Rapsmac

Do you need to buy tickets a head of time?

If you have Verizon I copied this from their web site:

TravelPassSM

Now your wireless plan travels just like you do. For just $2 a day per line in Mexico and Canada and $10 a day per line in more than 100 countries you can take your domestic talk, text and data allowances with you. You're only charged on the days you use your device abroad. It's an economical way to stay connected while you travel.

Thanks, looks good to me! I'll be booking that too.

Right now (through Sunday) Celebrity is offering a special on the photo package for my 10 day cruise (all prints + digital) for $149

 

Is this an actual sale (it says regularly $300) or can I get the same deal on board?

 

 

Also - any comments about the quality of the photos? We are celebrating our 30th anniversary and I'd like to have some pics. Thanks!

Is this something you received an email for, or did you see it online?

This is great to hear. From reading up on it, it seems like an awesome place to use, but it's always better to hear from those that have actually used them. My daughter is 8, so it becomes even more of a concern for me of course.

 

We have been to Coki and thought the snorkeling was AMAZING! My daughter has been snorkeling since she was 3 and loves the water, so I'm thinking this would be a good fit for her...especially since she already has taken the diving class here at home.

 

How does it work with the certification counting toward it? Is it considered 1 of the open water dives? My hubby and I are considering getting certified (I'm still a little scared myself, but LOVE snorkeling and have done that for many many years) with our local dive shop. I know they said you sign up and the online classes have to be done, then you practice in the pool for 2 nights, then you have to do the 4 open water dives. So if we returned home and signed up, we would only have to do the online class, the water classes and 3 other dives? Please explain. I'm very interested. :)

Sorry, I really don't know the answers. Check out their website it has a lot of info. We never followed through with the certification part. The kids received a card that explained what to do with an expiration date one year from date of dive. The didn't save the cards. You and your husband can take the class but your DD has to be ten.

Have used them and they were great. My kids had no classes going into this. It was an introductory to scuba dive. My wife and I are both certified. They gave a short class, short checkout dive to make sure the kids felt comfortable, then a guided tour of the reef. All had a great time. My oldest had trouble with her ears and could not clear them. The guide instructed her on what to do and had her only go only as deep as she was comfortable. She stayed a few feet above us. The dive was about 30 ft, 40 at the most in one spot, but I think 30 may be stretching it. The water was clear like a pool and the fish were everywhere. It's also a great place to snorkel. That's what we did for the rest of the day. Would recommend this spot and this guide. My twins were 16 at the time and my oldest was 18.

Forgot to mention that this dive we took with the class counted towards your certification if you signed up on line with PADI and enrolled in the course. So you could get your certification after taking their online portion. We never got around to it with the kids. There is a charge for the on line class.

Just received an email $99 for three excursions. Choose three from list. Seems like all are there. Anyone else get this, what's your take on this?

Yes I agree! There should be more outlets and charging stations. This way I don't have to bring a Power Strip to plug in my:

Bullet Blender

Electric Toothbrush

Electric shaver

Hoverboard

Samsung Note

Computer

Tablet

Alarm clock

Night light

Iron

Clothes Steamer

Hair straightener

Hair Drier

Coffee Pot

Anything Else?

These items are all things I have seen on that what to pack lists on this site. (except the Hoverboard, I added that)

Thanks to Cruise Critic you will be able to research each port you are going to. Read reviews on the different activities and price them out. You will be able to contact many of the tour guides and find out their payment methods. Then when all this is done, you will have your total. Then bring more!!!

First cruise we parked there, if I remember correctly it was cash only. I remember not expecting to pay cash but we had taken extra money because it was our first cruise and we were not sure how much to bring. Thank God we did.That was a few years back (06). Never did it again always went early and did snooze and cruise at a near by hotel. Room for the night, breakfast in the morning, parking, shuttle to and from, all one charge, always less then that parking charge.

I've often purchased a bottle of water at the same time as purchasing a coffee at Cafe al Bacio or a drink at a bar.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Thanks for the quick response. Nice to know in advance.

You cannot buy two at the same time unless you show two cards. There is a time limit -- usually around 10 minutes -- that applies if you try to buy one drink and then another drink too soon.

Question reference multiple drinks. Is there a time limit for non alcoholic drinks also? If I get a mixed drink can I get a bottle of water too? never had a drink package before, I do drink a lot of water daily, hope I will not have to waiting for 10 minutes after ordering a mixed drink to get some water.

We were there a few years ago and went to the beach where there were turtles. The ships tour came after we were therefor an hour. Followed the directions of a cruise critic post. Walk to the bus stop about a mile away. Tickets for bus were .75 cents each way per person. Got off of the bus and walked across the street to the beach. Rented two chairs and an umbrella for $20. Bars and restaurants with rest rooms there. Locals told us were to swim to find turtles and found them with ease. Between the chairs drinks, food and bus ride spent around $50 for the day for two adults and three kids. Boat wanted$95 a person. Local transportation is the way to go. Gypsy buses run on the island and accepted our bus pass for the return ride. Played music people were friendly and got back in plenty of time. Just booked a cruise that will stop here and we are looking forward to a day with the turtles again.

We got our first passport in 2006, but the card is something that most people probably throw away. As I said, I found ours accidentally a couple of nights ago. Some of you have already mentioned the "real" passport card, which is the one I had read about on other threads. Thanks again.

I think people are referring to two different things. The paper that comes with the passport and the Passport Card that looks like a drivers license ( it costs 30 or 40 dollars extra and I doubt anyone would throw it out) The Passport Card is fairly new and is easier to carry around then the book, thats the whole purpose of it.

