rjrpar

On 12/8/2022 at 7:35 AM, pamkev said:

Yes thanks for your post I'm thinking the same thing

We’ve been there several times and the owner is great.  They have modified the PAYGO option since Covid.  My understanding is each person pays $45 and it entitles you to a chair, a shared umbrella, and up to $45 in food/drinks. If you do not use up the $45, you lose it. If you exceed the $45, you pay the difference at the end of the day.  Seems very fair.

beachbuddy - don’t stress over the little stuff, it’s suppose to be a relaxing vacation

6 hours ago, Arzeena said:

When you get off the ferry at the marina and walk up to the Bakoua, there is a chair rental place on the left. They have prices for chairs, day beds, umbrella. There are not many chairs and we did not see many people renting them. As you keep walking, you will see more chairs, which we have used in the past and someone comes to collect $10.

They still allow use of their chairs and day beds for a fee. No need to book anything in advance.

We did not book any lunch or reservation in advance.

Thanks again!  We plan on trying Bakoua and walking the town.

On 4/4/2018 at 9:54 AM, davela2 said:

Like so many other travelers, I'm always hesitant about doing excursions other than those offered by the cruise ships. But we took a chance with Thomas. Absolutely no regrets, the island tour was amazing. I found 6 others on my ship, so the 8 of us hired his van, and there were 8 more that wanted to go so he arranged another van. The communication between me and Thomas before the cruise was great, he always emailed me back promptly and answered all my questions. When we got off the ship and saw all those taxis, I looked around, joking that I hoped that the blue Mercedes van was ours. It was! We were comfortably seated. Thomas was amazing, and true to his tour description. He told us all about the island, it's history, geography, economy, population, etc. He even told us about his life which made the tour so much more personal. We never felt rushed at each stop, he allowed us as much time as we needed. At the waterfall, he brought out juice and pastries that he and his wife had baked. The other van sort of followed us around, and his other driver, Sebastian, was equally fantastic. He and Sebastian toured all the sites with us, explaining everything as we walked around. At the rum distillery, Thomas arranged for all the rum tastings, again making the day more special. We drove back along the scenic coast, stopping for some lunch and beverages. Upon our return, he dropped some of us off in town, and the rest back at the ship. I can honestly say this tour was one of the best tours ever in my many, many cruises. Overall and amazing day, and worth every dollar spent!!

Most private tours are very well run. They are usually less expensive and cater to much smaller groups, allowing more time to see more sights. You shouldn’t be surprised with the quality of Sebastian’s tour, it’s the norm.

Can we use credit cards or USDs on the ferry to Trois Ilet?

5 hours ago, hrhdhd said:

The Google shows that Jewel of the Seas and Solstice are similar.

 

As far as age, that itinerary leads me to think the passengers will be relatively older, but I wouldn't let that deter me from booking. Take the cruise.

 

I’ve been on both several times and the Solstice is a much nicer ship. It is also larger, about 15 % wider and longer

14 hours ago, YensidCA said:

Does the Celebrity cruise terminal in Fort Lauderdale participate in Mobile Passport Control (MPC).

For those that do not know what this is, it allows eligible travelers to submit their passport and customs declaration information through a free, secure app on their smartphone or other mobile device.

 

You can find out more info here: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/mobile-passport-control

You’re overthinking the process. 

On 11/20/2022 at 6:53 PM, PORT ROYAL said:

They used to allow day use of beds, must book lunch, on reservation in advance, but this was subject to availability.  Don’t know if they still do.  It’s not a just rock up establishment.  Best to contact the hotel in advance.  Think the fee was around €15 pp for the beds, plus lunch, drinks, tips etc.
Nice if they allow the booking.  Budget on say about €200 for 2 pax.

Thanks

On 11/14/2022 at 4:55 PM, Arzeena said:

We visited Martinique on the Celebrity Equinox in the end of October. We have been there many times before and have always loved it.
 

This time we first walked around town. Most stores were closed. Some restaurants and cafes were open or opening up since this was early on in the morning. The local guides informed us that most will open for lunch and if we keep walking past their McDonald's we would come to something like a restaurant/cafe row. We will try that next time.
 

We walked to St Louis Cathederal and there was a Sunday mass going on. The mass was in French. It was great hearing a mass in French and not quite understanding but feeling one with the people. After that we walked around a bit, looked at some historic buildings and browsed around a grocey supermarket which was quite "up to date".

We then walked back near the dock and got on to the noon ferry for Trois Islet. The ferry was packed like sardines. It seemed like an "Equinox exclusive ferry" LOL.

We got off at the Marina and walked around town there. Love the ambiance of that town. More things were open. Lots of cafes and restaurants, lots of tourists. Most stores that I asked at accepted US dollars. We walked up to Hotel Bakoua and to use their beach. We have had great memories at the Bakoua. We then had a delicious French lunch buffet at their terrace restaurant. They had a lovely Caribbean band and people were dancing. The views from the restaurant were excellent. Had a great relaxing day. Then back to the ferry.

 

There were local guides for help, and all types of tours can be booked right at the port.

Great post!  We will be in Martinique in March. Can you tell me if the beach (and chairs) at the Hotel Bakoua is open to the public. Sounds like fun. 

