amibelle

I found a blow up pool noodle at dollar tree. Might get it to bring along for long snorkelling days.

I forget the brand but I remember Summit having strawberry and peach for sure on Summit in January. (Hate strawberry, love peach...that's the only way I remember)

Does anyone know the rollout date for Reflection? We're on it Jan 2nd 2016. Also how long did the transition take - was there a cruise without either? We loved Molecular bar but are ready to love World Class too.

Sorry just noticed you said after excursions etc

Celebrity arranged excursions count, spa services and specialty dinning, plus any of the for fee events (bingo etc) count too.

I'm already picking which ones I think will be favorites! Thanks for sharing.

It's finally happened for me! I logged in to take to check prices before the 123 ends and I see that our oceanview room on Connie Mar 19 2017 is now just over $100 less each. YAY!

Now I'm wondering do I call them or fill out the form? Or both?

Also now looking at the prices instead of getting a discount maybe I should look to upgrade to a veranda. It's a 14 day trip with 6 sea days Singapore to Thailand and back. We've been on 2 7 day cruises, one with oceanview and one with a veranda. We liked both.

I've never been to Asia and never had so many sea days. Do you recommend upgrading to the veranda?

I agree too. Again, I'm usually chilly. I usually have a light sweater or a wrap with me in the evening just in case.

Thanks CruisinCrow at first I was thinking diving's not for me, but now I can say that I want to do it again, starting with a local, slower course and move up from there to see if I want to do for certification. All in it was still a lovely day.

Feb 13: CHARLOTTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS (Shopped Downtown St Thomas)

Last time we were in St Thomas we did a snorkelling trip aboard the Stars and Stripes (it was amazing)

This time we planned to play the day by ear, we took information on a couple of beaches plus knew that we wanted to shop in downtown St Thomas. Our original plan was a ½ day at Magens Bay Beach followed by ½ day of shopping. However we were very aware that 5 ports in a week was a very port intensive trip so we were flexible to change our plans.

By the day of, we opted to just go shopping then back to the boat for poolside R&R. This is the first time I’ve shopped in St Thomas. It was pretty darn cool. I did attend the port shopping talk (30mins) beforehand and had the maps that they offer so I felt well equipped. The one thing I specifically remember her saying at the talk was to ship the shops at Havensight Port Mall and walk straight through (all the way straight through) to the back by the main road and take the open air shuttle to downtown St Thomas. (Is $4 a person each way) Is it walkable to town? Yes but it’s LONG. It’s along a paved path all the way along the shore to downtown, without shops along the way. My advice is spend the $4 to ride there, then decide if you want to ride back or walk back. (riding both ways was a no brainer to us, but I totally can see that it would be a lovely walk too…I was just too lazy for that).

I went there with plans of just going to the shops that the ships recommend, but I was quickly lulled into shopping at any and all store. (I don’t regret it). St Thomas has this thing where they’ll offer you free stuff just for coming in. Maybe you know this, I didn’t. I got a cute pair of pearl earring at one place free and for $10 got a matching pendant, drinks (water, pop and beer) were handed out freely at many stores. There was people outside of stores, working the crowed, to try to get people inside.

We had a budget in our minds of what we wanted to spend and what we wanted. All of our items were wants, none were needs, so we were also prepared to come back empty handed if we didn’t get prices or options we were comfortable with. In total we bought 3 watches (him & for son), 2 rings (me), 2 earrings & 2 necklaces(me), a leather bracelet (him). None of them were super expensive purchases (except maybe the watches….but he knew how much they were worth at home so knew for sure he got deals).

If we were making big diamond purchases I’d have researched more but we had fun and went with our gut instinct on everything we did. There’s a couple of tips I have for you that might make your day (or cruise) go better. 1 is it seemed like everywhere we shopped they were offering better deals if we bundled. i.e. we debated between 2 watches, got the final price on both of them, Dave picked the one he wanted then they said If you want both, I’ll give you an extra 3% off each. – Sold. (same thing for the 2 rings). We did our most purchases at this one family owned place where the guy was relaxed and didn’t pressure us. I really liked their store and him and liked that they had a wide range of items, from cheap to pricey. Can’t remember the name of the store off the top of my head but I do have a business card, so I can find it.

The other advice has to do with if one person’s not a shopper and the other one is. Dave’s not a big shopper at all, I’ve been known to spend a time or two too long looking in every little shop.

This trip worked really well for us because I didn’t drag him to shops each day after our excursions. Because he wasn’t shopped out, he jumped in with both feet to shopping in St Thomas. We spent about 4 hours off the boat them came back to the ship for lunch and relaxing. Plus I found time later that evening to shop a bit on the ship too;)

We easily could have done beach then shopping or just beach if we didn’t want to shop or didn’t have the budget to shop.

One thing to mention is Duty Free Alcohol. I planned to save room in my checked luggage to buy alcohol to bring back with us. When we came through the airport at San Juan on the way in we quickly scanned the brands and prices as the duty free (Jet Blue terminal). It was large with good prices. When we were in St Thomas the prices were less (at least $5) but we decided to buy at the airport on way home. At the duty free they package up your purchases to bring as carry on. It was worth the slightly higher rate to us to not have to worry about getting it all into our luggage.

We had a great day in St Thomas total spend $16 total in taxi plus our optional purchase. Another awesome day!

I'm sorry for the delay in the rest of the trip report. Its funny how quickly life get in the way of reviews.

PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN (Discover Scuba Diving Package with Octopus Diving - French Side)

We've been to St Maarten once before and loved the day (Water Taxi to Great Bay Beach, rented a couple chairs then shopped in Philipsburg before returning to ship, was a ton fun and an inexpensive day).

This time we decided to do something totally different as we wanted to check a bucket list item off on this trip.

We chose to do the Discover Scuba Diving Package with Octopus Diving –located on the French Side.

Octopus Diving Website: http://octopusdiving.com/

Trip Advisor Reviews Octopus Diving: http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g147351-d1092282-Reviews-Octopus_Diving-Grand_Case_Saint_Martin_St_Maarten_St_Martin.html

Never Dived Before? Don’t worry, we hadn’t either.

*disclaimer, Dave did do a ‘learn to scuba in a pool’ thing almost 20 years ago while at a resort…but that was it.

