KCmomof5
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Posts posted by KCmomof5
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Thank you. We are leaving on the Freedom in 13 days. Did they have a white night or other themed nights? Thank you! Dawn
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On 12/13/2018 at 12:35 PM, ming said:
I think the beach that you’re looking for is Crane Beach below the Crane Hotel on the SE coast of the island.
This beach has pink sand and was voted one of the best beaches in the world by Conde Nast.
I am not aware of any organised tours that go there, however. It is somewhat of a destination within itself.
35-45 minutes by cab or 1 hours by bus.
You can make a day of it and have a great lunch on the veranda of the Crane overlooking the beautiful pink sand beach below you.
They will be happy to hail a cab for you when you’re ready to return to the ship.
Great information. I am looking for a pretty beach. This seems to fit!
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12 hours ago, ebslcc said:
Below are the screenshots from Dawn (thanks Dawn!!!):
Here are TripAdvisor links to places mentioned above:
Bar La Dichosa https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g147271-d3722376-Reviews-Bar_La_Dichosa-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Province_Cuba.html
La Reliquia https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g147271-d9706688-Reviews-La_Reliquia-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Province_Cuba.html
Bar La Liuvia de oro https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g147271-d2709766-Reviews-Bar_La_Lluvia_de_Oro-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Province_Cuba.htmlYou may want to check out: Buena Vista Social Club at Cafe Taberna It is only a 5 minutes walk from the port. See https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2592064-info-on-the-many-places-with-buena-vista-social-club-shows-ship-excursions/
Here is the link to Strawberry Tours' free Havana nightlife tour: https://strawberrytours.com/havana/tours/free-havana-nightlife-tour
If your cruise stops in Cienfuegos I have posted map of musical venues and DIY tour suggestions here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2593423-private-excursion-findings-cienfuegos-trinidad-cuba/ scroll down!!!
If your cruise stops in Santiago de Cuba. Guruwalk's Stoycho has a free 2 hours evening musical tour https://www.guruwalk.com/santiago-de-cuba. A paid tour goes to midnight!!!: http://cubacitytour.com/musical-tour-santiago.html
Thank you so much!!! I could never figure out how to do that.
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On 11/4/2018 at 4:24 PM, cpayne said:
Another vote for skipping! Waste of time during our wk long visit to the island last week. We did not pay for a tour thank goodness. The tastings were some of the smallest we've ever received anywhere.
This is good to know. I appreciate the advice. I really want to see the Boka Pistol so we will focus that.
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Thank you that would be great, I do have 2 email address in my signature you can email me if you like. I am pretty sure we will want to stay in Old SJ being this is our first trip so really want to. W don't need high end beach locations but something really nice and not to expensive. March maybe higher then other months from what I am finding. Also looking at 2 days.
Gay
I sent you and email on Sept 7 (aol) and another one today(yahoo). Let me know if you received them
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Done! I am assuming the map in the email is the route that Dawn and company actually took rather than what was originally planned. (Thanks, Dawn!)
It's just a map and a bar hop tour we did by ourselves. Let me know if you got it. If not my email is mcclouddawn65@ Gmail . Com
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Daughter & I plan to stay 2 days before our Cruise as this will be our first visit. Should we stay closer to the Pan American Terminal or in Old San Juan and what areas do you recommend. We really want to spend the day after we arrive touring Old San Juan. Our cruise isn't until a year from next March but love to research.
I found some fantastic places on Airbnb in old San Juan. Safe and not expensive. We are going in January I can report back what we think.
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Hey Dawn, hope you are still monitoring this thread. Could you email any screen shots of the maps or whatever you think might be helpful? I would really appreciate it. Trying to understand how to 'plan' routes with MapsMe. gypsynoels at gmail dot com
So Sorry for not seeing this post! I will email it to you. I cannot figure out how to share a picture on this page.
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We didn’t feel rushed between excursions, so I would think you would still have enough time, especially if you don’t take time to eat. (Also, there is a food truck type of place to eat during the ABC tour if you want. We were being cheap, so we didn’t eat here. Most of the others on the tour did.) The Black Pearl does serve food and drinks. Drinks are served the entire time! There are cheese sandwiches, fantastic grilled cheese sandwiches, and watermelon served after the snorkeling.
