mg33626

We are cruising on the Allure to St. Thomas on May 28, and are thinking about going over to Jost Van Dyke. We are in port from 10:00 - 7:00pm. Has anyone made this trip? Any suggestions?

Thank you.

We looked at dolphin water taxi, but decided to use velocity boat rentals last week. It was a great trip, Vance is very helpful. The total cost was $720, and we split it 11 ways so it was affordable. To find other people to join us, I posted details on the tread for our exact sailing and soon 4 couple joined us.

We just returned from Reflection, and have been one many cruise lines including Celebrity starting 15 years ago. That said, we loved it and it was certainly not a port driven cruise. This was my second S class cruise, and by far the most lively, fun, and still very relaxing cruise. I don't know if it was based on the passengers on this cruise, or the drink package many enjoyed, or that it was a 7 day cruise but it seemed like there were more people in their 40s out enjoying the ship.

I think the product overall is better than my first couple Celebrity cruises, but I think the food was not ver spectacular. I also feel every Caribbean cruise should have a Caribbean band. All in all, one of my favorite cruises.

Do they have good French pastries at someplace in particular in Orient Bay? We want to find a good place to have good French baked goodies while in Orient Bay or in route while driving from the ship. Thanks.

We sail Reflection this week, and I was hoping there was an app so my beautiful bride can have an easy way to find different public spaces?

If not, maybe someone has a simple cheat sheet?

Thanks to all

Well the first experience was at Murano. Like i said service and atmosphere were amazing and worth the money but food was only descent. Cooking lobster table side was really cool. However I did see another couple make a scene about how bad the food was and had the chef come out so i just let it go not to make his night any worse. And then the Opus is the only other main dinning area thats free but it is gorgeous and looks 5 star and has great food! Like i said the service the first night was awful but they were very busy and it was a mob in there so you could tell there was frustration for the employees but thats no excuse for poor manners. However one mention to the manager and we were treated like royalty once again. DO not go to the buffet for dinner haha just head to Opus and keep your regular wait staff if you dont plan to hit upgraded dinning. If you want upgraded dinning be sure to ask about discounts for first night seating or just in general. I know some capt club members will get it or aqua class or above get a bigger percent off. Yea Qsine is amazing and make sure to make reservations ahead of time when you first step on things fill up so fast! Tuscan has a great view though if you eat before sunset and can get a table near the window. La Concha was amazing im glad others have been there and tried it because its something out of the movies!! Have a great time you guys!

Thank you, it all sounds great. We love to do a great dinner, and there's no chance we would do the buffet at that time. We always love the MDR on cruise ships, especially on formal nights.

Jua quick nap in there we got ready for our 8pm dinner seating. Our first time at the main dinning room was horrible this trip. The host didnt even acknowledge us when we walked up the line for reserved seating for guests who had set times. And then the attitude from the whole staff was something out of carnival cruise line or worst. The manager came over the first night we ate and asked how things were and I politely explained I expected better and let me tell you the next few days we ate in OPUS (the main dinning room) they made sure we felt like the only ones there. We had the best table, best people, and best service. This more than made up for the one bad night. The food at Opus was amazing as usual. I dont think quality has been compromised at all. There was Im sure i missed some details but like i said feel free to ask away!

Thanks for the review, we sail on her in ten days! I wanted to be sure I'm reading you right. Both your good and bad experience was in OPUS, correct? Is OPUS the only main dining room? We plan on doing almost everything the same as you. I told my wife, I think I wrote this review! We are renting a boat in ST, Orient bay without a shed of clothing in SM, and we've actually stayed at La concha last year! Our dinner plans are the same as well, MDR all nights except doing. Mutant and QSINE. Funny coincidences. BTW - when we want a beach away from our own in St Pete, we always go to Ft Myers.

DW and I have never skipped dressing up on formal night. We have gone to specialty restaurants on some of those nights, but we still dressed formally. For us that means a long gown for DW and black tie or even white tie for me. This is the only time that we have the opportunity to dress up to make our dinners this elegant. My DW is so stunning in her long dresses that I enjoy going shopping with her to find them.

We love to dance and I am always blown away by how my wife (5'10", elegant, graceful, platinum blonde) looks in her formals all evening. I wouldn't want to miss out on that. I pack 2 tuxes and alternate them just to enjoy the gift of spending an evening with such an exceptional person.

Jerry of Jerry and Lady Kathryn

Amen to that, dressing up and showing off the ladies is the best part of a cruise to me!

We never miss a formal night,....but that's us. And BTW, I'm the guy.

 

But you should do what works for YOU. It's your vacation. Relax how you want to relax.

This is the male half here too, and not only do we not skip them; we plan around them. We do things like specialty restaurants on nights that are not formal. Too each his own, but we both like dressing up.

I will add that although I have not done zips in St Lucia, the ones in St Kitts where you are likely stopping are great! There are only 5 zips, but. 4 are long with amazing ocean views.

In St Lucia, I highly recommend Joe Knows tours. His land and sea tour is the single most fun excursion we've ever done. My wife has said she wants cruises that stop in St Lucia just to do it again.