The package we booked http://octopusdiving.com/diving-and-snorkeling-tours/discover-scuba-diving/

The price options are:

Discover Scuba Diving (no experience necessary)

One Dive Site – $99 (including all equipment) Or Two Dive Sites – $164 (including all equipment)

Just to note too they have a snorkelling package as well; Snorkelling – Two Sites $55 (including all equipment). Plus the have Diving certification courses, and diving trips for already certified divers.

It was originally planned that we were going to rent out a private boat from them with a dive master to teach us. (They rent the whole boat for private Scuba lessons for a really great price; email them with your needs). However a few weeks before we left our friend that was going with injured her foot and ended up in a walking cast = no scuba diving for her.

Sally, at Octopus Diving, was amazing at transferring Dave and I over to their regular Discover Diving Tour. They do a great job at matching the number of people on the boat, including the variety of trips that people are on to the number of dive masters that they need to teach and assist you. There was an option that for $100 more you could as a private dive master for your group /individual if you want to assure that you get solid 1 on 1 time.

I strongly suggest that whatever your needs are you email Sally ahead of time and she’ll match you up, this is the perfect trip even if you have a combo of experience in your group.

On the boat that we took there was 3 master divers (staff); plus the following breakdown of passengers.

2 women on day 2 of their final dive certification course, 2 women snorkelling and 5 of us (4 guys & I) taking the discover diving course, plus one woman that just stayed on the boat while her husband did the discover diving. I felt there was plenty of staff for the people there. And it was a good mix of activities.

Before I get ahead of myself let me tell you about booking. They have 2 options for start times posted on their website, but willingly will run a 10am one which is perfect for Cruise passengers. Just let them know you’re on a ship. I emailed with Sally a head of time and confirmed that we want at 10am session and that we’d like her to arrange the taxi for us; which was her offer.

Sally arranged for a driver to pick us up at 9am (worked great for getting off the boat), she used drivers she trusted. The cost was $20 each way for our cab. (We paid the driver directly). When we were done diving they called for another trusted cab that brought us back in, again for $20.

Once you arrange your boat and package time via email she will send you a link to book your reservations (credit card or pay pal). Important note: If you are doing the discover diving even if you plan on the 2 dives (which I’m sure you want) you only have to reserve the 1 dive. Reserving is ½ the cost down, then you pay the other ½ when arriving to Octopus Diving’s building. After you’ve completed your first dive you decide if you want to do the 2nd dive site or not, if you do the 2nd site, you pay the extra when you get back from the dives. I highly recommend that you only book the first site ahead of time, even if you think you will love diving.

Now onto our Day: Our taxi ride to Grand Case (French side) felt like a great tour of the beautiful island in itself. The rise was approx. 20-30 minutes with the driver giving us great stories on the history and details on what we were seeing on the way. It was a great trip over to Octopus Diving.

When we arrived the rest of the passengers for the boat were already there. The captain, Mike…a fellow Canadian, helped us select our gear. (They had ample wetsuit options to cover all sized for all people). He gave us all a bit of an overview on what to expect and offered to lock up anything we didn’t need on the boat. They have a very large cabinet that could hold anything that a boatload of people might bring. The boat itself was great; named Kraken. It`s the largest of the 3 boats that they have.

You could tell right from the beginning that they are real pros, but also very fun. They were very aware of the weather and let us know that a rare north-western was coming through which caused a bit of rough seas getting out to the boat. They took us 2 at a time out to the boat and everyone got out there safely.

They have two local reefs (Turtle Reef and Creole Rock) that are located in Grand Case Bay, just a 5-minute boat ride from the shop.

The first Dive Site, Creole Rock, is part of the French Marine Reserve and is a protected area. http://octopusdiving.com/st-maarten-dive-sites/dive-sites-french-side/creole-rock/

The second Dive Site, Turtle Reef has two large pinnacles of rock surrounded by sand produce a very healthy eco-system where small and large marine life thrive. (Including turtles)

http://octopusdiving.com/st-maarten-dive-sites/dive-sites-french-side/turtle-reef/

Once at the first dive site, the snorkelers got their gear and instructions and set off for the great views.

The 2 women getting their dive certification went with their instructor to learn what was expected of them. Us 5 taking the discover scuba gathered on the boat for a bit of learning (5-10mins), they had a PADI flipchart with illustrations to help teach us what we were learning. ( The importance of breathing, how to breath, how to remove water from a mask underwater…in case it happens, how to put air in and take air out of your vest, hand signals for underwater, how to regulate your ears to eliminate pressure).

I felt that they didn`t get us into the water until they were comfortable with what to do. Once in the water we practised breathing and skills needed. They then took us down to the bottom, individually, hanging on to the guide rope, helping us pause to adjust our regulate our ears and get comfortable under water. We went down about 10 meters (30 feet). The sites were beautiful and the staff was amazing. They couldn`t have done anything better. Having said that I panicked about ½ way through the dive and opted out. For me it was hard to relax, and I just got myself a bit too worked up and messed up my breathing. The staff was great with me. The captain took me back to the boat, made sure I was ok. Offered to take me back down and even offered snorkelling gear when I said no to going back in. I opted to just chill on the boat. They let Dave know I was ok and he continued the dive with the rest of the guys. Once everyone came back up we went to the 2nd dive site.

It was equally as beautiful. Divers dove, snorkelers snorkelled, I stayed on the boat. It was a beautiful day with beautiful sites. I actually had a bit of a catnap on the boat, sooooo hope that I didn’t snore. The divers came up happy at the sites they saw plus their increased skills.

If there’s anything I can say to persuade you to choose Octopus Diving I hope I’m saying it right now.

To dive or not to dive is a very personal choice, only you know if you’re interested, or scared, or not. Snorkeling is a wonderful other option. What I loved about Octopus is how much of pros they are. They were able to meet the varying needs, abilities and limitations, of everyone on the boat that day. They were also a heck of a lot of fun. Plus if you do have a mixed group traveling with you, they could accommodate everyone’s needs.

Don’t just take my word for it. Check out all the reviews on tripadvisor.

I would go back again, and I personally would try diving again. My hubby, Dave, love it and wants to continue through to certification.

All in it was a beautiful day. We were done diving by 2 and we’re well back on the ship before 3pm. Which gave us time to shop or go back to the ship. We opted to go back to the ship because we had a day of shopping planned for St Thomas the next day and we really committed at the beginning of the trip to not try to cram too much of everything in. (not to mention we had a drink package worth of options calling us back to the ship. :) )

Total money spent for the day was $323.

