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printingchick

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About Me

  • Location
    Connecticut
  • Interests
    CRUISING, music, kayaking, my dog
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Royal Caribbean
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Southern Caribbean

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  1. dot net. Sorry, didn't realize there were two! Highly recommend.
  2. Excited to highly recommend this excursion. We took the private jeep tour. It just my daughter (30s), myself (60s) and our driver, Adriana. The tour was customizable. The company offers a recommended tour itinerary from which you can add or remove activities to suit your preferences. The tour was approximately 5 hours and included lunch. Upon meeting our guide, we were asked what things we specifically wanted to do. Having seen photos of the Jade Cenote, I mentioned that site. Because it's located in El Cedral, which has an admission fee, we had to pay an extra $15/per person. It was WELL worth it! Adriana was incredible. She took us first to the Cenote, where we were the only visitors (others were arriving as we were leaving). What a magical place - my daughter called it other-worldly. I know some people swim in the water, but we didn't. It has sulfur and smells and there are a lot of bat droppings. Not being water we wanted to swim in didn't lessen the fact that it was an incredible sight! Adrianna told us all sorts of history about the location which was very interesting and added to the other-worldly nature of the place. It's a must-see location. Upon leaving the Cenote, we drove to Punta Sur. We climbed the lighthouse, spent some time on the beach, saw the crocodiles, etc. Lovely place. Our time there was la little shorter than it would have been had we not insisted on visiting the Cenote first, but we didn't regret that decision at all. Adriana then drove us to a restaurant that was in a large covered patio, right across from the ocean. The view was breath-taking. The food was delicious. After lunch, we were on to the tequila tasting. My daughter loves tequila, so this was a big highlight for her. Another lovely location and tequila even a non-tequila drinker enjoyed! I VERY HIGHLY recommend this tour. It is a tremendous value for the price. Adriana was an incredible tour guide. We saw parts of the island we'd never seen before and she timed our activities to avoid crowds. It could not have been a better day. Any questions, I will try my best to answer.
  3. OK, thanks. But southern Caribbean cruises out of San Juan would not be part of the "short" cruise announcement. They are 7 days. But I'll just keep checking.
  4. We recently had them deliver just coffee each morning. It was nicer than a wake-up call. We tipped $2 per day.
  5. Sorry if I'm beating a dead horse or if I'm missing something, but according to the newest schedule which appears in post #75, nearly all 2025-2026 sailings should be available...well... now. Am I reading it wrong??
  6. Why would they include SJU departures with the "short Caribbean itinerary" releases? Cruises out of San Juan are typically at least 7 days.
  7. Wondering this myself. And what is showing on the site is ONLY ONE itinerary. No way to book a B2B out of San Juan for the foreseeable future.
  8. A few more tips: Didn’t hear this until it was too late to help us on our rocky Day-One, but we were told that eating green apples helps with sea sickness. I found the cell service to be pretty lacking on the islands. You’re better off saving the money and just finding a place to use wi-fi each day. Most resorts and a lot of the bars in port offer free wi-fi. It’s difficult to avoid, but TRY not to overpack. You won’t use it all and you’ll be holding your breath at the airport while they weigh your 49-pound suitcase. That said, a light rain jacket turned out to be a GREAT idea. It never rained enough to spoil our day, but we had light rain for brief periods in a couple of the ports. And most of all, stay positive. You’re on vacation. No matter what happens, it’s better than being at work. A little rain is better than a foot of snow. If you miss the first tender, you’ll catch the next one. If you dislike your meal, they’ll bring you another one. Enjoy yourself!
  9. DEBARKATION Super easy. Our lounge was Bolero's where there was coffee and pastries available. After a short wait, our group was called and the line off the ship moved swiftly. Customs was practically non-existent - no forms, no questions - nothing. Funny story: In Bolero's, we ran into a woman who had been in the Flash Mob with us, a quiet and petite older woman who was traveling with her male "companion." I left to go to the restroom, stopping to say hello on the way. When I returned, my daughter told me that the woman had relayed to her friend that I was one of the people from the Flash Mob and that I was traveling with my lesbian partner. I don't believe my daughter and I have ever been mistaken for a couple before. When the woman walked by us moments later, I made a point of introducing her to "MY DAUGHTER." Anyway...cabs were readily available, although it did require a walk down the street. Uber and Lyft availability is closer to the exit. It was a pretty quick ride to the airport.
  10. We never had trouble finding chairs by the pool, even in the Solarium pool. I think it's easier on a smaller ship. Also never had difficulties finding a table in the Windjammer for breakfast or lunch. We nearly always found a spot at a window. The one place we did have difficulty was in the gym on the first sea day. We went up to walk on the treadmills that face the ocean, thinking it would be a cool experience. ALL were taken and there was a line. My daughter ended up just running on the jogging track. There was a speciality coffee bar, Cafe Latte-tudes, on Deck 6. We never got coffee there, so I can't speak to the product itself. Entertainment on the smaller ships is pretty slim. Don't expect Broadway shows or even tribute events like Beatlemania. We had a magician, a tenor, the ship's production show...I think there was one more, but I don't recall. We enjoy the cheesy stuff like the sexiest man contest and the 70s party. My daughter is a singer and the karaoke competition spanned three nights, so that took up some of our time, as did our Flash Mob. I will say that the demographic of this cruise skewed older. Yes, there were 20-somethings and 30-somethings on the ship, but the majority of the cruisers on our ship were closer to my age than my daughter's. My first cruise was years ago on Carnival out of Tampa (a 5-day). It was over Super Bowl weekend and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were IN the Super Bowl that year. EVERYTHING on the ship became about the game. Not being a football fan, I swore I'd never cruise during Super Bowl weekend again. I failed to make the connection when I booked this cruise. While they did make a big deal about the big game that day, it wasn't the same since neither team represented the ship's home port. They still had shows in the theater, for example. On that first cruise, the theater showed the game and box dinners were served in there! Not this time. Fans could watch the game in a few of the bars on board or in their staterooms.