Thank you, I read it to my DW to get the excitement building for our Reflection cruise in 2 weeks. Where are you all from?

I have never complained about volume before and I'm sure most of the others haven't either.

Your weren't on the 2/22 sailing so you have no idea what the situation was. The people on our sailing haven't said this was happening on other ships (yet) but we are concerned that if will be based on Alexander's comments. Our "complaining" is to let Celebrity know our opinion. I'm sure they will be interested in your opinion of a cruise you have knowledge of.

I agree completely, and thank Celebrity for acknowledging the concerns who were on that sailing. I am mid 40's and like many kinds of music including Metal that many others would not. Coincidentally I will be on Reflection in 2 weeks, and I'm sure it will be fantastic.

We are interested in the bioluminescent tour Celebrity offers. The Reflection is in port until 10pm, and curious if this really allows time to experience the kayaking trip after dark. I welcome your thoughts.

You can easily spend a couple hours at both beaches, especially as it will be nearly impossible to pass Trunk Bay and not stop. It is stunning.

I was on the 2/21/14 sailing and have already addressed the music issue (#134) in this thread. I did attend the CC M&M and it was my impression that for the majority present, the volume of the music seemed to be of the utmost concern. One of the officers stated that the type of music and volume would most likely be the standard in the Caribbean, but not in Europe. (!) For this cruise I was disappointed that Celebrity eliminated choices. No longer are there options for everyone. For anyone looking to partner dance, forget it.

I wasn't there, but that won't stop me from saying you're most likely in a small minority of people who did not like the volume levels. Actually, if all 3214 people on board emailed me saying the same thing, I'd still think it was a statistical anomaly as in my world no such thing is possible.

The preceding message was brought to you from the Sarcasm Society of South Florida. Ok, it's late and if it was that loud I'm hoping it will be addressed.

Celebrity offers a night zip lining trip. Looking for thoughts on doing zips at night in San Juan. Thanks

Years ago on Century they had a dedicated waffle bar. Do these still exist on S class? Any other opinions on breakfast are welcomed.

I also would like to hear thoughts on the entertainment in general.

As you will see there is much discussion about overbearing loud music on recent sailings, and also a few who feel there is no such thing as "too loud" even if it were at a wake. JK?

I would love to hear your thoughts.

I wish I could have my time back I spent reading this thread, and also I feel sorry for all those wasting time debating about 2 people who could never be convinced that "too loud" is possible. Those few ( and only a few) that would tell you "too loud" is not possible any place on any ship or likely even a golf course, church, or funeral. They will never concede, and it doesn't matter if they were on the ship in reference or heard the general attitude of the CD. They didn't need to be there to know all those who were are wrong and that it's no big deal.

These are people who will never see any other side, and in my opinion really just like the debate. I won't waste any time with them myself, but I am sympathetic to those who feel Celebrity is making a mistake that is simple to correct.

I realize you asked about another tour, but I want to add a vote for the zip line tour in ST Kitts. It has amazing open ocean views while you zip line. Also, the beaches in ST Kitts are not nearly as good as other ports your ships stops at. Even if you do the zip tour, you still would have time to one of the local beaches afterwards.

I love JVD, and I made it a point to get there when in ST Thomas. There are several power boats ( not sailboats) that do it all the time. Nate's tours and Vilocity are two, but there are others. You can find them and great reviews on tripadvisor.

The part that you need to do to make it finacially work is have 5 people or more. I did the research, and then put it on CruiseCritic under the roll call for my sailing. I quickly found 2 other couples to make it a $135 option.

That's not cheap, but the British Virgin Islands are amazing, and also it's a private tour with just the people cruising with you.

Good luck

Since you are posting on a Celebrity thread, your responses are of course going to be that you're not too young. I like Celebrity, and our upcoming cruise is on Reflection. That said, nighttime excitement is certainly more subdued than some other lines.

I did many cruises on Celebrity and Princess before a specific itinerary had me choose Carnival. After years of bashing it ( without actually sailing on a Carnival ship) I have to tell you I loved it and have done several more with them.

I doubt I would have a bad time on any cruise, and like the variety of options out there.

I have done the 19 night and loved it, and also similar trips from San Juan. I'm sure you checked that the opposite weeks,the Summit does different and IMO better islands including ST Lucia and St Maarten.

If you compare same room categories, you could likely add a night or 2 in Old San Juan and spend the same amount of money. That way you'd still have a longer vacation.

That said, I remember being on an 11 day Norwegian cruise and on day four being amazed knowing that would be like starting a normal 7 day cruise right then. These are first world tough decisions to be sure.

My wife really likes the idea of the view of the wake, though I do know the aft cabins on REflection are smaller.

I can choose an aft cabin for about $180 total more than a bigger bump cabin. I realize I'm paying more for an aft view versus actual space on the deck. Your thoughts?

Does that mean I can't use 'Blu' at all? I assume it does?

Does the choice come down to Humo cabin or Aqua class? It seems no Aqua class ( which normally costs more) has a bigger balcony.

Thanks