(1 dive site for me $99, + 2 Dive Sites for Dave $164, + $40 total for cab. plus a $20 tip to the amazing crew). The sites were beautiful, the day was awesome!

Feb 11: ST. JOHNS, ANTIGUA (Took cab to Valley Church Beach, Jolly Harbour)

Our next port was Antigua. I had never been before so was excited.

We knew we wanted a beach day here and I had the toughest time figuring out which beach.

I researched heavily ahead of time and couldn’t decide between Valley Church Beach and Jolly Beach.

So I took the details for both and thought we’d decide day of based on how we feel. Going from memory I think that Jolly Harbour was the busier beach with more amenity options.

Our friend with the walking cast decided to come with us for the beach day so we opted for Valley Church beach.

Valley Church Beach Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g1892998-d2415473-Reviews-Valley_Church_Beach-Jolly_Harbour_Saint_Mary_Parish_Antigua_Antigua_and_Barbuda.html

Restaurant at the Beach is called The Nest

The Nest Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g1892998-d3795080-Reviews-The_Nest-Jolly_Harbour_Saint_Mary_Parish_Antigua_Antigua_and_Barbuda.htmlThe Nest also has a Facebook page

We are early birds so were off the ship around 830 and to the beach right around 9.

When you walk off the boat there is an Authorised Transportation Stand a little bit a head. It’s well marked, just keep walking and you can’t miss it. Cabs to Valley Church Beach were $8 a person each way. Once you’re matched with a cab driver they take you to where the cabs parking area is. This is a bit of a tour in itself lol. It’s probably 4-6 blocks away with a couple of turns. Our driver was Berry, a very nice young guy that we later heard called Young Berry as his Dad; also a cab driver is old Berry. Our ride there was basically in a minivan. We stopped and picked up another couple on the way and had great conversation. Going by memory I’d say the beach was 20min-30mins away. It was a great ride there with lots to see and easy roads. Funny enough Jolly Beach was the road before our beach.

You don’t really see the beach until you get there so it’s almost an unveiling. This is one heck of a beautiful beach. It almost took my breath away by being picture perfect. I’ve never been to another beach there so it’s possible that all Antigua beaches are so beautiful.

They pull up right to the main area (great for cast walkers) there was walking paths to the restaurant, bar and washrooms. (I don’t remember if it was packed dirt or what made of, I just remember it was sturdy).

We were offered lounge chairs. This was very organized (different than some other beaches I’ve been to where people compete for your chair business). $20 got us 2 loungers and an umbrella. (I heard a single women pay $15 for one chair with umbrella).

Because we were early we got first row again. The water just calls your name to come swim. Answering its siren’s song we went into the water.

A couple things to know about this beach:

There is a very large swimming area fenced off with buoys and it goes out quite far.

The sand at the water is small crushed shells. We had no issue walking on it barefoot, but some people might want water shoes. (We had our water shoes there but opted not to use them, next time at the beach I’d leave them on the ship).

There is a rather large drop off (steep hill) just a little ways out in the water. To get out of the water I actually swam to the hill and came out on hands and knees to the shallower area. There were a couple older ladies that needed help from others to get boosted up the little hill. The hill itself would be easy to climb if it was packed dirt but it’s very soft sand and small shells that you sink into. It was fun getting in and out. I did not try farther up the beach; there might have been easier incline along there. Once past that hill into the water we were still able to stand up so it’s not too deep for us.

The water was warm and very salty, easy to float. Too salty to see through so leave masks at boat, unless you’re using them to keep water out of your eyes. There was ample beach for sandcastle building or laying on towels in the sand. We swam and lounged and read and frolicked. A couple times I wanted to pinch myself in utter amazement that I was sitting on a lounger looking out at what had to be the most beautiful peaceful view of a beach that day.

This beach was a place that you could spend the whole day at easily; we opted for a ½ day. There are washrooms and little booths selling stuff. We were there for the morning but must say no one came up to us trying to sell their items; it’s possible that you just have to go to them. There was Jet Ski rentals, people did come around asking if we want to Jet Ski. And they offered to Jet Ski you over to a snorkelling spot. I think price was $40 for ½ hr.

We decided to go up to the Restaurant for a drink and a shady chair for a bit before leaving. There were many options and other people’s food looked good but we just ordered a bucket of beer. 6 beers for $20USD we opted for ½ Piton and ½ Banks beer (we liked both, I liked Banks more, it’s Lager).

There were lots of places to sit, tables and chairs under a shady deck, picnic tables down in the sand in full sun or even under palm tree with full/partial shade. There were lots of options. There is free Wi-Fi here; we didn’t use it so I can’t comment on how reliable it was. The staff at The Nest was great, a few of them checked on us to see if we were good or needed anything.

This was a wonderful day in paradise. The beach pictures are now my Facebook cover photo and the memories of this beautiful relaxing beach day will remain for many years. It’s a toss-up between if here or St Lucia was my favourite, St Lucia won out due to the great snorkelling. Because we were early we had pick of seats but it did get pretty busy by the time we left. I’d still come in an afternoon; just know it might be busier.

We previously arranged for Young Berry to come back and get us at 12:30, which he did and was very prompt about. It was $8 person cab back (same as there). If you’re worried about what if my driver doesn’t come back, don’t worry there was other cabs around. The cab back was an air-conditioned shuttle bus. They let you back off right near the boat. There are lots of little shops in that area so you could have a good mix of beach and shopping if you wanted. We opted to go back to the Summit.

I fell in love with Antigua and the people there. Out of all of the ports we went to I could see going back to Antigua for a one week land trip. (It’s probably the most expensive of the islands to stay at with my luck, but I’m a fan for life).

Total cost for our day for the two of us was $62 ($8 pp cab each way ($32), $20 loungers and umbrella, $10 for our ½ of the bucket of bear we shared)

Like every other day you could have done in cheaper (no beach chairs or drinks) or more expensive (more drinks, food and shopping). For us we did it perfectly how we wanted to. We felt like we had lots of sun but the time we left so I stuck to indoor pool on the Summit for the afternoon.

Pics below are: View from Beach (1st 2), view from water towards our chairs, reading in the water - pic taken from our loungers, pic of banks beer sitting on ledge beside our chair @ the nest. Look at that amazing blue water!

