Aruba, Curacao, Grand Turk, La Romana

[imluvncruzn]

Ok first Thank You for this review! I have talked a lot of people into going on this tour and Im glad you loved it! However I am deathly afraid. Of spiders it's so bad that I don't watch them on Tv or look at pictures! So needless to say I'm very concerned about the last part of the review! :eek:Is this something that can be avoided or do they like bring them on to the van? I would like to avoid seeing them if possible!! In fact I haven't looked at your pic's for fear that you were one of the brave ones!!! Lol

 

 

LOL...I was not one of the brave ones but my kids were! This is what happens at the end of the tour. They bring the boat up to the beach and you get off and walk back to the Seavis Tours hut. They bring the tarantula and boa out to the group. There's a huge beach area so if you don't want to see it you can very easily walk away. You'll never have to be anywhere near it if you don't want to. In fact, out of our group of 15 only 4 held the snake and we never saw the tarantula because we wanted to get loaded into the taxis and head back to port. No worries...very easy to avoid. Talk to Carlos (guide) and let him know of your fear as soon as you get there. The whole Seavis Team was fantastic!

[sarge11]

On this cruise what is the better port to purchase booze, or will the best prices be on the ship.

[tntheresa]

We just returned off the Valor 1/21/12 sailing and absolutely fell in love with LaRomana. It is stunningly beautiful and unspoiled. Our group of 15 did the Saona Special with Seavis tours and it was the best day of our cruise. Here's how it went and I'll try to attach some pics: The cost was $59a/$29c plus $15pp for RT taxi. Seavis arranged the taxis so you pay Alex @ Seavis when you get there and he pays the taxi. Upon arriving we exited the port and walked straight out to the small duty free/shopping building on the left. There was a lady from the taxi company standing there with a sign and she had a list with all of our names on it. Once everyone who booked the Seavis tour showed up, she escorted us to the taxis. They were fairly new 12 passenger vans. Clean and the ac worked fine. It was approx. a 25 min. ride from port to Bayahibe. Once there we paid Alex, got wrist bands, and were fitted with snorkel gear. We then met with Carlos (guide) and he explained the tour and showed us the route on the map. We then walked to the speedboat. It was partially covered and I believe there was 25 passengers and 5 crew onboard. We stopped at a few spots along the way to Saona and Carlos gave us a history of the area with several beautiful spots for picture taking. We ventured into the protected mangroves. They passed around a catalog to help us identify birds and fish in the area. We went to a bird sanctuary and viewed hundreds of frigate birds. They were beautiful...some with 4ft wing span and Carlos provided a lot of info about them. After that we continued on to Saona Island. It was so beautiful! White sand beach, tons of palm trees, and great snorkeling. There were beach chairs and floating mats free of charge. The tour included a lunch of steak, chicken, potatoes, fresh pineapple, rice and beans, bread, and some type of pasta salad. I did not try the pasta because it looked to be made with mayo and I didn't know how long it had been out and it was very hot so I skipped. The rest of the lunch was very good. Also included pop and rum or beer. There was no choice of type of rum or beer. There was also some vendors set up from the island selling souvenirs and clothing, art, etc. There was a lady offering massages on the beach for $20. One of the guys in our group tried it and said it was very nice. On the way back, we stopped at the natural pool which is knee deep water and hunted for starfish. It was so beautiful! At this time they provided more fresh pineapple, shots of rum, and some sort of yummy cake. After we returned to Bayahibe we were able to hold Boa Constrictors and tarantulas if you dare! Alex had the taxi vans waiting for us upon our return. It was an amazing day and I would highly recommend to all! Here are some pics:

 

Wow - this sounds more interesting and memorable than just going to Dreams. I would LOVE for my little girl to hold a starfish. I haven't seen one in 30 years myself. Debbie - would you have any interest in doing this over Dreams?

[cruisegirl29]

Wow - this sounds more interesting and memorable than just going to Dreams. I would LOVE for my little girl to hold a starfish. I haven't seen one in 30 years myself. Debbie - would you have any interest in doing this over Dreams?

 

I can't decide if I want to do this, the Sanoa Island Carnival Tour or Dreams... Let me know what you decide! I know Red Lats and a few others are doing this tour Seavis. They are trying to arrange transportation as well.

 

SUe

[tntheresa]

I can't decide if I want to do this, the Sanoa Island Carnival Tour or Dreams... Let me know what you decide! I know Red Lats and a few others are doing this tour Seavis. They are trying to arrange transportation as well.

