Spike2000

I know...It's a real bummer. 

On 7/29/2022 at 11:33 AM, ORV said:

I'm more concerned about the daily deluge I get from all the political candidates 

Oh, for sure! 100% agree.

This just makes me sad. 

On 8/2/2022 at 2:02 AM, CruizinSusan70 said:

Bookings have not yet opened for summer of 2024 yet for the NCL Viva.  It will be doing 7 day San Juan RT sailings with zero sea days to Tortola, Antigua, St Lucia, Barbados, St Maarten, St Thomas.  At this point it's available from Dec 23 through March of 24.

The Viva will be the second Prima Class ship for NCL, after the debut later this month of the Prima.  Truly a game changer for NCL, similar to how the Excel Class is a game changer for Carnival.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl14X3RnBkY

 

WOW...That Viva looks SWEET! I'd really like to learn what the pricing will realistically look like on this ship...Not that this is really a family ship...annnnd the point that grabs me is the dates. (it's available from Dec 23 through March of 24) ...Love the itinerary but the dates kill any option for most families with kids still in school. - I suppose you could do a Christma$$$ trip on this...Couldn't even use this ship for a spring break trip in April. WISH they would run these in the summer!!

On 8/2/2022 at 9:38 AM, Joebucks said:

 

This cruise is a good example of why this thread was made. Not everyone can take a 14 day cruise. Especially when only 1 date is available.

 

I also very much miss the San Juan departures. I hit (San Juan,) St Kitts, St Thomas (St John), St Maarten, St Lucia, Barbados, and Antigua in 7 days for $400pp. That is unparalleled. While it is gone for now, nothing says that this is forever!

Not to mention, on that Itinerary, it's what a 12 day cruise and only 6 ports? I don't know, feels like too many at sea days to me. Just my opinion. Kinda bummed about this. 

30 minutes ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

I don't know, but there are some new, really nice southern Caribbean cruises from Baltimore - visiting St. Thomas, St. Kitt's, St. Maarten, Aruba, Curacao and Grand Turk on one cruise.

Really? Baltimore?  Will have to look into that...I hope that's the case 🙂 

11 minutes ago, Deathloks said:

We did the southern Caribbean cruise on the Valor in 2014.  We just loved Barbados and miss it very much.  In fact, I believe I have seen (last year and again recently) RC cruising from Barbados.

My last cruise the Freedom in 2019 was one based out of SJPR and we had a great time...Just wanted to let them see some of the other Islands this time.....I REALLY want them to see Dominica. My wife and I had a great time there last time we visited Dom...

12 minutes ago, cruisemiluv28 said:

This is so sad because the cruises leaving from PR have the better itinerary.  St.Lucia, Barbadoes, Antigua and St Marteen.  NCL is see is the only line doing that route but only during the winter.

Absolutely agree!! It's a bummer for famlies that cruise in the summer...

I love Dominica and would like to bring my kids and extended family to experience it next summer.  Are there any family friendly cruise lines that stop here next summer? (next June or July 23')  I cannot find ANY!!?? I have checked Carnival, RCCL, NCL, Celebrity and a couple others.  I have stopped here on past cruises based out of San Juan PR but there doesn't seem to be any of those next summer eiter...crazy!

Hello all,

Kind of out of the loop and wondering if you can enlighten me a bit on some of the changes I have noticed.  Looking into booking another family trip next summer and I feel like I have very limited options compared to trips that I have done in the past.

1) Why are there not any options to sail from San Juan PR next summer? Most of my best trips have been based out of San Juan(eliminates a ton of travel time).  Is there something going on with that port? If I remember correctly, I didn't think I noticed ANY ships leaving from SJ PR. 

2) It seems like some of my favorite islands are pretty much impossible (again, Looking in JUNE/JULY next summer) to get to now a days. Islands like Dominica/St.Lucia etc... What has changed? I love Tortola as well but all the liners seem to do nearly pointless stops there now-a-day. (...like leaving at 2pm kind of stops) 

I had a family member ask this to their 'Cruise Expert' Travel Agent and they just kinda avoided the question so I thought I would ask the real experts here!

Thank you 🙂 

On 4/28/2020 at 6:22 AM, xDisconnections said:

Ehh, that itinerary is tiresome and not the best. If it's allegedly on its way out per you, consider me happy to see a change of pace.

 

As for San Juan, you'll get a better ship as soon as Carnival is able to see increased occupancy levels that exceed forecasted demand combined with a higher ADR and RevPAR. Cruises out of San Juan have been deeply discounted in the past and you can expect that to continue. At one point, you had the Victory then two Conquest class ships (Valor/Liberty) and now back to Fantasy class. The occupancy levels don't warrant a newer ship as of yet. For those willing to pay a higher rate to have a more immersive experience, the Freedom of the Seas prior to Covid-19 has done a fantastic job in capturing that market segment.  For San Juan, you have options if the Fantasy class ship is not able to meet your accommodations.

I wonder what happened to the Destiny class ships (like 101k tons I think)?  I sailed on the Destiny years ago from San Juan and it was a blast. I thought it was a nice ship at the time and certainly nicer than the Fascination. It looks like the Destiny may be gone at the point. (and I believe it was built after the Fascination??)...I may have to look that up. In regards to why we love that itinerary...It's because my family loves to snorkel and/or SCUBA dive.  Every stop on that itinerary has excellent (some world class) reefs that are easily accessible. 

