Markham123

On 11/14/2023 at 6:17 AM, PORT ROYAL said:

Personally, don’t recognise the description, because each time visited (over many years) most outlets were unused and boarded up.  It’s off the beaten track for high volume tourists, therefore limited footfall, so people are reluctant to invest.

Also, on exiting the port gates, before even reaching Pelican, one will have to run the gambit  of droves of persistent unlicensed taxi drivers descending on one’s party, trying with all coercions to get a fare.  

If one wishes to spend some quality time “local shopping”, then suggest take an about $15 taxi ride to Chattels Village in Holetown (high number of hotels etc). There one will find a more pleasant experience, plus food/drink.

Don’t forget, inside the Cruise Terminal are many stalls and stores selling local wares and handicrafts.

I find a pleasant no thank you to the taxi drivers works very well, at least it does for me.  

I consider Chattel Shops in Holetown  tourist shopping not local shopping, for the local experience I frequent the vendors with trays outside the Chattel  Shops. 

Since the OP asked for places close to the port I thought of Pelican Village.  Of course they can also walk along Broad Street for another shopping experience. 

On 11/13/2023 at 10:02 PM, carbon said:

Have you been there recently? Were many stores open? We will be there on a Monday, four ships will be in port tat day.

 

I haven't been there since the pandemic so I don't know the store situation.  I was in the area in September on a land vacation and walked by on my way to the vegetable and fruit vendors and noticed that it was freshly painted.

On 9/20/2023 at 4:31 PM, cruising in said:

Will we see much and feel the flavour of Barbados enjoying a walk and lunch close to the port?

Steps away from the cruise port is Pelican Village that are shops with local handicrafts and restaurants, the building are painted in vibrant colours and it's a nice place to take a stroll.  

Further along but on the same side as the cruise port is the Fish market. 

If you want to see where the locals do their shopping head to Swan Street but I'll warn you it can be very busy depending on when you  visit and not for the faint of heart.

If you want to eat local food you can ask locals or go to Bridgetown Duty Free Broad Street(formally Cave Shepherd).  Food use to be really good when it was Cave Sheppard but I haven't been since it was rebranded.

The same thing happened to us in September with West Jet flying from Toronto to Vancouver. 

I received that message when I booked a cruise for March 2023 and I knew I didn’t click that I was part of military. Called Captains Club and they said all was good and msg was auto generated. Make sure you get a copy of your invoice since mine was messed up. 

As of June 23 Barbados had repatriated 11 800 Royal Caribbean  International crew on 45 flights and seven ship voyages from Barbados. 

This man could have potentially infected people in Barbados, St. Vincent and St. Kitts. Who would blame the governments of these countries if they banned cruise ships for the foreseeable future.  Look at how European countries are being  overwhelmed by Covid 19, this has could decimate the islands in a short amount of time.

12 minutes ago, MightyMike said:

 

One of the issues is that they make it expensive to be truthful.

 

 

I feel so sorry for Hollysmokes, and her situation is exactly why some people will not be truthful.  A full refund maybe pricey but it could actually end up saving them money if it prevents one infected person from boarding.

Only if everyone is  truthful and unfortunately that isn't always the case.

The ban has a major oversight,  I know many people in Hong Kong with Canadian passports who should be banned but aren't.  I'm also sure that there are many who hold Chinese or Hong Kong passports  and haven't visited there in years and will now be impacted by the ban.  Hopefully the  RC Ltd screening process will check the country of birth on passports and if from banned location ask additional questions to weed out people who shouldn't be allowed to board.

Stayed at Hotel Lleo last year and liked it, booked it again post cruise in September.  We stayed in a renovated room with a balcony and found it very quiet.  It has both air conditioning and an elevator the bathroom was large and and the room very clean.

Front desk was helpful and subway to La Sagrada is steps away.  Overall good value for money.

Was there on September 23 for an 11:45 am flight and faced long slow lines especially at Passport Control.

