Beezle82

I would go with a tour that has a larger boat, like the photos that were just posted above for Calablaza. I was with Shasa last week, and they have a smaller boat - one that does not have those steps at the end. To get back on after snorkeling, we had to climb a ladder straight up the side of the boat. I didn't think it was particularly difficult, but it did require a bit of a heave and there is no way it could be done with only one good arm!

I just got off the Valor last Sunday, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect! Mid 80's all day and mostly sunny. There were a few days where it got pretty cloudy, but it never rained a drop except for a brief 10 minute shower on sea day as we passed under a rain cloud. :)

Noon flight should be fine as long as you don't dawdle getting to the airport. :)

The airline changed my departing flight, too. From 1:00pm(ish) to.....7:00am! I was like 'ummm....yeahhhhhh not gonna happen'. :rolleyes: The only flight we were able to get re-booked on was for the next day. So now we have to stay the night in San Juan. Oh darn, right? :p Good thing I was already taking that day off work anyway!

Beverages excluded from the Cheers! beverage program include beverages offered through room service as well as mini bars and/or other in-stateroom beverage programs.

 

Source: http://www.goccl.com/~/media/Files/Irman/bookccl/shipboard_knowledge/My_Awesome_Bar_Program.pdf

Ahhh nuts. The BF and I were joking last night that we were hoping to be able to order bloody marys and mimosas for breakfast via room service with our Cheers card. Gotta start the day off right with a balanced breakfast of fruits and veggies. ;)

Do they not currently have live music on the Lido deck? (Caribbean or otherwise.)

Try practicing in a pool, or even the bathtub or a sink! I know the sensation you're talking about. The very first time I tried it I kind of hyperventilated for a few seconds until I got used to it and started breathing normally. There's just something about breathing underwater that seems so WRONG (naturally!) that it's difficult the first time!

I think almost all snorkels nowadays have the splash guard thing on them so that if water gets in it, you won't breathe it in. You can tell when water gets in it because it will make a sort of crackling/gurgling sound.

I love them, too! I'm not comfortable in short skirts, and maxi's are just so easy, versatile and comfy :)

I just bought this one for my cruise next week, and I'm kind of obsessed with it: http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1009142&vid=1&pid=373447082

I love it because you can wear it as a dress, or just fold the top down and wear it as a skirt! I'm planning on using it as a bathing suit cover up, too. :D

How much is it to rent snorkel equipment? Also how do they sanitize the mouthpiece? Trying to decide if it's worth it to buy our own or not.

 

Thanks!

I can't remember if it was $15.00 or $20.00 per set (I'm pretty sure it was $15) and that is for the entire day. They sanitize everything just as any other place that rents snorkel equipment does - some sort of bleach mixture, I'm assuming. I was also kind of squeemish at first about using the mouthpieces, but it's totally fine. :)

That's part of the reason I chose to book with Shasa. I haven't done the excursion yet, but he claims to go to the 'better' spots, and get there early before all the other boats arrive!

I was kind of worried about this myself, because we will be in town for Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Easter).

I definitely can't say for certain, as I've never been to San Juan, but since it is such a tourist hot-spot, I am thinking/hoping that most things will still be open on Easter.

On this thread I was reminded of headaches I've had in the past when my TA wasn't available or didn't care enough to look after things the way I thought they should be - and honestly, who is going to look after me any better than I can?.

I totally agree, and this is exactly the issue I'm having. I feel like my TA is being so nonchalant about everything. About a month ago the airline rescheduled our post-cruise flight to a time that is impossible to make. It's now 2 1/2 weeks till sailing and my TA still doesn't have things ironed out, so I'm not 100% sure yet how or when we're getting home. Irritating beyond belief. :mad:

My first cruise (not with Carnival) I handled everything myself. For my upcoming cruise, there will be 5 of us so I figured it would be easier and slightly cheaper to go through a travel agent. I have to say - I won't be doing this again. At least not through the agency I am using! It seems to have been nothing but a hassle, and I do not see where we have saved any money or received any benefits at all. I'm sure there are some great agencies out there and I am just having a bad experience with this one, but in the future I think I will just handle everything myself. I get stressed out when I can't be in the "drivers seat" and have to rely on others to get the answers/results that I need. Guess that's the control freak in me. :rolleyes:

Taking the bus wasn't really an option. The only way to get to OSJ seemed to be a taxi, which cost about $20 if I remember correctly- each way.