The week of Mar 16-20 is spring break for elementary & high school near me. (Ontario, Canada)

Thanks all :)

Feb 10: CASTRIES, ST. LUCIA – (Spencer Ambrose Tours - Jalousie Beach Break)

This was a great trip for snorkelling from the Beach.

Spencer Ambrose Tours of St. Lucia website: http://spencerambrose.com/

We opted for the Jalousie Beach Break through them http://spencerambrose.com/island-tours/jalousie-beach-break/

Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g652398-d1724874-r116363531-Spencer_Ambrose_Tours-Vieux_Fort_Vieux_Fort_Quarter_St_Lucia.html/

Again because our focus was on Beach and water activity we choose the beach trip. There are so many options in St Lucia (and even many options through Spencer Tours that you just have to trust you made the best choice for you and go in wholeheartedly. Just figure out what's best for you.

This tour was $86 a person it included boat ride to the beach, free drinks all day (soda, water, beer or rum punch) a good jerk chicken lunch with various salads etc. Then the boat ride home.

The transportation there was a bit disorganized (but not the end of the world) We all met at the tourist information booth, as explained in detail in out email from Spencer. Was very easy to find. Then they had us all walk to the docks for transport (1 min walk). Everyone regardless of type of Spencer tour was ushered into one of the three boats ( 1 catamaran or 2 speed boats) all were nice. We had a great ride out to the beach (30 mins maybe) Then some people for land tours got out and anyone going to the beach got in a speed boat and went to Jalousie Beach below the pitons. The beach was beautiful in a gorgeous location. From the dock the beach to the left was rocky in spots and was the snorkelling side. There was old ratty lounge chairs (free) if you could get them. Our group was early so did get chairs. The beach extended to sandy beaching on the right side of the pier. (Where the resort guest lounge chairs were) You could put a towel down anywhere you want. Snorkelling was awesome there, we saw all kinds of fish including an Eel, Squish, flounder and lots of schools of beautiful fish that we have no clue what they were. We spent lots of time in the water. While relaxing on the chair, Terry (from Spenser Tours) came over to check on anyone from the tour, offered beer, asked if we needed anything and told us where the drinks are for us and where lunch will be set up. He checked on us a few times and was really great. We brought our own snorkel gear but ½ way through the morning Dave’s mask broke.

I had read that Spenser’s had snorkel gear rental for $10, but they were with the other group so didn’t arrive until just before lunch. Thankfully there was a guy working at the resort who offered to lend Dave his mask.

They folks that did land tours came just before lunch I think. Lunch was delicious and well-earned after a day of snorkelling, swimming and napping. The weather was beautiful, the water was amazing, the staff was very nice. By the time we got done and back to the cruise ship it was around 415-430pm.

Dave and I quickly stopped at a couple of stores in the cruise port then were back on board with about 15 mins to spare. Spenser’s Tour was very aware of the time and made sure they got us back to the boat on time (no stopping to see sights on the way back).

I think this was our most favourite day (out of 7 amazing days). The combo of weather, beautiful location, snorkelling, nice people just made the day amazing. The stand out people to us (aka got tips, was Terry & the mask lender guy. They made our day, so we made sure to make their's right back).

If you are a type A (like me) the bit of disorganization getting on the boats and off the boats as well as not having snorkelling equipment might have been unsettling. I’ve learned over time that the Caribbean style (and even just cruise excursion style) is to just assume that you’ll trust them that the know what they’re doing when they say ok the first 30 people get on this boat and X number on that boat. My first reaction is to ask or wonder how do you know which boat we should be on when we are all going to different places. But I was able to chill and go with the flow and had an amazing time.

Tips for the beach break tour: Bring water shoes if you have them, no biggie if you don’t. Bring your mask and snorkel if you have one (then don’t break the one you bring). If you don’t have them don’t count on having gear available to rent in the morning. There is washrooms and a couple of shopping stands. There is a guy that brings a boat up and sells fresh fruit. $5 got me a fresh cut up Mango. Amazing.

One thing to add was how great Spenser was answering questions via email ahead of time. It's a family owned business that's grown over time.

We would totally do this exact same excursion again however I do understand that it might not be for everyone. Which explains that variance in reviews on tripadvisor, but with a high overall score.

pics below are Pitons, pics underwater snorkelling, Pitons from beach the beach looking towards the pier, and then the view from my beach chair.

A few more Barbados pics

these are Turtles, Starfish, Bucket of beer, floating in Ocean and jumping from pier.

Sorry we never got any pics of the other way along the beach towards where the boats are. Trust me it was a beautiful, beautiful beach.

Feb 9: BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS – (Took cab to The Boatyard Beach Club)

Before I start on the excursion we did let me tell you about how we picked what we did.

We knew we wanted mostly beach or snorkeling time this trip. We also knew it was port intensive (5 ports and only 1 Sea day). So we decided to make a couple of days heavy days (snorkelling trip & a scuba trip) we knew we wanted to Shop in St Thomas (Although last time we had an amazing time snorkelling on the Stars & Stripes catamaran there).

So we picked the 2 places we wanted to snorkel and scuba (St Lucia and St Maarten)

That left Barbados and Antigua for beach days.

The secret (I think) for picking your plans is determine what’s important to you then go after it wholeheartedly, without regret. There is so many options and amazing things to do and see that you can’t possibly see and do it all. Because we had 5 ports we figured that we’d do ½ or ¾ days for the beach days because we wanted to ensure we come back rested not exhausted. (Last trip we opted for full out busy time at the ports)

Ok so because we wanted light and easy casual beach day in Barbados we chose the Boatyard. We read positive reviews on it on cruise critic and tripadvisor. We also found out that it’s popular with ship crew and good priced. So picked it and jumped right in.

Details

Website: http://www.theboatyard.com/home.html

Trip Advisor Reviews: http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g147263-d149985-Reviews-The_Boatyard-Bridgetown_Saint_Michael_Parish_Barbados.html

The boatyard is located on Brown’s Beach in Bridgetown Barbados.

It was really easy to get to. We are up early so went early. Arrived to the beach by 9am. When the ship was docking we grabbed breakfast in the buffet. We then got off the ship. We took a bottle of water off with us. Cabs were really easy to find, just walk out and keep following the path until you see the Authorized Taxi stand. (Is in view of the ship) not hard to find at all.

