CruiseXLife Takes Liberty- Maiden San Juan to Southern Caribbean Photo Review

 

As I looked off the side of the ship, I saw the MSC Musica coming into port to join us!

 

I noticed the other island in this picture...Saba!!! When on our Valor cruise two years ago, it was so hazy it wasn't visible from port. We only saw Saba, barely, through the haze after leaving St. Maarten.

I noticed the other island in this picture...Saba!!! When on our Valor cruise two years ago, it was so hazy it wasn't visible from port. We only saw Saba, barely, through the haze after leaving St. Maarten.

I would love to visit Saba one day, it's a very cool island. I can take a flight over there and land at the risky airport! I saw it all day, from the ship, from the town, and from Maho.

Hi...I have thoroughly loved your review. We are sailing on June 7 on the same cruise and your review has gotten me even more excited---if that is possible!!

I do have a question and i hesitate to start something but what did you see at night in the way of dress? Do most men wear suits, sport coats or just shirts and dress slacks for formal dinner? I think we know what to wear other nights but this is always a question my husband has when we begin to pack. We have not been on a carnival ship in several years---last few cruises were on Crystal which is quite dressy at night. We love Carnival and loved these ports.

Thanks so much

I am still enjoying your review! If you haven't picked out a cruise to go on for later this year and are still looking, check to see if you have a "journey's" offer under your VIFP number. My bf and I are taking the Dec 9th one from San Juan to Port Canaveral on the Sunshine (I previously had a RCCL cruise booked on the 12th but return airfare on Southwest from San Juan was $430 so we switched to this one) and I think you would love the itinerary!

Day 1 San Juan, Puerto Rico 10:00 PM

Day 2 St. Thomas, USVI 8:00 AM 6:00 PM

Day 3 Antigua 9:00 AM 6:00 PM

Day 4 Dominica 9:00 AM 6:00 PM

Day 5 Martinique, FWI 8:00 AM 6:00 PM

Day 6 ... Fun Day At Sea --- ---

Day 7 St. Croix, USVI 8:00 AM 4:00 PM

Day 8 ... Fun Day At Sea --- ---

Day 9 Grand Turk 7:00 AM 4:00 PM

Day 10 ... Fun Day At Sea --- ---

Day 11 Port Canaveral (Orlando), FL 8:00 AM

And if you have an offer under your VIFP, no doubt it will be an awesome price!

Hi...I have thoroughly loved your review. We are sailing on June 7 on the same cruise and your review has gotten me even more excited---if that is possible!!

I do have a question and i hesitate to start something but what did you see at night in the way of dress? Do most men wear suits, sport coats or just shirts and dress slacks for formal dinner? I think we know what to wear other nights but this is always a question my husband has when we begin to pack. We have not been on a carnival ship in several years---last few cruises were on Crystal which is quite dressy at night. We love Carnival and loved these ports.

Thanks so much

Hello,

Thanks for following along! :D I'm glad you're enjoying the review!

Do not hesitate at all! I actually encourage questions about dress onboard, because then it leads to less threads stating how people didn't follow through with it. usually, the people who do not follow through with it are A) first-timers or B) did no research before, felt as though they overdressed, and took to the boards with their concerns. So I'm glad you're asking! Most men were wearing at least a sports coat, many, including myself, with a tie. Most women wore cocktail dresses and even gowns. So, make sure he packs his sports coat! ;)

You're going to have a great cruise, feel free to come back with any other questions you may have!

I am still enjoying your review! If you haven't picked out a cruise to go on for later this year and are still looking, check to see if you have a "journey's" offer under your VIFP number. My bf and I are taking the Dec 9th one from San Juan to Port Canaveral on the Sunshine (I previously had a RCCL cruise booked on the 12th but return airfare on Southwest from San Juan was $430 so we switched to this one) and I think you would love the itinerary!

 

Day 1 San Juan, Puerto Rico 10:00 PM

Day 2 St. Thomas, USVI 8:00 AM 6:00 PM

Day 3 Antigua 9:00 AM 6:00 PM

Day 4 Dominica 9:00 AM 6:00 PM

Day 5 Martinique, FWI 8:00 AM 6:00 PM

Day 6 ... Fun Day At Sea --- ---

Day 7 St. Croix, USVI 8:00 AM 4:00 PM

Day 8 ... Fun Day At Sea --- ---

Day 9 Grand Turk 7:00 AM 4:00 PM

Day 10 ... Fun Day At Sea --- ---

Day 11 Port Canaveral (Orlando), FL 8:00 AM

 

And if you have an offer under your VIFP, no doubt it will be an awesome price!

Wow, that's an amazing itinerary! I do love it, especially the stops in Martinique, Dominica and St. Croix. I could fly into both direct, and stay a day or two in SJU before the cruise. However, mom already took the week of Thanksgiving off, as we are planning a whole family vacation, and she has to put in the request early. So, I think we're either doing Glory or Splendor for 7 nights. If the cruise doesn't work out (highly doubtful, as the rooms are less than $100 after taxes and port fees), we would like to try a land trip to Aruba or Cancun, or utilize British Airways here in Baltimore. But thanks so much for the suggestion, keep me posted on any other cruises you see that I may like, because you already have a great idea! :D

We walked over to the lady (rather rude when asked a question about Phillipsburg), and got our tickets. $7 per person for a wristband that lasted all day, and if I recall correctly, $5 for a one way ticket. Needless to say, we just got the all day wristbands. I glanced up and saw the ships.

They were boarding a boat right then, so we didn't have to wait in a line.

I got on the boat and took off. Bruce was on our water taxi, so that left me with no one to talk to, as he was reviewing the "game plan" as he called it with my mother. I can see the city and the mountains, it's very beautiful!

The red tarp-looking thing is where you board the water taxis. Not that far!

It's going to be a lovely day in Phillipsburg!

They dropped us off at a wharf that didn't seem to have very good accommodations for lines. Thousands of people did not look like they could pass through this area in a few hours, but I found out later that the pickup location was different (or there were two, but getting out is very easy).

My initial thought was "let's see if it's been Americanized to look like Key West, or if it's kept it's European heritage". Well, here it looks like Key West, but not for long!

We walked a little down the street towards more shops, and I snapped this picture of the ships and the beach. They have chairs lined up all the way along the beach, I don't remember how much they cost. But, it looks like a nice location for a future trip!

Little guy making his way to the shops with us! :D

I got my license plate picture, but I only got one from the French side (never left the Dutch side ironically), as I forgot that there were two countries on the island. Darn. I do remember the French ones being like the one below, and the Dutch ones being very colorful and vibrant, many saying "The Happiest Island in the Caribbean".

This is about where it started to get its European feel. The cobblestone streets, the languages flying, and the international mix walking the street (I could tell that many were not from cruise ships).

Looked like something you would find in southern France. Oh wait, we're on the Dutch side ;)

Wish you were here!

We walked more through the shops. We planned on walking down the beach side, and then up the street side, and catching a cab to Maho Beach once we were done shopping for the morning. Well, we like to look in the morning, get some stuff knocked out (like the free goodies that will disappear by noon), then do real shopping after our tour / excursion. This all changed afterwards. We made our way down the beach side, saw some things, but not many. The sales here did look nicer than St.Thomas. I will say, while mom snatched up her free gifts from the shopping guide (again, I recommend it), while I did some window shopping, but more sightseeing and people interacting. I talked to a man about his life on the island, and he said other than the heavy tax, dirty water and everything being expensive, it felt like paradise. Then, his colleague said "Yes, if you consider paradise being not as important as the tourists, then yes". All of the other guys there laughed, except him. I couldn't tell if it was a "that's not at all how I feel don't feel bad" look or a "well kinda sorta yeah" look, but I gave a small smile and walked away.

We made our way off of the beach front, and found ourselves walking the street again (The pictures before are in the street, we went in there at first for bathrooms). The gig continued, but while Mom shopped all I could keep hearing were the high taxi prices. "$12 to Maho" "Is that roundtrip?" "$12 each way, per person. Combine taxis to save more". Oh no. That's a lot. We did stumble upon this church on Holy Saturday though!