Is mostly everything closed on Sundays in Barcelona? I’m staying there one night after my cruise and trying to decide if it’s worth staying in a hotel close to la rambles or is a lot of the city closed?

 

 

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Was there earlier this month and visited Sagrada Familia and Casa Batllo on a Sunday, when we headed to La Rambla for dinner we noticed that the shops in the Gotic Quarter were open.

the company we used a few years ago no longer offers transfer only without a tour. Any recommendations for a taxi or car service for 2 people?

 

Thanks!

We used Airport Taxi Transfers earlier this month, the cost from Airport to hotel was E 36 which included our luggage. You can email them for a quote.

I asked on the ports board about taxis since my cruise leaves on September 11 and was concerned about getting a taxi from hotel to port. I was told that the events take place in the afternoon so shouldn't be any issue getting a taxi to the port. Since you are leaving so much earlier I would think taxis would be readily available at the port. If you are still uncertain you can book a taxi.

I asked on the ports board about taxis since my cruise leaves on September 11 and was told that the events take place in afternoon so shouldn't be any issue getting a taxi to the port. Since you are leaving so much earlier I would think taxis would be readily available.

If you are able to walk to the bus station or the minibus station in Bridgetown you can take a number of buses that go to Holetown which all run along the west coast for $1.50. What beach do you want to visit?

Keep an eye out for free air promotions from the vacation arm of Canada's "National Airline". Last year we booked on Equinox with a free air to Miami promotion, only had to pay taxes which were around $150.00. They have also had free air from Puerto Rico and Europe. You get the free air in addition to all the perks that the cruise line is offering at the time of booking which was too good to resist. There is also the TA that has the pilot in their logo that offers discounts in pricing, I don't know if it's at all locations but wouldn't hurt to pay them a visit.

Oh great to hear it hasn't closed, was so disappointed when I read it had closed thinking it had gone the way of a lot of department stores in Canada. In goggling the store I've come across some brands that I want to go and take a look at.

Thanks for all of your shopping suggestions and keep them coming, we are allocation half a day for shopping so need to come up with an optimal plan.

Went on first Presidents Cruise on Equinox in August 2017 and not much has appeared to have changed over the years. There were two free reception events with food and drinks which Classic members could attend, but they also had additional free events for the higher tiers. Free shore excursion was a night out in Puerto Rico again with free drinks, finger foods and desserts.

Free gifts but not one every night, maybe 4 in total, a number of special events that you could pay to attend, including a brunch and food/cooking related activities. There were also some very expensive Presidents shore excursions, with a BBQ costing close to $200.00 CND.

Didn't go on it because it was a Presidents Cruise but because it was 8 days and we got free air.

Michelle

Thanks for all of your great feedback, I don't think we will have too much time for shopping so I want to make the most of it.

Michelle

Thanks Bob, will hit El Corte Ingles for sure and lucky for us it's only about 5 minutes from where we are staying. The trick will be finding the right balance of sightseeing and shopping.

Will be in Barcelona in September, suggestions on where you can find quality products like ladies shoes and handbags at a reasonable price would be appreciated. I'm sure there are stores out there that only locals/insiders know about with items that are of great value for the money. Any suggestions welcomed. Thanks.

Thanks for the prompt reply Enric, it sounds like something I would love take part in but unfortunately my ship departs at 5. There is so much to see in your beautiful city that I'm sure I'll have to visit again. I have some questions about shopping, since I need my retail therapy so I will have to look for the appropriate thread for that.

Thanks again, Michelle

Hi Enric,

I've been reading your very informative postings as I plan my pre-cruise stay in Barcelona and I came across this one. I currently have a reservation at Hotel LLeo and the departure date of my cruise is September 11. Can you please give me any tips that you may have around departure time to the port, and the best mode of transportation(public transit, taxi, private car). I'm currently thinking earlier in the day is better and taxi maybe a good bet. Will it be hard to get a taxi? How long do you think it will take to get to the port if we checkout around 10:30-11:00 am.

Thanks, Michelle.