Mitsugirlys FASCINATION with San Juan-review & pictorial

[sydney dog]

Thanks mitsugirly !!!

 

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[mitsugirly]

@Mitsugirlys Thank you for an amazingly insightful review. We are leaving in 5 weeks for this same cruise, and we're taking members of our extended family. I've used your notes to plan our itinerary. It's been ages since I've been on a Carnival ship. What deck do you disembark the ship from each day in port? That's going to be our meeting point each morning.

I've totally been stalking your old reviews of the same stops, too. I'm so looking forward to Coki and Linquist beach in St. Thomas, The Boatyard in Barbados, Jalousie in St. Lucia, Carambola in St. Kitts, and St. Maarten is a toss up between Pinel, Maho, and exploring Marigot in St. Thomas. Your photos are fantastic...I'm not a strong swimmer, but my husband and boys are so I'm super excited for them to see everything you've shared with us.

 

Well...I want to say it is deck 2, deck honestly I cruise so much that I sometimes get things mixed up with the ships. But that sounds right. I know when I cruise with Carnival, I try to get a lower cabin because it's just so convenient for getting off and on the ship.

 

 

Maho is such a neat experience, but not really a place that is a great beach to hang out at all day. If you do decide to go there, check out my Mullet review. It's right next door, not very crowded, and a very beautiful beach. We started out there for the morning and then walked over to Maho right before noon to watch the planes come in. It made for a wonderful day. Just know...the HUGE KLM 747 plane, which is the big double decker light blue plane you see in a lot of pictures and the one everyone really goes to see, is no longer going there as of October last year. I caught it coming in each time we've been and what an amazing site!

 

 

But they still have bigger planes coming in, not just the "big boy" now. It's still a great experience.

 

 

If you have never seen videos of the 747 landing...you must see this: It gives a perspective of why so many come here to see the planes land. Play close attention to the red car on the street passing by at the same time. Talk about an adrenaline rush!

 

 

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It's definitely one of the unique experiences you'll get by being in St Maarten. It's kind of those once in a lifetime things you do and then move on the next time around. So if you have any future plans on returning to St Maarten again, I would do Maho as an experience and then next time move on. (We only did it twice because once was our "first time" before cruising with our little one and the second, we had to take all of the kids there to experience).

 

 

I hope you have a wonderful time on your cruise. It's my #1 cruise to date!

 

Thanks mitsugirly !!!

 

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You're very welcome.

[metairiegal]

Wow! That video is crazy!

[crusinpsychRN]

Can't read with the purple type.

[mitsugirly]

Wow! That video is crazy!

 

Right? Wasn't it? It remains one of my favorite landings caught on video.

 

 

Can't read with the purple type.

 

Well sorry, you won't be able to read the review then. Not much I can do about that. ;)

[Thrilled2012]

I love the purple font color! Made it so much easier for me to scroll through to find your posts quickly without reading all the comments.

[mitsugirly]

I love the purple font color! Made it so much easier for me to scroll through to find your posts quickly without reading all the comments.

 

That was the reasoning behind using a different color than everyone else. There's always so many people that post in my reviews and sometimes it gets a little cluttered and it's just easier for people to scroll and find the continuation of the review. I've "tried" several different colors in the past (suggested by others on here for the easiest reading) and you win some and lose some. You can't please everyone. :D

[mickev99]

I love the purple font color! Made it so much easier for me to scroll through to find your posts quickly without reading all the comments.

 

 

I agree!! I guess it's their loss because they are missing out on a great review.

 

 

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[honestguy]

Kim great review. I'm doing this cruise in august. I had the dream booked, for the same week, but this one was cheaper, and believe it or not airfare was cheaper to san juan vs nola, so we made the change. First though I have a week in st thomas for my cousin's wedding. is your visit to coki beach included in any of your reviews? what snorkling was better coki beach, or st lucia?

[mitsugirly]

Kim great review. I'm doing this cruise in august. I had the dream booked, for the same week, but this one was cheaper, and believe it or not airfare was cheaper to san juan vs nola, so we made the change. First though I have a week in st thomas for my cousin's wedding. is your visit to coki beach included in any of your reviews? what snorkling was better coki beach, or st lucia?

