marys350

I have booked tour with Roosevelt Taylor's Island Paradise tours for Dec. 13, 2014 and part of the down payment is a credit card authorization form where they request photocopies of the front and back of the card AND a photocopy of my passport or DL. I feel squishy about sending such information out of country. I already called him and gave him my CC number. Has anyone else felt this is unreasonable? Thanks for any input.

Under no circumstances would I ever send photocopies of my credit card and passport or drivers license to any tour operator or company, as it would place me at risk for identity theft. I have reserved many tours by providing my credit card number over the phone or paying on the day of the excursion in St. Kitts and other Caribbean islands.

We booked an outside cabin (4554) on the Brilliance of the Seas for a recent New England/Canada cruise. Our cabin was four doors down the hall from the Centrum. We also loved the convenience of the location close to the Centrum and only one deck below the promenade deck, as others have mentioned. We could hear music from the Centrum in our cabin at night,especially during the "70's Party", but it stopped before midnight. If you are a light sleeper and go to bed before midnight, I'd suggest selecting an inside cabin at least 6-8 cabins from the Centrum.

We have also stayed in mid-ship inside cabins (8567-8581 area) on Deck 8, which are close to the midship elevators and a great location between pool/windjammer deck and theater/dining deck.

Enjoy your cruise.

.

 

Speaking as a local...

 

I'm fairly sure that U.S.$ 30 is either a rip-off by the beach-guy

who knows that you don't know/understand the currency conversion rates

--- OR-- someone mixing it up all by themselves! :D

 

 

Thirty Barbados Dollars is a lot more likely.

 

 

____________________________________

Further clarification: U.S.$ 30 = Bds. $ 60!

 

Bds.$ 30 = U.S.$ 15

which is a far more likely rate for 2 chairs sharing one umbrella.

 

.

 

Hello Aplmac,

Thanks for providing clarification about the conversion rate for BDS $ and US $. I will be very happy if we are only charged BDS $30 and not $US30. I read a number of reviews on Tripadvisor where people reported paying BDS $60 for 2 loungers and an umbrella, with credit toward food and drinks. I'll make sure to ask someone at the restaurant and not just a beach guy. I enjoy reading your posts with beautiful pictures and information about Barbados.

Mary

So Royal Caribbean offers an excursion to The Tiki Hut which it looks like is at Rockley/Accra Beach. Wondering if this excursion includes the cost of the beach chairs/umbrellas at the beach? The cost is $29 per person round trip.

 

Is this a good deal? Can we taxi their on our own for less money & is it safe too? The Boardwalk sounds interest too.

Following is the description of Royal Caribbean's excursion to the Tiki Bar which is at Rockley/Accra Beach:

"A journey to Paradise is not complete without a visit and leisure time on the beach. Welcome to the relaxing Tiki Bar where you will enjoy some time on one of Barbados’ most beautiful beaches and escape the hustle and bustle of the rest of the Island. Lounge in the comfortable beach chair and if the sun is too hot, relax under the large beach umbrella.

There are also shower and changing facilities on hand and a snack bar that can cater to and satisfy your appetite. Of course, drinks are available and after enjoying your complimentary drink, you will surely ask for more. Please note the wearing of any article of clothing which is camouflage is not allowed in Barbados. Please bring a towel, change of clothing and sun screen."

It sounds to me like it includes the lounge chairs, umbrella, and complimentary drink.

We are planning to go there without taking the ship excursion. I've read reviews for Rockley/Accra Beach and the Tiki Bar on Tripadvisor and people have reported that you can rent lounge chairs and an umbrella for $30 US and that the Tiki Bar gives you "credit" for that amount toward the purchase of food and drinks at their bar/restaurant. I've also read that it is easy to take a taxi or local bus there.

We've never been to St Kitts and I would like help in deciding what to do there. I'm torn between an Island tour (Clay Villa Plantation's Best of St Kitts tour) and spending the day at a beach resort.

 

Are Brimstone Hill, Clay Villa Plantation, and Romney Manor truly memorable sites to visit? :confused: Or would we be better off spending our day at a beautiful beach?

