MrsHC
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Thank you Skid, I hope so too! :D
For those of you who are worried about upcoming cruises, I cannot imagine that they will open up the port for cruising without having hotels ready to accommodate tourists. Right now some commercial flights are operating but they are outbound flights for those who had made travel plans before Maria. The corresponding incoming flights for these planes are coming back with supplies but not people. I think we will be getting more progress updates this week as things start to slowly normalize. Good luck!
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Rincón and the northwest coast are beautiful, I hope you can go! Try carrentals.com, they list budget companies that are often not included on major travel engines like Expedia, Orbitz, etc. If you make it to Rincon make sure to check the beaches in Isabela (Jobos) and Aguadilla (Crash Boat) as well. This will be a 30-45 minute drive from Rincón. You can also check lodging in that area and travel from there to Rincón. You can't go wrong staying at any of these towns and you can "hop" with time to spare between all of them in a day.
If you go to the northwest I highly recommend taking the time to drive south to the Cabo Rojo/Pargueras area. It's beautiful and very lively. Again, you can do this and come back in a few hours but you'll probably want to spend the whole day or at least a whole evening there. The nightlife is a lot of fun and I don't mean in a clubbing way. Outdoor performances, little local shops, food, very walkable.
All of this is, of course, being optimistic that the hurricane damage will be much more under control by December. Regardless of where you stay I really encourage you to venture out of San Juan because there is so much more to discover outside the metro area. People are friendly and will treat you well anywhere you go in PR. If you can't find an affordable rental car for the week try to at least get one for a day and go explore! The island is only 100 miles long and 35 miles wide, you have plenty time :).
I hope you have a great honeymoon!
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That is so good to hear that you foudn your family and that the spirit of Puerto Rico is alive and well. I truley hope this island recovers quickly. Have you heard about how many or how much the historical buildings in old san juan have been damaged? Was it only a few or was the entire downtown old city demolished? I enjoyed walking the streets of the old buildings on both sides of me i would hate to see that gone for good.
Thank you! Many buildings are damaged but they are still there. It's hard to say from pictures since there are a lot of downed trees and debris but I saw a beautiful picture of Old San Juan today that I can't find now; Old San Juan is not gone. Here's a video of the area right after the storm. Cleaning is underway to allow for traffic flow and some parts are already looking better.
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I found my family! Everybody is fine, some structural damages to houses (my in-laws) and others (my mom) with very little damage. My heart is so full. Puerto Rico is united, everybody is doing whatever they can to help others and the human spirit is category 10. María most certainly did not destroy the humanity of my people.
I just saw a video from someone in Bayamón who already has power. The governor and the major of San Juan have been nothing but true class through all this. They look exhausted but they haven't stopped working. Help is massive from the US government and the diaspora in the states.
I am hopeful! The picture is not rosy, there are still areas without communication and the destruction is real. It will be a long way to recovery but if people/governments keep doing what they are we may be surprised at how much sooner that is. Don't give up on my beautiful island!
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Thank you so much skid and timelord. I still have not been able to find my parents but I know the airport opened today for FEMA, rescue workers, and some limited commercial flights so I'm hoping I will soon be able to get some news as help starts to arrive. The airport received a big hit and it's badly damaged but runways have been cleared as best as possible right now. AA and JetBlue resumed limited flights today.
The last time I talked to my mom was Wednesday around 9 am and I'm going a bit crazy. I think they are ok but I won't be at peace until I hear their voice. Sadly, there have been some casualties reported but by far the biggest losses appear to be in infrastructure. The highways are at a standstill with people who have been able to get out and are trying to get cell reception. It's a major mess.
I came here yesterday trying to find some news. The information so far has been so limited as communication with most of the island is broken.
The news said that the port did not receive much damage. That's good news both for emergency assistance and tourism. We will rebuild but the Puerto Rico of Tuesday is no longer :(. I just pray that once all is over it will be much better. Hope is all we have left.
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I'm local but live in the states now. It's bad. I have been able to communicate with my family in San Juan and they are flooded, trees downed, poles downed, houses destroyed, power is 100% out, the newspapers did not print today other than social media posts, radio towers downed, ... you get the picture. Some Claro and AT&T costumers around San Juan have had cellphone service restored today but even then service is spotty. Wifi around some areas of San Juan is working too and most communication with those who can has been through social media.