 

Thanks so much for the reply and you'll love the Fascination itinerary. It's just amazing!

 

Yes, just look in my signature line (expand below) and you'll find St Thomas and all of the places I have been to while there. There are actually 2 reviews of Coki there. Our first time we snorkeled and the second time we went scuba diving from the beach. :)

[KatPem]

Thanks for taking the time for this great review! We have actually done this itinerary twice on the Liberty (once with the kids and once without) and my oldest has decided it is the cruise she wants to do next year for spring break....her last before she graduates next December and hopefully heads off to med school where she will have no time for cruising. This itinerary really is the best, I cannot wait to go at it again. I was a little nervous about the ship. We are taking my sister-in-law and her husband as well, he hasn't cruised and she only did an Eastern Itinerary a few years back with us. Anyway, I was nervous about it being an older, smaller ship but you have helped to put my mind at ease. Thanks!

[mitsugirly]

Thanks for taking the time for this great review! We have actually done this itinerary twice on the Liberty (once with the kids and once without) and my oldest has decided it is the cruise she wants to do next year for spring break....her last before she graduates next December and hopefully heads off to med school where she will have no time for cruising. This itinerary really is the best, I cannot wait to go at it again. I was a little nervous about the ship. We are taking my sister-in-law and her husband as well, he hasn't cruised and she only did an Eastern Itinerary a few years back with us. Anyway, I was nervous about it being an older, smaller ship but you have helped to put my mind at ease. Thanks!

 

Yea, even if it wasn't the best ship, the itinerary would definitely make up for it. But, we really liked the ship and wouldn't hesitate to go on it again. I hope she has a wonderful "last" cruise. :)

[TheGirlNextDoor]

Loved your review... I feel like I was on vacation with you. I enjoyed your snorkeling pictures the most. How did you learn all the names of all the different sea creatures you saw? I am a newbie at snorkeling so I have no idea what I am looking at or if I even see anything. I would have never seen that octopus!!! Also, I wanted to comment on your little girl's beautiful tan. I am jealous!!! I also have an 8 year old daughter and she is no where near as adventurous as yours. She is timid in the water. I'm quite impressed. Last, I wanted to ask you if its always that hot in PR. I don't know if I can handle that.

[mitsugirly]

Loved your review... I feel like I was on vacation with you. I enjoyed your snorkeling pictures the most. How did you learn all the names of all the different sea creatures you saw? I am a newbie at snorkeling so I have no idea what I am looking at or if I even see anything. I would have never seen that octopus!!! Also, I wanted to comment on your little girl's beautiful tan. I am jealous!!! I also have an 8 year old daughter and she is no where near as adventurous as yours. She is timid in the water. I'm quite impressed. Last, I wanted to ask you if its always that hot in PR. I don't know if I can handle that.

 

Thanks so much for the comments. I'm glad you enjoyed the review.

 

 

Snorkeling and being in the ocean is a whole other world to explore. It's just so beautiful and you just never know what you might see. You have to have a keen eye. Sometimes I have it, other times I don't. If I get so excited, I sometimes forget to relax and just "float". To see the most, you must learn to just float slowly and take it all in. Those out there just kicking and going fast will miss things. Commotion will scare fish and other things into hiding and you miss it. There's a lot of things out there that also look like something they are not...for instance a frog fish or stone fish. You would mistake them for a piece of coral (look them up). :D When I first started snorkeling (again after many years), I actually took tons of pictures, tried looking them up online and those that I couldn't figure out, I actually came on here, in the snorkeling area, and posted the pictures and ask others: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1536671 This gave me my start and most fish I posted back then are all fish you usually see while snorkeling. I recently got several really good books with corals and fish that identify them (suggested by others on this forum). After awhile (and as much snorkeling as we do) you start to learn the names. Even Sakari has learned a great deal of the different names and can tell me what they are.

 

 

Yes, Sakari has a beautiful skin complexion. She tans VERY easily. She gets that from me. I have a lot of Indian in me (my moms dad was full blooded Indian).

