J&BinAZ Posted July 20, 2004 #1 Share Posted July 20, 2004 Hi all you helpful people :). We are cruising on the Adventure of the Sea in Sept. I think from all your posts (especially Mary's) that I can finally feel comfortable with my decisions for formal nights. It doesn't sound like my husband will need to pack a sports coat for "smart casual" night, is that correct? I've read it's better (less people and cheaper) to book excursions independently, but haven't had much luck in finding them. I tried to book a 1/2 day snorkel excursion on my own from St. Thomas to St. John and it ended up being more expensive than the ship's. One company said we might have a hard time booking independently off a cruise because their boats leave at 9:30 from a different port and it's hard for cruisers to get there in time. Has anyone done this from St. Thomas, and if so, do you have any suggestions? Did you find a good deal? Our other ports are: St. Marten, St. Lucia, Antigua, and Barbados. We're more beach, snorkel, wildlife and scenery people than shoppers. Any recommendations? Anyone done Stingray City in Antigua? Can that be booked on our own after we leave the ship? Next question: We booked an E-2 Balcony Guarantee Stateroom (travel agent's advice). I guess this assures us we will not get less than this room but will probably get an automatic upgrade to a better room. Has anyone ever done this? Did you get an upgrade? Any thoughts, suggestions? Last of all: Does the soft drink card also include bottled water? Thanks for all your help -- these boards are great! Judy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noodle Posted July 20, 2004 #2 Share Posted July 20, 2004 I don't have answers/opinions for all your questions, but this is what I think I know: My husband wore kahkis and a nice button up collared shirt for the smart casual evenings, maybe even a polo one night. On Carnival, the soda cards do not include bottled water. They only include fountain sodas. Bottled water is more expensive for the cruiselines and therefore I don't believe any of the lines include it with the soda cards. I have never booked a guarantee, but I think they can be a great value. My understanding is exactly what yours is: guaranteed a minimum type of room, but may be upgraded depending on what's left. Have a great time! Sorry I can't offer excursion advice as I have only cruised to the Mexican Riviera, and am planning my next for Alaska. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwinfl91 Posted July 20, 2004 #3 Share Posted July 20, 2004 We have done guarantees a couple of times and sometimes we have come out a little ahead. All you are "guaranteed" is the minimum category that you paid for. Depending on how early you book and how well the cruise sells will determine if you get an additional upgrade. As far as I can tell the "upgrade fairy" is exactly that and doesn't seem to operate in any logical fashion. We have done both ship based and independent shore excursions. Generally independent shore excursions are not necessarily a lot cheaper but many times you will have a better and more quality experience. St Thomas is a port that is visited by so many ships, there may be 8 or 9 ships in port at one time, that the resources, the available number of people available to give tours get stretched to their limits. Here are a few links to USVI sites that have links to independent tour operators. Hopefully you can find one you like. http://www.usvi.net/ http://www.paradisepointtramway.com/ http://www.virginislands.info/STTHOMAS.HTM http://www.godfreytoursvi.com/ http://www.*****/ http://www.virtualstthomas.com/ As far as formal night, I have used a nice sports coat, a white shirt, a tie and dark pants and got along fine. Have a great next cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinqt Posted July 20, 2004 #4 Share Posted July 20, 2004 I used to book my shore excursions through the ship but I now book my own. Ship excursions have large groups of people that are taken on buses that are packed out. I have found that the shore excursions I booked on my own were with smaller groups and I got more personalized attention. They usually meet you at the pier and take you with a small group of people in a van. It has always been cheaper for me and I have gotten better service. You might try the ports of call section here on the CC boards. I have come across people's reviews of really good shore excursions that were very reasonably priced. I think the ports of call section will help you a lot. There will be people trying to get you to take shore excursions with them when you get off of the ship. But I always feel better having everything planned and taken care of ahead of time. I have heard of people getting good last minute deals right there in the port though. It's just not for me. Your guarantee will guarantee you the type of room you booked. Sometimes you get upgraded, sometimes you don't. Just start hoping that the upgrade fairy pays you a visit. Happy sailing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpayne Posted July 21, 2004 #5 Share Posted July 21, 2004 I recommend booking excursions independtly for the same reasons as the other posters. I also recommend booking them in advance. Many tour operators will offer you a discount (usually 10%) if you book in advance and pay before you go. When I contact the operators I always ask the following questions: 1. Do you offer a discount for reservations made in advance? 2. Does your price include transportation to/from the cruise ship terminal? Most operators will provide the transportation, but I have found some that do not. I typically don't book with them unless they do provide the transportation. I would try searching the internet and entering like, "Barbados snorkeling". It will bring up several operators that offer tours. You can narrow it down to a few and then use the cc ports of call boards to ask whether anyone has used the operators you are considering. For Barbados, there is an operator that is involved with a Sea Turtle Research project. It used to be every Tues they took a group out to help with gathering the turtles, tagging them, collecting the data and releasing them again. Very neat to do! Can't remember who we did this with, though, so you'll have to do some research. Have fun! There's nothing quite like your first cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serene56 Posted July 21, 2004 #6 Share Posted July 21, 2004 The soda card does not include bottled water on Royal. Bottles of water on Royal will set you back 3.50 each. Take your own and refill at the buffet as you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J&BinAZ Posted July 21, 2004 Author #7 Share Posted July 21, 2004 Thanks for your all advice and tips (everyone)! That sea turtle tagging in Barbados sounds like a lot of fun -- I'll have to try to find aout about that. Thanks "going nowhere" for the bottled water info. Judy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpayne Posted July 21, 2004 #8 Share Posted July 21, 2004 Another suggestion for you....couldn't remember earlier what we did on our trip to St. Lucia. How I forgot I don't know because we had a blast! We went on a guided four wheeler tour in the mountains. It was a half day excursion and the best time. We booked through an independent operator (of course I can't remember who!) that picked us up at the dock. They took us up in the mountains and away we went. We rode both of us on one 4 wheeler and it was more than comfortable. Great scenery....wild pigs blocking the path at one point, naked natives washing their laundry in the mountain streams, they gave us a tour of a banana field (they'll explain "banana condoms"!). It was a very "rustic" excursion and did not feel touristy at all. You were right in there with the locals which we loved! We almost always cruise in early Nov for our wedding anniv which is a slow cruise time. For this excursion we were his only guests so we had a private tour...even better!! Research this on on the internet. You'll have a great time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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