SchnauzerPup

17 hours ago, TrapperZimmy said:

The bigger question is do you want to be closer to the dining room, the pool, or the piano bar/casino/spa and gym.

Is it even possible to be "far away" from anything on SD? 😉  

Hello Franny and Welcome

SD is a very different experience but one that DW and I really value.

There are many shaded areas at or near the pool and the staff will bring out an umbrella for you.  That being said the pool is not always the center of the experience.  There are shaded areas topside near the bar, at the bow, and many other locations.  You will always be able to find a comfortable area to relax, read, chat etc.

The internet is fine and they have recently upgraded to Starlink.  I believe the plan is per cabin, not per device.  Also in the Caribbean you are almost always in range of cell service so you will have LTE as well (make sure to enable proper plan before you leave).

There is definitely more motion but it is at a higher rotational frequency than on the bigger ships (the larger ships tend to "wallow").  The only area I have ever found it a problem is entering or leaving PR.  Everyone is different of course but you should be alright.  The ship is not tall enough that deck matters, what does matter is how close you are to amidship.  Closer to the middle is best, avoid the bow or stern if concerned.

Most gentlemen where a sportscoat in the evening at least for cocktails, later it is fine to wear "country club casual"

It is very much a line where you need to "make your own fun".  They will certainly suggest activities and help arrange them but there is very little in the way of organized activities.  No trivia, etc.  There is a cocktail hour in the evening.  What you will find is that everyone is friendly and engaging.

Hope we will see you!

DW and I had a similar experience with AIG.  We were forced to cancel at doctors insistence.  My mother in law suffered a medial emergency.  The stress of dealing with it cause my wife to have palpitations and stress induced hypertension.  Her doctor told her on no condition leave the country.

Doctor filled out all required forms (multiple times), we have submitted all requested documentation, we even submitted mothers medical information.  They are denying because, despite all documentation from wife's doctor they claim initiating event was her mother being hospitalized so does not qualify.  When we explained that it was wife's medical condition that caused cancellation they went out of their way to (maliciously in my view) misunderstand, or at least appear to. 

They have resorted to asking for the same forms over and new forms in an endless stream in what feels like a fairly transparent attempt to wear us out.  I am finally resorting to hiring an attorney who specializes in insurance claims.

We have been travelling multiple times per year for 25 years and always had insurance through them.  Never again.  

I echo the OPs sentiment.  They make a lot of bold statements when selling you the policy but try to collect one time and see what happens 😞

Thank you all for the informative and insightful information.

The insurer in question is AIG.

My wife's mother was hospitalized after a surgical procedure that went awry ( she is doing better )

As a direct result of dealing with that situation my wife had stress induced dangerously elevated blood pressure, chest pains, anxiousness, and other issues.

Her physician has attested to all of this and we have provided full documentation.

The issue is that AIG is demanding the medical records for her mother and that, to me, seems like an overreach.  We have asked her mother and she does not feel comfortable sharing those records.

The documentation from my wife's physician as to the nature of the symptoms, the fact that they were not pre-existing, and that the trip was cancelled based on her medical advice seems like it should suffice.

Perhaps I am incorrect and their request is typical.  If so please let me know.

Thank you and regards

RKM

After almost 30 years of regular cruising and ALWAYS having travel insurance (with the same provider) DW and I are needing to file a claim for the first time ever.

We have submitted all documentation requested including notarized statements by doctors, receipts, you name it.

They keep asking for more and more intrusive, personal, and in my mind unwarranted and unrelated information.

I am beginning to believe they are not acting in good faith.  It feels they are just trying to make the process so painful or intrusive, or hoping we won't do some little thing incorrectly.

Is there such a thing as an agent or expert that can help negotiate on our behalf and act as our advocate?  The TA is doing her best but I think I need an expert.

DW and I are scheduled for Barbodos sailing Dec 12.

Under normal circumstances we would never fly in same day but this time we are doing exactly what cabosal1 describes.  Fly in and then straight to the ship.

As of the last information I had this should work without quarantine (but things can always change and my information could be out of date so please do your own research and don't rely on anything I say).

Now more than ever get the best travel insurance you can as recommended by you TA and keep fingers crossed.

RKM

Whatever it is you can count us in !

Morning All

As  I look forward to my 2019 SD cruise I was thinking that I might want to use a luggage forwarding service such as "LuggageFree" or "Luggage Forward".  Has anyone had any experience with them on SD ?   If so did it go smoothly ? 

Thanks...

RKM

On 1/3/2019 at 2:42 PM, Cruise Critic Chris said:

Hm. Going on SDII over Thanksgiving this year (2019) and now wondering. It's a wine voyage so I thought that might ward off some of the kiddos......

I would not be concerned.

SD really does not tend to attract groups with children.  The majority of the time there are none at all.  

DW and I have been on many a SD cruise and have only once had even a small issue with youngsters (and oddly it was the owner's children and their friends who monopolized the staff's time and took over all the good gathering spots at the TOTY bar).   

Our general experience has been that the few children on SD are a pleasure.   

Enjoy your cruise !