If I purchase a drink which exceeds the $ limit of the classic package, do I only pay the difference?

Thanks in advance

12 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

I cruise on X about ten sailings a year, have had both and they both are extremely bland beef patties, Carnivals Guy burgers are much better.  The Mast Grill hotdogs are outright gross, wish they would buy costco hotdogs.  

Best cruise ship burger is Guys Burgers on Carnival. 

5 hours ago, kwokpot said:

He's great! I've been on several ships with him at the helm. He's works out at the gym all the time, usually late afternoon around 4 when I'm there. 

Will never understand the infatuation with the captain.  Give me a piano bar or comedy club any day

Looking for a nice beach - bar/restaurant, bathrooms, loungers.  Don’t mind taking a cab. Will be in Martinique in March ‘23.

Thanks

Looking for a nice beach - bar/restaurant, bathrooms, loungers.  Don’t mind taking a cab. Will be in Martinique in March ‘23.

Thanks

On 10/25/2022 at 12:28 PM, PORT ROYAL said:

The Naked Fisherman… Book the lunch (Lobster) and day in advance.

 @reedprincess will post later with more “real” St Lucia Beach Restaurants serving great lobster.

Just check the time and $ to get there in a cab

4 hours ago, George C said:

Agree with most , we were diamond on rccl before trying celebrity for the first time , rccl has the best entertainment, broadway plays, ice and aqua shows , lots of other music, people dress like they are going to McDonald’s, lots of children attractions along with lots of children. Celebrity is a more adult line with less children activities, better buffet . We now only book suites and celebrity suite perks are way better than rccl , can’t compare the suite dinning rooms. 

I agree with you on most points but why so hung up on what people wear? 

1 hour ago, mahasamatman said:

I will echo the consensus above. Always Murano, and never Tuscan. Tuscan is not worth even half of what they charge.

Agree, have had meals in Tuscan that were not worth anywhere near the price

16 hours ago, mom2miracles said:

We have only stayed in Suites, and we have gotten it every night we have sailed. We have heard that only guests in Suites get them every night, others do not. With that said, apparently you can ask your room steward to have them and they will leave one in your room every evening. 

Wrong,  we were on the Adventure recently and a compass was on our bed every evening, never asked for it

We’ve been on both Celebrity and Carnival several times. Although the buffet on Celebrity is better, Carnival offers much superior lunch options and the Carnival steakhouses compare very favorably to the Tuscan Grill.

JMHO

We were just told yesterday by our guide in Acadia that they expect colors to peak between 10/9 thru 10/15.  There is some change now 

32 minutes ago, ChC said:

 

Except it is already done in cruise industry and very successfully in RCL's competitors. It may not be for every show and every ship. Certain shows and certain ship can certainly 'trial' especially on the new mega ships.

 

Since shows on the ship is a pure cost center (some of the entertainment cost is recuperated by Bingo card sells), with the higher cost in every aspects due to high inflation, cruise companies have no choice but to try to squeeze a little extra revenue from things it had not charged yet (the other choice is to reduce shows investment [hire less professional staff with lower cost or reduce cost on costumes stage sets...etc.] or cancel certain high cost shows, which would lead to quality decline). Since RCL is in the mass market segment, pricing is key, I would not be surprised at all if it starts to charge for certain shows from 2023 winter season in order to keep the cruise fares stable.

Why don’t we quit playing “cruise line executive” and just enjoy cruising again

7 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

I hate line jumpers, but I'm not sure people potentially missing their flights would be my favorite experience.  😞

 

I don't know the whole situation you had, but if I was not in a rush and people had early flights, I probably would have offered them to jump in.  If the crew member actually said they should have gotten up earlier, that crew member should be fired, or at best go through some remedial customer service training.  

Give me a break!

1 hour ago, bren61 said:

We are leaving on our Canada/NE cruise out of Bayonne, NJ on the Adventure this Thursday 9/29/22. We won't be arriving in Canada until October 4th, I wonder why is RCL has not contacted us to let us know. Maybe it is because we set sail before Oct 1st? We are scheduled to do our OnPoint testing at midnight tonight, but it would have been nice if we didn't have to do it. Our ArriveCan is finished and printed out, now just to pass the covid test.

We are also on the 9/29 cruise.  I would expect clarification from RCCL soon if we need to test. No sense calling, no one will know until the  website is updated.  You could change your test date into Wednesday to buy time

44 minutes ago, joyandjerry said:

Canada dropping requirements 1 October, even for cruise ship pax. Link is here. Unfortunately, that won't apply is your cruise is in September.

Hope you are having a blast!

Why?  Their Canadian cruise leaves NJ on 9/29 but doesn’t arrive in Canada until 10/4.  

28 minutes ago, Airbear232 said:

One suggestion, alter your reservation so either you or your fiancé is listed in their cabin and get them the balcony booking discount. 

We all complain about cutbacks by the cruise lines, but they are constantly dealing with customers who have no qualms about this type of behavior

On 9/18/2022 at 7:53 PM, CarolRoy said:

Just saw this at Celebrity.  Onboard Casino New Hours - 7 days/week - 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

Cannot believe this.  Don't they make money in the casino any more.  I do like the casino.  It is a source of entertainment for me (playing the slots).

And you believe everything you read?