wanderlust79

Great report, thanks for posting. We will be there in one month! [emoji4]

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I'm going to use the highest percentage of DEET I can find but what are these wristbands? Never heard of those before.... ?

 

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You can find repellent wristbands on amazon. There are a lot to choose from, but here is an example: Repellent bracelets. We used these as a supplement to our regular repellent sprays. :)

I agree with the other replies--I wouldn't let it worry you too much.

We went to Costa Rica last November and came back with only a couple of bites after a week of hiking through rainforests and hanging out at the beach. Didn't use deet, but stuck with natural repellent bracelets and repel lemon eucalyptus.

Have a great cruise!

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I'll add another vote for the Caribe Hilton. We love it there. [emoji4]

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I know you have already gotten a lot of responses and good info, but I just wanted to add a little more encouragement. :) If you are anxious to cruise again, you should do it!! We cruised with our kids for the first time last year. My youngest was 1 1/2. It definitely took some work and it was less restful than we are used to when on vacation, but it was also fun and filled with great memories!! I would happily do it again!

Like someone else mentioned, you have to bring everything you think you could need including meds and other incidentals. We had what seemed like 100 lbs of luggage, but the nice thing was that we had plenty of space in the luggage for souvenirs on the way home since we used up the diapers, wipes, pouches, and snacks we had packed.

Also, like others have said, a balcony is nice so you have somewhere to be when the little ones are asleep.

As for Zika, I wouldn't let that deter you. We just took our kids to Costa Rica and, despite my worrying about mosquitoes and zika, we had a great time! There are some pretty decent natural bug repellents and repellent bracelets you can use. We applied it often and I don't think the kids got a single bite in a week.

We have cruised out of San Juan during the February break and I did not notice any more crowding than I have on my previous cruises out of this port. We've sailed out of San Juan five times and none of the cruises have seemed overrun with kids. :)

I also don't think that a lot of school districts have the entire week off for Presidents' Day. My school district does, but I think most only give a couple of days off of school.

Hope you have a wonderful cruise! :)

We did The Cat excursion to Turtle Cove -- absolutely awesome! The catamaran is smaller and not crowded at all! The crew was great, especially Adam -- very laid back and fun. Turtle Cove was amazing! Half of my family snorkeled, and half stayed on the cat. The turtles were all around my daughter and she has great pictures, so close! Those who stayed on the cat also saw the turtles very clearly, as they come up to the surface to breathe, and they're huge -- you can't miss them! It was a great time for all of us -- in the water and on the cat! I definitely recommend it!

Glad to hear it is not crowded! Do you by chance know the maximum capacity The Cat allows on board?

1 DAY!!!!!!!!!! [emoji5]️

It is only for a week and the enjoyment of being on a cruise far outweighs my limited dietary choices.

That's a great perspective and I think he would agree with this. He and his family had such a great time experiencing the rest of the cruise, that I think the food issues were a small price to pay! :)

Please resurrect this thread upon your return to let us know how the cruise went. I am sure many would be interested and if one other person learns from you experience, then it will be great.

Okay, we are back from our cruise and I thought I would update for any who were interested.

The things that went well: My brother-in-law was able to bring a large ice chest filled with his goat yogurts and they seemed to be kept nice and cold throughout the 5-day cruise. He also brought a small assortment of other foods he can process (like packs of plain nori) as well as a lot of digestive enzymes. He found that he could supplement what he brought with some unseasoned steamed veggies and plain baked potatoes.

The things that could have gone better: Some of the few foods that he did try were pretty rough on his system and he didn't feel too hot some of the time, especially his one attempt at the salmon--his first meat eating in a long time--which left him curled up with the lights out next to the trash can the next day. Also, they had brought a 5 gallon bottle of alkaline water for him, but it did not make it to the room. The guest relations folks were very kind in trying to locate the bottle, but without luck. It may very well have not even made it onto the ship. He was able to get by on distilled water though, which is great!

All in all: it was a great cruise for the whole family, and my brother-in-law was able to make do with his small supply of foods and the few menu items he ventured to try. He also learned that no matter how good the salmon looks, it is NOT his friend! :p But seriously, this was a special family time so it is such a blessing that it all worked out! And this was also my sister's family's first cruise and I think any difficulty or discomfort he went through was probably worth it to him for them to all have the experience!

Thanks again to all those who were so helpful with ideas and encouragement. I really appreciated the thoughtfulness and good ideas, as did my sister & brother-in-law when I passed on the info! :)

And thanks even to those who were a little less on the helpful end of the spectrum. You gave me some good reading material and a couple of laughs with my family.

Mom thinking to herself, "hmm, my pesky son-in-law has an extreme diet, a cruise will keep him at home!"

no cruise line will bring organic fruits for him or organic goat yogurt. And to be honest I really don't believe in such a sickness

Down to 21 days!! YAY! :D

Dang, that's an awesome view!!!! Thank you, Volunteer Cruiser! :) Assuming they are the same on Harmony, I think I will be trying to snag one of these grand/aquatheater suites when we eventually book! Now I just have to convince my husband... :D

Thanks for this review! Your stateroom pics and descriptions are helping me get some perspective on what a grande suite will look like on Oasis class. We have always booked grand suites on the Radiance class, but have been struggling to decide what to when we eventually book on the Oasis class since there are so many categories!

I have a couple of questions. Hopefully you haven't already answered them in your earlier posts--I read through it all, but my coffee hasn't fully soaked into my brain yet! :o

-How much of the aqua theater shows can you actually see from your balcony?

-Your balcony looks HUGE (both deep and wide)! Is it a shared balcony or is there a partition between cabins like usual?

Thanks again for the great pictures and thanks in advance for any answers! :)

We are taking our boys (18 months & 4 1/2 yrs) on their first cruise in just under 2 weeks. We found great deals on little suits (button-up shirt, vest, tie, & slacks) at Walmart and Marshalls. I think under $20 a piece. I agree that it is probably not necessary to do the suits, but would be awfully cute. :)

Thanks for the review! We did a Southern Caribbean route on the Adventure 7 or 8 years ago and I am really excited to be setting sail once again in just 35 days!! Your review and pictures are just what I need to get my fix and keep my pre-cruise crazies at bay! :D I really have forgotten what a great ship it is--glad to be reminded! :)

Can't wait to read more...

Thanks Pam! We will be sure everyone is up and ready bright and early that morning so we can all get our tickets together! [emoji5]️

If YOU get there 1st, tell the guide to wait for the rest of the party...they will...they KNOW how tendering works!

Good tip! We had talked about this as a last resort--If worse comes to worse, the few of us with priority tendering will go inform the tour operator. Fortunately it is a private tour, so there won't be other travelers waiting impatiently for my group!

Thank you again everyone! I am grateful to get advice from those who know the system. My only tender was about 12 years ago and I can't remember the process at all!

When lining up to get the tender tickets, do they care who is retrieving tickets or is it just a matter of 9 people lined up for 9 to tender! I ask because my family and I are the ones in the suite. We are also early risers. Since we do not necessarily need to get tender tix, can we wait in place of 4 of the sleepier folks?

Thanks Cato and Theo!!

Going early sounds like a good plan. And the 150ish capacity is good news--bigger than I was picturing. [emoji106]🏻

So it looks like we will get there early and see how quickly the line is moving. [emoji5]️

I've just spent quite some time searching old threads for info about tendering, but I didn't quite find what I was looking for. I'm sure it's out there, but it certainly eluded me!

Anyway, we will be on the Star Princess next month (5 day to Cabo) and I am hoping to figure out how tendering will work in the morning, as we have an independent tour scheduled at 8:30am.

There are quite a few early ship excursions (a few before 8am, a few right at 8:30, and many after) and we are hoping this will not cause a problem with us making it to our 8:30 activity on time. 4 of our group are suite passengers (getting priority tendering I believe?), but the other 9 have no priority tender access.

With that said, are we crazy to think we will make it to our independent activity on time? Or is tendering a pretty quick process? Are the tender boats pretty big so a good number of passengers can head out at once?

Thanks in advance for any light you all can shed on this. :)

Thank you so much for the input!! Glad to know that a rental is a good & safe option! :)

I let my friend know about the Cruzan tour not being very toddler-friendly and I am now just waiting to hear what she wants to do. If they decide to go and hang out around the visitor's center, I think we will definitely rent a car. But if they choose to stick closer to the port, we may use taxis so everyone can enjoy sampling at Cruzan without worrying about driving.

Thanks again for the info--I am very thankful to be able to get local advice!

Have a great day! :D

I posted this question last week on a different thread, but thought maybe it would be easier to spot in its own thread. So sorry for being redundant. Anyway...

I will be in St. Croix on December 6th and I was hoping to get a bit of advice about transportation. I will be in a group of 7 (6 adults and one 18-month-old) and we are planning to check out Cruzan Rum and then wander a bit before settling at either Rainbow Beach or Freedom City Surf.

My first inclination is to get a rental, since it would probably be easier with a carseat. But then I saw something you posted a week or two ago about rentals cars in Point Udall (needing to keep doors unlocked and cars empty to avoid them being broken into). Does that apply everywhere or just at Point Udall? I would hate for my friends to lose their carseat or diaper bag or anything like that.

My second consideration would be cost. It looks like it would be approximately $88 to rent a van through Budget, but I have no idea what it would cost for our group to take a taxi from the pier to Cruzan and then back to somewhere near the fort. If it was significantly cheaper, they may be willing to deal with figuring out using a carseat in taxis.

Finally, are we being a little foolish to be trying to do Cruzan with a little one? Would it be better to split up and have the family hang out closer to the Pier and then meet up with them after the rum factory?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on the matter. Our friends just recently decided to bring their little one and we are realizing that there is a lot more to consider when finalizing our plans.

Thanks and have a great day! :)

Hello Drake. I will be in St. Croix on December 6th and I was hoping to get a bit of advice about transportation. I will be in a group of 7 (6 adults and one 18-month-old) and we are planning to check out Cruzan Rum and then wander a bit before settling at either Rainbow Beach or Freedom City Surf.

My first inclination is to get a rental, since it would probably be easier with a carseat. But then I saw something you posted a few days ago:

DO NOT LEAVE ANY VALUABLES IN YOUR CAR AT POINT UDALL. The car itself will be fine as nobody messes with rentals but leave it unlocked and empty or you'll probably come back to a broken window and missing items. Unfortunate but that's the way it is out there.

Does that apply everywhere or just at Point Udall? I would hate for my friends to lose their carseat or diaper bag or anything like that.

My second consideration would be cost. It looks like it would be approximately $88 to rent a van through Budget, but I have no idea what it would cost for our group to take a taxi from the pier to Cruzan and then back to somewhere near the fort. If it was significantly cheaper, they may be willing to deal with figuring out using a carseat in taxis.

Finally, are we being a little foolish to be trying to do Cruzan with a little one? Would it be better to split up and have the family hang out closer to the Pier and then meet up with them after the rum factory?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on the matter. Our friends just recently decided to bring their little one and we are realizing that there is a lot more to consider when making our plans.

Thanks and have a great day! :)

Thought I would update: Princess dietary dept replied and pretty much said tough luck. {insert a big Debbie Downer: "wah wuhh" here.}

They said they would neither be able to order any goat yogurt nor store what he brings. On the bright side, he is allowed to bring his yogurt and store it in his own ice chests in his stateroom. Kind of a hassle and we would have loved if something more could have been done on Princess's part, but at the same time very manageable for us since we are driving to the port. And I understand this kind of thing must be a slippery slope for a cruise line. If they let one passenger bring his own food and have it stored, then everyone wants to do it.

So anyway, the great yogurt crusade looks like it may not be a total bust! Now the tricky part will be waiting another 56 days for our cruise!!

Thanks again to all who chimed in with advice and/or support! [emoji5]️

Wow, thank you all for your replies! I very much appreciate it!

I forwarded the tips about products on Amazon to my sister (Thanks CoffeHound!) and I am really hoping they can find one or two as a possible supplement for him!

When I called, I was redirected to email them, so I also am sending an email to the dietary address on their behalf in hopes that the ball will get rolling sooner than later.

I will update when we hear back from Princess! :)

Thanks again to all who replied!