jryansales Posted April 28, 2018 #1 Share Posted April 28, 2018 Hey Cc’er’s! So, going to give providing a full cruise report review a shot here! (I’m a bit late in doing this!) San Juan: We arrived a day early and stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Miramar hotel (close to the Pan American pier!). The hotel was nice enough & accommodated a VERY early check-in time. From there, we were able to walk into Old San Juan (maybe a mile walk at most and we felt very safe). We explored Old San Juan, got a Pina Colada & grub at Barrachina’s (fyi - the appetizer sampler for two is TONS of food and a great deal!), shopped, and checked out the castle ($7/pp and well worth it if you care a little about history!). We got to the dock the next morning at 11AM and embarkation was A BREEZE! We were on board by 11:30AM and in our room with our luggage by 12:30PM. We stayed in a balcony room (#7037) and it was exactly as expected and in a great location toward the front of the boat. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jryansales Posted April 28, 2018 Author #2 Share Posted April 28, 2018 Sea Day: Not much to report! It was great! We had a very relaxing day. One thing to note...We went to play bingo and the cheapest package was $40. I definitely head into vacation planning to spend a little bit of cash, but I thought this was a little outrageous based on your odds. Dinner was great in the MDR! I recommend getting the escargot appetizer in the beginning of the cruise! It is great, but not quite as good towards the end of the week. I didn’t get menu pics, sorry! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jryansales Posted April 28, 2018 Author #3 Share Posted April 28, 2018 Bridgetown, Barbados: We decided to go on a catamaran tour with Calabaza. I absolutely cannot recommend this enough! It was $125/pp and they provide unbelievable service and there is a max of 10-12 people on a huge catamaran. They pick you up from the pier, provide a breakfast (fresh fruit, banana bread, & fish cakes), take you snorkeling at multiple stops to see sea turtles, provide an awesome lunch (curry chicken, seasoned pork dish, veggie salads, quinoa salad, etc etc etc - can’t remember the rest, but it was greattt!) & homebaked desserts...also, unlimited drinks! The rum punch is REALLY good! Back on the boat...we checked out Qsine specialty restaurant and it was great! We ordered 6 dishes to share and it was a lot, but semi manageable (I highly recommend ordering 6-7 dishes for two and asking them to bring smaller sizes!). The only dish that I thought didn’t deliver was the lobster escargot. Checked out the casino after dinner & really enjoyed the crowd. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jryansales Posted April 28, 2018 Author #4 Share Posted April 28, 2018 Castries, St Lucia: We decided to do a tour with Cosol Tours. It was $75/pp and our guide was “Yellow Bird”. Again, cannot recommend this enough if you’ve never been to St Lucia. We had an AWESOME day! We had 10 people on our tour in a pretty large passenger van. We toured the island and first stopped at a private residence/building to eat “breakfast” with a larger group of maybe ~30 people. It was a HUGE spread of local dishes, fruits, pastries, etc (more like a lunch!). Right after breakfast, we stopped at an incredible lookout of the island, got some great pics, & there they offered beers/rum punches (from this point on, you have access to included drinks for pretty much the entire day!). They then stop and show you how the local bananas are grown, you get a taste of the local spiced rum (it is FIRE[emoji119][emoji108]), you get great views of the Pitons, and you then head to the mud baths. The mud baths were a little busy, but a really cool experience! After the mud baths, you head to a boat taxi to take you to a semi secluded beach for snorkeling for about an hour. It was pretty decent snorkeling! Take a little cash if you want drinks or any food while you’re there. After that, you swing by a waterfall. It is cold. BUT, get in! You only live once! Back on the boat - dinner in the MDR was great & we went a “singing impressionist” show. He was....OK. But, had fun! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jryansales Posted April 28, 2018 Author #5 Share Posted April 28, 2018 St Johns, Antigua: We rented a car...a little scary, but great! We rented through Hertz online & it was by far the cheapest, but don’t expect a seamless process. If you rent through Hertz, you need to ask the people at the information desk where to find the Hertz representative. Took us a bit, but found her & we drove to Shirley Heights - $14 entry for two & it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen! Well worth the trip/rental. Driving through St Johns was a but hairy & driving on the left was odd, but it was a great way to take in the island! From Shirley Heights, we drove to Darkwood Beach and hunkered down and Darkwood Beach Bar ($30 for 2 chairs, umbrella, & bucket of 6 beers). The beach was BEAUTIFUL and the bar/restaurant was great! The food was decent and right on the beach (& significantly cheaper than most of the options at other nearby beaches). Back to the boat - another great dinner in the MDR! We attended the “Life” show beforehand and it was really good! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jryansales Posted April 28, 2018 Author #6 Share Posted April 28, 2018 Basseterre, St Kitts: We signed up for a tour with “MyIslands Tour by Javin” & cannot recommend him enough! He shows you the not-so-touristy side of the island - you see and old cotton ginnery, take a walk through the rainforest, snorkel over a ship wreck, get to check out the black rocks area w/ a picnic lunch & get about an hour on the beach! He brings one of his pet monkeys along. We had “Peaches” come along with us & she was adorable & followed along in everything we did! Only word of warning is that the snorkel swim is pretty tough (even with a lifevest). Back on the boat - we checked out the “Chandelier” show & it was great! Dinner in he MDR, then a little more gambling. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jryansales Posted April 28, 2018 Author #7 Share Posted April 28, 2018 Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas: Got off the boat a little late & spent the day at Megan’s Bay. The beach was beautiful & had no real signs of hurricane damage. I will say that St Thomas was the only stop that was a little bit frustrating. It cost $20/pp to get back and forth to Megan’s Bay, $5 entrance fee, and ~$15/pp for chair/umbrella. Additionally, Megan’s Bay only has one touristy food counter with overpriced mediocre food and overpriced drinks. It is VERY commercialized, but all in all still a great day. Back on the boat - packed, checked out the final theater show (it was great!) & packed. Debarkation: Our debarkation time was 9AM, but they ask you to be out of your room by 8AM (so, that was a little disappointing). Customs was also VERY slow! We had a late flight, so we stored our bags at Barrachina restaurant in Old Town. I highly recommend this if you have a late flight! You just need to leave a good tip! SORRRRRYYY! I wish I had better/more detailed pics for you guys, but once I’m on vacation I tend to forget! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jean87510 Posted April 28, 2018 #8 Share Posted April 28, 2018 Great review! Love the pictures. Sent from my SM-G955U using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HawaiiUK Posted May 1, 2018 #9 Share Posted May 1, 2018 Doing this in November, but in reverse. What time did your ship sail? I think ours leaves at 8pm, and I'm kind of wondering if we need to be on board so early. Basically I've booked a slightly expensive hotel in San Juan (just don't tell the husband!) and want to get the most of out that, and not leave too soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VPKara Posted May 1, 2018 #10 Share Posted May 1, 2018 Great job! Thanks for sharing and glad you had a great time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jryansales Posted May 1, 2018 Author #11 Share Posted May 1, 2018 Doing this in November, but in reverse. What time did your ship sail? I think ours leaves at 8pm, and I'm kind of wondering if we need to be on board so early. Basically I've booked a slightly expensive hotel in San Juan (just don't tell the husband!) and want to get the most of out that, and not leave too soon! Nope! We got on early because we wanted some empty boat time, but I’m fairly certain that they didn’t require you on ship until 6 or 7pm!:) Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted May 2, 2018 #12 Share Posted May 2, 2018 Enjoying the great photos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrivesLikeMario Posted May 2, 2018 #13 Share Posted May 2, 2018 Great review! Thanks for the work on it. Remember that it's a ship because a "boat" can fit on a ship. That's what they say to help you remember. :D Welcome home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterat Posted July 13, 2018 #14 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Nope! We got on early because we wanted some empty boat time, but I’m fairly certain that they didn’t require you on ship until 6 or 7pm!:) Sent from my iPhone using Forums We are going on a cruise it March out of San Juan. The ship leaves leaves at 8pm, which we've never done. I'm wondering what time did they let you onboard? We're normally on by 11 am and the ship leaves at 5pm. Also does anyone have any recommendations for tours in Dominica, Grenada or St. Croix? We normally book ahead of time but with the locals. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riclop Posted July 14, 2018 #15 Share Posted July 14, 2018 Thanks for the review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenevenpar Posted July 16, 2018 #16 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Thanks for the update. We love that itinerary, and the Summit is one of our favorite ships! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare printingchick Posted July 16, 2018 #17 Share Posted July 16, 2018 We are going on a cruise it March out of San Juan. The ship leaves leaves at 8pm, which we've never done. I'm wondering what time did they let you onboard? We're normally on by 11 am and the ship leaves at 5pm. Also does anyone have any recommendations for tours in Dominica, Grenada or St. Croix? We normally book ahead of time but with the locals. Thanks! They usually require you be on board 90 minutes prior, so for an 8PM departure, you should be on board by 6:30. You'd want to be on by then anyway, to get dinner. Dominica: I HIGHLY recommend Bumpiing Tours. Levi is amazing! He offers a variety of tours. You cannot go wrong with him! (I'm sure others will agree.) St. Croix: We absolutely loved Big Beard's tour over to Buck Island. I've snorkeled at a lot of Caribbean islands and Buck Island was by far the best. There's also a BBQ lunch on a private beach. We got to see dolphins on our adventure and actually jumped in the water to swim with them. Great experience! Grenada: We visit Grenada for the first time on our NEXT cruise, so I'll be watching for the recommendations others provide! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare printingchick Posted July 16, 2018 #18 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Thanks for the review. We're cruising on Summit for the first time in February 2020 - so long to wait!!! Always excited to read reviews, although the ship will be quite different by our cruise, given the upcoming refurb. You visited some great islands! And I totally agree with your assessments of Calabaza and Javin. GREAT excursions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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