mikebz

Just off Grandeur, so this might not apply fleet wide. The shopping talk is about promoting those merchants that pay the cruise line. The "book" you are referring to was an item you pay for in the past. Now, there is a limited number of books available to the first X amount of people attending. Not true, as I saw piles of them by the port shopping guide at the gangway on the first port. You might win a prize. One cruise, I won the grand prize of a diamond necklace. It will be replayed all the time during the cruise, and you can ask for the cards at the port shopping desk as well, so I do not think it is that important to attend. That being said, if this is your first time in port, you might want to go, but just realize that only those merchants that pay will be represented in this "commercial". Better to ask questions here about shopping, but always trust yourself when it comes to major purchases.

On Grandeur, they let us know that St. Kitts might not be the best place to buy jewelry from someone not represented. They did not ention names, but said there was an incident where an upgraded stone was switched from diamond to CZ. If it looks to good to be true, it is. So, high end jewelry (based on your own perspective), I go to jewelers that I have dealt with in the past, or are well known.

Regards,

Mike

Thank you all for your responses. Appreciate it.

Regards,

Mike

Quick question. On Anthem, can the first two night BOGO be used in Wonderland.

Thank you

I was there in early December. The island is recovering. I did not go to St. John, but spent the day downtown. The safari taxis were running to downtown, and the beaches. We docked at Crown Bay. I would estimate that 65%-70% of the shops were open, but I also saw a lot of rebuilding.

Regards,

Mike

When walking instead of the water taxi, is there vendors, shopping along the way?

Thanks

There are no vendors along the road per se. There may be some stores open, but not tourist type of stores. If you take the shortcut through the marina, there are some places there, like GreenTree, but not much. The water taxi will get you there quicker. My original intention of walking to town was to mention that I felt the island was as safe as it ever was.

Regards,

Mike

Has anyone been to Pinel Island recently? Is it open and are the boats running?

 

 

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You can search for my review on this board, but I was in Sint Martin on December 17,2017, and took an outrigger canoe out to Pinel Island. The restaraunt was being rebuilt, and they thought it would be up by Christmas, so I think it will be there. I do not know the status of anything else, i.e. gift stalls, but they were working on those as well. The beach in front of the resaraunt is a bit larger now. If you need any more information, just ask.

Regards,

Mike

Just a heads up. We were there in December. The store at the port has "most" things that the factory has. It has limited wall hangings, and I did not see any bundles of "scrap" pieces. It is on the left side as you are walking to town, but it is under a balcony, and partially hidden by stairs. For anyone familiar with the port, the store took the place of the linen store. The person who had the linen store has retired.

Regards,

Mike

I will echo what has already been said. If this is your first time in St. Maarten, then book with Bernards Tours. It will give you a nice overview of the island. I was just back, and we did a private tour to Pinel Island. The island is recovering, but it is safe. Look for my review on the St. Maarten board.

Regards,

Mike

How far is it to walk into town? Are there taxis or shuttles? Walking is difficult for one of our party... I’d sure appreciate any ideas of best way to get into town...[emoji4]

 

 

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Taxis were plentiful after you leave the pier. Water taxi to downtown was also a short walking distance. We walked into town, but I think it would be difficult for someone with mobility issues.

Regards,

Mike

I agree, not for someone with limited mobility. The mud bath can be slippery, and it is very uneven ground. The waterfall is equally uneven. I would not recommend for people with limited mobility.

Ship docked in Castries, St. Lucia at 10:00 am. Cleared customs at 10:30. Went ashore at 10:50. Assaulted and absolutely beaten down by the tour and taxi people at the pier, we turned around and were back on ship by 11:20. Will never go ashore in Castries again!

 

 

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Just back from St. Lucia. There are two places that the ships dock. We were docked in the more industrial area. We booked with Cosol, and can't say enough good things about him. It is a long tour, but extremely reasonable. Some people did approach us outside while we were waiting, but we just said "No", and we had booked with Cosol, and were left alone.

That being said, you have to be aware of your surroundings. While leaving the ship, one PAX asked what island we were on, then asked the same question to someone on the gangway, then at least twice on the street. That person did get approached multiple times, but I cannot blame the vendors. Please have some plan for what you want to do before you leave the ship. Just my two cents....

Regards,

Mike

We were there on December 17, and we went to the French side, as well as, walking into Phillipsburg from the pier. The water taxi is running. It was very clear that the island is recovering, but I can echo what the OP said. The people we talked to were very optimistic for recovery, and we felt very safe. Many people here are worried about safety, and I can tell you I always felt safe, and the people were as friendly as they have always been.

Regards,

Mike

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Personal saftey such as being robbed mostly. That's the most important thing to me. I can get by with less activities and restaurants open but I want to feel safe in the places where I go.

I did not walk around Margot, but walked multiple times between the pier and downtown Phillipsburg, and felt safe all the time. The water taxi was running, but we did not use it. We went on the boardwalk, and Front st without any problems. We did not venture further only because the weather was bad. All the people we talked to were as friendly as always, and were interested in repairing and moving on. Shops, bars and restaraunts that were not open were being worked on. Safety was never an issue for us.

Regards,

Mike

Please see my tri report on this forum for a detailed report, but bottom line, is that there is local shopping at the end of the pier, and much more downtown that can be reached by the water taxi. More is being opened every day, and I felt safe.

Regards,

Mike

Okay, back from Sint Martin on Grandeur, December 17. I scheduled a private tour before the hurricane with OC4 Island based at LeGalion Beach (near Orient Beach). I scheduled to be picked up at the Greenhouse in Phillipsburg. We had the options to do canoe surfing or an eco tour if the weather was too rough. I dealt with Fabien, and I cannot say enough good things about him. Please consider contacting him, but his tours are for more active people.

