HangryGrl

My mother in law was going to do this on our upcoming December cruise but from what we could find it was going to be about $50 each way from downtown to the restaurant where Spirit of the West wanted her to meet them.  The cost combined with the fact she wasn't really comfortable going by herself (the rest of us have other plans) led us to cancel her horseback riding excursion unfortunately.  

I just upgraded 1 of our packages via phone and I was only on hold maybe 30 seconds.  Quick and easy.  I called the main Celebrity number and routed through the options to note.

So if I remember correctly there is generally at least a slide or jump option at all of the falls and some have a bypass completely option.  The only place I feel like you might have trouble is the big jump.  The only options are to jump or climb down a pretty long rope/wood ladder.  I am afraid of heights and I did the jump option (with lots of encouragement from my husband and the guide) because the ladder terrified me more.  I did the jumps at most of the smaller ones but did do the slide at the very last one because it felt easier mentally than the jump on that one.  We used Iguana Mama and would highly recommend them!  The guides were all very helpful and considerate.  This ended up being probably my favorite excursion of any we have done even with the heights thing!  🙂  Good luck with what ever you decide!

I'm not sure about Princess but Celebrity's includes the below.  I looked into it but the little info I found said the boat ride is 1 hr each way and can be pretty rough, especially on the way back.  I get motion sick on smaller boats so we decided against it.  Also, the few pictures I could find looked too crowded for our liking and it is pretty expensive for what you get ($180/pp on Celebrity).  YMMV though.  There is a non-ship option that is a lot cheaper I found but you have to make your own way to the dock for the boat ride (and back at the end) and I have heard that the taxi situation is questionable, especially if your spanish is not pretty good.  If you end up doing it please come back and post as it was very hard to find much info!  Good luck deciding!

Same, it says Celebrity will send an email once check in is available.

Perfect, this is exactly the info I was looking for! Thank you!! Now off to do math... :)

I tried searching on Celebrity and on here and couldn't really find an answer so hopefully one of you lovely people can help me out!  I think for alcoholic beverages the Classic will be fine for us but for non-alcoholic we would probably enjoy some of the things only included in the Premium such as smoothies and red bull.  If we don't upgrade to Premium how are these items charged?  I know for alcoholic drinks you just pay the difference between the classic and the drink you are getting.  Does this work the same way for non-alcoholic or do you have to pay the full price for the non included item?  If it works the same as alcoholic drinks does it base the cost difference off a set max amount for the classic like $10 or does it take the difference from the most similar product (soft drink for red bull and maybe juice for smoothie?)?  Mostly trying to figure out the math on if upgrading the whole package is worth it for us or if it would be better to just pay for the things not included.

I have used one for edges of shirts or the plackets (areas where the buttons or button holes are) if they get puckered up after washing.  Mostly did this in college when I had a flat iron but not a clothes iron!  🤣  Might be hard to do a full garment but works for small touch ups.

Amber Cove is in the Dominican Republic and there is information on that board.

I doubt it.  They could maybe pay for an extra guide to walk all the way up the trail with your group and then walk that person back down but you don't see the falls until you are going through/down them.  You can try contacting the park itself, link below.  Probably best to pick a different excursion for the group or at least for that person unfortunately.  I am afraid of heights and made it (and had a ton of fun!) but not sure a fear of water would be a good match since you are in the water 90% of the time after the hike up.

http://www.27charcos.com/index.php

Thanks @Caribbean Beach Bum!  Great information!  

Great!  Thanks for the info!  🙂

Hi all!  We are looking to do a DIY trip to Cemetery Beach to snorkel on our upcoming cruise in March.  I have found the bus routes and maps online and that it is pretty easy to just flag them down on the road to get back to the bus depot.  What I can't seem to find is if the stops listed below are the only places they stop on the way out or if you let them know where you want to go when you get on if they will drop you somewhere close?  The Governor's Residence, the Turtle Center and Hell all look to be somewhat of a hike from Cemetery so we may take a taxi out if those would be the only stops.  Thanks to anyone that can provide any knowledge!  🙂

On 2/3/2020 at 10:36 AM, brookeq said:

We booked thru iguana mama.   Tour was much smaller group than cruise line and it did all 27 waterfalls.  Cruise line tour only does bottom 8.  I felt taken care of the entire time.   Van was nice and clean.   Lunch was very good.   I have a review in my signature under carnival conquest.   

Agree with this.  We had a great trip with Iguana Mama!  We normally DIY most ports but liked the option of the transportation and lunch for this one.  To note, even if you get yourself there you still have to pay the park for entrance and for a guide (safety reasons) so it will not be fully on your own any way you go.  Here is the park's website for more info.

http://www.27charcos.com/index.php

If I remember correctly there is either a ladder or slide option at each of the ones with a jump option.  I am afraid of heights and honestly the largest jump was the only one that had me very nervous and the ladder option looked scarier than just jumping.  Only personal opinion though.

The water is pretty deep in some of the areas (or was when we were there December 2018).  I am 5'4" and there were definitely some areas I couldn't touch the bottom.  Some of the pools below the higher jumps (obviously you don't want to hit the bottom) and a stretch between a couple of the falls required swimming/floating.

On 1/13/2020 at 10:22 AM, Acheavacci said:

Could my son wear his sports glasses?  Do you need to take them off to jump and slide?

 

The kind that have a strap that goes around your head?  I would think that would be ok but  if no strap probably not as they would come off easily when  you hit the water.  Maybe email and ask either the actual park or the tour operator you are looking at using?  We emailed Mama Iguana a few questions before booking and they were quick to get back to us with answers.

https://www.iguanamama.com/

Columbus Cove, Adrenaline Beach...not sure if there is one more?  As I said in my post above, my husband has snorkeled both Columbus and Adrenaline and really didn't see anything.  The water was too cold for me to be interested in getting in.  If you just enjoy floating and looking around in the water (as my husband does!) it might be worth it to bring your gear.  I know you have a kiddo so I wanted to note that the water over by Adrenaline was rougher than at Columbus.  There is a rock break to the right but some largish waves still came over when we were there.

We went December 2018 and really loved it!  If I remember correctly the walk to the the first set (7) is not too bad, the walk to the second set (12) was more strenuous and the walk to the top (27) was about the same degree of strenuous as the walk to the second but obviously extended.  To note we are both 40, live in Colorado (high altitude), are both in relatively good shape and have both been hiking since we were small.  We made several "break" stops on the way up and were provided with a bottle of water (they packed the empty bottles down for us).  I am guessing how many breaks depends on the group?  We went with Mama Iguana and I would highly recommend them!  When you go with them you get 1 guide from Mama Iguana and 2-3 guides from the park.  They were very helpful and aware of everyone's needs. 

I think probably fitness level for the climb up and then stability (agility) on the way down may be things to consider in how many you want to do?  The ground going up was a pretty typical hiking train (rough/rocky/uneven in some areas) and for the 27 falls there is some walking in between falls on the way down.  You are walking in and along a river bed so it is rocky in some areas.  The guides kept a pretty close eye on all of us and would walk with people who looked like they might need assistance. 

The jumps/slides themselves all felt pretty safe.  They are really good about telling you how to jump and where to aim.  The highest jump was the only one I felt pretty nervous about (I am scared of heights!) but I am so glad I did it!  It was a real rush!  There is the option to climb down a ladder if you don't want to jump but for me I think that might have been worse! 

Take either tennis shoes you don't mind getting wet or Keen/Teva type shoes.  Again you will be hiking up a trail and walking on some rocky areas so make sure they are comfortable.  The park will also provide their special shoes for you for a small fee if you prefer (or if you show up with the wrong shoes).  One couple on our excursion came in water shoes like you would wear to the beach and the guides basically made them use the park's shoes.  They argued for a bit about it but at the end I asked the guy and he said they were very glad they listened to the guides and used the park provided shoes.

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions.

We have cruised vegan before on Carnival (2) and Royal (2) so have a pretty good idea of the best way to get our needs met as far as the buffet and main dining room go.  I am wondering about Celebrity Specialty Dining, specifically on the Reflection but welcome experience from other Celebrity ships as well.  We are taking our next cruise in March 2020 with my in laws.  My father-in-law would like to take us all to dinner one night at one of the specialty restaurants but wanted to know if my husband and I would have any options.  Has anyone had any luck with vegan options in specialty dining?  We are fine going to talk to the maitre'd the day or evening before but I wasn't sure if that would help in this situation or if they really just serve the menu they have available without a lot of substitutions/special requests.

We used Go Port Canaveral last December and had a good experience.  We stayed at the Hampton Inn Gateway Village.  Cost of the whole thing (hotel and port transport to and from) on Go Port Canaveral was the same price as just the hotel would have been.  The hotel had a shuttle from the airport and they would also take you anywhere within 2 miles (I think 2 but maybe 5) of the hotel.  There were plenty of food options within walking distance as well (2 or 3 just across the parking lot).  Go Port Canaveral picked us up in a touring type bus the next morning and took us to the port, then to the airport when we returned.  Simplest stay and transfer we have ever had cruising!

https://www.goport.com/

Sapphire!  Not crowded, beautiful water and great snorkeling if you go out from the beach a bit!  We took a taxi last December but don't remember the cost. 

Stairs unless I am dressed for formal night!  Too dangerous in heels and carrying wine!  😉

Last December I emailed the below email address about 2 weeks before we sailed to very politely request a table for 2.  I never received a reply but we did indeed have a nice table for 2.  🙂

brmaitred@carnival.com

2 hours ago, Keys2Heaven said:

 

Not necessarily. Some ships have dedicated 2 tops.

Agreed, we had a lovely table for 2 last December on the Breeze.  It was a regular distance from the other tables (a few feet) and right next to the 2nd floor railing with a view into the lower dining room.  I emailed the maitre'd a few weeks before the cruise to request a table for 2 if possible.  We had early set dining.  I don't remember the formula for the maitre'd emails but I'm sure someone around here can post it again.

Husband's pocket!  🙂