whengingersnaps

Found it! Patrick Wallace....

We went to Barrachina's. http://www.barrachina.com/

I have a photo of Patrick AND his name badge. I will try to find it and post on here.

When we were there last month, we went with Sunny Liston Tours. We were on the Carnival Fascination, and the only ship in port until later that afternoon. We had Sunny himself - his real name is Liston Bradshaw. He is a real character and SO much fun! It was the experience of a lifetime, for us. He took us to downtown Charlotte Amalie where we had a couple of hours to walk around and shop. We went to Gladys Cafe for a wonderful breakfast and Bloody Mary's. I absolutely loved Miss Gladys and all of her servers - they are so warm and friendly. She makes her own hot sauce and sells it, so pick up a bottle or two if you go there and please tell her that Ginger said Hi! Then Sunny picked us up in his brightly colored open air van (with free Wi Fi!) and  took us on an amazing ride up to Mountain Top. There we had some time to enjoy the fabulous view, drink some famous Banana Daiquiris and shop for souvenirs.  I've read other's reviews who said this was a big tourist trap, but I thought it was delightful and could have easily spent more time there shopping. Then we all got back on the bus and after another stop at Drake's Seat for photos, we had a choice of being dropped off at Magen's Bay, Cokie Beach or Sapphire Beach. We went to Magen's. PURE HEAVEN! After two hours of floating around in the most beautiful clear water and having bikini clad girls bring us drinks from the bar, Sunny was there to take us back to the ship. Now the thing about Sunny: he is loud, he sings, he screams and he has  a good time. He will have the whole bus laughing and singing along by the end of the day. Just so you know, if singing and laughing and enjoying life is not your thing, then Sunny's tour might not be for you! WE had a BLAST!! 

On 11/2/2018 at 3:32 PM, GomezAddams said:

 

There is nothing there except the bar. It had decent bathrooms. I *think* there were showers beside the bar, but I don't remember for sure.

 

 

We were there last month and I can confirm there are showers next to the bathrooms. The bathrooms are new, clean and roomy enough to serve as changing areas. 

We were there last month. We booked a tour with Glory Tours. We were the only couple on the tour, so we had the bus and the driver to ourselves. It took a while to get to the St. Lucy Parish area, where the caves are located, but our driver made a few stops to see other things, so I'm not sure how long of a drive it would be to go straight there from the cruise port. We were supposed to eat lunch there, as part of our tour, but the restaurant was closed for renovations. Out guide said that was not unusual for this time of year.  He stopped at another restaurant and we had a nice meal outside overlooking a beautiful beach. We did not see the caves, we chose to walk around and take photos of the cliffs, which were magnificent. We only had about 30 minutes in this area. If I were to return to Barbados, I would hire a cab to take me there, and spend several hours. 

We were there last Tuesday. I was frustrated by the lack of information I could find on here about this port. We had no excursion planned. We were going to just get off the ship and walk around in town, and maybe sample a local beer. We were immediately approached by an older gentleman named Patrick. He offered to take us on a tour that would include the twin falls and the sulfur lake. For $30 each, he took us and another couple from the ship all over the island. He was interesting and funny. We had several opportunities to stop and take photos and buy local crafts and beers. We enjoyed the falls and the natural beauty of the island. It was one of our favorites days of the cruise!

We were in San Juan yesterday. We disembarked from the Carnival Fascination at 8:30 am and walked out of the terminal with our luggage. We were greeted by a friendly local in a bright blue shirt. "SJ Happy Tours" - there were several tour guides from this company hanging around offering tours. Our guide piled our luggage in the back, and took us on a tour of San Juan, which included a stop at Condado Beach for photos. He dropped us off in Old San Juan, where we had about 3 hours to explore on our own and have lunch. The cost was $30 each. We had a wonderful lunch (Mofongo and Pina Coladas) at Barachina's and walked around old town getting photos. Our driver had folks that needed to be at the airport at different times, and he accommodated everyone. Our flight was at 4:30 and he dropped us off at the airport at 2:30. When we got there, we realized that we had left our camera bag at a Starbuck's! Our driver actually drove back downtown, retrieved our camera bag, and brought it back to us at the airport! We waited by the door for him to return. We checked into security about 3:35 and had plenty of time to make our 4:30 flight!

I cannot say enough good things about this company - San Juan Happy Tours!

Oh dear, this is just my kind of luck! Can anyone advise me?

 

I got fed up with the runaround and called my Carnival rep yesterday. I asked what would happen if I cancelled. She said I would get 75% of my money in a credit towards a future cruise, since I had purchased *their* travel insurance. Since I no longer had a hotel room in PR (Sheraton Old San Juan), and my return flight was scheduled on Monday (the day after) , I cancelled.

 

Now, less than 24 hours later, I read that ALL of the Fascination cruises are cancelled!! Do I have any hope or prayer of getting the full refund, or am I basically screwed for deciding to cancel too soon? I have not yet contacted the travel insurance company to file a claim.

 

I also cancelled my flights (with Spirit). They gave me a credit of 100% of what I paid, but say I must book another flight within 60 days. Does anyone know if that means I have to fly within 60 days, or just make the arrangements? I would really like to try to take this cruise sometime next year, when PR is back up and running again!

Just a happy update! I was on hold for about an hour, but Carnival is giving me a complete refund AND basically offering a free cruise as long as I book it before November 17th! And Spirit Air is also refunding my money instead of making me take a credit! I am delighted with both companies right now!

Yesterday I cancelled my Carnival Fascination Cruise out of Puerto Rico on Oct. 29th. I was told I would get a credit of 75% to use on a future cruise, since I had travel insurance. This credit (if I receive it) is supposed to be good for 2 years. I also cancelled my flights with Spirit Air. I had reserved a room at the Sheraton Old San Juan for one night, post cruise. But since it is closed until the end of the year, and it seems that any hotels that ARE open are running on generators, I didn't want to stay the extra day. Spirit wanted additional fees to change the flight from Monday to Sunday. I got fed up with it all and just cancelled.

Now I have a credit with Spirit Air. It says I must use it within 60 days to book another flight. Can anyone tell me if this means I have to actually FLY somewhere within 60 days, or if I just have to book something within that time frame? I would really like to cruise next year sometime (but not during hurricane season!) but 60 days is too soon for me to make plans.

Oh dear, this is just my kind of luck! Can anyone advise me?

I got fed up with the runaround and called my Carnival rep yesterday. I asked what would happen if I cancelled. She said I would get 75% of my money in a credit towards a future cruise, since I had purchased *their* travel insurance. Since I no longer had a hotel room in PR (Sheraton Old San Juan), and my return flight was scheduled on Monday (the day after) , I cancelled.

Now, less than 24 hours later, I read that ALL of the Fascination cruises are cancelled!! Do I have any hope or prayer of getting the full refund, or am I basically screwed for deciding to cancel too soon? I have not yet contacted the travel insurance company to file a claim.

I also cancelled my flights (with Spirit). They gave me a credit of 100% of what I paid, but say I must book another flight within 60 days. Does anyone know if that means I have to fly within 60 days, or just make the arrangements? I would really like to try to take this cruise sometime next year, when PR is back up and running again!

We like the town beach, which you can see from the ship. There are sidewalks to get there; about a 20-minute walk, or water taxi. Very pleasant beach. Servers from various bars and restaurants can provide loungers, drinks, etc., or you can just take your own ship beach towels and say No thanks. It has never been overcrowded, in our visits. It's nice to be able to see the ship and know that we're not dependent on a taxi to show up to get us back. There are shops along the promenade, and stalls with crafts, pareos, etc. along the way.

What is the name of the "town beach"? Can you swim there? Are there jet ski rentals?

I'm looking at Glory Tours too.

 

NCTribeFan, if you use them before Christmas, would you let me know how your tour went. Tia :).

I'm going to book a tour with them in November of this year. I will definitely let you know how it goes. I am looking at the "Beautiful Barbados" tour, because of the lunch at the Animal Flower Cave restaurant. I want to see and experience Bathsheba, and then eat lunch where I can see the waves hitting the cliffs!

I'm thinking about booking with Glory Tours, as well. I have read that the taxi driver's in Barbados are aggressive and somewhat shady, so I hesitate to use a taxi. I really want to see Bathsheba while I'm there and would love to also go to one of the beaches, like The Boatyard. The prices quotes on Glory Tour's website are in Barbados dollars, so a tour that costs $180 pp is actually $90 US dollars.

Does anyone know of a tour that just goes to Bathsheba (and lets you stay for more than 30 minutes) and then drops you off at a beach?

We're taking this cruise in November and I'm excited to read the rest of you review! Thanks!

We are going on this cruise, but out of Puerto Rico, the first week of November to celebrate my 60th birthday! Can't wait to read the wrest of your review!

We are doing this cruise the last week of October/first week of November, with friends. It is the second cruise I have ever been on, the first one was on RC The Jewel of The Sea, ten years ago, to the western Caribbean. Since it seems I only get to cruise once a decade, and I'm turning 60 in November, I want this cruise to be very special! I am clueless about which excursions to take, and I am really looking forward to reading the rest of your review!