We arrived early, and, yes, the weather was cloudy and raining off and on. Fabien was a bit surprised, I think, that we were there, given the weather and the fact that we were the first major ship to be there. Since the weather was bad, canoe surfing was out. The eco tour was out as well, because Fabien had been there, and there was too much damage, and the wildlife has not yet returned.

His facilities on LeGalion had been wiped clean, so we went to his house and launched an outrigger canoe to go to Pinel Island. The weather got worse, and we had on again, off again thunderstorms. It was tough paddling to get to Pinel Island. The restaurant on the island and the vendor shops were heavily damaged and not usable. We walked on the island. Some storm damage, and due to the weather, we decided against swimming and snorkeling. Good news, the restaurant will be open before Christmas. OC4's facilities will probably be open in three months time. The delay is due to the shortage of building supplies. We had really bad weather on the way back from Pinel Island.

Yes, there was a lot of damage still, we saw sailboats in houses, but talking to locals, they are confident that eventually it will be better than before, but there will be a rough patch. These are not my words, this is what people told be on both the French and Dutch sides of the island.

Back to the ship to clean up and get back out to Phillipsburg. We missed the ceremony on the ship from the local officials, but we wanted to get back out there. Walked to downtown, but the water taxi was running. Shops and bars on both the boardwalk and Front Street were open, I would say about half. Higher end shops were more aggressive, but generally most shops were not. We did some shopping and storms came and went, some very strong. There were dancers and performers there, but again, the weather was against us. So we walked some more and talked to locals. Again, there were upbeat about the future, but realize it will be tough near time. The shops and bars at the port were mostly up and running, and the ones that were not, were in the process of rebuilding. We did not go to Back Street, but it was because of the weather.

I know some people are worried about safety. We walked back and forth to downtown several times, went to the French side, and did not feel unsafe at any time. Everywhere we went, the people were friendly as they have always been Bottom line, it was a good port visit. Not great, but that had more due to the weather than anything else. Oddly enough, this was the only port that had bad weather.

Hope this helps, and if anyone wants more specific information, maybe I can answer, but we were limited to those two areas.

Regards,

Mike

The only thing I've never been able to get is an appetizer sized entree.

 

One of my favorite things is to order a dessert cheese plate as an appetizer.

I usually get the cheese plate between the entree and desert. We share with the table. By the second day, no need to ask for it, already there. I have "off menu" items in the MDR, and they are very accommodating. For example, there is a berry soup as a starter, but I ask to have it for desert.

Regards,

Mike

Liquor currently not sold at Riise or across street from Havensight. Dynasty Dazzlers and Caribana in Havensight and town are other options.

Current website shows A.H. Riise selling alcohol. It is the first port next week, so I will let people know for sure.

https://www.ahriise.com/spirits-and-tobacco

Regards,

Mike

We generally go to A.H.Riise in St Thomas. They always have a good selection with good prices. Other places might be competitive, but they might not have what you are looking for. Google them, but they do not post prices.

Regards,

Mike

We will be in St. Kitts December 16. Last time we were there, we did the sugar train excursion that is offered through RCCL, so you can probably do that. I thought it was a good time. This time, we are using Thenford Grey, which is an independent tour, and I will post back my review for you. What type of excursion are you looking for, let me know, and I will look into some of them while I am there if I can.

Regards,

Mike

Okay

For something different, I will answer the original question.

Labadee is decorated for Christmas. Last time, there was a sleigh in the main square and Christmas themed sand carvings. Nothing over the top, but definitely decorated.

Regards,

Mike

Communication is still spotty, but I will be returning on Grandeur in December, and the tour operator that I have been in contact with has confirmed our tour. The tour company is Island OC4, and although we might not be able to canoe surf, we will be doing some type of water tour. He is based at LeGallion Beach, which is very close to Orient Beach. Once I get back, I will post what I have seen, but if anyone would like specific information, I will see what I can find.

His tour company is not booked through the cruise lines, so he is more dependent on land tourism, so this is an opportunity to help someone that might be overlooked until the hotels are up and running. He is optimistic about the future, so I am also.

Look for my posts in late December.

Regards,

Mike

I would read the response as typically it is not celebrated, so it might be up to the individual ship. I have been on several different ships, and I have come to realize that, aside from the itinerary, I book the ships based on my experiences with the crew. I have heard reports that Anthem's crew is less friendly, and I will see this first hand next year, but I can tell you that Grandeur's has got to be one of the best. It may not be the biggest, newest ship that RCCL has, but I think it is one of the best.

I also agree, that take with you those items so you can celebrate in private if nothing public is offered. Reach out in your roll call as well to see who else might want to celebrate with you. A public display and rabbi would be nice, to be sure, but those things are not required to celebrate the holiday.

I am so disappointed.

 

We have sailed during Chanukah through the years - on HAL and NCL. In all cases Chanukah was celebrated nightly - with appropriate foods, a menorah and more. I just heard from RCI that there is NO celebration on board the Anthem. Considering all of the money spent on the beautiful Christmas decorations (which we do enjoy) - it would cost very little to recognize our celebration as well. We chose this sailing as a Birthday/Chanukah present and never thought that it would be omitted from the many offerings of this mega ship!

Not true. We sailed last year on Grandeur, and there was a nightly lighting of the menorah with an appropriate reading (at least I thought it was). It was in the Centrum, along side the Christmas decorations. I thought it was a nice touch.

Regards,

Mike

I am on Anthem December 2018 with a balcony. I look at it this way. Even if I do not use the balcony the first day, the view will be much better.

Not free, but since we only had two people in the group, we booked the RCCL shuttle.