 

We were unimpressed with the hotel, but since we were using a free night certificate we didn't complain. I did write a review on Trip Advisor about it. It was clean, but the location left a lot to be desired and it didn't really live up to what we have come to expect from Courtyard properties.

Hmm...I read through a lot of reviews and several people commented that you could take the city bus into OSJ for only 50 cents.

I'm not too terribly concerned about the hotel itself as long as it's clean and decent. Our flight home was bumped from Sunday afternoon to Monday morning, so we just need a place to crash for the night.

We stayed at that hotel post-cruise in December and you really cannot walk to OSJ from there. Definitely take a taxi.

 

If you like to walk, you could probably walk to Condado easily enough. There are lots of restaurants and shops there.

Thanks! I am thinking we will probably end up taking the bus - I hear there is a stop right by the hotel.

I guess I should have clarified that we will be taking a cab from the pier to the hotel. Then once we check in and drop off our luggage, we will head out to explore, sans luggage. ;)

I'll be staying one night at the Courtyard Marriott Miramar post cruise. Is this within a decent walking distance to OSJ? It says that it's about 2 miles, but I'm not sure if that is 'as-the-crow-flies' or actual driving/walking distance. I know that we can take a bus but I would prefer to walk if it wouldn't be too time consuming. :)

The rule says that each person must be present when the order is placed......however we have never had a problem. DW has placed our drink order, with both S&S cards, from her chair without me being present and the drinks arrived. I have walked up to a bar, with both cards, and received two drinks. So seems to depend on the ship, if not the individual bartender as to how strict the rules are followed.

Thanks! I kind of figured it would depend on the bartender and how strict he/she is. Guess we'll just have to play it by ear. :)

I'm aware that we can only get one drink at a time, but say my BF and I both want a drink but don't want to lose our seat/spot/get out of the pool, etc. Could I take both of our cards up to the bar and get a drink on each card? Or would we both have to go up together?

Just once a day - in the morning usually because that is when I'm used to taking my meds. It's really not necessary for her to start taking them the night before though. If she takes one about an hour before motion she should be fine!

If your friend gets car sick, make sure that she takes her Bonine religiously! I used to get horrible car sickness when I was younger. Thankfully I seemed to have outgrown it, but when I went on my first cruise I was extremely nervous about getting sick so I made sure to take Bonine for the entire cruise. I was completely fine, however, on my very first day/night I felt kind of strange. Not sick per se, but I could tell that if I hadn't taken it I probably would have been!

I know how miserable motion sickness can be - I wouldn't want your friend to spend her entire vacation in the bathroom!! :(

Our weather was fantastic. Temps in the 80's with no rain the whole week :-)

I'm hoping for the same! Sounds about perfect to me!

How was the weather & temps? I'll be on the Valor in about 4 weeks. After this brutal Michigan winter, I'm hoping for as much sun & heat as possible! :)

Thank you, everyone! I know that the dryers are usually crappy, but it literally takes me about 30 seconds to dry my hair. I'm not one of those style-while-drying gals - as long as it can get my damp hair dry before heading out for the day, I'm good! :cool:

It should. We were on Valor last May (Deck 8, balcony) and it was in the drawer that's in front of the mirror in the cabin. I'm guessing they'd have driers in all rooms but maybe someone who has stayed on Deck 2 can chime in to give you a definite answer.

Thanks! My first assumption was that they would have them in all rooms as well, but I could've sworn that just the other day I read a comment that said they only had them in suite rooms. (And of course now I can't find that post....)

Please don't kill me for asking this. :) I did search the forums first, but the only answers I could find were very old (in the archives) so I am assuming very outdated.

I am in an ocean-view room on Deck 2 on the Valor - will my room have a hairdryer, or will I need to request one every day? I just REALLY don't want to pack one if I don't need it! And yes, I'm aware that the hairdryers are crappy. But my hair is so thin & fine that a stiff breeze could dry it in 30 seconds flat, so I'm not too concerned with that. :rolleyes: