LeanneS

Perks, elegant ships, great food, and few kids.

Thanks for the info. Looking forward to going to the French side. Been to St. Maarten twice but have not made it over there.

Where do you catch the bus to go to Marigot?

Thanks,

Leanne

We went on the The Elegance catamaran in Barbados. We snorkeled with the turtles and toured the coast. They provided lunch and drinks. Those that ran it were a great bunch of people. They only allowed 12 - 14 guests at the most (can't remember the exact number). We loved it! Best snorkeling trip that I have ever been on. I would do it again if I ever go back to Barbados.

Thank you for the outstanding review! I really enjoyed your pictures. After seeing those, I really want to visit Spain. Thanks for sharing the menus too. We are going on Celebrity for the first time in December. We are going on the Equinox. Really looking forward to it!

Thanks for the review! Can't wait to see more! :D

4 of us took a taxi from the pier to Nachi Cocum. There are a couple of other all inclusive places like this, but based on Trip Advisor reviews, chose this one. We booked directly with the company online. The beach was very nice. There's a pool too, but we didn't use it. The drinks, with alcohol or without flowed freely. Beach chairs with shade or sun were open for the guests( perhaps 20 of us in total). The price of $50, included unlimited drinks, beach chairs, towels and a meal where we could choose from a list, an appetizer, a main and a dessert. All delicious. The bathrooms were clean too. A guy in a small boat asked if we'd like to snorkel with a guide. For 4 of us it was $100 and we went to two reefs. A great day. When you read through TAdvisor reviews, you'll see that some places are more for families and some for party animals.

We went to Nachi Cocum in September. It rained all day but we still loved it!

You're right; we should stick with the longer cruises. I have always enjoyed the longer Carnival cruises. However, I wish there was a good option if you want a short getaway.

Just got off the Paradise this morning. This was the worst cruise that I have been on. The service and ship was fine. The food was awful on the Lido deck; it was ok in the dining room. The worst part was that it was a party boat. There were people drunk everywhere and people taking food and drinks into the hot tub. There was no dress code for the Lido deck buffet. Girls wearing bikinis, no cover ups; several men with no shirts on; and several people with no shoes. It was disgusting. It appears the dining room didn't have a dress code either. Carnival has gotten too relaxed with their rules. I am considering leaving Carnival. :(

Looking forward to hearing more. :) We leave on the 24th. Can't wait!

and the earlier the fun begins! :D Thanks for the replies. A day and a wakeup to boarding...can't wait!

We received an email saying our boarding time is 1:30. Does that mean we can't board until that time? That time seems late to me.

The only time you really should make a reservation is if you have a larger party. 6 people and above are MUCH harder to seat "on the fly", so having a predetermined time will help the staff have a table ready for you.

Interesting. This is the first time traveling with a group. There will be six of us. Thanks for the info!

Thanks for the feedback! I was getting a little anxious. I don't like to plan everything when I cruise because I want it to be relaxing. It seems with Royal you have to make a lot of reservations which is good and bad.

Do you really need to make reservations for My Time Dining? I saw someone make a comment that they didn't get to eat until 9 pm because My Time Dining was booked until that time.

We are new to Celebrity and were worried about when to book. We went ahead and booked now for the Equinox next December. We were able to get an additional $500 OBC to the $300 that Celebrity is offering and the gratuities and Classic bev. included. I hope we got a good deal. We got burned on Carnival this past October so we were worried about booking early. I guess we can always cancel if we find it at a better price.

We just booked an S1 on the Celebrity Equinox for next December to get the perks and got an additional $500 OBC. It think it is a great deal. We got burned on a Carnival cruise this past October so I hope we are not booking to early. It just seemed like a really good deal.

Thank you for all the tips! They have been very helpful in making our determination for cabin choice.

How are the Sky Suite AFT cabins? Does it have an overhang to keep the sun off of you? We had one on Carnival and hated it because it did not have an overhang and was always hot.

Has anyone stayed in a Sky Suite on the resort deck? If so, is it quiet? I am wondering since it is below the Lido Deck.

We are thinking about booking the Equinox for next December and we have never been on Celebrity.

Thanks!

Sorry you didn't like FTTF. We had it for the Breeze and loved it! We are going on the Sunshine in October and got it again. We live in Florida and really like we can get off first so we can get home and get ready for the week of work. I didn't think RCCL had it, but wanted to check. It's no big deal. It will be a great vacation!

Does Royal Caribbean have anything similar to Faster to the Fun that Carnival has?

Thanks for your replies!

We had an AFT balcony (7465) on the Breeze last October. I heard great things about them but found out it is not for us. It was very hot. I stepped out there with bare feet and burnt them. :( There is not much cover at all so we didn't spend a lot of time out there. I also didn't like that there isn't much privacy since the walls between the balconies are angled. As far as noise, I didn't notice that is was any different from a regular balcony. I also did not notice any sewage smell.

Hope you enjoy it!

The cruise we've just returned from was Voyager of the Seas and itinerary included Hobart. Cruise before that was on the Solstice.

 

For me SOLSTICE WINS HANDS DOWN! And maybe the reason we didn't enjoy Voyager so much was that ship really came up short (in all ways) after being on Solstice.

 

The Voyager seemed to have much older passengers on board even though the ship is geared for a young crowd with ice skating, in-line skating, rock wall climbing, basket ball courts, mini golf etc available.

 

Hobart is a lovely city and we enjoyed our stop here very much. One of the most interesting tours for overseas folks in Hobart is to visit Bonorong Zoo - you get to hold a koala :D Or there are many winery tours in the region of Richmond. Richmond is a very beautiful heritage town on a river - gorgeous.

Of course there is also Port Arthur - a convict settlement - fascinating. And the city of Hobart is definitely worth exploring.

Wow! If I get to hold a Koala, that is reason enough to go to Hobart! I saw that shore excursion to the Zoo and it looked like a place I would like to go. I would love to do a winery too. I think I am convinced that Hobart is definitely a stop we want to make.

In regards to flying, I would love to stop in Hawaii on the way over. We got married there when we were in the military. Loved it! But we will have to see if time allow.

Thanks again to everyone for your input! It is always great to hear other people's experiences.

Thanks for your input!

We won't have any children. We will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. It sounds like the Solstice may be the best choice. I will do some research on Hobart as well as the other ports. I am looking forward to it but not the flight. :)