We continued and got to about where we started, the main square. There is one Diamond's International there, which we missed, and we ended up going to the other one all the way down. Mom wanted a free gift. We went in and talked to the associate named Sunshine. Ironic! She moved to Sint Maarten from California, so after mom got her free gift, and talked about a piece of jewelry that completes a set of hers (she bought a ring on her first cruise in the 80's and a necklace on her second in the 90's. She found the earrings, $2300. They can keep their pretty little selves right there! Mom didn't have to say it, but I am familiar with her facial expressions), she gave me the wifi password, and I posted some of my pictures from St. Lucia, and the ones that I had accumulated throughout the day.

Then, she asked us about our plan. Wouldn't you know, she knows a solution! She recommended the local bus. $2 per person each way, between the listed destination on the bus. So, there would be two signs in the window, one that said Maho and another that said Phillipsburg. We just had to find a bus (not hard if you're in the location), wave it, and get on. "Make sure you say good morning to all of the locals!" she told us. Great! She also mentioned that one of her friends was working there today, and said that if we said a code (not sharing!!), they would give us free beach chairs too! WOW. We thanked her graciously and said that we would come back after our visit. We stepped outside, and wouldn't you know, there's a bus.

I thought she was kidding, everyone on the bus said goodmorning when we got on, goodmorning when they got on, and thank you when they got off. It was very welcoming!

I kept my head pressed against the glass, here are some pics I took.

I'd love to rent a scooter or moped someday!

Don't exactly know what this was but it deserves a share.

WOW. This would be postcard material, if I focused the camera better. ;)

About 15 minutes after getting on the bus, we arrived at Princess Juliana International Airport. Cannot wait to get to Maho, it's one of the things that has driven me to this island for so long!

We're here!

I actually almost got hit by a car because of this plane. I didn't hear the car coming over the LOUD engines of the plane, so I got into the street to take it, which caused the driver to shout loud French at me. Well, I got my picture! :D

We shared our code to the friend at the bar by the beach entrance (forgot the name) and got our free chairs. The money man bugged us about it for a bit, but eventually he was in on the plan too. Beautiful beach.

People ganged up to see a plane leave. Sunshine said "pay more attention to the stupid people holding onto the fence and losing things, or themselves, into the water. It's much better than the plane!" It was pretty funny seeing grown people fly through the air like tumbleweeds into the water! However, there was a lot of sand blasting, I don't know if it was all too safe.

Saba from afar! This is an island I would love to visit, and I saw numerous commuter planes to and from Saba and Gustavia all day, so I wonder if I could.

Here are just some plane pics. Here's a US Airways plane inbound from Charlotte (CLT).

Wow, that really is super cool! It's very loud, so the only reason I wouldn't recommend the beach would be if you are sensitive to sound. Other than that, it's a MUST see! :D

Here's a United Airlines plane inbound from Newark (EWR). I went further down the beach to take this.

Next: More Maho Beach!

Hi...Of course I have another question for you...I read in another review that Carnival does not provide toiletries in the rooms anymore. Is that true? I am talking shampoo, conditioner and body wash. I would rather not pack all that but don't want to wait and have to buy it all on board. Thanks again

Hi...Of course I have another question for you...I read in another review that Carnival does not provide toiletries in the rooms anymore. Is that true? I am talking shampoo, conditioner and body wash. I would rather not pack all that but don't want to wait and have to buy it all on board. Thanks again

Hello!

I would be happy (see what I did there? :cool:) to answer any questions you have. Carnival does provide shampoo and body wash in the cabin (little squirky things in the bathroom that the stewards refill), as well as a bar of soap (or bars, if you want more). No conditioner. I always throw a while bottle in a suitcase and use it on the ship, and then just finish it when I get home.

Happy Cruising! :D

Hi again, looks like you spent some time in or near grand bay in Phillipsburg and then went to Maho, how far is it and how much was the cab fare. I keep hearing that the plane action happens in the afternoon so I may plan something in the morning.

Thanks

Hi again, looks like you spent some time in or near grand bay in Phillipsburg and then went to Maho, how far is it and how much was the cab fare. I keep hearing that the plane action happens in the afternoon so I may plan something in the morning.

 

Thanks

I do not know what Grand Bay is actually, the pictures I too kwere from the bus. The bus is $2 per person each way. Many locals would tell the driver to stop, and they would go into a small shop or strip mall, as we pulled off the shoulder. One even went to their house. But if Grand Bay is that postcard-like picture I got, then I can't help, we did not drive that way. A regular cab was probably $12 per person per way.