Which other islands are you visiting? When we are in St. Thomas, we like going to Trunk Bay in St. John for snorkeling. We also love spending time in San Juan. We have a guy here who takes us SUP, or we visit the forts, or just walk around Old San Juan. La Cueva Del Mar is a a great casual restaurant for lunch and margaritas in Old San Juan. We have never done a back to back! You will have so much fun!!!
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I just realized I booked the wrong excursion with ABC tours. I thought I booked the UTV safari but I booked the Rugged Natural Pool Safari. This definitely does not look like as much fun! Plus we are not swimmers. Which one did you book and what did you think of it. It is significantly more. I am wondering if we should just relax in the morning. Maybe wonder around downtown. I appreciate your thoughts on the ABC tours..thanks! Dawn
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Happy to help! Let her know Bridget M. sent you!
Enjoy your day on our island and your cruise!
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Bridget, Thank you!!!! She is available!!! Great advice. We are booked and now I can relax. Thank you so much,Dawn
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Having just done an island tour that included the distillery, I can tell you skipping it is a good call. It is basically a big walk-through area with pictures and vats and such. With the massive amount of people they bring through there, you can't hear anything the guides say anyway, and you can get samples of the liquor right near the pier.
Thank you! I have heard this over and over. We had the Distillery high on my list. We would be very disappointed. Now we are going to focus on the other sights. Thank you!
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I may be biased but yes, the beaches here are gorgeous!
The ones in the West Punt area are the ones that you will want to photograph! Grote Knip, Playa Forte, Playa Piskado (where the turtles are) are just a few.
If Shete Boka is closed, then Boka Pistol is not an option.
You may want to reach out to Gail, she does private photo tours of the island. Super nice woman and extremely experienced and highly recommended.
http://farm5.clik.com/gailjohnson/
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Your the best!!! Thank you for helping me out. I will reach out to her. Sounds like just what I am looking for. Thanks again for the tips on the beaches. After reading reviews about the distillery it looks like we could easily skip that and buy a bottle at the pier. Thank you so much!!Dawn
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New Years Day is a holiday here so many places in Punda and Otrobanda will be closed.
Mambo beach is a very calm beach with a barrier wall but is not the rugged beaches you see online.
Not the greatest snorkeling for an experienced person, but may be great for you.
It will be crowded with 4 ships here and it being a national holiday here.
Boka Pistol is in the Shete Boka park on the north/west side of the island, Rum Distillery is closer to the city center on the East side.
A private tour that can be customized may be a good option for you to see the places on your wish list.
Hope this helps.
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Sounds like Mambo would not be a good choice. We are not looking to snorkel and would like to avoid a beach packed with tourist. We just want to take some fabulous pictures of the water and beach. We have heard that of all the ports...Curacao is a favorite for beautiful beaches. Which beach would you recommend?
I have emailed the Distillery to see if they will be open. Currently our cruise line has the Distillery as an option but the private tour guide I contacted did not think they would be open or that the National Park would be open. Would that mean we could not see Boka Pistol in the Shete Boka park?
Thank you so much for taking time to answer my questions! Getting first hand advice from a local is so helpful....I really appreciate your time!
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Has anyone been to Curacao on New Years Day? We are going to be in port on New Years Day 2019 on the Freedom of the Seas. Looks like 3 other ships will be in port that day. I contacted a private tour operator and they said that most places will be closed. I have contacted another tour company and I am waiting to hear back from them. The ship is offering excursions. I usually go with a local tour guide but maybe I should book with the ship this time.
Second question.... We have not gone snorkeling before and swimming skills are not great. We would like to visit a pretty beach, see Boka Pistol, the Rum distillery, the floating bridge, and the downtown are for some souvenir shopping. Could we do these without a private tour. The ship is offering an excursion that includes the Distillery and Mambo beach. with drop off at the downtown area for shopping. Any other recommendations? Thanks for any tips or advice.
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We are going to be on bBonaire March 22nd 2019 & Curacao on March 23rd from HAL's Koningsdam . We e-mailed Bonaire Cruisers using this e-mail address :info@bonairecruises.com for Curacao golf cart rentals & no reply .It has been at least w days .Has any one else had this problem ?
With regards to bonaire we sent a e-mail yesterday to Woodwind for the 5 hour snorkeling tour . I asked cost for me as a snorkeler & my wife does not swim .she would just be a observer . no reply here either for Bonaire
Wondering what is happening ?
