bluehawks47

Our plan is to walk to the downtown area for an hour or so.  We would then like to walk or taxi to a laid back beach with a beach bar or two nearby.  Can anyone suggest a beach that might fit this description?  

Thank you

16 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

Whatever the case, I'm getting in touch with my driver in Cozumel... I can't wait to visit my favorite beach bars again...

We love hiring a taxi in Cozumel and heading to the east side.  What are your favorites in Cozumel?  Also, do you mind sharing your driver's name and nubmer?

Thank you... we just booked today and got the center stateroom on deck 9.  We are excited 🙂 

We just booked today too... an October 2022 Caribbean.  It's a long way off, but better than nothing 🙂

Thank you both for your replies.  

We are looking at booking our first aft stateroom on the Sky.  I assume deck 9 would be the best because there are staterooms above and below.  Those of you that have stayed in an aft, does it matter if you are directly in the center or more to the port or starboard side?  

Thank you

OH MY!!  That's crazy!!  We were just planning on carrying our suitcases on ourselves and arriving just before the rooms are ready. 

Thank you!

If we are leaving out of San Juan at 9:00, I think I saw that the muster will be at 4:00?  We are trying to plan a meeting time and we want to work around the muster drill. 

Also, if you recently got off the Dawn, about what time were the rooms ready?

Thank you

8 hours ago, reedprincess said:

Castries is not a scenic town. There's very little to explore in the city, and it's simply not pretty or such at all.  

There's the craft and food market right by the port, Derek Walcott Square and the cathedral - that's pretty much it. It's very much a working city, and  hasn't been gentrified or prettied up at all for tourism.  It's not a quaint place to stroll or walk around at all.  

Better to try a tour that shows off the best of the island : Soufriere and the Pitons, volcano, etc , or head to Rodney Bay and enjoy the village there - shopping, restaurants and bars, beach, splash park, etc.  Or perhaps Pigeon Island, with the ruins, hikes, beach, restaurants, etc. 

Thank you very much!  I think we will take your suggestions. 

Is there much to do in town?  We are looking to get off the ship, walk to town and just explore.  I assume there are some restaurants, shops, etc.  We are doing beach days at our other stops, so we are looking for a day to explore.  Are there any museums worth checking out?  Is there enough to do in town to cover a few hours?  Are there any Rum factory tours nearby or any other suggestions you might have? 

Thank you

Just curious if you have taken your cruise yet and if they kept you in the accessible room?  The same thing happened to us and we are sailing in March.  We booked last April and we were assigned our room in July and it was accessible.  I was surprised and concerned about someone wanting that room that really needs it. 

Thanks

I can read this perfectly fine.  It looks like Time New Roman to me... No problem.  It might have something to do with others reading it on an Ipad??

I am enjoy your review.  We will be on the Dawn in 5 weeks :) 

We are also from Missouri... St. Louis.  We are so ready to get out of this snow, ice, cold and crazy weather.  What stateroom were you in?  We are in a balcony on the 9th floor towards the aft. 

25 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

They all make it back. Unless you wear flip flops or heels where you would get injured coming down. We used hilton from poinciana tours and it took us a little over 4 hours up and down. Just dress sensibly for a hike. I did see a girl with sandals and then saw her again at the bottom. She never made it up.

Good to know... thank you.  Yes, we will wear sensible shoes.  I still can't figure out what people are thinking sometimes. 

Thanks again for your great review.  We will be on the Dawn in 5 weeks :)  

We were on the Epic last year for spring break and it is a weird ship.  It if wasn't so crowded, it would have been fine, but it was a 4 nighter out of florida, so it was FULL of college kids.  They were well behaved, but there were soooooo many of them and they took over the ship.  There were times that it took 25 minutes to get a drink.  Thank goodness we could get two at a time.  Last year's cruise is the main reason we are doing a 7 nighter out of San Juan.  I figure the college kids will not fly to Puerto Rico to board a ship.  As far as the Epic , it has a weird layout, but I would do it again if we could travel during the off season.  Being a teacher, I am limited to the peak times. 

Has anyone used O'Neil for the Mt. Liumuiga hiking tour?  I have emailed with them and they seem reputable, but I just wanted to make sure we will get back to the ship on time.  Any other pros and cons? 

Thank you

Thanks again for your great review!  I love the towel animal party :)

We booked last April for our upcoming March cruise.  We booked a GTY balcony and in July, we were assigned a handicapped room.  I was surprised that we were assigned the room so quickly, but more surpised that we were assigned a handicapped room.  If there is someone that requests an accessible room, will they move us?  I would hate to have someone that needs it not get to cruise because the accessible rooms are all taken. 

Thanks

Thank you for taking the time to post.  We will be sailing on March 17th!  What type of room are you in on deck 10?

I love your pictures so far... Thank you and have fun!

Thank you for the Boatyard review.  I have the Boatyard on my short list along with Rascal's on Brandon's Beach for our stop in Barbados.  They are both walkable... we like to find walkable beaches.  Glad to hear the Boatyard was fun.  Thank you for the info on the turtles.  We might play that by ear. 

Again, Great Review!!  Thank you for taking the time to write it.  Can't wait to read more :)

Great detailed review!  Thank you so much for all of the pictures and tips.  I can't wait for March :)

Thank you very much for your great review.  We will be on the Dawn in March and we can't wait!!

3 hours ago, newmexicoNita said:

In our case it wasn't the college kids, it was the younger one's and their parents let them run wild: they were out of control in the dining rooms, the buffet and around the elevators Two kids knocked a lady using a walker almost over and the parents did nothing. The lady was lucky there were a few of to help her so she would n't fall. Some parents with 3 and 4 kids lets the kids run up and down the hall ways. I could go on and on. Our daughter who rarely complains was appalled with the behavior.If you asked her how the cruise was, instead of mentioning the good things or even the late disembarkation all she would talk about was the rude kids.  

That is crazy!!  Yes, that is probably worse. 

4 hours ago, newmexicoNita said:

I figured it might have to do with you're being a teacher or having no other choices. Yes we have only had one really horrible experience and it was on the Breakaway a few years ago. other times we have cruised around the possible spring break as it changes with each state or city, it hasn't been bad. I still prefer to cruise when the ship is not overflowing with little one. I guess the experience on the Breakaway was so out of control it will always be fresh in my mind. Just think: 2254 kids on one ship. too add to this we had crappy weather. 

Yes, ours was last year on the Epic.  I think NCL targeted certain colleges near the port and they responded.  There were times that it took 30 minutes to get a drink.  It took us a day or two and we found other bars that weren't as crowded.  The college kids were fairly well behaved, but it was just so crowded. Besides our stateroom, it felt like every stateroom was to capacity. 

Live and learn.  I assume a longer cruise out of San Juan will be OK.   Yes, one of these days, we will be able to take a cruise when school is in session and it will be WONDERFUL!!

2 hours ago, Barb Nahoumi said:

Four of us, two couples, were on the Dawn for the Oct. 26 Eastern Caribbean Cruise.  We enjoyed sitting in loungers on deck 13, near the entrances to Cagney's and Moderno.  An overhang protected us from the sun, while we sat looking out to sea.  It was so much quieter than the pool deck, but a handy staircase was nearby in case we wanted to go for a swim.

Nice tip... thank you

Thank you all for your great tips. 

Yes, we are sailing during spring break... mainly because I am a teacher and that is the only time I have off. This will be our 8th spring break cruise and only one of them was CRAZY with college kids.  That was a short cruise out of Florida, so this time, we decided to try a 7 night out of San Juan.  I don't mind families and school age kids... they don't clog up the bar line like the college kids do :)

Thanks again!