cruisefar

Spencer and crew are wonderful!! I would definitely tour with him again!!!:cool:

We sailed Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Sea. On our original visit we did an island tour and toured a fort which was really cool, Romney Manor which I really liked and a beach. I love a white sand beach so clearly St Kitts/Nevis beaches are not for me!! Again...I loved the catamaran, crew and food/beverages!! So if you are looking for a fun day out on the water you will love it!!!:cool:

Was there two weeks ago. I am referring to the hotel in the title that is near the Pan American Pier and convention center. Booked thru Hotwire and had a very good rate for a 4 Star Hotel. If you want to be at the beach or in Old San Juan this is not the hotel for you. If you are looking for a clean upscale hotel for 1 night pre-cruise it was a great option for the price.

No problems at all!! A perfect day!!

Did this excursion last week. Loved the boat and the crew was very personable!! The snorkeling is very poor. No coral but some fish. (I have been spoiled by Grand Turk, Bonaire and Hawaii!!) Our beach stop in Nevis was subpar. Dirty looking sand, drop-off getting into the water and some small rocks. The rum punch was awesome!! I was not impressed with the beach in St Kitts on our last visit which is why we did this excursion. Next time in St Kitts I will stay on the ship!:cool:

Stayed for one night pre-cruise. Very nice hotel near the port. Beautiful pool area! Was disappointed with the food at the Metropal restaurant. Did not compare to other PR restaurants we have visited in the past. Nothing to do nearby but plenty to keep you busy at the hotel!:cool:

Spent the day at Harbor Lights last week. Loved it!! Beautiful beach, great chairs, great staff!! Our favorite stop this cruise!! I was concerned after reading some negative reviews. Nothing to worry about!!!!:cool:

Wow!! I can not believe this post!! I would never book with James based on this post alone!! His friends are chiming in??? That wrecks your reputation more than the poor service that day!!

Thanks BrilloHead! You totally answered my question!!

can I book the Select now at a discount and upgrade onboard to a premium package?

Just checked online. 20% discount on Select package only on Navigator April 30th. Earlier today no discount was available.

Math and reading comprehension is on a downward spiral. Really? I beg to differ with you! For the few of us who have been looking at purchasing the drink package in the last few weeks...the website listed the higher price and also noted gratuities would be added to the cost. I get they are just marketing it differently. Maybe they have been marketing it incorrectly for the last few weeks but for those who were deciding to purchase in the last few weeks the price is lower that what had been advertised. I also noted the pricing was back to what it was originally in my first post. I think your comment is very rude!

Premium was about $58 plus 18% it is now $49 plus 18% which puts it in line with the original cost that included gratuities. Glad I waited to book till now!

Has anyone pre-purchased a drink package in February or March 2016? If yes what is the amount that was charged to your credit card? The website states the gratuity is in addition to the price per day but I just want to make sure it is.

Thanks!

We did this cruise in 2014. I loved it. Only problem was there was a storm our first 2 days and a lot of people were seasick. We were not seasick but did not feel good enough to want to do anything.

Spent 2 days in Vancouver and loved it! The itinerary could not be beat! Spent 3 nights in Kauai after the cruise. Kauai is amazing!

Just received a response to the email to canyon ranch. She offered me a full refund except the $20 cash! Way more than I asked for!! Good to know if you have an issue with your experience they will resolve the issue!! Ok..I will give them another chance!!

I also requested they make a fleet-wide policy to give a written reservation confirmation including the fees as someone mentioned and to do additional training with their staff.

I emailed Canyon Ranch on their website. I received the following response:

Dear Ms. XXXX

Thank you for your email regarding your recent Canyon Ranch experience in the spa aboard the QM2 . (Received an email immediately following apologizing for noting the wrong ship)

I am very sorry to hear that your experience was less than exceptional and am writing to inform you we have launched a full investigation of the incident. Canyon Ranch strives to deliver a superior guest experience to each and every guest and I apologize if we did not meet that standard during your cruise. Your feedback is extremely important to Canyon Ranch in assisting us to ensure we are providing world class service at all spas on both land and sea. Thank you for taking the time to share it with us.