If you have not received an answer you might try sending the owner a message via facebook.
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Hi!
We would really love to rent a golf cart for our day in bonaire but are unable to find any alternatives to bonaire cruisers. They're not an option since they dont offer carts for 4 adults (2 carts isnt feasible for us).
Does anyone know of any other companies offering larger carts in bonaire?
Thanks! :cool:
We are using the golf cart but Bonaire Cruisers, does offer a guided tour that you can fit 6 people into and you can drive. Not sure if that is an option you are looking for. Otherwise...yes you would need 2 golf carts. I reached Debbie by facebook as I was confused by the last post that the company had a new owner named Hans....but that is a totally different tour company....not a golf cart.
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Just purchased this excursion for our April 1 2018 sailing on Allure during the Black Friday promotion. It seems as if the description has changed from when I previously looked at it; now depicting kayaking and snorkeling with no mention of the race. Wondering if something changed? I have an email in to RCCL because the person I spoke to on the phone said there was no change. Just didn't make sense to have a kayaking and snorkeling excursion with no pictures of either!
Dan
Great information about Black Friday sale!! We will wait and purchase it then. How did your family like it.
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There is a plus (or used to be) for b2b in San Juan. There is a liquor store in the holding area and you can purchase before you reboard. :halo:
They do not hold it? That would be a plus. We are bringing two bottles of wine.
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Our longest cruise started March 19th and finished in Seattle on May 9th. As far as packing, I packed my routine 2 weeks worth and used the laundry. The daughter & I will be doing a B2B on the Freedom in march of 2020 and this will be our first time in San Juan. I am trying to decide whether to come in 2 days early and explore SJ or split the sight seeing up and do some after our first leg.
KCmom if you wish to email me, my AOl & yahoo addresses are in my signature. We were gone for 54 days, however 9 of those were spent post cruise in Sydney
We would rather come in a few days early and explore San Juan but it didn't work out. So....we are flying in the day before and staying a few days after. I will email you. Maybe you can give me some tips on packing!!! Thank you!
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Don't forget in San Juan you will probably have to get off the ship and go to the terminal to "0" the count. when I was there in the fall on a B2B2B this process took well over an hour.
It looks like we will be plan to be prepared for either scenarios . Thank you for the heads up!
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Depending on number of B2B drives if there is a "special" luncheon! Just got on the third of five B2B. First two had nothing special for lunch (usual Windjammer with the new cruisers)so can not expect that "special" always. On the Indy going to Norway (8nights), then cruise to Canary Islands, plus Atlantic Ocean side of Spain & Portugal (14 nights) then last cruise is Portugal, Spain, Gibraltar into the Mediterranean to Spain, France and Italy (14 nights). Weather has been awesome in the 60s with no rain!
I was wondering how your cruise was going!! Sounds like you are having a fantastic time. Good to know that about the luncheon. Maybe we will just play it by ear. Safe travels. I am looking forward to hearing about your trip and seeing your photos! The top of my list is Italy so I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the cruise when you get back. Take care!
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This ^^^ is great as is http://AirBnB.com .
Being fairly new, folks tend to think of a conventional means for overnight (hotels, etc). Still, Airbnb is a great way to do it.
We love using Airbnb ...we rarely book with a hotel.
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If your only staying one night then i would stay in Old San Juan....
I agree. We are staying in Old San Juan at Hotel Milano. Then after the cruise staying in Old San Juan for 4 days at an Airbnb
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We do B2b every year,our next one is in four weeks.As you said you don't have to change cabins,that is a big deal,make everything easier.They will give you an in transit ticket if you want to get off in between,that ticket if you go off you don't have to stand in any line [except customs] to get back on board.There is a lunching on turn around day for B2B.If you want you can go in the pool with no one around.
We will be also doing a B2B2B in January,We find these relaxing.
Enjoy your cruise.
We were going to get off the ship and do laundry, look around San Juan...etc... BUT....after hearing about how nice it is just to relax on the ship, enjoy the luncheon and having the ship to ourselves...even if it isn't for long,,,,we have decided to stay onboard and just enjoy!
Havana "bar hopping" - middle aged style! ;)
in Cuba
Posted
We exchanged our money for CUC at the terminal. The bars we went too did not take US currency.