 

 

Sakari is VERY adventurous at just about anything...zip lining, snorkeling, scuba diving, jumping off 2 stories into the water, swimming with any animals...she'll do just about anything if you let her. But, she's been around water all her life and learned to swim at 3 years old (in a pool...I didn't trust her in the ocean for many years and it caused a lot of arguments between us because I insisted she wear her puddle jumper while she insisted "I'm a big girl and know how to swim"). She's been in the ocean and snorkeling (with just a mask and sometimes fins) since she was 3 as well. So, she's a pro...oh and a mermaid as well and what mermaid isn't comfortable in the water right? :')

 

I personally don't know how hot it usually is in Puerto Rico. This was our first visit STAYING there and only second time there. The first time we went there, it was not as hot, but the weather wasn't a great that day either (that was our Breeze cruise if you want to look that PR day up). However, I would say it's not "normal" because the locals we talked to said that it had been extremely hot (more than normal) that particular week we were there (it was in the 100's). When I look up "normal temps in PR" I find that the highest "normal HIGH" is only 89 in June and August. It also said the highest "ever" was in the 90's...so when we were there, I would say they probably broke a record. :p But worth every day we spent there...it was just that amazing! I'd do it again in a heartbeat...even at those temps. :D

[sturderick]

Thanks Heather. I'm glad you are here. If you haven't done this itinerary yet, BOOK IT! Seriously hands down one of the best.

 

 

 

Right. It wouldn't be the last time stickers ended up on my luggage this time around either. The airport did it again coming home. :(

 

Try using Goo Gone to get the stickers off. It really works!

 

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/goo-gone-reg-2-oz-remover/1040746593?skuId=40746593&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_cleaning_&product_id=40746593&adpos=1o2&creative=43742633029&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CjwKEAjw8ZzHBRCUwrrV59XinXUSJADSTE5kUge3fEFpaiqaDDdJfFSUJGyvMOBmvYavL8Lf-Jcr2BoCpn7w_wcB

[tjsmama]

MITSUGIRLY...thank you so much for this in depth review. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. MY DH and 14yr son will be taking this cruise in October '17 and are so excited. I am trying to soak up every bit of info i can get.

[mitsugirly]

Try using Goo Gone to get the stickers off. It really works!

 

 

Yep, I've used that before. Thanks for the reminder.

 

 

MITSUGIRLY...thank you so much for this in depth review. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. MY DH and 14yr son will be taking this cruise in October '17 and are so excited. I am trying to soak up every bit of info i can get.

 

You are welcome and glad you enjoyed it. It's an amazing itinerary. I would like to do it again some day.

[Vacationdreamer<><]

I'm so grateful to find a review of Pinel Island! I think we would love the kayaking. But the nudity might be a deal breaker. UGH. So tough to call. I think some of my kids would gawk big time.

 

Did you feel like the dry-bags you towed were truly dry enough? For a camera or phone, etc.

The food prices seem really high. Was the food any good?

[mitsugirly]

I'm so grateful to find a review of Pinel Island! I think we would love the kayaking. But the nudity might be a deal breaker. UGH. So tough to call. I think some of my kids would gawk big time.

 

Did you feel like the dry-bags you towed were truly dry enough? For a camera or phone' date=' etc.

The food prices seem really high. Was the food any good?[/quote']

 

Glad you were able to find the review. Pinel Island was very pretty and we definitely enjoyed our day there. Kayaking...well I thought it was funny watching my oldest daughter complain about it and hey...we were making memories and it's definitely something that I continue to laugh about and bring up to her. Good times.

 

 

The nudity doesn't really bother me (since I'm a nurse, I've seen it all) and don't really pay much attention to it. Sakari thought it was odd, but it really doesn't faze her either. But, each family is different.

 

 

Yes, the dry bags worked perfect and absolutely nothing got wet. They have different sizes too and a lot can fit in them.