 

SUe

 

 

I guess I figure I know what a beautiful resort looks like and my daughter would probably remember seeing a starfish and a SNAKE (not that she would touch it) over a fancy hotel. I hate decisions!!! ha

[ncbeachteacher]

Thanks for the report of the island tour. We have booked this for July! The pictures were a bonus! Thanks again!

[LRene]

Hello,

 

Ok..so i'm interested in this Carnival Shore Excursion. On Carnival's website it says that complimentary drinks are included... any idea what those drinks are?

 

Also, can you tell me the difference between Catalina Island vs Saona Island?

 

Thanks in advance!

Sue

 

The only complimentary drink we had was on the dock right when we got to the island. They could have changed it though. It was rum punch.

 

I'm not familiar with Saona so can't help there.

 

The restrooms etc. we're very nice and clean on the island and they did have food for sale. I don't think we ate though. It's been a year or two and several cruises ago! If I can find some pics tomorrow, I'll post some for you. Water is very calm there.

[lissvarna]

Venture away from the carnival area in Grand Turk. The beach is much better, quieter, and more authentic, plus you're actually supporting the local economy. I wish I could remember the name of the beach we took a cab too, but ask the locals when you get off the ship & they'll recommend one.

 

We had great drinks and lunch, plus an awesome snorkeling experience for like $20-30 each. I'd hate to waste my time there at Margaritaville or whatever it is that's right there when you get off the boat.

[KitchenKitten]

DH and I were on the Valor over this past week as well. Mini-Review:

 

Grand Turk - Pretty at first but with lots of the island still in ruins after Hurricane Ike, it was kind of sad to see parts of the island that appeared to be beautiful once upon a time. I found it very hard to take photos when lots of what we passed on the shuttle to the horseback tour, was not very photogenic. There were some pretty spots, but I hope that tourism will help the island rebuild. They have lots of potential. Give it time.

 

Pic from the beach:

 

We did the horseback ride & swim. This is the same company that does the one in Ocho Rios that we had fun with. However it wasn't as fun as the other one because the tour was over some very rough terrain and as a horse-owner myself, I was concerned with the safety of the animals. They looked ok as far as health and soundness, and didn't appear to be affected, but still... I just let my horse put her feet where she needed and didn't 'steer' her through anything. She knew the terrain, obviously. On a fun note, since the guides learned I was experienced, one took me for a gallop along the beach after the trail ride just before they swapped the saddles to swim. Unfortunately DH didn't know how to operate the video feature on the camera for it but he got one pic of me on "Jack Hammer".

 

 

La Romana - Here we did the Cigar manufacture tour and that was very interesting. The tour also included the trip to Altos de Chavon. This was a pretty place but I didn't actually read about what it was when signing up for the tour because we did it mostly for the cigar tour. The tour of the factory was cool, but be warned: the shop at the end sells the cigars for not much less than what you pay here back in the 'States. My husband and I actually even charge less than what they were for certain brands and lines they had in the shop, and our state has a 70% tobacco tax on top of the wholesale cost.

 

For some reason I thought the Altos thing was a shopping district with local shops and eateries. I got kinda bored with the guided tour because while the place was very cool and pretty, it really was not interesting enough to keep my attention. Visually cool, but since it was built in the 1970's, that authentic charm is lost. Honestly I didn't need the 2 hours there. 45 minutes would have been sufficient. However the restaurant there was a nice place to get a snack before heading back.

 

We then had time to go off on our own, so we hired a cab for an hour to go to DT La Romana. Not much to see but we were there for another reason: to search for an independent cigar roller that made something special that we could sell in our shop. We did find something and there is a potential to be an exclusive distributor. So far, the cigars are getting rave reviews and we have only had them on the shelf since yesterday (Monday) morning.

 

Curacao - This was my favorite. The elegant quaintness mixed with a high level of sophistication was something that I had yet to see on any other island I have been to. The place made a great impression on me, as did the very kind and cool locals we encountered. We were docked from 2pm-11pm. We didn't do any excursions as we had intended to hit the beaches here. Though rainshowers tainted most of the day and the shops closed at 6pm (ALL of them did too!) shopping itself was cut short, and the sun came out too late to hit the beach. However it cleared up into the evening so DH and I went back to the ship, dried off and cleaned up and went back out to dinner at Le Gouverneur that was right next to the ferry dock. This was a great restaurant and highly recommended. A bit more $$ but was worth it to me. The shops then were lit up at night and were just beautiful. The architecture was something unique and there was a feeling of that they didn't care what anyone else thought, they do their own thing.

