matandbri

On 9/11/2021 at 10:22 PM, evajon2012 said:

Hello all -

YEARS ago (15+) in St. Marteen we hired a private boat that included the "captain" and a wonderful BBQ meal/snorkeling etc.

We are wondering if anyone has done something similar in Aruba (with or without food)?  

We'd love to hire a private boat (with captain) to four or so hours on - enjoying the water etc.

Does anyone know of anything like this?

I've done google searches and come up with nothing!

Thanks in advance!

https://morningstararuba.com/  We did a 6 hour trip with them in September.  It was worth it!  

1 hour ago, Tahitianbigkahuna said:

I've visited Fakarava several times but always by ship. It is an easy flight from Papeete to Fakarava if you need to do a pre/post stay. There are several smaller rental places but only one has A/C if that is a big deal to you.  Fakarava is very serene ... not much night life, you go there for the incredible lagoon for both snorkeling and diving. 

 

If you go for a stay on the island just make sure you are not there when a large ship is visiting as there isn't much infrastructure. Smaller ships are not an issue like the PG but occasionally a behemoth visits and it can overwhelm the small island of only 800 inhabitants,  

Thank You!

@Tahitianbigkahuna I’ve been lurking on these boards long enough to know you are a wealth of information and I thank you for that!!  We are cruising next fall and because of timing can not take a cruise going to Fakarava.  Have you ever visited not on a cruise?  I’ve been able to find out all kinds of information, just not how easy/difficult it is to get there without a ship. 😎

1 hour ago, Island Beachdog said:

We will be on the Allure in a week.  Sounds like the Piano guy is definitely worth catching.  Did you catch his name or which venue is the piano bar?  Loving your live review!   Thanks

According to the cruise compass posted his name is Tom Wolf.  On Royal the Schooner Bar is the piano bar at night.  We will be on next week too and I am hoping for the same piano bar entertainment!  Can one of you check on that please!?  It’s been several cruises since I’ve been on a ship with good piano entertainment.  

On 12/22/2018 at 2:48 PM, Bee Guy said:

We have booked this cruise from Amsterdam to Boston in Sept 2020.  Ports of call in Greenland and Iceland.

 

What is the likelihood of getting a look at the northern lights?   I think that would be a high point if it happened.

I was on the transatlantic this year that was Denmark-Boston.  The night we left Reykjavík we were on deck at 11 pm and saw them.  Also, saw them another night. Have a wonderful trip, the sights are amazing! 

Thank you for taking the time to do this.  I ordered off the vegan menu for the first 10 days of a longer cruise and the menu items were very inconsistent.  It sounds like you had a few of the same issues.  I am happy they are trying, but it gets frustrating to order food that is described differently than what you actually get.  That brown banana ice cream 🤢 and I make banana ice cream at home all the time.  

Thankful for this thread!  I just went from an interior room to a Large Balcony oceanview for zero dollars!!  🎉

1 hour ago, spookwife said:

I’d pack a cozy throw, hat and scarf.  The view alone makes it worthwhile. 

Serenade had blankets you could get like you get pool towels. 

We went in August.  It was cool and rainy.  We had gotten an ocean view room (first time in years we didn’t have a balcony) I wouldn’t have used the balcony at all, so for us it was a great decision.  We were on the Serenade so there were plenty of places to enjoy the views and we spent quite a bit of time by windows. 

My travel agent just sent me a notice she received that Royal Caribbean is now offering a vegan menu on all sailings!!  It’s been a struggle at times while cruising, so this is great information and nice to see its already happening.

Thank you!  We just started planning for a trip in 2021 and I loved reading your review!

On 8/2/2018 at 7:29 AM, roger b said:

 

I see no Problem with this if you are using my suggestions in earlier threads ,it is a wild and beautiful part of the island and you will be visiting there when it will not be crowded.

Take time to visit the monastery of Lluc and have lunch there or my other suggestion which is near by,

 

https://www.abc-mallorca.com/sa-calobra/

 

http://www.esvergeret.com/index.php?lang=2

 

https://www.seemallorca.com/sights/religious/lluc-sanctuary-lluc

Roger,

THANK YOU! We visited Monday and although the weather was not good, we had a wonderful day.  Arash was great to work with. We saw the beach at Sa Calobra as I never expected and lunch at Es Vereget was lovely.  We are looking forward to returning and seeing the difference with calm water and blue skies.  The island was spectacular.  I will post a picture when I can.  My husband showed video of the water to the man running one of the cafes and he was shocked!  What a drive!  What weather!  6 degrees C  and sleet at one of the higher points!  We loved the day despite the weather.  Thanks again!!