When they asked were to I said the Boatyard and they directed us to open air shuttle busses. It was $5 per person to the boatyard. This same shuttle took people to downtown Bridgetown where the shops are. (I think they paid $3, but don’t quote me on that). We and another couple stayed on for the Boatyard. It was maybe a 10 minute ride from the ship, probably closer to 5 mins. I wouldn’t say that Boatyard is walkable (due to distance, time and my laziness) but is an easy route so I bet some people do.

We were dropped off right in The BoatYard’s parking lot. Admission was $15USD for cruise passengers. Admission included use of beach chairs with umbrella’s (if available, there was lots), 1 free drink from a specific menu i.e. Shark bite or rum punch and a couple other options. It also includes use of water trampoline, water iceberg climbing thing….that I couldn’t get up lol, as well as a Tarzan rope off the docks into the water, also was bathrooms, full bar, free wifi, plus free shuttle ride back. There was lockers there (could bring your own lock) or rent one for $10 deposit…getting $5 back when returned. The bar area had lots of shade, tables and chairs for sitting and places to relax. Directly in front was the start of the beach and the lounge chairs. The free shuttles back start at 12pm(noon) and run until 5pm coming every 10-15 mins.

I just have to repeat this in case you missed it for $15 each you get entrance, amenities; including wifi, use of loungers and umbrellas and a clean safe fun place to spend the day - plus a free drink.

I was a bit worried in choosing this because I thought it might be a party place and we’re 40ish so worried we’d stand out. Not so at all! Fine print: we were only there from 9am until about 1pm…. So who know how the afternoon’s are, but reviews sound positive. I would be totally comfortable bringing young and old or even infirm here. In fact, one ½ of the awesome couple that we were traveling with had an air boot (walking cast) They chose to stay on the Summit this day but it would have been a great day for her because there was so much solid ground around the building and awesome shaded spots. Then the lounge chairs started within a few steps from the bar/restaurant area. If you are traveling with any one that has a bit of health issues or restrictions this is a great place for your entire group to have their needs meet. Disclaimer: It was starting to get busy in the last ½ hour before we left. So if you want to ensure that you get a lounger or even seats under the shelter I’d get there in the morning by approximately 11am. There was approx. 3-4 rows of loungers (going by memory). We chose a lounger closest to the beach & closest to the pier. (pics below will show the view from our chairs).

We relaxed, had our free drink, went in the water, I read my book, tried to get on the trampoline….um geez I’m out of shape. We swam in the water and had a great relaxing time. Then it was time for the thing that really made me pick this beach. Swimming with the Turtles. YUP, you can swim with Turtles on this beach. I had read that people walk up and down the beach and stand at the pier and offer boat rides out to swim with the turtles for $20/pp including snorkel, mask, & fin. I budgeted the $20 each when planning this. BUT just before I left I read something on either Cruise Critic or Trip Advisor that I guy said don’t pay for the boats because you can just swim out yourself. Then while at The Boat Yard they have a sign posted that says “swim with the turtles for free ask us how”. So we asked.

All you do is walk to the other end of the beach ( maybe a 5-10 minute relaxing stroll) it’s very visible from where we were. Then see where all the boats are ( approx. 100 yards out). Then swim out to them.

Here’s my disclaimer: it was a leisurely swim out approx. 5-10 mins swim – floating when we wanted. But remember I’m the girl that couldn’t climb up on the water trampoline so am not very fit. But I love to swim …so found it relaxing. If you are at all uncomfortable in the water, take the boat ride. We also had our own snorkel gear so didn’t need theirs. The boats there ranged from the $20 from the beach boats to fancier “swim with to turtles excursion catamarans” I’d wager a bet that some folks were even from a cruise line paid excursion. We had an awesome time. It was a first for us to swim with the turtles.

We swam for about 45mins-1hr with the turtles then made our way back to shore and walked backed to our lounge chair. I can’t express how amazing of a day it was for us. Remember by this point we were $20 each in ($5 cab, $15 entry). When we got back we decided on beer. Note: 1 bottle of Piton Beer is $7USD BUT you can get a bucket of 6 Piton Beer for $15 USD. (No brainer to this girl). We were close to noon now and were thinking we wanted to go back to the ship soon. Really it was a beautiful place that you could easily spend all day but we kind of pre planned to have a lazy afternoon with relaxing on the ship. Before we left we decided to share an order of their coconut shrimp ( a mistake IMO). I read in advance that people said there’s cheaper food at places further up the beach plus there was even cheaper item on the menu even at the Boatyard but for some reason (maybe due to a rum punch and 3 beer each) we really wanted to pay $26 for Coconut shrimp. It was mediocre at best. 5 decent sized shrimp heavily breaded with bad cheap fries but tasted like the grease should have been changed long before. I’d never order again and could have had much better food on the ship. Or could have ordered cheaper menu items. BUT it is our only regret on the cruise. So a $26 regret is not an issue to us. All in our entire day cost us (2 people) $86. ($5 cab each, $15 entry each, $5 locker, $15 bucket of beer, $26 coconut shrimp) We had an amazing $86 day and Barbados was beautiful! $86 well spent dollars.

Just before I give you some pics let’s cover other versions of the trip we could have done, in case you want to budget for yourself. We totally could have just did the cab and entry fee ($20 a person total) or we could have even just took the cab to Brown’s Beach (which is amazing) and not go to the Boat Yard but just pay for cab each way ($10 a person total) and lay on our towels along the beautiful beach. Or we could have added the $20 boat ride a person. (Totally worth it if you don’t have snorkel gear or don’t want to swim out that far alone, they said they stay out there for up to an hour for you to swim with turtles) OR we could have drunk more drinks and had more food. All in the day could have been as cheap as $10 a person in cabs or sky is the limit if we ate, drank and got merry.

The only other thing I might have changed was to not pick the row closest to the pier because that’s where the guys calling people for boat rides or jet ski rentals ($40 for ½ hour) hung out calling people from. We had pick of seats when arrived, so should have sat a bit farther away. It was still great spots.

My biggest advice is don’t miss the turtles, especially if you’ve never swam with them. There was approx. 5 turtles (3 near us) and it was amazing. We had such a great day. The sand was so soft and not rocky at all and was a great place for wading or swimming.

Note: the shuttle driver offered to drop us downtown to shop on our way back so you could even have had a beach & shopping day.

Our pics below are: 9am rum punch, pick of the pier, pic from our chair, turtle pics.

Feb 8: AT SEA

It’s funny how you think you’ll remember everything you did and ate and saw each day then just a week later it kind of goes blank.