 

Photo of the ship at night, and the shops on the other side of the canal:

 

 

Aruba - No excursions for us here either. We just wanted beach time. So we pooled with other people to take a cab to Palm Beach. And there we were for 3 hours. Then after we got some color, swam, searched for seashells, and enjoyed a few cigars, we ventured back to do some shopping. The shopping district wasn't as diverse in store types as I had hoped. Most sold the same cookie-cutter souvenir stuff. However we didn't have a whole lot of time to venture into the deeper parts of the shopping area so that might have been our fault. We got back to the ship barely by 3:30 because of how they have blocked off the entrance to only one spot. But it was funny to watch the late ones come running in, one guy still had a pitcher of beer with him! Rumor had it that we still left like 4 to 6 people there but of course that is only a rumor until you start hearing the front desk call people's names after shoving off the pier. I didn't hear any though.

 

Someone already mentioned the medical emergency that had us sail back to Aruba. My only thoughts on the matter are that I really thought that it was tacky and insensitive to take pictures of the transport boat and the whole situation as many were doing from the Lido deck. The only photo I took was of the lights of Aruba at night-on the other side of the ship, because I may not get to see that again. I hope the man and his family are doing OK and will get back home safely.

[ncbeachteacher]

Thanks for sharing! Great pictures, too! :)

[Cigar Dude]

I liked the info on the cigar tour but I'd like to hear more.

 

All cigar info is appreciated.

[Poitiers]

I hate to see the negatives about the port in La Romana. It is like many other industrial ports. It is another cruise ship companies port, therefor their rules. Only their ships tour vendors are allowed to come directly into the port area. Once you know that, you know what to expect. Our cruise stop there was some of the first so it was trial and error finding reviews from other cruisers to tell us about it.

The walk to the taxi's is not that bad. Once you know what you are doing and ask others about the taxi fares you will be prepared. Seavis told me is SHOULD be $10 per person round trip. Once we got to the gate I told the gate lady I needed 4 vans with 10 pax each which filled the van. The gate lady (police) said it was $150 per van, so this was the standard rate apparently back in March.

I am sure for those that take some extra time to research things on the web, you will be so happy to get off the ship and see this beautiful place. I spent hours checking everywhere and found trip advisor to have some really good into.

I am sure the gate police are getting better aquainted with the process of handling those pax that are wanting to use the taxi service. It did take us a few extra minutes with the language barrier but all in all it was just fine.

Bayahibe is a 25 minute ride from the port for those that would like to do a tour on own. I agree that going to Dreams is just like staying on the ship but much less expensive. If you are beach people, try to get to one of the beachs from Bayahibe. They are beautiful!!

Saona is a small beach village and the residents are so friendly.

Paradise beach is, well paradise. A nice snorkeling "pool" just near the part of the beach where the Pirates of the Caribbean jungle scenes were filmed.

Think it was over 30-45 minute boat ride, I really can't remember for sure but do know it was quite aways. We also stopped a few times to get some history and play with the starfish on a sand bar.

I do not know if there are private boats that can take you there, we used Seavis which had good speedboats to get there and back. I am sure they can help set up other smaller tours as well since they have boats that take up to 24 pax. If not they are good to suggest other options with other vendors.

Love all your photos of the starfish, and want to show them to my grandkids (who aren't on this website and live far away in another state. We're all going on the Freedom on March 10th. I can't copy the thumbnails but do you have the photos posted anywhere else I can get to them? Or tell the kids where to go to look?

 

Thanks, Kathi (kathitourist@hotmail.com)

[imluvncruzn]

Love all your photos of the starfish, and want to show them to my grandkids (who aren't on this website and live far away in another state. We're all going on the Freedom on March 10th. I can't copy the thumbnails but do you have the photos posted anywhere else I can get to them? Or tell the kids where to go to look?

 

Thanks, Kathi (kathitourist@hotmail.com)

 

Hi Kathi...not sure if you were referring to the photos I posted of the starfish but I can email you the photos we just took last week!

[Poitiers]

Hi Kathi...not sure if you were referring to the photos I posted of the starfish but I can email you the photos we just took last week!

