JAGR

When was the limit implemented? We cruised in 2011 with my family of 10 and I pre-ordered 7 bottles for the family, and they were all waiting for us in my room when we boarded.

In October of 2012 the limit went to 4 bottles per room. Last August, it went to two bottles per room.

And the prices are the same, room service and Bon Voyage.

Not exactly. The base price is right, but the gratuity is added on for room service, just as if you got a drink from the bar. No extra charge ordering ahead, just a limit of two bottles.

Great review so far! Thanks. We don't go until March, but it's nice to look ahead! We used to do week-long vacations in Barbados, and I remember Bank's as the only beer available. Nice to see the Carib as well. Oh, heck! Nice to see any beer in hand under the sun and near the sand! Four more months!

For this cruise, my wife and decided that it would be best to fly into San Juan the day before so we could spend some time on the island and enjoy some relaxing time prior to getting on to the ship. Two years ago, we had planned to spend the day post-cruise in San Juan, but Superstorm Sandy had other plans and most flights on the Monday following were already being canceled, so we went ahead and left San Juan on the Sunday right after we disembarked.

 

I used United frequent flyer miles for the trip to San Juan, so my wife and I were booked on a very early morning flight on Saturday that connected in O'Hare. We had no issues with our flights and arrived on-time into San Juan. My wife pretty quickly became annoyed with my poor Spanish skills when I told her that we had to make our way to the reclamo de equipaje (said in the worst Spanglish accent you can imagine). :D Thankfully, all our bags arrived safely. United did manage to break one of the rubber wheels on my wife's bag, and they were very quick to point out how "that's not covered." (Isn't it interesting that you pay for your bags to be put on the plane and delivered, and yet "that's not covered?") Anyway, no big deal.

 

Our friends were flying on Southwest and their flight - though it left much later than ours - arrived about the same time. A few moments later, they arrived, claimed their baggage and we were headed for the taxi queue. There was a small line, but the taxis are very organized in San Juan. A person will greet you, ask how many persons, how many bags, and where you are going. They will then give you the price and hand you a carbon copy form for you to keep. They will then lead you to your driver and you are off.

 

My wife is a great planner, and prior to this cruise she did some research about hotels in San Juan. Originally, we were planning on staying that the Stellaris Resort and Casino. We'd had some friends that had stayed there and really loved it, so we planned on that, too. As the time for the cruise got a bit closer, and my wife did some more research, she found a place called Numero Uno Guest House. It's a small, quaint kind of place with no-frills and basic accommodations. Again, we aren't picky and just needed a place to sleep, so we decided not to book the Stellaris and stay at Numero Uno instead.

 

We took our taxi from the airport to Numero Uno and for four of us it was something like $29. Not too bad. If you have never traveled internationally, you may need to do some preparation for how folks drive in other parts of the world. In my experience, drivers in San Juan (and other parts of the world) really seem to understand their vehicles and how big or small they are. They are able to get amazingly close to one another without hitting. They know where their vehicle fits and where it doesn't - and they are much better at judging that when traveling at a high rate of speed. They also understand the concept of travel lanes differently and adapt-on-the fly as the situation warrants. All of this to say - be prepared for an adventure in the cab. I loved every minute of it.

 

Once we arrived at Numero Uno, we checked in quickly. The check-in for the hotel is outside in a small area. I thought it was perfect - but remember, it was a small quaint place. Our reservation was quickly verified and we were given our key to room number one. I turned around and right behind me - not 10 steps away, was room number one. It had a door that opened right to the outdoors and the check-in area. The room itself was nice - very humid when we first opened the door - but a quick push of the power button on the window AC unit solved that. There were the typical room amenities and it met our needs. I did not take any pictures of the room or check-in area, because we didn't really care about those things.

 

After some short rest in the room, my wife and I went out to the beach - to just take in the sights and enjoy the fact that we were in PR and on vacation! Just being on the beach and taking in the Caribbean air was incredible. Numero Uno sits right on the beach and is a 30-second walk away from paradise.