On our first visit to St. Kitts we did an island tour to Brimstone Fortress, Romney Manor and Cockleshell Beach and thoroughly enjoyed our day. We are visiting St. Kitts again in April and have arranged a private tour through Philip the owner of Clay Villa Plantation including a visit to Clay Villa and Palms Court Garden. Philip has been wonderful to work with so far during our e-mail correspondence. I noticed that the Clay Villa Plantation's Best of St. Kitts tour is a 4 hour tour. I would suggest asking Philip how much it would cost to add on a beach stop at either Frigate Bay or South Friar Bay beaches if you are in port long enough to do so. St. Kitts is a beautiful island and the sites are very memorable.

Mary

We're not cruising until April. I'm still waiting to hear back from Reyno and will post any additional information that I find out. Have you tried joining your cruise critic roll-call and posting a message about the tour in case others are interested in signing up in order to get enough people for a group? I know that some people are successful in doing that. Good luck!

Mary

Love spinach, little chedder and some hot sauce omelet

 

Do they have just egg whites as well.. Not that I really eat healthy to begin with.. But don't mind egg whites..

Yes, I've had egg white omelets made to order at the omelet station.

I received a response from Reyno

The rate would be $45 per person plus $10 fee for Screw Spa. This is based on a group. He said if it's just 2 people it would be a customized tour with a rate of $150.

Nautica34,

Thanks for the information. I just e-mailed Reyno this morning with a few questions about the tour. Hopefully, he'll get back to me soon.

Do you know if he can add a party of 2 to a group tour or if you have to organize your own group to get the group rate? Also, is the custom tour rate of $150 per person or total for two, plus the additional fee of $10 each for Screws Spa?

I'll let you know if I find out any additional information.

Thanks,

Mary

Marys350,

 

Thank you so much! The tour sounds perfect and covers everything. I'm surprised this company never came up in my many google searches. Have you used him before? Any idea what the rates are?

I haven't used Reyno before. I found Reyno Tours by looking up Dominica on Trip Advisor's website and reading the excellent reviews. I have not contacted him yet to find out rates and make my reservation, but plan to do that soon.

Mary

Interested in visiting all of the above and possibly Sulpher Springs. Is there a tour comany that goes to all of these? I looked at some tour companies that offer most with the exception of Screw Spa.

 

Thanks in advance!

Check out Reyno Tours website: http://www.reynotours.com

I believe that the "Relax at Screw's Mineral Spa" tour has all of the places that you want to visit. I am also interested in this particular tour, but have not made my reservation yet.

Was tendering difficult in Bar Harbor? Mom has a 3-wheeled walker that she does not need all the time but uses when we are walking a lot. It just makes it easier for her and she can go much farther than without it. Can we take it on the tender so she can use it on shore? (I've only tendered once on a Radiance class ship and don't remember it being difficult to get on/off.)

 

 

We traveled with a friend who uses a walker. He was able to take it on the tender and use it on shore.

Manda Vincent played the piano in the Schooner Bar on the Sept. 15-22 cruise.

We will be on Brilliance to Canada next year. Why do I book out so far? I have posted this question but nobody really answered so maybe someone who was just on her has an answer. We will be in cabin 4546 which is 8 forward of the centrum. Do you have any idea if the sound from the music at night in the centrum will reach that far forward? We are sorta early to bed/early to rise folks. I am so excited for this cruise! Thanks.

We had outside cabin 4554, which is 4 rooms forward of the centrum on the starboard side (same hallway as your cabin). We could hear the music in our cabin during the 70's Disco Inferno Party which lasted from around 10:30-midnight and one other night during the Rock Brittania Party, which was around the same time. Once the shows ended it was quiet. The other nights the music wasn't as loud. I think that you will be okay in 4546. If you are really light sleepers, you may want to bring earplugs just in case, or try to move to a cabin a little further forward of the centrum. We found deck 4 mid-ship to be a very convenient location. I did write a comment about the noise on the survey card. Have a great cruise!

Thanks posters for all of the GREAT info. I don't sail for a year, :mad: but being that I'm a planaholic :rolleyes:, I LOVE any and all info I can get! Keep it coming!:) Thanks!

I am also a "planaholic" and love researching ports, cruise ship, etc. far in advance of my cruises. I found Tom's Port Guides website provided invaluable information that helped make our New England/Canada cruise a great success! We did private excursions in Portland and Bar Harbor and rented a car in Saint John and Halifax. Have fun planning your trip.

For those of you who have sailed the Canada/NE cruise, thank you for your input!

One question I have is when tendering off the ship in Bar Harbor what deck on the Brilliance do you go down to? (Please don't say 2... that is the deck I am on... :( ).

Thanks!