Hello! I am really enjoying your review. I booked this cruise for January for my 15 year wedding anniversary, and I can't wait to go! Thank you for all your information. It's been 10 years since my last cruise!!!

Watching the hours drift by on this beautiful beach!

And planes too! :cool:

It's actually a very beautiful Caribbean beach, the sand is powder soft, and it has everything you would need.

Now THAT would be a nice hotel for a land vacation!

Don't exactly know what the weird boat thing in the back was, but it looked cool.

Around this time, I got in the water. Note: There are a lot of shells and small rocks where the waves break, about 3 feet out. If you have a hard time walking on weird surfaces, I suggest bringing water shoes. The water was cool, the sun was hot, and the breeze was smooth. Perfect Caribbean day!

I got out around 2:15 because I wanted to see the Air France Jumbo Jet come in at 2:30. Here it is all the way out there. I got the landing picture on my phone (my bad!), so I will try and share it later, once I figure out the Photobucket app!

Direct from Charles de Gaulle (Paris) CDG!

JetBlue departing for Fort Lauderdale FLL. I stood near the side to watch it take off, and I got pelted with sand and rocks. I don't know how people stand in the dead center, LET ALONE hold onto the rails.

Pretty busy Saturday here at SXM!

A Liat plane, coming in from I Don't Know Where. They do a lot of Caribbean service, through the islands. This was the only commercial plane I saw landing at the Castries airport.

After seeing the big plane come in at 2:30, we stayed around until 3:00 talking to a couple who found chairs next to us. We talked about how they were enjoying their first cruise, and they said that it was the best trip of their lives!

We walked back to the small roundabout there is at the entrance. It took all of 2 minutes until another bus came. We got on and headed back towards the ship. The clouds were going over the island all day, but suddenly, within 20 minutes, they came, and stayed. And then, all of a sudden, it downpoured.

It continued the whole 15 minute drive back to Phillipsburg. We drive to lurk on the bus as long as possible (another advantage, they could've driven us 8 blocks or 8 miles, and we would've paid the same). But this rain wasn't stopping. It actually began to flood the island.

There is very little draining in the city. It began to back up, and just stay in the flat areas of the street.

We had to walk our way back to Diamond's International to thank Sunshine, and hit up some other stores. We had to walk for about 7 minutes in the rain. Make sure you bring walking shoes that you can ruin on this cruise (any cruise really), as I was walking through 2 inches of water on the sidewalk, and had to go through many puddles. But it eventually stopped, and 10 minutes later it just became a very wet-looking place.

Here is the water pooled at the beach. Lots of water actually is expected to just roll off the streets, into the sand, and then into the water. So please beware if you are coming in wet season.

Bruce suggested that we stop at the Belgian Chocolate Box before going back to the ship. We got some chocolate there. It was very good, but the price was not. Went once, now we're good. I do suggest stopping by though.

We did some souvenir shopping to pic up some postcards and last minute gifts for friends and family at home in many of the local shops. Lots of great deals, again, the better shopping is in Sint Maarten.

Then, we finally found the correct Diamond's International (I believe there are 3, one by the ship and 2 in Phillipsburg). We told her about our day and thanked her for all of the help. She told us more about how her daughter moved down there for Med school and that she took up her dream of being a jewelry associate, and was still able to see her daughter. We talked a little longer. I uploaded some pics to the internet and responded to some emails.

Then, we decided that we were going to call it a day at 4:00 and begin heading back to the ship. Want to know who we found? If you said Bruce, you were correct. It was 4:05, we are standing on the pier (one located further down the beach from the pier in which we entered Phillipsburg), and Mom and Bruce are talking. All of a sudden, they "need" to run back to the Diamond's International by the pier for something. I went along, and paid no attention to the conversation, I just picked up their wifi and facetimed my best friend (who happens to live in Norway :))

Well, now it's 4:10 and we are back on the pier. You will be missed Phillipsburg!

We waited until about 4:15 and then a water taxi came. We said goodbye to Phillipsburg and enjoyed the short ride back to the ship.

Next: Sailaway and Past Guest Party

We stepped off of the water taxi and it was 4:25, no time to stop! I heard that this is a very famous place while on the water taxi, so I got a picture of it. Has anybody stopped here before? Is it worth the visit?

