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soleil1995

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Posts posted by soleil1995

    Cab Cost from Pier to Cockleshell

    in St. Kitts & Nevis

    Posted

    Hi jonsmom,

    We visited St. Kitts a few weeks ago via cruise ship and took a cab to Cockleshell Beach. It was $28 for the four of us....we had to wait until the driver found two more passengers, which took about 10 minutes. It was a very scenic cab ride and the driver stopped at Timothy Hill, so that we could take pictures of where the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea meet. We also arranged for the taxi to return in the afternoon to Cockleshell to pick us up...he was 15 minutes early and brought us back to the port in plenty of time.

    Looking For ATV Tour Operator Recommendations

    in St. Lucia

    Posted

    Our family just returned from a Southern Caribbean cruise on AOS and 3 of our group booked the 3 hour ATV tour with ATV Paradise Tours on St. Lucia. http://www.atvstlucia.com/atv-tours.html

     

    It was a private excursion with Anja and focused on touring the plantation on ATVs (as opposed to an ATV motocross tour). Everyone said that they had a fantastic time exploring the vast plantation, stopping along the way to enjoy the beautiful views, sample seasonal fruits, see the mango trees, cashew trees in blossom, walk through the banana groves, pineapple patches and smell fresh herbs from various trees and bushes. Anja and her family are such knowledgable and responsible caretakers of the land.

     

    It was a beautiful and memorable way to see the island.

    Calabaza excursion

    in Barbados

    Posted · Edited by soleil1995
    edit

    When we were on our last cruise in December 2014, between Christmas and New Years (RCCL Southern Caribbean), I tried to book Calabaza in June 2014, but they were sold out. We ended up sailing with Silver Moon (who Calabaza recommended) and had a fabulous time. It was one of the best tours that we have ever been on.

     

    We will be on another Southern Caribbean cruise next week (love the itinerary!) and have reservations with Calabaza this time. We will be able to give a comparative review when we return.

     

    I would book as soon as possible....you don't want to be disappointed.

    Hotwire Pitons Zipline Reviews Requested

    in St. Lucia

    Posted

    Ok we completed this tour today. My feedback:

     

     

    I wasn’t aware we were to take a boat to the zipline. I guess I didn’t read the description. This wasn’t a problem but just thought I’d share.

     

     

    The boat ride took a solid hour from port to Soufries. It started pouring rain about halfway into the trip. Sputtered and restarted a few times. It was pouring when we finally arrived and they kept us on the boat for another 10 min or so to see what the weather would do. A call up to the zipline where they said it was clearing so off the boat and on to a bus for the ride up. That took about another 10 min.

     

    Zipline crew suited us all up super quick and off we went. Very short training session. Having ziplined before, this want an issue for me but make make newbies nervous.

     

    We did a total of 7-8 lines. Once done we were rushed back to get our gear off and get back to the boat. We left Soufries at 4:30 for the hour ride and all aboard at 5:30. We pulled up along side the ship and climbed out onto the pier and directly to the boat due to our late arrival.

     

    The boat crew was fun and started a dance party on the way back. The zip guides were good and I did feel safe. The views were beautiful. I just felt very rushed due to our delayed departure from port and then rain delay. I’m not sure if we got all the lines or if it was shortened due to time constraints. Overall I have mixed feelings about it. I wasn’t prepared for such a long trip and then being rushed through the whole experience. It was fun though and I don’t regret doing it.

     

    Hope this helps. Let me know if you have questions.

     

    Thank you for posting the review....it was very helpful!

    Looking For ATV Tour Operator Recommendations

    in St. Lucia

    Posted

    Not sure how many of these are still in business, but check Aanasi ATV, ATV Paradise, Irie Lucian ATV - or check with your operators like Serenity TVL, Island Routes, Barefoot Holidays, Real St Lucia Experience, etc to see if they can arrange an ATV trip for you with transport, etc.

    ********************************************************************************************************************************************

    Can anyone recommend any specific ATV tour operators? Would be interested in reviews/comments. We don't mind booking directly, rather than through the ship.

     

     

    Thanks!

    :cool:

    comparing RCCL cruise tour/lodges in Alaska vs. Princess; anyone done both?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    We did our own land tour back in 2013. I looked at cruise tours, but with a 13yo & 17yo, I really wanted the flexibility to go and see the things that truly interested us. My oldest wouldn't have gotten to fly a plane in all likelihood if we had gone with a cruise tour. It's really easy to do it yourself if you want. Yes, you do have to book a year in advance to get of the things you want, but if you write yourself a note, it's not too bad plus an added bonus is that if there is anything that requires pre-payment, you have a year to pay it all off!!

     

    While staying in a Princess Lodge might have been nice, where we stayed wasn't bad and I don't feel like we missed out on anything. We were part way up a mountain and the views were spectacular. I don't know if you can say the same staying at a Princess Lodge.

     

    Plus - check out the Northern Lights and Alaska TourSaver books online and see if there are any coupons you can use. I found several for our trip. Between using coupons, an Avis Wizard #, hotel points we saved a ton over doing a cruise tour and we were able to go at our own pace and stop to see things along the way that interested us.

     

    I agree with olemissreb.....it was very easy to plan the land tour arrangements, we stayed in some lovely accommodations and met some wonderful local residents. For the SUV rental, we traveled with another couple and rented a Yukon....we got a great deal, since we are Costco members.

    comparing RCCL cruise tour/lodges in Alaska vs. Princess; anyone done both?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Hi Kellie;

    We did a 7 Day Alaskan cruise in July/August 2013 - Coral Princess from Whittier AK to Vancouver. Glacier Bay National Park was one of the highlights of the cruise! We really enjoyed cruising, since there are a number of places in Alaska that you can only get to by ship/boat or plane.

     

    Prior to the cruise, we did a 9-Day DIY Land Tour....we wanted to customize our trip and the Princess Cruisetours just didn't offer us enough flexibility. I found that if you didn't book an organized Cruisetour, it was very difficult to arrange for accommodations (for the dates we needed) at the Princess Lodges. We rented an SUV at the Anchorage airport and directly booked our own "hotels' - mainly local Alaskan lodges/inns. The staff at each of the places we stayed helped advise us and book our day trips/activities (salmon fishing, whitewater rafting, Kenai Fjords cruising). We also found that everything books up quickly- we ended up making our car and hotel reservations almost a year in advance.

     

    Also, I would definitely recommend doing the land tour prior to the cruise - more relaxing that way. Finally, if possible, you should try to stay at each location at least 2 days. You don't want to spend the majority of your vacation days driving from place to place.

    Help needed - transatlantic!

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    We are considering booking the May 2019 transatlantic on Indy but could do with some help. We have cruised many times but have never done an ocean voyage. If you have any suggestions that could help us come to a decision please help.

    Thank you 😊

    ********************************************************************************************************************************************

    I have only been on one TA - it was in May 2013 out of Fort Lauderdale to Rome. I have been on a number of cruises, mainly in the Caribbean and wasn't too sure if I would like 7 days on the open ocean. I loved it! It was so relaxing and we lucked out with the weather and the seas....the crew said that it was one of the smoothest sailings that they had ever experienced.

     

    We were on Deck 9 (Ruby Princess-midship mini suite), on the starboard side and because we were facing south on the eastbound cruise, our balcony was warm and sunny, with hardly any wind. It was a little breezy in the pool area, so we elected to spend more time on our balcony.

     

     

    It was a busy itinerary - we did all private tours with friends that we met on the Cruise Critic Roll Call.

     

     

    Would like to try a fall TA in the near future....

     

    Enjoy your cruise!!

    Hotwire Pitons Zipline Reviews Requested

    in St. Lucia

    Posted

    We will be visiting St. Lucia in April via RCCL Adventure of the Seas and are considering the ship's Hotwire Pitons Zipline tour. We would appreciate any details/comments that you can share with us.

     

    Another option is the ATV Tour, but we are undecided at this point.

     

    Thank you in advance!!

    :cool:

    Transatlantic Cruise Questions

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Hello,

     

    We haven't done a Transatlantic Cruise and are thinking of trying one.

    Is the water rough in the Atlantic Ocean during April when cruising from the US to Europe?

    Would you please share your experience if you have done one?

    We are thinking of either the Navigator or the Jewel.

     

    Thank you.

    Danny

     

    Hi Danny,

    I have only been on one Transatlantic Cruise (14 day Ruby Princess from Fort Lauderdale to Rome in mid-April) and the seas were smooth and calm. The weather was in the high 60's and a little breezy up in the pool area. However, by chance, we had booked starboard mini-suite and it was sunny and warm all day on the balcony (southern exposure) I would definitely recommend a starboard balcony cabin for an eastbound crossing!

    We also were very active on the Roll Call....we met some great people and joined several private tours/excursions in Barcelona, Provence, Florence and Rome.

     

    Such a great cruise....would love to book another one, perhaps on Celebrity next time?

    Have a wonderful time!

     

    Susan

    Pineapple Beach Club Day Pass?

    in Antigua

    Posted

    Got this info two days ago:

     

    The Pineapple beach Club

    $95.00 Per Adult -no children

    10AM- 6PM

    Buffet breakfast/ Beach Grill 11AM- 6PM / Buffet Lunch 12 - 2:30pm / Afternoon Tea 3PM/ Out House 12PM-3PM Unlimited Beer & Sodas/ Non motorized Water Sports/ Swimming Pools/

     

     

    Based on availabiliy

    Guest can email frontdesk@pbcantigua.com for availability.

     

    Thank you! This is very helpful...

    Help me pick an Alaska cruise.

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    We did a Southbound Cruise on Princess in July/August out of Whittier, AK, with a DIY Land Tour of 8 days prior to the cruise. We loved planning our own schedule, traveling where we wanted and staying in local inns and lodges. I would definitely recommend the land tour before going on the cruise.

     

    We flew into Anchorage (traveling with another couple), rented an SUV and traveled to the Kenai Peninsula, ferry to Valdez, through the Wrangell Mountains/ Copper River area and then onto Talkeetna and Denali. Returned to Anchorage and then to Whittier to board the ship. We really enjoyed the land tour and the weather was pretty good in July/August - in the 60's but generally dry and clear. The cruise was enjoyable too...the only way to see some of the cities like Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway and Glacier Bay National Park is via cruise.

     

    I would definitely pick June over May ...

     

    We plan to return to Alaska very soon, but perhaps rent a house on the Kenai Peninsula for a few days and do more land touring (maybe on the motorcycle this time :D)

     

    Have fun with the planning!!

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