Wow...I am the OP...this has been a busy thread today! (ha) I was simply looking for vacation options for my family and wanted to share my thoughts on why I won't been looking at CCL at the present time. Hopefully they won't limit port stops even more! I personally enjoy 4+ (good) stops on a 7 night cruise. ...and call me old school but I want to be able to truly enjoy what the islands naturally have to offer.

For example, I imagine that there are quite a few visitors to Roatan that don't realize they have world class reefs that you can reach via snorkeling.  They don't realize it because CCL doesn't want passengers to even leave their port area.(I have been to Roatan twice and it’s obvious) Similar to the private island stops, I am tired of feeling like this a captive money grab situation. I had to chuckle today when I noticed an 8 day RCCL run with TWO of their private islands in the itinerary. I know that CCL isn’t going to change anything on my account (haha). I can tell you that from my experience, I have had better itinerary’s in the past. I will continue to look for what we enjoy and hopefully we will find the right match. My whining is not limited to CCL, all of the lines are playing the same game. 😊

Yup...Because if they ever want to see us cruise again, we have to see value. Unfortunately, they don't offer that itinerary in the summer where we can utilize it. We have 3 kids.

BTW...Don't beat me up because the cruise lines try to maximize profits in sending people to 3 ports (in many cases) on a 7-night cruise. (including their private islands etc) I am wanting to book another cruise for my family however many of the itins that we see…well suck. If it doesn't change, no biggie...we rent beach homes all the time. I posted this in case reps from CCL actually care what is going to prompt families to embrace cruising when this mess is over. 

We miss the W. Caribbean itinerary out of Miami that visited Cozumel, Belize, Roatan & Grand Cayman. Please consider bringing that one back.  We honestly feel many of the 7-night itineraries are quite lame now-a-days. (Nassau stops are tired)  Step up your game CCL so you can get this industry rolling again.  Also, please get a decent ship ported in San Juan…We are not feeling the Fantasy Class ships anymore. 

How does this compare with the "same" tours that you book that day at the port? (Price wise?) In other words, is anyone getting this tour via bus or other for say $35 pp? Just wanted to see if the 50pp is standard rate for this common route. 

6 hours ago, Super Curly said:

Thanks for the advice! That was the most beautiful beach we visited and the snorkel trip was very easy. We could have done it from the shore but then we wouldn't have been able to enter the water via the slide off the top of the boat!

I agree... I did exactly what you're talking about last time I was there with my wife.  I planned to just snorkel from shore.  Since I didn't know where the turtles were, I ended up paying 20pp for a boat to run us out there (for turtles & wreck).  When we were finished, I wanted to just buy a quick beer and then grab a taxi back to the ship.  Unfortunately, The Boatyard wouldn't sell me a drink or let me stand there and grab a taxi. (live and learn)  This time, I just plan to pay the 25 bucks pp @ Boatyard and have the turtle trip included (with all the amenities).  Seems like a win-win overall if you plan to hang at the beach after snorkeling.  

22 hours ago, matj2000 said:

Cruise ship Lobster = Amateur 

 

You can purchase better ones at the grocery store for $4.99

 

 

I won't turn them away... 🙂 

Yeah, we did a stingray tour that also had a lunch stop at Rum Point...Excellent excursion & Rum Point was really nice...

Looking at http://www.roseandjimstaxi.com/ourtours.htm (island tour w/ Cockleshell for ~50 pp)

How does this compare with the "same" tours that you book that day at the port?

I did a tour like this the last time I was in St. Kitts but It would be nice to book it and get it out of the way.  We stopped and saw the rock cliff/ledge, went to the gardens I believe and unfortunately was rained out on the way to the beach. Doing this with my 3 kids this time...

Would you have a specific tour that you would recommend so I can book and pay for it now?  

On 5/22/2019 at 12:30 AM, patcacmt said:

That’s great news. I took a Bernard’s tour to Orient and Maho the last time I had a port stop there. He runs a great tour company. 

I think (if I read correctly) that on Bernard's site only refers to rum punch ...does he offer beer as well?.......................scratch this question...just re-read that they do offer beer. (I assumed he did)

On 3/23/2019 at 9:08 PM, sbcatcher1 said:

I am considering canceling my RC excursion and booking with. Bernard’s. 

 

I just now booked Bernard's (for my family of 5) for our June stop. Allows me to sit back and have a few drinks on the rides. It's well worth not having to deal with setting up a taxi later. (At least I hope it's worth it!)

thanks...my wife also reminded me about minivans...I don't know why I didn't think of that!? (duh) haha

dang...yeah, I remember reading that a few days ago...Sorry! but thank you for reposing the info. 

1st time in Antigua for me.  From what I gather, Long Bay has some pretty decent snorkeling however it's on the other side of the island (from the port) and sounds like it can get rough there.  It is probably my top pic from what I have read thus far. 

Are there any other good options(for decent coral heads and sea life...not just sand)? We have our own gear and will be happy to go anywhere you recommend. 

Thank you!