timelordjason

Sounds like a plan! As you may have seen from my signature, I do a good mix of land and cruise travel, and Nicaragua has been on my radar for a land trip for a while, so I will look the island up and do some research. Thank you! :D

If you get to the mainland as well look up raul ortega he gave me a 4 day tour to everywhere from granada for 300 bucks. best part is the places to see ar enot overwhelmed by tourists mostly packpackers so very untouched. ALSO you have to swim in theh volcano crater once in a lifetime chance.

I would also like to know ? We are looking at going to Marigot and orient beach maybe Maho .

Since you want to go to orient beach I suggest bernards tours. I used them last time and would totally use them again if they would go somewhere other than orient but they only give 30 min in margot and we want to explore it.

You could in essense do all of this while relying on the public buses, but due to the frequent stops, it's hard for me to recommend this much transit on the buses (if it was just to Marigot to Maho, it would be okay) knowing that you have to be back onboard at a certain time. But I would definitely recommend hiring a driver and seeing all that you want to see. Great Bay Beach might be a nice beach for you, it's the beach right off of the Phillipsburg boardwalk. You will also pass Mullet Bay Beach and Little Bay on the way back from Maho towards the ship, and both of those, with Mullet being the better option, are very beautiful. Also, while in Marigot, don't miss the bakery called Sarafina's, which is right across the street from the open-air market, if you want some amazing French pastries! You will enjoy Saint-Martin, I have been by both cruise and land and it is easily my favorite island to date.

OK COOL

Thank you for the info. If you ever get the chance visit my favorite island of all time. No cruises go there and it is a trek to get to but is WAY SO VERY worth it and in the 1000 places to see before you die book. Little corn island (stay at little corn island beach and bungalos and get the inclusive package) in nicaragua. trust me on this one. :)

No

Calling and getting the 5% was relatively easy.

Although It was during this phone call with the Voyager Club representative that I was told I still had a outstanding balance for the cruise.

 

It was the dozen or so calls and lost connections over the past 2 weeks that got under my skin.

I realise now that I should not have been so harsh in naming the thread. I apologise for the vitriol.

 

Having said that, the various problems we had with customer service concerning the details of our cruise was not pleasant. My wife has roughly 6 pages of detailed notes from all of the phone calls we made. What struck me as odd was the fact that the representatives had zero notes regarding our calls in my booking file.

Anyway,issues have been resolved.

 

 

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I feel ya I have had the same issues with carnival. In fact one of many cases I dealt with them I just wanted to add a cruise to my past cruises on their rewards thingy. I called 4 times before anyone could actually do anything about it. And the last time I dealt with them to find out my future cruise credit I only had to call twice but the first lady I talked to had no clue got frustrated with me no matter how nice i remained and told me to call tomorrow because she didnt care anymore and did all she can, which was absolutely nothing. lol so now I am trying MSC. Booking on the phone yesterday was such a pure pleasure

We hired a cab for the day, driver stayed with us throughout. Go to the taxi stand and they will hook you up. (We were planning to do individual cabs at each location, the driver said he would take us / stay with us for the same total price). This will provide you with the flexibility you desire, visit each location on your time.

 

As far as a beach, though I haven't been, is Mullet Beach. Practically next door to Maho. Check out the reviews.

WOW thanks for the advice. If you don't mind me asking how much did the taxi end up charging you for the day?

Just out of curiosity, who is complaining about a 5% discount?

 

 

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I thought that is what this thread was all about????? you didnt get your 5% taken off and they ran you around and you got bitter. Correct?

We will be in port from 9am to 6pm

I would like us to find our way via taxi to Marigot for a hour or so and walk up to that fort

Then I would like to show my wife that bar by Maho Beach and watch the planes for about an hour

Then I would LOVE to find a beach that is NOT ORIENT BEACH PLEASE

A prettier beach maybe closer to the ship and i wouldn't rule out a couple hours resort fee

I cant seem to find ANY tour that gives enough time in marigot or to see the fort and every tour goes to orient beach, I have been and NOT impressed.

What are the logistics for this? Is it possible?

Ya know what? I have only sailed carnival and let me tell you I have had the WORST customer service experiences from them. I have had a few great ones but most of the time i hang up frustrated and it takes 3 to 5 calls to straighten the simplest things out.