Now, I know nothing about my family on the west side. Roads are blocked and all communication services are downed. I am praying hard that they are ok. There is very little known at this point about about most other areas west and south of the metro. The northeast coast is destroyed.
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John Heald posted:
Carnival Paradise – September 11
Now scheduled to depart Tampa on Tuesday September 12 on a 4 day cruise to Cozumel.
Weather Update – 09/08/17 – 4:00 PM (EDT)
Guests on one of the following sailings who are unable to travel will receive future cruise credits:
- Carnival Paradise – September 7
- Carnival Sensation – September 7
- Carnival Fascination – September 10
- Carnival Paradise – September 11
Due to heavy call volume, you do not have to call Carnival to receive your future cruise credit as this will be automatically processed within 30 days.
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Looks like those who didn't make this cruise will get credit. John Heald posted this less than an hour ago:
Here is the latest news
Hurricane Irma
Weather Update – 09/08/17 – 4:00 PM (EDT)
Guests on one of the following sailings who are unable to travel will receive future cruise credits:
- Carnival Paradise – September 7
- Carnival Sensation – September 7
- Carnival Fascination – September 10
- Carnival Paradise – September 11
Due to heavy call volume, you do not have to call Carnival to receive your future cruise credit as this will be automatically processed within 30 days.
We have been closely monitoring Hurricane Irma and given the projected path of the storm, the following cruises have been cancelled:
Carnival Victory – September 8
Carnival Splendor – September 9
Carnival Ecstasy – September 9
Carnival Liberty – September 10
Full post:
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Thank you all so much for the replies! Yes, the excursion is the Carnival-sponsored one :). I was a bit hesitant but your answers and encouragement gave me the push I needed. I think we'll love it. I just booked it, can't wait!
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Hello,
I am new to the forums, having a really hard time deciding on a Cozumel excursion, and hoping for some insight from the experts here :). We are cruising in July and I really want to do a ruins excursion in Mexico. Chichen Itza seems too long of a drive. I really want to go someday with more time. We've been to Macchu Picchu and it was breath taking and I would have hated to do it in a rush, but there is the 'VIP Exclusive Tulum & Cenote Swim with Mayan Lunch' that is less travel time to get to the ruins. I know Tulum is smaller but I feel it will satisfy me considering this is meant to be a more relaxed trip for us than what we are used to (and I can tell it is beautiful!). We are originally from the Caribbean so we are used to pretty beaches and island life and I would prefer to go to the mainland if I can make it work.
Ok, here is the issue: our cruise docks at noon. Based on my experience growing up in the Caribbean the sunset is around 7-7:30 at the latest in July. Is this enough time with debarking, the ferry ride, and the van ride to the ruins? The lunch may probably be more like dinner I guess -unless they plan to do the lunch first?- but I don't think it will be worth it if it's going to be dark for part of the time in the excursion. Carnival lists the trip as 12-8 PM, should I trust the times? If so, we should be heading back by 6:30ish I suppose, will the three things be too much to do in this time frame (ruins, cenote swim, lunch)? The ship leaves at 10 PM.
I did search for this excursion here but the other thread is mostly about the trip itself. My main concern is the time. Please help me if you can, I'd appreciate it so much. Yay or nay?
Travel to Cuba coming to an end?
in Cuba
Posted
From the Cruise Line International Association:
CUBA TRAVEL UPDATE
Today the United States Government announced the immediate implementation of new regulations that prohibit previously approved cruise line travel to Cuba from the United States. Without warning, CLIA cruise line members are forced to eliminate all Cuba destinations from all itineraries effective immediately. This affects nearly 800,000 passenger bookings that are scheduled or already underway. All these bookings had been made under a general license previously issued by the United States Government that authorized "people to people" travel to Cuba. The new rules effectively make it illegal to cruise to Cuba from the United States. While this situation is completely beyond our control, we are genuinely sorry for all cruise line guests who were looking forward to their previously booked itineraries to Cuba.