 

 

Within the review of Pinel, I posted pictures of the prices of food. I thought the hamburger and fries were good. It definitely filled me up. The pop (soda) was VERY expensive though and I had really wished that we would have purchased some before heading over there. Of course it was SO HOT out that they wouldn't have still been cold when we got there, but I'm sure we could have purchased a glass of ice for probably....$5.00 :')

[Vacationdreamer<><]

Glad you were able to find the review. Pinel Island was very pretty and we definitely enjoyed our day there. Kayaking...well I thought it was funny watching my oldest daughter complain about it and hey...we were making memories and it's definitely something that I continue to laugh about and bring up to her. Good times.

 

 

 

 

 

The nudity doesn't really bother me (since I'm a nurse, I've seen it all) and don't really pay much attention to it. Sakari thought it was odd, but it really doesn't faze her either. But, each family is different.

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, the dry bags worked perfect and absolutely nothing got wet. They have different sizes too and a lot can fit in them.

 

 

 

 

 

Within the review of Pinel, I posted pictures of the prices of food. I thought the hamburger and fries were good. It definitely filled me up. The pop (soda) was VERY expensive though and I had really wished that we would have purchased some before heading over there. Of course it was SO HOT out that they wouldn't have still been cold when we got there, but I'm sure we could have purchased a glass of ice for probably....$5.00 :')

 

 

 

$5 ice :D LOL

I'm a nurse too. Wouldn't phase me. When I showed some family members your Pinel review they loved the kayak idea. But some of them died twice over nudity bit. It's number one on my list, but I doubt we'd explore Island much.

 

I saw the food prices. It looks expensive. But I guess that's the cost of that kind of experience? I'm just so cheap. With six kids any meal adds up quickly. :p

 

 

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[mitsugirly]

$5 ice :D LOL

I'm a nurse too. Wouldn't phase me. When I showed some family members your Pinel review they loved the kayak idea. But some of them died twice over nudity bit. It's number one on my list' date=' but I doubt we'd explore Island much.

 

I saw the food prices. It looks expensive. But I guess that's the cost of that kind of experience? I'm just so cheap. With six kids any meal adds up quickly. :p

 

 

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Just know that you can find this at a lot of places in St Maarten and not just Pinel Island. It's a "norm" there and a lot of the beaches will have topless women. There's even a beach (Orient) that has an entirely nude section of the beach, however, when we went there, they didn't seem to limit themselves to just that area. Other places, although they may not be "known" as one of the more popular nude/topless beaches, it can still happen and I've seen it other places too (Maho Beach). I don't know how much research you have done on the different places to go there and just thought I would mention this.

[Vacationdreamer<><]

Thank you. Yes. I'm just beginning the research. First time to St Maarten and I only now as finding time to research. This piece of info has been coming up and since I've shared it with the kids there has been no end to their cracking jokes (4 teens in the mix). They are having a good time joking.

 

Can you comment, is there a "better side" of the island to visit based on transfer time and traffic to/from port?

 

 

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[warb]

When is your next Cruise Mitsugirly ? Looking forward to reading about your next Adventure ?

 

Thank you for taking so much time to do your Cruise Reviews.

[mitsugirly]

When is your next Cruise Mitsugirly ? Looking forward to reading about your next Adventure ?

 

Thank you for taking so much time to do your Cruise Reviews.

 

Unfortunately...I won't be cruising this summer as planned. I have tried and tried to find something that interest me and the only thing I could find was repeating THIS Fascination cruise again. However, I wanted to stay at the same place (El Conquistador) because we absolutely loved it there and wanted to spend more time. However, they are completely booked up. The other places we stayed at (before and after) are doubled in price now. I got so frustrated trying to find something, that I completely decided we just weren't cruising this time around and we are doing a land vacation at the end of the month instead....ARUBA! :D

[retiring soon]

Hi all!

 

mitsugirly ~ sorry to hear you won't be cruising this summer but heck a trip to Aruba will be great!!(y) You're sure to find one of those beautiful turquoise lizards if you're there all week & you'll get to see a lot of the island.

 

Do you think you'll be cruising in the fall? Escape on Oct 14th or Conquest on the 22nd would be good choices, lol!

 

Have a great trip!

 

~ Jo ~ :)