E Carribbean on Reflection, traveling with elderly mother

[photodonna]

Hi all! My sister and I are cruising with our 88 year old mom on the Reflection on Jan 10th. We're flying in from Pennsylvania, Michigan and Colorado. I haven't been on a cruise in 10 years. My sister has never cruised, and our Mom used to cruise quite often. Should be interesting.... I will be checking this board with hopes of getting some good advice. Right now, I'm exploring options for excursions. I try to avoid the ship sponsored ones, but they have their advantages. First question: ideas for ferrying over to St John from the St Thomas port..how much walking to get to the ferry? Ideas for a quiet beach on St John we can get to by taxi, preferably with restroom facilities. Other ideas are most welcome! Also looking at ideas for San Juan that could include our mom. How far do we walk from the ship to Old San Juan? What about a tour of Old San Juan? I'm not much of "tour" kinda gal, but it might work for us. Nice to meet you!

[win1]

The ship's excursion to St John is so easy. No getting a taxi, or a ferry or all that goes with a private excursion. For not too much more the boat picks you up right there at the gangway and takes you to St John when your taxi waits for you. They have all the equipment for snorkeling and give you instruction if you have not done it.

The return is just as easy. I enjoyed this excursion very much because it was so easy!

[KEG21552]

A lot depends on how young/old 88 is. Old San Juan is great to walk around, but the streets are stone and sidewalks very narrow. If your mom can navigate it, it would be great, just know what you are getting into.

If you are on a port stop, the ship will dock right in Old San Juan, I believe. You can walk around the pier area and it is pretty simple navigating, but once you get off the main drag, it can be challenging.

Old San Juan is great though, hope you get to experience it.

Karen

[fleckle]

,,,,, First question: ideas for ferrying over to St John from the St Thomas port..how much walking to get to the ferry? Ideas for a quiet beach on St John we can get to by taxi, preferably with restroom facilities. ......

If your mother is not very active and not up to beaches or snorkeling or has limited mobility, an ideal tour that I can highly recommend is the ship's own combo tour of a boat ride to St. John with a nice tour all around St. John in an open air vehicle.

 

Sorry, I don't recall the name of the tour at the moment, but it should be in the shore excursion booklet.

It left at 11 am and the boat docked right at the same dock as the cruise ship in St. Thomas, so it was only a short walk from the cruise ship to board the boat.

 

It was not the ferry, but a special boat chartered by Celebrity.

 

The only physical effort required for this tour is the ability to walk a short distance (to get to and from the boat) and go up and down 3 steps.

It is fine for slow walkers and those who use a cane.

 

The boat has both an enclosed lower deck and an open upper deck.

It is a very pleasant boat ride, but it was a little bit bumpy in a few places, so I would recommend taking precautions for anyone who is at all prone to seasickness.

 

I had been worried that the open air ride around St. John might be too hot without air conditioning, but that turned out not to be the case at all.

The vehicle had a covering for shade across the top, and there was a pleasant breeze blowing throughout the ride, making it very comfortable.

 

There were several brief photo stops, including the well-known beaches, so it would be a nice orientation to St. John for a first timer who does not want to spend the day at a beach.

 

The longest of the stops was about half an hour in a shady area at one of the beaches, just time to get out, stretch your legs and wander around a little, take a brief dip in the water, or not, as you choose.

 

Then there was another stop of about a half hour at the end of the tour in Cruz Bay to shop, or sit and have ice cream, or do whatever you wanted before re-boarding the boat for the return trip.

 

There is another tour that also goes to and from St. John on the same boat ride, and that one takes passengers to spend the day at a beach instead of doing the island tour, so your mother may prefer that one if she is a beach person.

 

For someone who is not energetic, the advantage of using a ship's tour here rather than doing it on your own is that it is effortless and requires no planning.

 

I would suggest that your mother talk to the shore excursion people on the ship, describe whatever limitations she may have, and get their advice as to which tour would be most appropriate for whatever she wants to do.

 

[kenevenpar]

Reflection normally docks at Pier 3 in Old San Juan.

 

You can do a search on Pier 3 Old San Juan and get a wealth of information.