Just checked my cruise compass and it says "Tender Loading Area: Deck 2, midship" It was a smooth operation when we used the tender and there were not long lines of people on deck 2 waiting to get on to the tender boats.

Our cruise departs on 10/6 and for that particular week (at least according to our documents and RCCL's website) Wednesday is the 2nd sea day (1st is Monday), and Thursday we will have departed Saint John. I think I remember the port order was slightly different for the week after our booking (Oct 13-20). May have to wait until we get onboard to pick a night. :)

We did not book our reservation at Giovanni's Table online before the cruise. We went to the restaurant on the first afternoon after boarding the ship and made our reservation for the last night of the cruise and had no problem getting our preferred dining time. The next day we changed our mind as to which day we wanted to dine there and had no problem changing our reservation by calling Giovanni's Table's phone extension. The food, service, and atmosphere were wonderful. My DH and I both enjoyed the encrusted sea scallop appetizer, seafood soup, and risotto. For entrees, I ordered the lamb chops, which were superb, and my husband ordered the veal dish, which he also enjoyed. Desserts were also delicious.

Enjoy!

Which nights are formal nights on this itinerary? My husband's and my anniversary will be during the cruise and I am considering making a reservation for a specialty restaurant for that night, but could choose a different night if it turns out to be formal. Thanks!

On the Sept.15-22 cruise, formal nights were Day 2 (Monday-Portland) and Day 5 (Thursday- Sea Day). We had dinner one night at Giovanni's Table on a non-formal night and it was excellent. Enjoy your cruise.

We are leaving in three weeks and we would like to rent a car in Halifax, who did you rent from? Was the car rental building close to the port or did they pick you up to take you there?

Not the OP, but we also just returned from the same cruise on Brilliance of the Seas and rented a car from Enterprise in both Saint John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Both experiences with Enterprise were excellent and convenient to the port.

Enterprise's Halifax office is located at the VIA train station on Hollis Street, which is a very short walk (about 5 minutes) from the pier. They may also do pick-up at the pier, but we decided to walk. A gas station is located very close to the VIA train station (right beside the grocery store, which you can see from the parking lot where the rental cars are parked) for filling the tank before you return it. They required payment on the day of the rental using a credit card and did not accept cash. We brought our own GPS from home. Strongly recommend making a reservation as soon as possible.

Mary

Toured St. Kitt a few years ago. Would now like to tour Nevis on our Feb. Celebrity cruise. Considering Welcome Tours with Beula. What does her tour include? How much per person. Can anyone tell me how to contact her? Thanks in advance.

Here's a link to her website. We are considering touring with her on our cruise next year.

http://tourstkittsandnevis.com/

We are just back from the Maasdam and used Frank for the third time ( 2005 and 2008 ). Contacted him by email and he confirmed promptly with price and time. We had an elderly couple with us and he was very accomodating for them. Saw all we wanted to see, had a wonderful lunch, and were back at the pier with plenty of time to shop. All for $40 a person.

 

Can't say enough good things about Frank and we will use him again on our next trip to St. Lucia.

In response to Bunny Little's request for Frank's contact information, check out his website by googling: st lucia frank

We went on a tour with him in 2005 and enjoyed our day.

Mary

:confused: Anyone know when JetBlue flights will be up for May?? I was going to call or e-mail but sounds like it would be a hassle. Thought I'd try here first!!!

Thanks-

Betsy

Jet Blue has extended their schedule beyond April 30, 2012, as of today.

Mary

Hello,

We will be in port early December and wanted to know how far Hunte's Garden is from the port.

 

Is this a possible trip while in port?

Any idea on how much it would cost to get a ride there? Four of us traveling (all first time cruisers):D

 

Thank you for your help,

E

Hi,

I am also interested in visiting Hunte's Gardens when I cruise next spring and I have been checking various options for transportation/touring.

Depending upon how long you will be in port, you should have plenty of time to visit Hunte's Gardens. From what I have read, it is in the middle of the island and should take approximately 30 minutes or less to get there from Bridgetown, Barbados. There are various options to get there including arranging a private or group tour in advance or simply hiring a taxi when you arrive in port.

Although I have not finalized my plans yet, I have been in contact with two different tour providers. One indicated that I could visit both Hunte's Garden and St. Nicholas Abbey in a half-day tour.

I don't know the cost of a taxi hired in port. Private tours vary depending upon the length of the tour and the number of people in the vehicle.

Mary