sip it not “whop” it. I’m a rebel of course and “whopped” it.

What I thought of the mamajuana. It was strong!

 

Great review!

 

Did they tell you the back story of mamajuana ? Its aphrodisiac that many call liquid v iagra...lol

http://dr1.com/articles/mamajuana.shtml

[Lizzrd4483]

So you paid 15.00 each way to Dreams - we are planning this for our January cruise and want to be sure; we have dealt with the rudeness during a prior visit. Are the taxi's easy to come by?

 

 

We went to Dreams and yes it is VERY difficult to work with the taxi people and they say one price and the driver says another.. fortunately the drivers price was lower and only charged us $10 p/p each way (9pax) and we told him what time to pick us up and we would tip him then (he also gave us a business card with his cell on it)... He was there when we were ready to go so it wasn't terrible and dreams was amazing.. but I wouldn't mess with it again because of the taxis!

 

Also I only ran into one person that spoke english in the taxi area and it was iffy.. We pretty much had to wait until we got to dreams so someone there could talk to our driver with us

[purplemusik]

Can you do me a favor and hurry up and go on the Dream before Feb so I can read your review before I go :p

[dst]

We went to Dreams and yes it is VERY difficult to work with the taxi people and they say one price and the driver says another.. fortunately the drivers price was lower and only charged us $10 p/p each way (9pax) and we told him what time to pick us up and we would tip him then (he also gave us a business card with his cell on it)... He was there when we were ready to go so it wasn't terrible and dreams was amazing.. but I wouldn't mess with it again because of the taxis!

 

Also I only ran into one person that spoke english in the taxi area and it was iffy.. We pretty much had to wait until we got to dreams so someone there could talk to our driver with us

 

 

Thanks so much - communicating with the taxis wont be an issue; we are fluent in Spanish :)

 

Which I always love to start in English, hear what they have to say and then respond in Spanish - usually works in our favor!

 

So we will plan on 10-15.00 per person......

[AXiDMonica]

GaPearl! You know I love your reviews! So glad you loved the Breeze...it's my fav.

 

P.S. I know you are looking into taking another cruise to get your 10 in by December. FYI there is a 2 day sailing out of Miami on November 1st. It's on the Glory. Look into it! :)

[gapearl]

We have a Seavis excursion planned in January. I've been reading a bit about the taxi situation. To be honest, I'm a bit nervous about it. We have a group of about 25 going and I'm scared we are going to be dropped off in the middle of nowhere or we won't get back to the ship on time.

 

It angers me that the big man is doing this to the local people trying to make a living, but I don't want to get stuck either. What was your take on it and the safety of booking with a non-cruiseline company?

 

You won't be dropped off in the middle of nowhere. I wouldn't even worry about that. Just make sure you have a Seavis phone number with you, be FIRM with the taxi drivers, and make sure you're very specific about which Seavis excursion you're going on.

 

Just trying to understand what's going on here with the taxis...

 

Who is the "big man" you're referring to? Is it the cruise lines or Seavis or big tour companies in general?

 

I remember one big guy in particular that seemed to be one of very few people that spoke English. He kind of seemed to be the main coordinator.

 

I am really enjoying the review. Can't wait for more. We are sailing the Breeze in April, same itinerary so I am taking notes. Thanks for taking the time to write this.

 

Thanks for reading! You'll enjoy the ship and itinerary!

 

We gave a tour booked in DR in Jan with LaRomana Excursions and their site says they will pick us up at the port at the taxi station. Sure hope we don't have the same trouble.

 

Consider yourself lucky if they will be picking you up. I would confirm that and make sure it's not really a taxi they're just providing for you.

[gapearl]

This is my first time reading one your review and I m loving it! I'm going on the Valor next year so I MUST go back and read your review for it. Thanks in advance. I am on pge 3 of your Breeze review :D

 

Thanks for coming by and welcome! I have two Valor reviews, so be sure to read the Solo Southern Caribbean one in my signature. Awesome ship and the best Caribbean itinerary I've sailed yet. Enjoy!