I remember that we really enjoyed the Sea day and every day. I’ll talk about the ship in general here and blend in the stuff that seemed important at the time.

We already have some traditions (habits) that we started on the reflection. I’m an early riser and would get up early (6am-630am). I liked to walk around the pool (deck 10 and check out the views from deck 11). I tended to wear through on track pants and t-shirt of long sleeves in the morning, air conditioner got chilly inside and deck 11 could get a bit windy –I’m famous for being cold. I’d have been fine in shorts but eased into my day. No need to pack a lot of options – try, try, try to not over pack – I only wore them for about an hour each day.

Safety: Before cruising I used to worry about hearing all these bad things that could happen at sea. I felt perfectly safe on the ship at all times and there were other people also out an about on deck 11 at 6am with me. I won’t be naive to say that maybe bad things only happen on other ships, but I did feel safe. Just like on land I made sure that I didn’t go alone to unpopulated areas in the wee hours. One day I did wake up at 430 and saw the most beautiful sight out the window, the way the ocean waves glowed in the ship light with a beautiful moon and another ship in the distance, I was mesmerized. This was the only time that I missed the veranda that we had on out last cruise. I would have gone on the balcony and enjoyed it if I had one, but there was no way I’d have gone on deck at 430am. Other than that I was perfectly happy with an ocean view room. I’ve learned just get on the ship, pick whatever room you want/can afford. To me it’s more about cruising and traveling more often. Although we do have a concierge class room booked on Reflection for Jan 2 2016, but I felt it was a deal when we booked it as we got all the 123 and it didn’t seem much more that the balcony to me.

After my morning walk I’d take my book to Café Al Bacio and have an Americana and sit for ½ hr- an hour watching the world wake up. They have these lovely big yellow arm chairs that you can sit in by the windows. This trip one of my favourite things was another passenger, elderly guy who was at the next table to me each morning. He had headphones on and would start singing to the music without realizing it. Info on Café Al Bacio. It’s open at 630am. It is a cost café (unless you have a drink package, we had premium).

If you’re not into fancy coffee and just want a plain old coffee order an Americana. It’s two shots of espresso topped up with steamed water to make a full cup. If it’s too strong for you ask for 1 shot, too weak ask for a 3rd shot (ordering a red eye means extra shot or you can just say extra shot). You can get flavours or liquors added. What I didn’t know at the beginning of my first cruise: If you want your order to go, then go to the counter. If want to sit down and drink in real cups then just pick a seat and they’ll come take your order and serve you. There’s no need to stand in line. They will also bring you any treats from the display that you want (no charge for the food there). On many days (maybe all) they have some kind of music later in the day: piano player or a singer. After my coffee and book I’d get another Americana to go and grab Dave his Carmel Macchiato. (You can take both of your drink cards up and order for both of you). I’d usually get a croissant or two to take back to the room for us to enjoy while he was walking up, getting ready. We’d usually visit Café Al Bacio for a tea or espresso to go later in the day. It one of my favourite places on the ship so to me helps makes the drink package we’ll worth it. I probably drank $10-$15 worth of coffee/tea there each day. I did have the Igloo drink there one day (covered on premium package) it’s a blended coffee frappe. Was really great! The staff on the ship are awesome, including the ones here who worked tirelessly filling coffee request after coffee request. The only negative I’d say about Café Al Bacio is that they’ve changed up the croissants from the last time when we were on Reflection. They’re still delicious so unless you’ve had the before you might not notice. They used to have actually filling, not they just have a smear of flavour inside. One of my favourite things used to be the almond one and I’d save the part with the most almond filling for the last bite. Alas, It just made me eat less of them this time, not a bad thing for my waistline.

We ate breakfast in the buffet daily (deck 10). There are many options of where and when to eat, just check places and times in your dailies. We enjoyed the variety and options and readiness of the buffet. Especially on days that we had set excursions to meet. Couple of things about the buffet. I had read on cruise critics to go all the way around the back to find more food options, (pizza station, pasta station by day and waffle eggs benedict in morn). I didn’t really that it was that far back, I bet lots of people miss out by never venturing to the back. Unless you are standing at the back of the boat where the automatic door are to go out to the sunset bar you haven’t all the food offerings. We loved to get our food and eat outside at the sunset bar whenever we were eating there. Other notes: There’s a bank of elevators near the pizza station, these are rarely busy. If walking to the main elevators I’d often get my water to take to shore at the little bar in the entry to the cafeteria (opposite side of the ice cream station). They have bottled water, vitamin water and canned pops too.

Learn the times of meals and snacks that you might want (check these in the printed dailies) some things you might not know. The pool restaurant (deck 10) that serves burgers and fries during the day has an omelette station at 10am each day. (Has less of a line than in the buffet). The aquaspa café (also deck 10, near the indoor pool) has healthy breakfast sections (included) The smoothies cost $…covered by premium drink package. There’s a menu on the wall to the left side of the serving area that lists options and prices. But the food on display is free, plus frittatas to order. They serve an afternoon tea selection from 4-5pm that has very yummy tea biscuits. Other notable times to us was that the cafeteria has sushi from 730-7pm. We would share a plate of sushi around 530 each night, that held us over until our 830 dinner time. There might be other options that you wouldn’t want to miss, they could be buried in the dailies under hours of dining so take a peak. Remember it’s your cruise, have it your way. There’s lots of people that prefer to have room service breakfast or dining room breakfast or 6pm dining times.

We went to the pool on our sea day, we were poolside by 9am and had our pick of seats. We stayed until around 1130 noon, before lunching in the buffet. We walked by the pool again later and never did really think it got full. This was a great thing about the summit, there always seemed to be loungers, sun or shade as you want them. There’s plenty of loungers on deck 11 too. Don’t forget deck 12 if you want a quieter area, I’m not sure if servers come up there so you might want to bring your drink and pool towels up. We had the most amazing shade nap up on 12 one day. This is also the place that they show the movies under the stars, that we never made it too even though I planned to. I find on the ship that I end up liking and doing things I didn’t plan ahead and opting to skip things that I thought I’d want to do.

Things that I really liked this time that was unplanned to attend:

Karaoke (they pick a couple people each night to put forward, and then have a sing off on the Friday night). I don`t sing, but enjoyed watching.