Just remember:

Make sure everyone is there before boarding the ship.

Do anytime dinning, the wait will not be that bad.

Have someone save 50 lounge chairs using a towel, book, flip flops or shirts so you will all be in the same area.

Never go anywhere without the whole group.

Have one person get in the buffet line and everyone else can cut the line.

Smuggle lots of alcohol or have one person buy the drink package, and hand out drinks to the whole group.

I think with fifty people you are allowed one barrel of wine. Maybe two!

Find the secret door on the ship so you all can have some alone time.

:D

Actually having that many friends on board sounds like a blast! Have a great time.

Wow! I wouldn't mind waiting 15 minutes but 45 is ridiculous! It is really an eye-opener to hear "the rest of the story" about free style dining!

We also had to wait 45 minutes but we did have a party of ten. What was crazy was the fact that it would take 20 to forty minutes to get our drink orders filled after being seated. We had one set of servers that were good the whole week. The servers never get a chance to know you. Did not like anytime dinning at all.

Here's a few of the Mardi Gras that I've posted before...

[/url]

 

Here's the pool area...

 

More of the pool area...

 

The infamous (and now discontinued) beer drinking contest...

 

The always funny (but also now politically incorrect) men's nightgown contest...

I see there were chair Hogs back then too. Carnival has turned a blind eye for a long time. :D These are some great pictures!

We arrive Monday, July 14, 1:00pm until 9:00pm. How late does the ferry run? How long are the beaches/National Parks open for? There are Six of us, if I rented a car in St Thomas and took the car ferry, would it be cheaper? Thanks in advance!

This is a great thread.

Very first cruise we had plans to stay with relatives out side of Miami. On our drive down to their house found out their sons baseball team made the finals to a tournament in Tampa and they would not be home. Told us we could stay but I said we will just get a hotel. Little did I know, not much available. Only room we could get $250 a night. Instead of leaving car at relatives house, parked at the port, money not intended to spend. Needless to say, no DOD that week. All cruises since then, park and stay booked early!

That being said mistake number two. When leaving for the port from the hotel we double check the car and take surrounding pictures just in case. Ritual for me and DS. DS jumps in car for last check and we find out on return, he hit the light with his back and it was on until the battery went dead. It was so light, never noticed it was on. Came back to a dead battery, thank God for AAA. A little later start then we thought. Lesson learned double check the double checker.

When I'm dead :eek: I will not be able to book a cruise, so I better do it now!:D

The $2 bus is a good, cheaper alternative to a taxi for folks who don't mind a little walking and waiting. It is not a highly reliable method of transportation, as noted on the Coral World site and others, and you will likely lose some of your precious time if you have to wait for it. But it's a fun way to get to your destination and often the timing is ok. But a couple notes on the above post so others have accurate information -

 

1) It does matter what dock you are at as the $2 bus is an option from the Havensight area but not an option from Crown Bay. Folks docked at Crown would have to get to the other side of town to catch the bus.

2) The walk from the drop off to Coki and back to the drop off is probably a 10 - 15 minute walk through a so-so neighborhood. So it is definitely doable but allow for some wait time and walking time as you plan your day. You will save $12pp roundtrip by taking the $2 bus from Havensight to Coki and back and it can be a fun way to get there. The question is whether the lost time and added walking are worth the savings.

SO others will get accurate information 1) Can get from both docks. Just did it the past two years we went and did not walk cross town to get the bus. Is there a bus stop cross town? I'm sure there is, but we caught our bus on the road right outside the port. The bus stop is to the right, not at the port, you will have to walk, but cross town, No!

2) If you are a slow walker yes 10 to 15 min. Might of taken us five at the most did it the past two years actually very friendly people that live in the area, I don't know what the other person means by so-so. Both times we have done this the bus picked us up quick, one time stopped and picked us up before we were even near the bus stop. I guess we have been pretty lucky.

Never really lost time, we were one of the first to arrive at the beach last year. Had our choice of where to set up our chairs before our discover diving started.

We have went to Coki the past two years and the cheapest way to go is the Jittney $2 each one way. You have to walk when you get dropped off but not a bad walk. It depends what terminal you come into but we have been at both and were able to catch it both times quite easy. Just another option. There are 5 of us so we saved $40 dollars each way not going with a taxi.

We have done Coral World and Coki Beach. Not Sure what else you want to do on the island that day but you can spend the whole day there. Coral World has things going on all day. One event at a time and its spread out over the day. There are also other attractions that you can add once you pay to get in.(Look for the Coupon for Coral World) We did Swim with the Sea Lion and loved it. There is also snuba. You can leave Coral world and Coki is right there. There is a place to eat inside and the prices if I remember correctly were not that bad. We always take the $1 jittney might be $2. When you get dropped off you have to walk some. A lot if your 5yrs old.(Couple hundered yards some of it up hill) Or you can grab a taxi $10 per/per. As far as Coki goes great snorkeling and there is a dive shop there if you are a diver. They have a Discover scuba class that we did and the kids loved it. Some class room time and then a shallow dive about 30 ft. Hope this helps.

Lots and lots of little blue pills (to keep your heart rate up).

Lots and lots? I think at 119yrs old I be lucky to use one! Really lucky!

I wouldn't start packing for it right away. Styles may change by then. :D

Maybe you can help me make a list as I might be a little forgetful by then.

1. Depends

2. My teeth

3. Fix a dent.

4. O2 tank.

5. Yes I will bring a speedo. Should help some of you from eating to much.

Anything I'm forgetting? I'm sure there is a lot more.:D