Feb. 27th RC for Ft Lauderdale/St. Thomas

[LaPaloma]

Sorry folks, I said January before...Let's see if we have any takers on the real date. We are ready to complain about sunburn, I hate winter, even the mild one we have in Tucson. More than ready to be "pampered"....Lola

[casret]

First time Seabourn cruisers here. We are so excited about the trip. We get into FLL pretty early in the morning, any advice on what to do with the luggage before we embark?

[LaPaloma]

That is always a tough call. Hiring a driver for the day is usually the best answer in the long run. That way you can go have a leisurely lunch, he is at your beck and call..and no worries about luggage. We always go in a day early, as we do not trust the flights.

 

We look forward to meeting you, and can assure you, that you are in for the best trip and treatment you can imagine. We are Don and Lola and will look for you at the skybar just prior to safety drill. We are youngsters in our seventies...he is large and I am small...that may help you to recognize us.

[bertro]

My wife and I have cruised many times but this is our first Seabourn Cruise also. We are looking forward to it.

[LaPaloma]

You picked a good one--we have sailed the Caribbean many times, and I think this is the best itinerary we have ever sailed! Don't miss the "sail away" at the Sky Bar--right after the life boat drill--it's fun! Don

[casret]

What makes this itinerary a good one? Just all the varied ports? We are trying to plan some excursions, and are wondering which ports are best for get getting out and exploring on your own, versus taking a tour.

[johnnycruise]

St. Barth's is an easy one to do on your own. Go online and rent a car from Alamo, Budget or National in advance. They have offices within five minutes walk of the tender pier. You will save nearly 2/3 off of the onboard rental car price. The roads are narrow, but so are the cars, and they are well-paved. The island is the perfect size to explore. You can be anywhere in 20 minutes. So many beaches - so little time!

 

In Antigua, hire a cab for a half-day and head for English Harbour. It is a picture-postcard historic village on the far side of the island. After you've seen the sights, have the driver take the road over Fig Tree Hill to Driftwood Beach - a beautiful strip of sand with a small snack shack. From the shore you will have a nice view over to the volcanic island of Montserrat. If you're lucky you may even see a plume of smoke.

[LaPaloma]

We can't really give good advice on what to do on the cruise--we lived and worked in the Caribbean for 20 years so we have seen all the pretty sights. I think Johnneycruise gave you good advise. We normally just hit the ports and go ashore and see whats new. Two things we are doing for sure is Historic Antigua--it's short tour that visits Nelson's Dockyard--been there once before and want to go back--I'm a Caribbean history buff! Also will do the Beach Picnic for sure! We like the shopping at St Barts and St Martin--not cheap, but a few good deals! The best advise I can give is "Hay mon-- just be cool and enjoy"! Don

[LaPaloma]

Our documents arrived today...that is always a foot in the door so to speak! I have to make a trip to Boulder, Co. tomorrow and freeze my Tucson Tush off. Glad that I have sunshine in the horizon. Lola

[casret]

We just got our last night. We are very excited.

[SantaAna,CA]

LaPaloma, wish I were going with you. I've changed my itinerary, yet again, and will be on pretty much the same itinerary as yours next year on the Legend (although March 7-21, 2009 is round trip St. Thomas). Are you planning on posting from the ship? Have you any experience of the Bellavista B&B in St. Thomas? TripAdvisor gives it very high marks, I'm booking that a few days pre-cruise.

 

Best wishes,

 

Jane

[LaPaloma]

LaPaloma, wish I were going with you. I've changed my itinerary, yet again, and will be on pretty much the same itinerary as yours next year on the Legend (although March 7-21, 2009 is round trip St. Thomas). Are you planning on posting from the ship? Have you any experience of the Bellavista B&B in St. Thomas? TripAdvisor gives it very high marks, I'm booking that a few days pre-cruise.

 

Best wishes,

 

Jane

I'm kind of like Martha--I won't post from the ship--I find to much to do to take the time to play on the computer--I can do that at home! I like our itinerary a lot--as you know we lived and travelled the Caribbean for many years--so we really can't find much new--just return to places we like! I kind of thought if you took the long cruise you were planning on, you would get off the ship wrinkled like a prune--it would have been a lot of dives. I'm sure you will like your new itinerary--lots of good dives! It's strange--our daughters started diving very young--they got there cards diving in a strip mine in Western PA. They dove a lot around Grand Cayman--many many dives of all sorts--drift dives, night dives, bounce dives--they did it all! Then all of a sudden, they were done--on to other things--the older daughter became a World Class water surfer--on the West coast of Mexico--the young one really got into snow skiing, became one of the top skiiers in the Vail Valley. They never dove again, or had any desire to! I guess they got it out of there system when they were young. To bad! Don

[LaPaloma]

Whoops--missed your question--don't know a thing about the Bellavista B&B. We stayed at Freachmans Reef on out last trip--I'm sure it's fine if it's well rated! Don