Hi, yes, I'd love it if you'd email me your photos - the starfish ones and any of your tour with Seavis in La Romano. One question - I sunburn badly, so try to stay somewhat covered up and out of the sun. Or totally slathered up with sunblock! On this tour, is there some shade on the boat? Seems like at the beach there are chairs which can be put in the shade. And, I'm not exactly a real physically fit 68 year old, so how demanding physically is this tour? It just sounds so neat, like something the whole group of us could do together (me, DH 70, daughters mid 30s, early 40s, son and d-in-l mid 40s, grandkids 10,13 & 15). Any info you can offer will be most appreciated. My email is kathitourist@hotmail.com Thanks so much!

[imluvncruzn]

Hi, yes, I'd love it if you'd email me your photos - the starfish ones and any of your tour with Seavis in La Romano. One question - I sunburn badly, so try to stay somewhat covered up and out of the sun. Or totally slathered up with sunblock! On this tour, is there some shade on the boat? Seems like at the beach there are chairs which can be put in the shade. And, I'm not exactly a real physically fit 68 year old, so how demanding physically is this tour? It just sounds so neat, like something the whole group of us could do together (me, DH 70, daughters mid 30s, early 40s, son and d-in-l mid 40s, grandkids 10,13 & 15). Any info you can offer will be most appreciated. My email is kathitourist@hotmail.com Thanks so much!

 

Check your email...I sent the pics to you last night! The covered area of the boat only covers maybe 2 rows of seats in the back of the boat. Let Alex or Carlos know that you need to be shaded and/or be first to the boat so you can choose a seat under the canopy. This tour is not physically demanding at all except the snorkeling and that depends on how far you want to go out. The best snorkeling is under the old pier area. We saw hundreds of fish out there and some really pretty colorful coral growing on the pier itself. The beach offers lots of shade and there's a picnic shelter with picnic tables to sit under. The starfish part of the tour is in knee deep water so that's not strenuous either. We had a group of 15 ranging in age from 6-43 and we all loved it!

[KitchenKitten]

I liked the info on the cigar tour but I'd like to hear more.

 

All cigar info is appreciated.

 

I liked the info on the cigar tour but I'd like to hear more.

 

All cigar info is appreciated.

 

Not much to actually say/write, but here are a few of the pics I took. This factory rolled for MonteCristo, Romeo y Julieta, and some smaller brands.

 

We have a documentary movie at our shop that Rocky Patel did and sent to us when we first opened called 'From Seed To Store' (or something like that), so I kind of already knew the whole growing/rolling/aging process. Just never saw it in person until last week.

 

Due to images being limited per post, I split these into two posts.

 

Entrance to the tour...

 

 

R&J churchills

 

R&J Figurados

 

 

...continued next post

[KitchenKitten]

Part 2 of above post....

 

Draw testing before capping and trimming.

 

 

In the humidor now, with all the cigars aging from 1 year up to 5 years, depending on blend.

 

 

Special Edition R&J's...we're going to try to get our hands on a couple of these boxes from our suppliers.

[AmandaKaye79]

Has anyone actually done a review of these ports? I have done a search but I haven't came up with anything. If you have seen a review or done one yourself, please post the link for me!

[blue_water]

We have some info on our roll call forum - Freedom, April 7 sailing (Nassau and not Turks though).

We're taking the Seavis tour (Saona Special) in La Romana (Bayahibe).

[blue_water]

I see my next Macanudos in the post above! :D

[KitchenKitten]

I see my next Macanudos in the post above! :D

You mean MonteCristos? They don't roll Macanudos there. ;)

Macanudos are rolled in Santiago.

[blue_water]

Yes, Montes...I have Macanudo on the brain! Looking forward to getting some of both!:D

[mara93]

Frequent Floater, thanks so much for your review on Seavis & the pictures!

We have a big group, about 30 people, doing this in May. Can't wait! :D

[Frequent Floater]

Frequent Floater, thanks so much for your review on Seavis & the pictures!

We have a big group, about 30 people, doing this in May. Can't wait! :D

 

You will have a great time with Seavis.

Sounds like they have even improved the taxi situation since we were there so that makes it even better.

[cruisegirl29]

Decisions have been made for our day in La Romana March 13th! We have a large group going with Seavis Tours for the day! Everyone is from our CC Roll Call Thread! So excited...

 

I believe the transportation will be a breeze...

 

Sue