With that said I just got off the phone booking divna and let me tell you I was treated better than a customer should There is nothing wrong with customer service in fact it was stellar and If the cruise is half as good and easy as setting it up I dont see myself going back to carnival.

in old san Juan I really like NONO's it is a great place for food and drink and people watching very confortable

Say I booked Bella Interior and three weeks later if it is available would I be able to call them and upgrade to fantistica or is it set and cannot be changed once booked at paid for?

If I were to book the lowest class on the ship would i still enjoy it or is the food and service way worse than those paying more?

Went to governors beach in May and absolutely loved it! I think it was about 10$ each way total for 2 ppl and the driver asked what time to pick us up, And was there 15mins before hand and waited.

 

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very reASSURING THANK YOU

It depends where you want to go. Many taxi fares are regulated, but this is different.

And negotiations are expected. ;)

Also check out online reviews of other travelers who have been there on their own.

oh we wont need a taxi

i mad a mistake i meant last year we cruised paridise this year gonna do glory

thanks for the info guys

I would ask the guides (with badges/id) at the port to be on the safe side. Tell them that this is what you would want to see and they could arrange something.

 

Interesting read:

https://sanjuanpuertorico.com/santa-maria-magdalena-de-pazzis-cemetery/

good idea are they usually affordable and or negotiate price easily?

If you ask, the taxi will come back for you...it is worth the stop, quiet and peaceful. Yep, no facilities (just restrooms) but we enjoyed ourselves.

ok thank you guys so much. I was told on another forum that taxis wont come back and cant be trusted and i need ot rent a golf cart. Really didnt want to just to go there. thank you so very much

Loungers, lunch, sun, sand and sea are included. There are all sorts of things you can spend money on...like cabanas, watersport activities, etc....but you IN NO WAY need to spend a penny to have a great beach day on HMC!

 

If you go to the "excursions" on the website, it will show you what they charge extra for, and the prices. Even a "floating mat" is considered an "excursion", although there is no need to book something like that in advance....you can wait until you see if you really want/need one and rent it on the beach.

a floating mat is an excursion??? you got to be kidding hahaahaa:'):'):'):'):'):')

Just a little reading around this board would get you a truck load of info.

 

Yes, beach chairs are included. A buffet lunch is included.

true but not a definitive list like i was asking about :)

Last year we did glory for five days. The sea was rough and we rocked on all decks the entire time. This year we are planning on glory. I have sailed in the past on victory and legend and they didnt seem as rough even in rough waters. Does glory compare more wit paridise or the latter in rough seas? is it much bigger than paridse?

Governors beach is a 10- 15 minute walk from the pier. 2 minutes by taxi. There's no facilities there. Nice beach, but you can easily get there and back on your own.

 

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everyting i ave read says you cant walk up the coast to it cause of a couple of other piers and if you walk te road there is no sidewalks and its a mile and a half

i know it isnt hard getting a taxi from port but once we are at govenors beach how hard is it getting a taxi back? i was told on another forum tat the taxis wont come back to get you if you say come back at a certain time and i seriously do not want to be stuck there and miss the ship. so how do we plan for this properly? I do not want to spend 90 bucks on a golf cart so please do not suggest it.

In the day time, the Santa Maria Magdallena is safe. I ventured when there were many tourists there that day, but I would get a local guide if you have any doubts. There are a couple of ways to get there. Ask at the port if one of the guides will take you.

 

Another interesting fact: Actor Raul Julia is buried in that cemetery.

La Perla is drawing a lot of tourist interest after the Despacito you tube music video shot there, went viral.

Thanks for the info...i was last there in 2009 and heard nothing but stay away form the locals so i wanted to make sure. I wanted to show her some of my fav places first are there any local guides near moro?

Is there a page or list of some sort i can look at that lists what all is included and whats not on the island? Are chairs included is food included i just dont know

Well some people are like that. My family members coming from Puerto Rico would be looking for their food instead of the food we have in Michigan.

 

People are people, everyone is different.

 

BTW- Mofono (fried and "mashed" ripe plantain), Chicharones (which is fried pork skin). I also very much like carne frita (deep fried pork chunks), red snapper in garlic sauce, tostones... I could go on. There's a lot of good food in Puerto Rico.

I need to ask

You said CHICHorones fried pork skin

when I was there I think I had Chipporones which was the chicken cut with machete and deep fried I am remembering the correct name or did I get confused?