Great!  We will see you there.

We usually spent a few days at Frenchman's Reef but it was badly damaged by the hurricanes and is not scheduled to be opened until perhaps early 2020.  Frenchman's cove  is still open but not as nice in my view.

If I were going to spend more than day I think that would scoot over to St John (there is a ferry) and stay at Cruz Bay and enjoy the park.

We plan just go in the day before and stay at Windward Passage or Emerald Beach.  Nothing fancy but let's you put your toes in the sand and have a drink.

It is my opinion that that staying a couple extra days on the tail end in Old San-Juan offers more opportunities than perhaps St. Thomas does.   We have never really enjoyed St. Thomas and find it a bit frantic.  When possible we embark in St. Martin or Barbados and Disembark in St' Thomas or PR because that makes clearing customs so much easier, but that is not an option for the Christmas cruises.

In any event.  You will have a great time.  See you there.

My DW and I have done a SD Christmas cruise about 4 years ago and LOVED it.  In fact we are already signed up for the Dec 21 2019 St Thomas to PR cruise (I can't wait).

We can only get away with it infrequently because family puts up a fuss "don't you want to be here for all of the activity" they will say ( answer is on rare occasions "no" it is nice to get away for some quiet and relaxation ;-)

We hang our stocking on the cabin door (making sure to use command strips so as not to cause damage) and in general just have a relaxed time while all others at home are rushing about.

Having Christmas eve dinner at Bonito in St. Barths is just about the best experience you can imaging.

Although I will not guarantee that it is always the case, on our Christmas cruise the staff put on a little pageant that included an amazing dance by the spa staff and a truly hysterical rendition of "swan lake" by the engineering  staff including the chief dressed in a black tutu.  Still makes me smile.

We hope we will see you there!

Hello!

OP of this thread is my DW and a I just wanted to wade in and say that I really think SD did the best they could by us. The BVI and USVI are a wreck (really sad to see) and the weather on our cruise was not helping (big swells actually washing over the boardwalk at some ports, etc.).

I think that on many occasions the representatives on the various islands were a bit too optimistic and it only became apparent that itineraries needed to change at the last minute leaving the on-board crew scrambling. That being said they made it a SD experience despite all those balls being in the air.

My take on the San Juan situation is that it is nothing more or less that a bunch or red tape by US authorities and SD being given the run-around getting everything in order. We all know that bureaucracies are frustratingly intractable and that officials don't give two hoots about your time pressures or schedules. The crew was between a rock and a hard place and did their best by us.

Just my two cents.

laurelguy

I totally understand and share your concern and hesitancy but I think it is important to keep in mind the role played by tourism and travel in the economic health of some of these islands.

A very interesting article detailing this may be found on the NY Times website here;

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/23/us/tourism-hurricane-economy-caribbean-islands.html

While your hesitancy is laudable it may possibly be that the best way to support those that have been affected is to continue to engage in activities that support both individual livelihoods and regional economies.

It is a tough call I know, but DW and I have elected to still go on our February cruise for this very reason.

We always stay at Sheraton as well. Hotel itself is nothing to rave about but location is perfect.

We have a ritual. We unpack and then walk up the hill to the Toro Salao restuarant and have a toast with their white sangria while enjoying the patio. Been doing it for years and vacation truly begins once we have done that ;-)

Hello

You absolutely can't go wrong with Bonito in Gustavia.

http://ilovebonito.com/en/welcome/

You won't get a traditional dinner, but everything there is top notch and the staff is fantastic.

One thing that is VERY important is to wear flat shoes. You need to go up a very steep grade for about 30 feet to get up to the restaurant. The view is fantastic and worth it but my wife wore heels the first time we went and she had a devil of a time.

Have fun....

RKM

Glad you found someone to go with but (without sounding too saccharine) you would never be alone on SD, you would have your SD family. I have always found fellow passengers to be friendly, inclusive, interesting, and quite frankly one of the best reasons to sail SD.

DW and I took this cruise last winter and had a lovely time.

What we did was take a later flight and then got a room for the day at the Sonesta Great Bay. It gave us a very relaxing extra 1/2 a day and really took the pressure off. It is a decent property and is very convenient to the port and the airport.

Have a great cruise!

I need some sage advice. Although gay marriages are legal in Canada, my friends would like to get married in Amsterdam (they don't know of anyother places) followed by a river or barge cruise. We will be joining them. I don't know where to start! Are there any all inclusive cruises? Is a barge better? Anyone have any idea how we would find out about gay wedding sevices etc. We may make it a double ceremony.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Hello Tayl. Very flattering that you feel comfortable asking us. I have heard that Peter Deilmann Cruises are very nice (no personal experience but a fellow SB traveler recommended it to DW and me) http://www.deilmann-cruises.com/destinations/index.html.

I asked friends of mine who are in a committed gay relationship and they said that South Africa permits gay marriage, but they were unsure as to residency requirements etc. I know Silversea's Silver Wind sails out of Cape Town and I would imagine (again no personal experience) that an African cruise on SS would be lovely indeed.

Good luck....