Barb

We're seeing an unlimited fitness pass being offered for our 12 night cruise for $69 pp. Unfortunately, there's not much information on the RCCL site about what's included. All it mentions are yoga, spin and pilates. Is that it? Does it not include things like TRX or boot camp?

On the Liberty in May it included Spin class and Bootcamp.

Last year on Freedom the head waiter brought over a piece of paper with the vegan menu for the next night printed on it. Usually had a soup or appetizer, salad, and a main course. First and ONLY time I’ve seen a vegan menu in my 4 sailings as a vegan.

My husband and I are doing a walking food tour with Absolutely Southern France. If you’re a foodie you should check it out!

i see no problem with this if you are using my suggestions in earlier threads ,it is a wild and beautiful part of the island and you will be visiting there when it will not be crowded.

Take time to visit the monastery of lluc and have lunch there or my other suggestion which is near by,

 

https://www.abc-mallorca.com/sa-calobra/

 

http://www.esvergeret.com/index.php?lang=2

 

https://www.seemallorca.com/sights/religious/lluc-sanctuary-lluc

thank you!

Roger, We will be in port on Monday, October 29, from 7-5. We would like to rent a car and drive to Sa Calobra. With all of my research, I feel this is easily done, but would like to get confirmation from you. Thank you for all of the information you have provided in this thread!!

Barb

Yes, they start at about 3 meters, and work their way up to 10 meters, and you can decline at any time. There was also a small zip line where you let go mid point and drop into the water! Lots of fun!

This sounds amazing! Did you book through a tour company?

The one time we moved cabins the cabin we were moving to didn't get vacated until the final call for everyone to be departed. The room still had to be cleaned and that meant we got our room the same time those just boarding got theirs. Then we got to spend more time unpacking instead of enjoying vacation. In the scheme of things, it's not a big deal, but having kept the same cabin on a previous b2b, I missed being able to relax and enjoy turn around day.

agree totally with scottc4746. Boarding was nightmare. Too bad not everyone knew arriving early (as rcl emails said do not arrive early) would have benefits, instead of waiting in line outside terminal for 1 1/2 hour.

Centrum was decorated for christmas, main dining room deck 5 was decorated but nothing else. Dining on deck 4, windjammer nothing. Dress code.laugh..t-shirts & short even on formal nights. Service was different each night and menu was nothing to write home about. Was told if we wanted shrimp cocktail we could ask.servers tried their best..sarah & yas were great.

Windjammer..poor quality and setup..buffet or not. Park cafe..a joke.

Cabin & attendant kunal were great. Had put in special needs request at time of booking, needed distilled water for bipap machine. No distilled water use bottle in room..no charge (golly thanks).

Roatan..use lifeboats(they were lowered 1 deck down under our cabin at 6:30am..wake up call!!!) to pier "ship to big to dock" ncl getaway had no problem docking at pier.

We really tried to be open minded about this cruise with all its twists & turns and condescending communications and out right lies from rcl..but.. If we did not know better from past rcl cruises, we would never return to rcl.[/quote

 

AMEN!

I too was charged for water on my Dec. 3 Rhapsody sailing. When I called, the charges were reversed but the agent was RUDE. Reading how often this is happening is disturbing.

Thanks to all of you recent travelers!! We have this hotel booked in February and I have been concerned with the reviews, especially with what we are paying. I LOVE the location though. Thanks for telling of your experiences and relieving some concerns.

I am so excited for you and your kids. We surprised ours twice. Once with the luggage in the car, but we didn't get as far as I hoped before the questions started! The first time we did a treasure hunt with a bag full of things they would need on the cruise as the treasure. Great memories from both. Whatever you decide, treasure the moment! Enjoy your trip.

My husband and I did this hike with Royston 4 years ago. It is strenuous and AMAZING! We passed the ships tour on their way back down and no way would I have wanted to be in that group. Royston was great and after the hike we had an island tour too! We did arrive back at the ship a muddy mess, but had a great time.

Don't be upset if you can't get in your room right away. We changed cabins last week on the Independence and the cabin we switched too didn't vacate until after 10. By the time it was cleaned and our belongings moved we were going to the cabin at 1 like all the new arrivals. It wasn't a big deal, but since I hadn't seen anyone post about not moving early I was caught off guard. Enjoy your b2b!!!