Please let me know what you feel Canyon Ranch can do to set this experience right with you. We certainly want to make every effort to have a happy guest. I look forward to receiving your response and working with you to fully resolve this unfortunate matter.

With kind regards,

XXXXX

Corporate

Canyon Ranch

I requested a refund for the difference between what I paid and the amount I was quoted plus $15 gel and an 18% tip. I will keep you posted

I appreciate all of the comments. I just do not want this to happen to anyone else.

David YYC - My husband is awesome! I was just so startled! We were not a budget per se but it was just so much for a mani/pedi! And a $59 tip!!! At 60 years old I can honestly say luckily there have not been many things that leave me speechless but this kinda did. I am a seasoned traveler (20 cruises) and have never had this happen! I don't know who was running the spas in the past but I have always been treated professionally and pampered.

I have a gel manicure and pedicure regularly. It was just time to have them redone. I always expect to pay more on a ship and I don't have a problem with that. This was a Hawaii cruise with 5 days at sea then a 7 day port intensive cruise. As I had never been to Hawaii I wanted to maximize my port days.

Oh well...another life lesson learned!!

Just off the Solstice. I will never again go to the Canyon Ranch Spa. I stopped in to book a manicure and pedicure. The woman never showed me the options. She told me they had a special. With the language/accent barrier I thought she said one seventeen but supposedly she said one seventy. On what planet would $170 be a special price for a mani/pedi. I stopped in later to mention that I needed the manicure to be a gel manicure. She never mentioned any additional fee. As I waited in the waiting area for my appointment employes were yelling to each other and one employee ran right through the seating area. Grossly unprofessional especially for a spa environment. My service was fine but I assume the jets did not work in the pedicure stations as mine was never turned on and the other customer's was not either. When she gave me the bill to sign I was so shocked I was too stunned to read the details. My bill was $257. Wait....I had a mani/pedi!!!! I knew I was expected to tip and expecting my service to be $117 I had brought $20 cash and gave it to the manicurist. I immediately went to guest relations and was told I needed to take it up with the spa. I immediately went to the spa desk and explained how shocked I was. She explained to me the special was $170, the soak off of the gel polish was $33, the gel Polish was $15 and the tip was $39. Wait I just tipped this woman $59 for a mani/pedi!!!! That is when I started to cry. My husband is going to kill me! She went to find the manager but he/she was unavailable. I told her I was quoted $117. I told her $33 for a soak off was ridiculous. I understood the extra $15 for things associated with the gel Polish was understandable. I told her I had just tipped the woman $20. She said all the literature says there is a gratuity charge. I get that. I did pay her a gratuity. I did not see any literature regarding the service I was having!! She did take the charge off my bill for the $33 soak off. I'm sure even she could not rationalize that fee!! I learned a very important lesson... I need to see quotes in writing!! There was a mani/pedi in my price range available but I trusted her offer of a special. Goodbye Canyon Ranch Spa...you have seen the last of me!

Has anyone done this excursion? Going in

September 2014 and wondered if it was enjoyable and how big is the vehicle (bus)?

Thanks for your help!

going to Hawaii in September!

Thanks for all the helpful information!!

Mquan10 - I am not from the New York City area. I am from western New York so I don't have a clue about NYC hotels. Sorry I could not help you out with that!

Thanks everyone! Do you think I need a car when in Vancouver or just to go to Whistler? Any hotel recommendations for a nice place with easy access to things to do and priced right? I love the beach, shopping and sightseeing!

Flying from New York to Vancouver and wondering how much time I should spend in Vancouver prior to our cruise to Hawaii. I would love to see a beautiful mountain lake so I thought maybe the train from Vancouver to Whistler for an overnight. I welcome all of your suggestions!