The game shows Newly Weds and Not so Newly Weds, Family Feud – guests vs officers

The Port shopping talks. I went to the one for St Maarten/St Thomas as we planned to shop a bit in St St Thomas. It was only ½ an hour long, she was extremely knowledgeable. She recommended certain stores (I ended up shopping where ever caught my eye at the time). She was helpful with answering questions and gave advise ie in St Thomas don’t shop at the pier just walk all the way through to the other end and take a $4 open air shuttle to downtown St Thomas itself. Plus she had some cool draw prizes/giveaways. (10 prizes, approx. 20 attendees …no I did not win anything). You can watch port talks and game shows on TV in you room later, but I surprisingly loved them live).

Things I didn’t care for that I thought I would: Live shows in the theatre. (Sorry, I’ll probably be blasted for saying so), but remember “Your cruise, your way”. We tried to attend one on the Reflection and tried to attend one on Summit (Sirens) we didn’t last more than 10 minutes before leaving, found it really cheesy. (Think quality of shows at Kellerman’s on Dirty Dancing). Thankfully we were smart to sit at the back.

I did fall in love with the thalassotherapy pool (indoor pool), Many afternoons found me there the loungers are comfy and cushioned well by it too. Dave seemed to have an afternoon nap back in the room where it was quiet and I’d have afternoon reading with tea/nap – waking up to cold tea because I feel asleep yet again by this amazing pool. Most of our port days we’re ½ – ¾ days at beach or water activities. I had plenty of sun then so didn’t seek out the sun when back on the ship.

The formal nights were night 2 and night 5 in the main dining room. We love dressing up for dinner, but tended to get ready after our trip to sushi. We had the 830 dining so would sushi then get coffee or drink from a bar to take back to the room to get ready. Note; by 5pm the boat is swimming with people dressed up and photographers. They’d go to the bars and common areas for drinks around 5 before their 6pm dinner. Sometimes I felt like the only on walking through deck 5 in shorts. (Even had a few judgement glares) but listen up peeps – your cruise, your way. The dress code is only for the main dining room. We’d go to our room and get ready then venture out for pre-dinner drinks at one of the bar. Rendezvous lounge (deck 4) became a fast favourite of ours so did Cellar Masters (deck 5) we had our pre-dinner drinks at one of them each night. We’d get to Rendezvous lounge around 7 it was quite so you could visit with lots of chairs available. They had a great drink menu. Our fav’s there ended up being the Moscow Mule and Singapore Slings. Each night they hosted a pretty fun event in there at 8pm (ie Family feud) so it would fill up and be packed. You’d be happy you had a seat and would catch about ½ hour of the show before heading to dinner. Cellar Masters was nice and quite the whole time. This is where you’ll find great beer options (some of the ones you used to get at Michael’s), good drinks and wine by the glass that you can order with your drink package. Note the self-serve wine machines are not included in the drink package. Really great servers at both, and all bars.

Dinner was wonderful was usually 2 – 2 ½ hrs. We never really stayed up much past dinner any night, except the Karaoke night. One of my favourite things about fixed dinning is getting to know the same wait staff night after night and checking in on their day and vice versa. It was kind of a nightly home coming.

Feb 7 - Embark the Celebrity Summit at PanAm Pier

It didn’t look like there was anything near by the pier so if there’s something you need get it before you come over here. I did read that there was a duty free at the pier but I was so excited to get to the ship and didn’t need anything that I didn’t look for it.

We had no line ups. Within 15-20 minutes we were on the Summit with welcome drinks in hand. Our friend injured her leg a few weeks before the cruise so was in an air cast (walking boot). They arranged at check in to have a Celebrity wheel chair for the week – it was a great idea!

We ordered the premium drink package (which we also had on the Reflection to previous year). We do drink, and it was worth it for us. Daily we had bottled water, vitamin water, coffees from Café Al Bacio, not to mention alcohol. I can’t remember what days I drank which but we used the package to try drinks or beer that we’ve never had before. We tried a few different brands for the drinks we like. Over the week we enjoyed Pina Colada made with Malibu, Mojitos, Rum Mule, Dirty Martini, wine, and a few different beer. To us our package was worth it, some days we drank the value and some days we didn’t. We had the classic package free by booking during 123, but did pay the $11 day for the premium package.

When we got on the ship we went to the pool and spent an hour or so sunning and swimming. Pool servers were attentive. Rooms were ready by 1 or 130. We checked into our stateroom #2155 and met our Stateroom attendant, Jimmy. It was quickly a happy meeting and was awesome throughout the cruise. I asked that he have the fridge emptied which he did that night while we were at dinner. I also asked Jimmy for an extra blanket which I got that night at turndown. Great service.

The room was clean with plenty of storage and even a few hooks on the wall and back of the bathroom door. I worried about missing the veranda from our last ship, but found the ocean view room was great too.

The afternoon was spent relaxing and investigating the ship.

We had 8:30 dinner at table #338 our servers were great. Billy and his assistant Allen. Great personalities and top notch service. I forget what we had each night, but I enjoyed everything I had for the week. (except the lobster was a bit chewy). As the week went on and they learned what we liked to drink and it would just show up. (Pellegrino for water and our favourite post dinner coffees). The ship was clean and although it’s smaller than the Reflection it had so much character and was easy to get around. We turned in relatively early on our first night.

One more note: I was worried about nausea but wore an anti-nausea bracelet and took Gravol for the first 2 days and didn’t have issues.

Old San Juan has great shopping and places to eat. We skipped the night life due to long travel day so I can’t really say how it is at night. We went to St Germain Bistro & Café for dinner on Friday. (read about it on Cruise Critic and recommended by our AirBnB host). Great food! We had Ceviche, Mushroom Brie Soup, Fresh guacamole and chips, plus a Nutella Croissant. Along with wine for me and Mojito for Dave. (Really, really good Mojito however all the food was great) Their website is http://www.stgermainpr.com/. Our bill, for 2 of us, a drink each and the above food was around $45+tip. Well worth it.

Our Friends flew in Friday at 9pm from Toronto to San Juan with a Miami stop over. Their flight from Toronto was delayed due to a big snowstorm so their luggage didn’t make it onto the Miami plane in time (Along with 4-5 other couples, some of which were on our cruise too) This is a great example of why it’s smart to come in the day before. Their airline sent the bags on the next flight that arrived much later than them (1:30am). The airline offered to send it to the ship but the guys went back to meet the luggage, which thankfully arrived. I wouldn't want to fly in the day of the cruise if I had to switch planes for sure.