 

My understanding is the pier is on private property. The owner has a deal with the cruise lines for excursions. The owner also is in charge of the taxis. He doesn't want to make it easy to use other excursions so passengers will use his. There isn't anything that people like Seavis and the other companies can do about it.

 

That's pretty much it in a nutshell. Kirsten, our guide, told us the same thing, and so did Seavis in an email a couple days later. Kirsten said she's been arrested twice for coming into the port area. It's a really messed up situation.

 

I see. What a shame. We went to La Romana last year on the Freedom and I did a lot of research ahead of time, but anything worth going to just seemed so far away.

 

We ended up just getting off the ship briefly, going to the duty free store right there and buying some booze, then getting back on.

 

I didn't even see the duty free store there. Thanks for posting that there is one.

 

Finally caught up on reading the review! I can't wait to read more!

 

Thanks Gina! :)

[gapearl]

We had a difficult time getting taxi's to the Dream Resort too but I'm kind of pushy and not afraid to step on some toes so I just kept pushing until we got a taxi driver.. It took about 15 mins though... that port is rediculous and I don't think I would mess with it again.. No wonder so many stay on the ship!

 

I don't think people really realize how bad it is until they get there. Seavis sent me an email warning me, but I had no idea it would be that bad,

 

Great review!

 

Did they tell you the back story of mamajuana ? Its aphrodisiac that many call liquid v iagra...lol

http://dr1.com/articles/mamajuana.shtml

 

Liquid viagara, lol. I can see why they call it that. :D

 

We went to Dreams and yes it is VERY difficult to work with the taxi people and they say one price and the driver says another.. fortunately the drivers price was lower and only charged us $10 p/p each way (9pax) and we told him what time to pick us up and we would tip him then (he also gave us a business card with his cell on it)... He was there when we were ready to go so it wasn't terrible and dreams was amazing.. but I wouldn't mess with it again because of the taxis!

 

Also I only ran into one person that spoke english in the taxi area and it was iffy.. We pretty much had to wait until we got to dreams so someone there could talk to our driver with us

 

I said this earlier, but I don't get why there aren't more people there that speak English. I know it's a Spanish speaking country. But if you work in tourism with thousands of English speaking Americans every day, you should know at least enough to conduct a little business.

 

Can you do me a favor and hurry up and go on the Dream before Feb so I can read your review before I go :p

 

Don't temp me cause I might! :D

[gapearl]

Thanks so much - communicating with the taxis wont be an issue; we are fluent in Spanish :)

 

Which I always love to start in English, hear what they have to say and then respond in Spanish - usually works in our favor!

 

So we will plan on 10-15.00 per person......

 

I know a little Spanish, but not enough to where it would have done any good. I'm nowhere near being fluent, and my God they talk so fast! :eek: Good thinking to start in English. LOL :)

 

GaPearl! You know I love your reviews! So glad you loved the Breeze...it's my fav.

 

P.S. I know you are looking into taking another cruise to get your 10 in by December. FYI there is a 2 day sailing out of Miami on November 1st. It's on the Glory. Look into it! :)

 

Thanks Monica, I appreciate it! I did look at that 2 day. Can't make it though because I'm a bridesmaid that weekend. I might be able to make one more happen next month. I have three options, so we'll see. I might make platinum after all!

 

Ok guys, I need to go for a run and stop by Target. When I get back home, I'll start on Aruba. :D

[tiffygirl]

Great Review, as always!!

 

Loving your braids, so i may steal your style for my upcoming cruise:D...I was trying to avoid the extra long sit time (im rocking kinky twists now).....those are just too cute, and functional so it may be worth it...:p:D

 

Keep it coming!!

[josieallen]

OMG. I'm hooked. I'm dying to find out about G. I always read the end of the book first then go back and start at the beginning. This is a novel and I'm loving it. Hurry, hurry, hurry back:p

[ch27088]

I am so sorry you had such a difficult time in DR. At least your day turned around so that you and the group got a chance to enjoy yourselves, but from reading your review I don't think I would get off the ship if DH and I were to ever go. Glad it worked out for you all.

[alreadypacked]

 

 

 

I didn't even see the duty free store there. Thanks for posting that there is one.

