Dirkgun

Is that charge once per day or every time you go in and eat there?

Please help with tour operators... We have never been to La Romana before. My group wants to go to Monkey Land and The Cave of Wonders. Is that possible to do in a day? Who are some good tour guides there? Thanks for any help you can offer.

Thanks to everyone.... this info is fantastic. I really appreciate it.

Bay of Islands is a delightful part of the world. If the poster s wife and mother want to do their own thing I agree with the above. Shuttle to Paihia, ferry over to Russel and on the way back if enough time , the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi.

If they want a tour , my suggestion is to book a ships tour as it will be easier with the tendering ashore. They offer boat trips , but one of the tours you could look at is the trip inland to see the glow worm caves . This is sometimes combined with a trip to the giant Kauri trees, depending on time. A trip inland will give a good idea if the NZ countryside.

Yes I had thought of the tender process as well. I have seen reviews of the glow worm caves that seem different than the ship excursions talk about.... for instance one site had a little boat tour through a river in a glow worm cave. I don't know if it is the same cave or what? Their tour guide for the rest of the trip has told them to not use the independent guides... only to use the ship excursions??? I usually never use ship excursions.

We have been there twice. The first time we booked an excursion to the Waitangi Treaty area and it was an interesting time, but then we found out we could have done it on our own cheaper. The second time we walked to Paihia (there is also a shuttle to take you there) and it took us about 20 minutes and was a nice walk. Once in Paihia we walked around the small town for awhile and there was a market on at the time. Then we took the ferry over to Russell for a few hours of leisurely walking around to see the shops and there was a small museum there as well.

That is what we were wondering... if the cruise excursions are the way to go or can you do it easily on your own. They are going with a group tour but this port for some reason they do not have anything planned.

We were there in January. Bif Islands is a tender port. When you get there, you can take a ferry across to Russell. The area is unspoilt. There is also the Waitangi Treaty House in the area, but you just catch a bus there. Hamburger at Paiheai was superb!

 

Don't remember feeling like I needed to seek out a paid excursion.

Thanks for the help. That might be what they do???

What is there to do at Bay of Islands. My wife and her mother are cruising there and are wondering what to do. Any suggestions?

 

 

We were pulling up to this little village. I looked around and didn't see a beach. Could I have been wrong about where we are going or it was the place they drop you off at and you walk to the beach? Or maybe shuttle there? I noticed some smoke coming from there.

 

 

 

 

I believe they said this was the sulfer coming from the volcanos? Can anyone confirm it's located right there in that little village? I thought it was weird, but you could definitely smell it.

 

 

 

 

We pulled up to the dock and everyone was getting out. Everyone except us I guess. He told us we were going on to the beach. We were the ONLY ones that didn't take the tour everyone else was doing. At that point I had regrets. I had ask the hubby which tour he wanted to do. Just the beach or the tour to the volcanos and mud bath. I personally thought the mud bath would be so awesome to do and would make for some great pictures (and everyone knows when I go some place, I have taking pictures on my mind). But he said "no way" and I only booked the beach portion. Now I regretted listening to him. I mean he leaves things up to me and is always just along for the ride. He usually never knows what we are doing or where we are going. I should have just booked and not worried about it. He would have went anyhow. But I didn't. Had I known for sure that Kendra was coming on the cruise with us, I would have booked the mud bath tour for sure! We would have had so much fun with that! Next time!!!

 

Off we went on a boat with just the 5 of us.

 

 

 

 

 

Yes that village "Soufriere" is the place where the vans used to meet a boat at the dock there when Spencer Ambrose did a land tour portion (a year or so ago they quit that) then you would get on the water taxi and go around the Piton to the beach in between. Yes the Drive through Volcano is just up the road from that little town, as are the Mud Baths (since the two are next to each other) they also take you to a very pretty waterfall where you can get in the cool water. Worth the trip next time you are there. We did the mud baths the last time we were there (in 2015) with Spencer Ambrose. He is a great guide/guy. You can definitely smell the sulfur... which is actually a good thing. When you can't smell it the volcano is getting ready to erupt :eek::eek: Your review is bringing back so many great memories.

Great pics of the snorkeling and fish. Very impressive with all the names. I love snorkeling... it just puts you in another world, so peaceful to just float and watch for their lives to happen. Again thanks for sharing.

Definitely a novel with me. LOL Woo Hoo on finally going to LFK. I hope you enjoy it.

 

 

 

 

You seriously suck! (Just kidding). See, that's the experience I wanted...AND you captured it on film. Lucky dog you!

 

Honestly the best way to describe what we seen is...the glitter globes you get and shake them and the glitter twirls around (like snowglobes). That's pretty much what it reminded me of...but very very light and dense. Like a globe that had been sitting around for years, in the direct sunlight, which had faded.

 

I'm going to try this again some time. I'm going to have to research it. See if the other place is supposed to be brighter. I will correspond my dates with the "best" moon time to go. I will get the experience I'm looking for! DETERMINATION!