In the morning we went to Cafeteria Mallorca which was close by (recommended by our Airbnb host)

We had the Mallorca: a buttery croissant stuffed with various items, we had swiss cheese stuffed and a ham and a just swiss cheese one. It’s grilled, then dusted with powdered sugar. We had those plus coffee each. Our bill was under $15. This is not fancy but was fun and good. Note: it gets crowded. The line to get a seat is long but goes quick. You can sit at the counter. Or can order food to go. It’s a great combo of tourists and locals. We even saw the deliveries of boxes of fruit coming through the front door. Bananas still on the stock, can’t get fresher than that!

Trip advisor Link http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g147320-d1234687-Reviews-Cafeteria_Mallorca-San_Juan_Puerto_Rico.html

We shopped a bit in the morning, hubby’s watch battery died (go figure) so we went to get it changed. We ended up in this great little shop Pirana Joe's (259 Calle Fortaleza) to get it fixed. Liked them so much that we bought a new watch that Dave had planned to look for in St Thomas. (they threw in the battery replacement for free on his other watch) plus we also bought a necklace.

We also hit up Walgreen’s for last minute needs. Then with shopping done and stomachs full we finally went to the cruise port. Our Airbnb host suggested when we were out and about and near a square if we see a taxi just go to them get their card and ask them to meet us at the apartment at a set time. This worked well.

Cab to the cruise ship from Old San Juan (now 4 people and 6 pieces of luggage was $26) It was approx. a 15 minute ride. We got to the cruise pier just before noon.

Hi Everyone

This is my first trip review I’ve posted so please bear with me. I’ll try to post details that I would want to know if I was reading a review. (Sorry if the details aren’t what you need). I’ll try to post pics and links where possible, but mostly for excursions. I don’t have many pics of the ship itself.

Background on us: I’m Cathy traveling with hubby Dave. We are close to 40 something’s (one of us just under, one of us just over…I won’t say who’s which :) ). We love travel, we are foodies, and we’re easy travelers; we can have fun regardless of if plans go our way or if surprises come along. We traveled with another couple on this trip. I love to research and plan so spent a lot of time on the Cruise Critic Boards beforehand and am happy with the decisions we made for this trip. This is our 2nd cruise. The last was Jan 2013 on Celebrity Reflection. We loved both trips and both ships.

Our Itinerary and details:

Feb 6 – Flight from Chicago via Jet Blue to San Juan, Puerto Rico

Feb 6 – Pre Cruise stay in Old San Juan via AirBnB (2 bedroom apt on Calle San Sebastián)

Feb 7: Embark the Celebrity Summit at PanAm Pier San Juan, Puerto Rico

Feb 8: AT SEA

Feb 9: BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS – (Took cab to The Boatyard Beach Club)

Feb 10: CASTRIES, ST. LUCIA – (Spencer Ambrose Tours - Jalousie Beach Break)

Feb 11: ST. JOHNS, ANTIGUA (Took cab to Valley Church Beach, Jolly Harbour)

Feb 12: PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN (Discover Scuba Diving Package with Octopus Diving Company on French Side)

Feb 13: CHARLOTTE AMALIE, ST. THOMAS (Shopped in Downtown St Thomas)

Feb 14: Disembark San Juan, Puerto Rico (Celebrity’s New and Old San Juan Tour and Airport drop off)

We were in Stateroom# 2155: class 07- Deck 2 Ocean View Stateroom

Feb 6 Flight – Jet Blue is great. San Juan Airport was easy to get around. If you’re worried about how to find your way around there please don’t worry. We walked through the duty free on the way out and made a mental note of the brands that they sold that we might want on the way back.

Cabs were easy to find. Prices are fixed & based on location that you’re going to, how many people are in the cab and how much luggage. Our cab for 2 people to Old San Juan with 4 pieces of luggage was $25.

Feb 6 – Pre Cruise stay in Old San Juan via AirBnB (2 bedroom apt on Calle San Sebastián)

This was my first time booking Airbnb. The couple we went with has used it many times. I like that Airbnb has reviews of the hosts. We stayed in a 2 bedroom (1 queen bed, 1 bunk that was double on bottom and single on top) It was cute, clean and safe. Our host Margarita was awesome. Here’s the link to where we stayed. https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/3516125

Pic from beach chair of Jalousie Beach in the shade on snorkelling side and a pic facing the dock. (these are my first pic post, so wish me luck) lol

I really enjoyed our time there. The snorkelling was wonderful (bring your own gear). The chairs were ratty, but functional. We were there with a tour and arrived early so got chairs. If you're arriving later you might need to just use your towel. There is shade available as well as washrooms. Our tour served lunch and drinks, so I don't know what the amenities are for food. I'm not sure your plans there but if you're looking for snorkelling this place was great. This day with the Jalousie Beach Excursion was one of my favorite things on our trip. St Lucia is beautiful and swimming under the Pitons was amazing.

I think it depends on the port, but I imagine you won't have an issue keeping it with you.

We just got back from the Summit in San Juan port. We took the Old and New San Juan disembarkment tour with airport drop off.

They had one large moving van type truck that they loaded all people's luggage from all the airport drop off tours in.

Then everyone got into smaller air conditioned tour busses (I'm guessing hold about 40 people). On these little busses some people kept their carry on suitcases. There's room under the seats for 1-2 carry on sized suitcase. Some people held them in their laps. Just know you'll be a bit cramped compared to people that don't have their carry on with them.

The driver stayed in the bus or locked the bus when not in it. We felt safe leaving our carry on with him when we went to the fort and shopping in old San Juan.

If you're at Pan Am pier there's a CVS within a couple blocks. google maps will show you if you search CVS San Juan. Is Gravol comparable to it? Note though that CVS can get very busy so except a lineup.

I love the Americana in Cafe al Bacio. Hopefully you do too. if you find it to strong ask them to just put in 1/2 the espresso next time (I don't know if they put 1 or 2 shots in)

Sorry folks that last post was my pocket talking. I'm torn between going to Sapphire Beach for great snorkeling, going to Magan's Bay for great relaxation or going to Emerald Beach for convenience and still being a nice beach. This will be our last port of 5 ports, so I'm not sure what we'll feel like by then. I'd also like to get a bit of shopping in. I think we'll take the info for all with us and then decide day of based on how the rest of our week went. Thanks so much for all the great thoughts everyone's posted. It helps to get others perspectives.