 

Ken

[phoenix_dream]

Having cruised regularly with relatives in their 80's, I can tell you that there is a lot more walking sometimes than one would expect. Please help us help you by telling us what kind of shape your Mom is in. Regardless, keep in mind that in addition to the walking, the heat and humidity can really tire out people who are not used to it, let alone seniors. I would highly recommend you keep this in mind when choosing what to do onshore.

 

I don't know exactly where the ship will dock in St. Thomas. When we were recently there on the Summit, we docked at the furthest point on the pier. Our 80+ year old relatives would have had a heck of a time walking to meet the taxi that would take them to the St. John dock (Red Hook Ferry). I am not trying to discourage you about your trip - we have had lots of fun traveling with our family members. Just please, please do not overestimate what your Mom can handle. With the size of ships these days, there can be a considerable amount of walking just getting from your cabin to the end of the dock in some cases. When you are 88 years old that counts, regardless of physical condition.

 

With distance in mind, I also highly recommend a mid-ship cabin. The S class ships, while wonderful, do not have a rear set of elevators - they have mid-ship and far forward. If you have a cabin way towards the rear it is a very long walk for a senior to get most places. A mid-ship cabin is critical IMHO.

[We're The Groupnors]

We were just on Reflection the week before Christmas doing the same eastern itinerary as you. We have also done this same itinerary on other Celebrity ships, so I can offer the following information:

 

San Juan: You will be docking right at the old town. Once off the ship it's a relatively short walk (think about the length of the ship) to the pier entrance, where there will be lots of tour guides waiting to offer their services. The types of tours range from walking tours, to taxis, to vans, to an open trolley. The walking tour and the open trolley just go around the old town, but all other modes will take you where you want to go, or the guides will make suggestions. I would suggest you see the two forts, which are not far from the pier, then have a guide take you around part of the island outside the old town. When you get back there is a CVS and a few other stores right across from the pier where you can buy some souvenirs. The old town itself has mostly cobblestone streets, which tend to the steep side, so probably not great for your mom.

 

St. Thomas: I agree with the previous poster that the ship tour to St. John is the easiest way to go, and is quite reasonably priced. We have also done the ferry and frankly wouldn't bother with the DIY again. One thing, though, we were at anchor and tendered into Charlotte Amalie on our recent cruise. It was great that the tender dropped you right in the middle of downtown, but a pain if you don't like tenders.

 

Sint Maarten: Once you're off the ship there is a trolley that goes back and forth to the pier entrance for those who don't want to walk. Once outside the gate there is a small ferry to the downtown (for a fee), along with a taxi stand with destinations and a price list for rides all over the island. This includes shared ride taxis that will do a tour of the island, so no need to book anything in advance.

 

Hope you have a great trip!

[happygran]

Hi.............it does depend on how mobile etc your Mum is.........

 

My mother is 88 and we are taking her on another cruise this year, but she's not up to boat trips, or any trips..........she's more than happy to be sailing, sitting on the balcony looking at the sea, having some nice meals, going to the theatre a couple of times and just spending time on board, maybe sitting on deck. She doesn't leave the ship. It's her comfort zone............

 

It depends on the person..........until a couple of years ago Mum came ashore but not too far, but was always glad to get back on board.

 

Some 88 year olds are very active, but not many (in my experience)...........just play it by ear...........whatever.......I'm sure she'll love it, whether she's out on trips or just sitting in the sun........it's the family time that she will appreciate.

[GOLDENBONNY]

Hi all! My sister and I are cruising with our 88 year old mom on the Reflection on Jan 10th. We're flying in from Pennsylvania, Michigan and Colorado. I haven't been on a cruise in 10 years. My sister has never cruised, and our Mom used to cruise quite often. Should be interesting.... I will be checking this board with hopes of getting some good advice. Right now, I'm exploring options for excursions. I try to avoid the ship sponsored ones, but they have their advantages. First question: ideas for ferrying over to St John from the St Thomas port..how much walking to get to the ferry? Ideas for a quiet beach on St John we can get to by taxi, preferably with restroom facilities. Other ideas are most welcome! Also looking at ideas for San Juan that could include our mom. How far do we walk from the ship to Old San Juan? What about a tour of Old San Juan? I'm not much of "tour" kinda gal, but it might work for us. Nice to meet you!