  11. FINAL DAY AT SEA We slept later on our final day, moving our coffee delivery to a later time. (Honestly, using room service coffee in place of a wake-up call is the best!) We had a relatively uneventful morning, doing a final walk around the ship, sitting for a while by the pool, etc. We happened upon Zumba in the Centrum and joined in, which was fun. Our afternoon was pretty packed. It was the final Flash Mob rehearsal. (More on that later.) My daughter had won some Bingo cards, so for the first time in 15 cruises, I actually played Bingo! (We won nothing.) We had to pack for debarkation 😞 I think I mentioned that we sat next to a lovely couple at dinner each night, so we made sure to get photos with them and our waitstaff at dinner the final night. After dinner we dashed to the Parade of Flags in the Centrum. Immediately following that even, while the Centrum was still packed, we performed with the Flash Mob, led by our animated and Uber-energetic cruise director, Eric. Being part of a flash mob has been a dream of mine for years, so it was HUGE! Some folks we met on the cruise kindly video taped it for us, so we have evidence! Following the dance, I ran to the cabin to put our bags outside and my daughter ran to the Spotlight Lounge where she was competing in the Karaoke Superstar contest. SHE WON! Even got a trophy! (Not a key chain!)
  12. COZUMEL If you're a frequent cruiser, you've likely visited Cozumel numerous times, as had we. We decided to book a jeep tour through Cozumel Cruise Excursions.Net. It was a private tour - just my daughter, myself and our driver, Adriana. It was customizable. They have a recommended tour itinerary from which you can add or remove activities to suit your preferences. It was $69/per person for approximately 5 hours and included lunch. Upon arrival, we were asked what things we specifically wanted to do. Having seen photos of the Jade Cenote, I mentioned that site. Because it's located in El Cedral, which has an admission fee, we had to pay an extra $15/per person. It was WELL worth it! I mentioned that Roatan was our favorite island, but Cozumel was a close second - and probably only because, well, holding a sloth is life-changing! 😉 Our guide was incredible. She took us first to the Cenote, where we were the only visitors (others were arriving as we were leaving). What a magical place - my daughter called it other-worldly. I'll post pictures, but they won't do it justice. I know some people swim in the water, but we didn't. It has sulfur and smells and there is a lot of bat droppings. But what an incredible sight. Adrianna told us all sorts of history about the location which was very interesting and added to the other-worldly nature of the place. It's a must see location. After that, we drove to Punta Sur. We climbed the lighthouse, spent some time on the beach, saw the crocodiles, etc. Lovely place. Our time there was less than had we not insisted on visiting the Cenote first, but we didn't regret that decision at all. Adriana then drove us to a restaurant that was in a large covered patio, right across from the ocean. The view was breath-taking. The food was delicious. After lunch, we were on to the tequila tasting. My daughter loves tequila, so this was a big highlight for her. Another lovely location and tequila even a non-tequila drinker enjoyed! I VERY HIGHLY recommend this tour. We ultimately paid $84/per person (including lunch). Adriana was an incredible tour guide. We saw parts of the island we'd never seen before and she timed our activities to avoid crowds. It could not have been a better day.
  13. BELIZE This was our only tender port. The process was as follows: - Guests pick up tender tickets beginning at 7:30AM at the Schooner Bar. You are to be completely ready to disembark when you get your tickets. If you are not and that tender goes, you have to return to line up again for new tickets. - We picked up our tickets around 8:15 and were able to board the very first tender. I'd been to Belize on 2 previous cruises. I've visited Altun Ha and done the cave tubing. This time, we booked a tour that included the Baboon Sanctuary to see the howler monkeys. (We interacted with a LOT of wildlife on this cruise!) The tour was through Belize Exotic Adventures. I believe the cost was $70/per person. It's a private tour, so it was just my daughter and myself. We had a great day and enjoyed our tour and interacting with the howler monkeys. That said, the tour guide took us to a residence just outside the actual sanctuary, rather than to the sanctuary itself. That means we didn't see the museum or other parts of the sanctuary. I'm sure he was saving the admission fee and we got to see the howlers, but it felt a little like we were short-changed. The guide was SUPER nice and we truly enjoyed the day, so wasn't worth complaining. We enjoyed the local lunch (included in the price) before heading back to the ship. I just realized I didn't provide pricing for the other tours we took: Maya Chan in Costa Maya was $69/per person. I think it may have gone up to $79/per person now. Daniel Johnson's tour in Roatan was $65/per person and worth much more. One of our all-time favorite events on the ship is the 70s Disco Party and it took place on the evening of our Belize day. It was also Round 2 of the Karaoke Superstar Competition. I can't locate my Cruise Compass for that day, so I'm a little fuzzy about the other events on the ship. Dinner theme was casual, but my daughter and I dressed in our 70s outfits for dinner.
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