 

 

 

After some time on the beach, we all decided that we were ready to eat and so we decided to eat at the restaurant right there at Numero Uno. The name of the restaurant is Pamela's and we had a very enjoyable meal. The price of the meal, with drinks, was almost the same as the room was! No complaining, though, we were on vacation and enjoyed every second! I would certainly recommend Pamela's to anyone - the food was very tasty and had some local flavor to it.

 

After dinner and sunset on the beach, we all agree that we were pretty tired from traveling, so it was back to the room. I watched some Sunday Night Football for a few minutes before turning the TV off.

 

Next post: Continental Breakfast at Numero Uno, Embarkation, and Welcome Aboard the Valor!

The last picture is really fantastic. As a fellow Columbus resident, it's nice to see the Block "O" shirt! We're scheduled on this itinerary on March 1, and are going in a day early. Based on your comments about the hotel, I'm going to look into changing from Embassy Suites to Numero Uno. Close to the beach is a real selling point! Look forward to seeing more of your review. Thanks for doing it, and Go Bucks!

I am SO glad I found you again! I had read a couple of your blog series a couple of years ago, a Miracle cruise and a Disney trip, I think. Anyway, I have a question, as we are doing the Valor this coming Sunday...quick squeal of delight.....after booking it in July, of 2013! You mentioned buying Gasolinas at the airport dufry shop, so I am guessing that they don't count as liquids and you can just carry them on in your carry-on? Forgive me if that sounds like a "Duh!" question, it's been years since I have cruised. :)

I think if she bought it at the duty free store, she'd already cleared security so the liquid rule wouldn't apply.

Thanks for doing the review, Stacey! We go on March 1st, and you've already given me a few ideas for our pre-cruise activities! I have to admit that I'm Irish Catholic (born in Limerick), so I don't understand what you mean when you use the term "sarcasm.";)

Look forward to your continuing review! Thanks again. Also, thanks for coming to the defense of the "Selfie" reviewer! Very gracious. Keep on doing our selfies, too.

My wive is an inveterate gambler and gets DOU on boarding. We also get Cheers, and the DOU does not count on the Cheers in any way. My wife does feel that using the Cheers when in the casino service is faster than DOU. Many times, our regular bartender would give my wife a drink on her DOU pass rather than Cheers.

Muster on Valor was closer to 9:30, not 8:30. Don't think Liberty would be any different.

It's a 7 day cruise, I thought I read somewhere that price had been reduced. Does anyone know?

 

 

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If it's seven nights (say a Sunday to Sunday), it is $37.50 per day, plus 15% gratuity, so $301 and change. You save over $100 from the old program

June 1n the Dream was new Tervis tumbler, June 8 was mesh beach bag with insulted bottom..Dennis

Dennis: so sorry to hear about your misfortune! I'm amazed at some of the things this gift givers will do; but to "insult" the bottom of your bag is much too painful indeed.

My deepest condolences to your bag bottom. Hope he/she recovers.

Yes, I meant on Cheers when I talked about the dollars. And, as JdoggCruiser said, we make special effort to take care of our "regular" bartenders or servers (in our case, we almost always go to the bar).

We've had a positive experience with Cheers the last three times. To answer your questions:

1. The 15% is added to your total when you sign-up.

2. The tip money is supposed to be spread over all bar personnel. In MDR, I think that may only be the drinks only servers. Normal wait staff is included in the suggested per diem tip, but of course you usually give extra to MDR personnel on last night (as well as cabin steward, of course).

3. We usually tip extra to our bartender, particularly ones we see regularly (Lido aft bar and Casino bar in our case). I bring a roll of $1 bills and use those for the most part. If they get cash, they can keep it themselves or share with other staff as desired. In my mind, I am tipping the individual for their service. If you charge it to S&S (which you can, of course; you are given a bill to sign with each drink) some of the bartenders pool tips (Alchemy almost always, as an example), others my not. That being said, a number of bartenders say that charged tips are distributed, no matter what. Giving cash seems to work best, and tips are appreciated.

4. We've not been ignored or treated poorly on Cheers at all. In fact, in many cases, I think we are treated better. With us, they know they'll get a tip. Those that just sign and leave the automatic 15% are remembered, and I think it can and has worked against them in a crowded bar, like the Casino.

Have a great cruise!