 

 

Are you asking for yourself or for your mom? I would not go on ferry with 88 years old or walk around San Juan .

[wallie5446]

We sailed this one Nov 2013, great ship and route.

 

That said,

In St Thomas, it is a 20+ minute cab ride from the pier to Red Hook to catch the ferry to St John, do a ship tour. This year we booked on our own with Simplicity Charters for a 6 hour day sail n snorkel.

 

San Juan, there is nothing worth seeing where the ship docks, the Hard Rock Cafe is, well, just another resturant, again do a ship tour, if you are not fully comfortable in booking something on your own

 

St Marten, Bernards is the way to go! They pick you up 100 yards from the ship, and will cater either of their tours to your needs. We have used them a number of times.

Edited January 2, 2015 by wallie5446

[wallie5446]

Here is a current Review with photos of the Eastern sailing;

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2137488

[phoenix_dream]

Just a little more info to add about the trolley on St. Maarten. It is not sponsored by the ship, and is very small. As such, it can get very crowded and does not come by as frequently as it might if it were a ship sponsored trolley. Also, because it is private, most people will want to tip the driver (although it is not mandatory). That said, if you are willing to wait a bit if necessary, it can be very helpful for less ambulatory people as the distance from the ship to the ferry or taxi area can be a bit far.

[still-learning]

I agree with phoenix_dream 100% Just getting around the ship itself can be very taxing, every step counts. Just walking from one end of the ship to the other is over 1,000 feet or ~3 1/2 football fields in length. A mid-ship cabin is critical otherwise it can be like walking 2,000 feet round trip from cabin for each meal.

 

Having cruised regularly with relatives in their 80's, I can tell you that there is a lot more walking sometimes than one would expect. Please help us help you by telling us what kind of shape your Mom is in. Regardless, keep in mind that in addition to the walking, the heat and humidity can really tire out people who are not used to it, let alone seniors. I would highly recommend you keep this in mind when choosing what to do onshore.

 

I don't know exactly where the ship will dock in St. Thomas. When we were recently there on the Summit, we docked at the furthest point on the pier. Our 80+ year old relatives would have had a heck of a time walking to meet the taxi that would take them to the St. John dock (Red Hook Ferry). I am not trying to discourage you about your trip - we have had lots of fun traveling with our family members. Just please, please do not overestimate what your Mom can handle. With the size of ships these days, there can be a considerable amount of walking just getting from your cabin to the end of the dock in some cases. When you are 88 years old that counts, regardless of physical condition.

 

With distance in mind, I also highly recommend a mid-ship cabin. The S class ships, while wonderful, do not have a rear set of elevators - they have mid-ship and far forward. If you have a cabin way towards the rear it is a very long walk for a senior to get most places. A mid-ship cabin is critical IMHO.

Edited January 3, 2015 by still-learning

[Artemis]

Here's another review of Reflection Eastern my 81yo mom and I took in Dec 2014:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2137917.

 

I hope you get as lucky with docking positions as we did--no terribly long pier walks. If you face one you'd rather your mom not have to endure, ask for alternatives--there are sometimes pedicabs or golf carts for hire, and I think the ship might even help.

 

You've received good port ideas. Onboard, we really enjoyed the arts and crafts classes.

 

Have a wonderful time!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[OCruisers]

Since your mother use to cruise quite often, it's very likely she has been to the popular ports stops of St. Thomas and San Juan. Maybe she will have suggestions for what she would like to do in those.

LuLu

[81Zoomie]

I cruised with my mom who is 88 last Jan. She isn't too mobile and uses 3 wheel walker. Mom is elite on pretty much every line and loves cruising. That said, she gets on and off the ship in a wheel chair. Tenders are out. Even the hallways seemed long. We were in a suite and we spent a lot of time on the balcony. Mom still cruises ever year with a friend. They usually just shop in the stores that are on the docks. Hope this helps. My mom and I will always remember our mother-daughter cruise :-) Have a great time!