 

 

 

:)

 

La Romana Duty Free store photo below. It's not huge but it does the job, LOL!

[kasindy]

Wow. I will gladly take another sea day over the DR if it's that bad. Glad your day ended up going well after the chaos. I'm sailing on the Sunshine 10/4/3014 the ports are Grand Turk, Aruba, and Curaçao.

[deladane]

YAY! Another GAPearl review!! Thanks for taking the time to post such a wonderful review :) And you look fabulous!!

[gapearl]

 

 

 

 

 

[gapearl]

Wednesday, 10/2

 

Today was the first day I did not set an alarm! Holy cow, I thought I was on vacation, and this was the first time I’ve done this all week! I was up at 9:30 am and in the gym 20 minutes later for an hour workout.

I headed out in search for some food around noon. I first tried the MDR so I could use my free drink coupon, but that was a bust. I am the pickiest eater in the world, and there was nothing on the menu I wanted to eat. Let me break down my pickiness. I don’t eat beef, pork, fish, or seafood. The only meat I eat is chicken and turkey. The only thing on the menu I could eat was a chicken ceasar salad, which I didn’t want, so I left. I wish there was a hot chicken sandwich or dish available in there for lunch. Too bad, because there was a really nice group of people I would have been seated with. Carnival, if you’re reading, please look into adding just one chicken something!

The buffet had really long lines. The Italian restaurant didn’t have any open tables. Everyone had just been seated and was waiting for their food, so it would be a while and there was already a wait. I couldn’t tell you what I ended up eating. I just went to the first place I saw with no line and got something there.

This was my view while having lunch.

After eating, I headed up to my deck on 11 and went out the secret door I had found earlier. When I walked out I saw a couple of members from our group, Kim and her partner Linda, all the way from the Pacific northwest. We had a running joke the whole cruise that I was stalking them because I saw them around all the time. We had a good 20 minute conversation while enjoying the scenery as we pulled into port. I eventually went to get my mom and we were off the ship just before 2 pm, since we arrived a little early.

Pulling into port.

 

 

Last year, I came to Aruba for five days for my yearly February trip instead of taking a cruise. I got to see pretty much the entire island then, so there was nothing special I had planned for us today. Since we would be in port at night, I definitely wanted to go have a drink downtown in the evening. I figured we’d just wing it when we arrived and grab a cheap tour at the port. We found a guy offering a two hour tour for $20 in his air conditioned van, so we went with him. We had to wait maybe 10 minutes for him to get more people to join us, and our tour got started.

 

Edited October 15, 2013 by gapearl

[gapearl]

As with any tour, it started with some history and information of the island. Aruba is 30 kilometers long and 16 kilometers wide. There are 120,000 legal residents plus 6,000 illegal residents. Most locals speak four languages- English, Dutch, Spanish, and the native language Papiamento. Aruba is very dry and can go for months, even a year, with no rain. There are thousands and thousands of cacti everywhere. They really don’t have red lights (I saw only one all day) because people don’t respect them. Hardly any stop signs either. You will find mostly round abouts throughout town. Minimum wage is $800 a month. Venezuela is only 21 miles away. When I visited last year, I was hoping there was a ferry that ran between the two. If there was, I would have made a day trip down there, but they stopped running the ferries a couple years ago.

 

I don't know where this trolley goes or how much it costs.

 

 

 

[gapearl]

Our first stop was some rock formation. We were here for about 20 minutes to climb to the top if we wanted, take some pictures, or grab a drink.

 

 

 

I wanted to climb up to the top. I started to, but couldn't figure out where to go to get up there. Somehow all those other people figured it out though. :rolleyes:

 

 

[gapearl]

 

 

Me with our guide. Oh, and that's not really a Pepsi in my cup! :D

 

 

I really like this picture. Not bad for a selfie!

 

[gapearl]

Up next was the aloe place and store. We toured the facility, where there are 20 workers. Sorry, no pictures. They don't allow photography in there.

 

 

 

 

Lots of growing aloe plants.

 

They had a pretty big gift shop, but everything in there was expensive so I didn't buy anything.