Well, I desperately wanted to be in line before 4:30, just in case the ship wanted to leave me. But Mom saw a shirt she HAD to have when we walked past the store. I stood outside, eyes on the clock, worried about what happens to people who aren't on by the scheduled time. I didn't want to be the person that everyone yells at! Mom grabbed the shirt, and one for me, and came back outside. Phew, it's 4:35 and I don't see any lines dropping! It was a really nice shirt (actually just threw it in the wash), and I'm glad we stopped. The nerves were worth it!

Sint Maarten is ready for the holiday!

Carnival Liberty and Tere Moana docked in Sint Maarten

Remembered when I thought "Glad they aren't dropping lines"? Well, that was a foreshadow for this. They were either dropping a line into the water for some odd reason, or pulling it up. I'm pretty sure they were pulling it up. Oh how scared I was.

And that was until I saw this lovely line of people waiting to reboard. We weren't going anywhere with 250 people waiting in line to get onboard. And this was ONE line!

After waiting in line for about 25 minutes, we were onboard around 5:15. That was just enough time to get in the shower, get dressed, and head to the Past Guest party. While I was showering, we began to leave, 20 minutes late. I solely think this has to do with how slow they were boarding people today, it took an ungodly amount of time. I hard the lines were way worse around 3PM-3:30PM when the excursions were finishing.

I got out of the shower and Mom jumped in. She was going to the gym later, so she just got all of the sand off of her and threw some soap on. We got dressed and headed down to the Aft Lounge, where the party was. Her was the only view I got of sailaway from Sint Maarten, my new favorite island, from a dirty window. I will be back soon!

We arrived at the party, we got beads and walked right in, no check or anything to make sure we weren't sneaking in. I will say this about the party: I do think that they were getting a bit crazy. There were some standing in the back, and no one made any regard to Felipe as he talked about the crew, all they did was jump at the drinks. The food wasn't anything to write home to grandma about. But we had some and I had a drink, and so did mom. I think that it will be a positive change, as I will benefit a lot more from the drink coupon. While I understand that many are feeling like a middle child with the loyalty program, you have to consider why you're there. If you are cruising for free drink parties and free drinks in the MDR for breakfast, then you have all right to be upset. But if that's not a driving thought when booking a vacation, remember that a cruise is a cruise, and many would love to be in your position. Be optimistic for the change in Carnival, and if you don't like it, well then you make your own decision.

After the party, we went up to get see the island at our aft. It's very beautiful.

I would suggest going up to the aft after leaving any island, especially Sint Maarten. It was very pretty up there. The sun was preparing to set.

As mentioned in my other reviews, I really want an aft balcony. I would love to get one someday!

Tonight we went to dinner. I forget what we had, but we spent most of our time talking to our waiters. We did our own gratuities, because we wanted to add more. We really loved our wait staff! We spent most of dinner talking with them. Words cannot describe the amount of respect I have for them, so I won't even bother. Just know that I will specifically pick a cruise to be with one of them in the future.

Tonight we went to the casino for a bit, and then to the piano bar for some music. We missed the Legends show, which kinda sucked, but we enjoyed some drinks and music at the piano bar. Around 9:15 we headed up to start packing. We packed from about 9:15 to 10. We both laid in our beds and read from 10-11. Then, we headed up to the Lido to get some pizza, and we were passing St.Thomas. We got our pizza and looked at the beautiful lights off the island. I didn't have a camera, but wow. Make sure you come up on deck to see it on your last night. After eating, we went up and stood against the rail for about 15 minutes, watching in awe. The whole island was lit up beyond belief. It was truly something.

We grabbed some ice cream before heading back, as it was going to be our last of the trip. We headed back to the room, put our ice cream dishes outside the door, and retired for the night. Our cruise was almost over :(

Next: San Juan and Flight Home

cruisexlife,

your review has me so excited. I am so ready to go on this ship. Just paid my balance today. Thank you so much for giving me everything I need for Lady Liberty. Preparing my air to arrive in the wee hours of the morning so I was wondering if there is anything to do at 5am. I was going in the day before but the airfare was strange and times not good for me.

Again thanks!!

Just reading the your last post makes me sad, I feel like we have all been on your cruise with you and now its coming to an end