Hello: I was curious if anyone had gone on this cruise. We are in Barbados for one day in March and it seems to be fairly well thought of. The lunch cruises is about 5 - 6 hours and is $100 US per person with drinks included. DW and I liked the fact that it was limited to 14 people in order to provide excellent service, per their web site. Thanks

FWIW: Actually, the juices may well be available after breakfast. Our last two cruises were on the Liberty and Glory, and all they did was take the labels off the dispensers. The juices were still there. It would be too much effort for them to clean them out and change the lines around.

Well...techinally you are supposed to take your bottles to the security table which is past the elevators, however I'm not going out of my way to give it to them. So I just keep walking.

Thanks for commenting back! Again, thanks for an excellent review!

Excellent review! Thanks! We are booked for March 1, but it's nice to read your review and start to look and plan ahead.

One thing I was curious about: Your last picture shows some of the local beers along with your duty free purchases. I know the liquor gets pulled at security and is given back to you on the last night, but how did the handle the beer? I notice you had a Piton in your hands back on the boat in St. Lucia. Did they let your bring it on board?

Where was your suite located at on the Empress Deck? We have one for our cruise in two weeks. Our first suite and it is an Ocean Suite , not the Grand Suite. I took an upsell offer which I never do..............but I am glad I did. I always wanted to know what it was like to have all of that comparative space. CLOSETS.. How many? Walk In? Did it spoil you forever? So far we have sailed in everything but a Porthole and pretty much If I am on the ship and not at the Bow or the aft ( sea sick prone) I am happy as a tick. I am on the ship. Goal Achieved. but a Suite...........goodness. Whoever thought?

We had an OS a few months ago on Liberty (we usually have an aft wrap-around, but no luck this time). The open area has the standard three closets in regular rooms (two hanging areas and one stack of shelves). In the walk through closet/dressing area to the bathroom, you have another built-in set of shelves and a large double door hanging closet. In essence, you have double the closet space.

So glad this question came up! I booked 6483 for our cruise in March...I am sooo excited :D

 

Would love to see some pictures of the room and deck!

We have that room the week of March 1st, so I hope we aren't sharing it that week with you! ;)

Here's a link to some pictures: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1535944

There's also a video of the same room on the Glory (It is exacly the same! We have had that room on the Glory as well):

We have 6483 again next March. It is the best, and especially on the Valor itinerary. The room seems a bit bigger than 7 and 8, because the bed is flat up against the wall and doesn't come out diagonally to the room like the other levels. It is quiet. Just storage below. The deck is wide throughout. It is best on this itinerary, because as you head north from Barbados, you have the sunrise views of all the islands as you come into ports. May have to get up a bit early coming into St. Lucia.

North Terminal - D Concourse Baggage Claim (by 29 is correct, but a second one is at South Termina - H Concourse Baggage Claim near clam 7 (I think). That would be Delta and United primarily.

There have only been two menus that I've seen over four years. I wish they'd at least make a step toward making it "Chef'" Table by allowing the ship's chef to take off one of the items and add one that is truly his or hers creation. It would be a start.

Can only purchase on the ship. If you want it the first day (and you have to buy it on the first day or the second to get it), you can just put it on your S&S card at the lobby bar or the aft bar on Lido deck. It may be sold at other bars, but those are the places we have bought our Cheers program on previous cruises.

Arrrrg!:mad: Not at you OP - but at Carnival. I see you are on the Pride - six months after us. I am booked on the Pride in March 2015 and they don't have excursions listed yet. Well they do have one - the Sea and See in St. Maarten. That is it, almost as if it is a placard or something. Our cruise is the 2 week repo and that might have something to do with; but geez, they could at least release the FTTF.:rolleyes:

It's not just you! We are March 2015 on Valor, and the only thing we get is the same Sea and See as you.

We got a starboard aft wrap. After Barbados, you are sailing back up north so most views while at sea will be toward the islands on the right. You get an especially nice view of the Pitons the night after Barbados if you are up early in the morning.

OSUknight: Sept 8, 2012 must have been a hard day for you! It started out as a good game at the horseshoe, but OSU had too much bench strength. Sorry, have to post funnel later!