Yeah we made sure we had no or almost no moon when we went. The other thing we did was to be the first excursion in on that night.... they have usually at least 2 sometimes three per night and we did still chase the glow. The guides wait to find it and then try to keep you in it for a while. The Kayaking is a fun experience and you are closer but... it is hard on the relationship. :eek: At least for the duration of the trip into and out of the bay. So worth it IMHO

Oh I almost forgot...I got a video (the video is not the point, the sound is) of these tree frogs and their extremely LOUD sound. The area inside the part of the hotel we were located in (which formed a square) was loaded with these things. They actually made for a good "white noise" when we went to bed. They put me to sleep. Did I mention how loud they were? LOL

 

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That is such a great video and audio of the Coqui frogs. I have that sound as my ringtone on my phone. We went up to the entrance to El Yunque late one evening when staying in Fajardo and recorded the sounds. It brings me back to Puerto Rico everytime my phone rings.

Ok all caught up. Lovin the review. I was laughing at your story of the Kayaks and how you did not want to try to do them. I was thinking you saw us on our first time in the Bio Bay... we did kayaks in 2012 (the crazy paddle by paddle story in that review) In 2015 we chose to do the same boat vendor as you. Here is the pics we got of the glow with my DSLR.

Now I thought that I read to sit on the left side of the plane to see the forts when coming in. But maybe I was wrong. I did not see any forts but was able to catch the beaches and hotels and I'm sure where we would be staying that last day of our "mini-land" vacation was somewhere in that mixture below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I spotted a ship!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She was a biggen (or is it biggin? as said in my hillbilly voice). It had to be either the Allure or Oasis. Do they sail there?

 

 

 

Just getting started on your review... thank you very well done. I love this itinerary we have done it multiple times as seen in my signature. Your comment about not seeing any forts when you flew in.... if you look in the upper left quadrant of your picture right under where you say I spotted a ship!!!. That is El Morro the big fort. your plane just took a wider approach I am sure for runway assigment. Great pics and love your style so far. Will be catching up and subscribing. THanks for taking the time to do the review.

I posted there as well. Just hoping someone might know that had been on this ship. There was a lot of posts from people on the pride of america.

Thanks for this post..... I was wondering if anyone out there has any recent experience with the POA and their excursion desk. When we sailed her before in 2013 we bought a package where you paid a price and were able to choose between a few different excursions in each port. It was a pretty good deal and could pick up to 2 or 3 I think. I just can't find any info on it now. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Hi there, the last time we cruised the POA we bought a excursion package where you paid one price and got to choose from 3 or 4 excursions in each port. I can't find any info on it currently. Any help from people that have been on recently would be awesome.

Do you have any suggestions on a place near Bio bay? (Like where you might have stayed at and enjoyed). I was also thinking about staying close to there and then moving the next night to a different location closer to the cruise port.

 

We stayed in some condos right by the marina the property # is 188281 on homeaway in Fajardo I think it was called Pena Mar Ocean Club Condos. On the map that JkirkN posted it is just south of the biobay by the Playa Sardinera..... maybe 5 minutes away.

 

Good to know that you find renting a car easy as well. This is putting my mind to ease a little more. If I remember correctly (and I'm not always paying attention when we're in a cab because I'm too busy taking tons of pictures, you drive on the right hand side right?

 

Yes in Puero Rico they drive on the right side of the and the left side of the car just like in the USA ( since it is a US Territory).

 

Good to know they have the signs in English as well. I would definitely have to use my GPS on the phone. I wonder if there are extra roaming charges for using my phone there (Verizon). I'm going to have to make several calls prior to going to find out. LOL :D

Yes every cell service I know of will treat Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands as you are in the US. Our phones were just like home every time we were there. Call Verizon to make sure but...... should be.

Hi, I'm just tuning in (thanks to pghsteelerfan directing me here) and loving the review. I have been trying to get some information about SJ because it will be our first time leaving from this port.

 

We were thinking about finding a place in Luquillo for the simple fact that it's closer to the bio bay and we want to do that...and of course because I hear that the beach there is a do-not-miss beach. :D

 

How did you find the condo you stayed in? Was it on the air(bnb) site that you found it? Would you recommend it? It seems like you were a little disappointed in the size of it. We are a family of 3 (2 adults and a small child), so the size might not be a big issue to us (especially since most of the time we squeeze ourselves into an interior room on the ships to save $$). :p Or, if you know of any other hotels around that area, can you suggest them?

 

How did you manage to get around (in the car)? Did you use a gps, like on your phone, or something? I have anxiety when driving too (also due to a car wreck) and being in unfamiliar places driving is just...well, not good. But I think if we stay this far away, we will probably NEED to have a rental versus using a taxi, which could cost quite a bit. :( I'm just worried about how we'll figure out how to get around. Especially if we do the bio bay and coming back at night in the dark. :eek:

 

I know you didn't get to do the bio bay, due to cancellation, but it sounds like you really did your research prior to going. How far of a drive do you think it would be from this property to the bio bay? How difficulty of a drive would you think it is? Main roads?

 

The car rental: you mentioned Charlies/ACE. Do you take a shuttle from the airport there? Like is it on site at the airport like most rental companies are? You also mentioned $40 a day (well, before the upgrade to a van), did you find any added charges on to that? We just rented a VERY small car in Florida, after getting off a cruise and had an entire day to waste before our flights left that night, and we rented for around $50 a day and by the time we dropped the car off that night, we ended up paying double AND they didn't even apply our deposit we had put down. :eek: I didn't discover it until after we arrived home, but knew something didn't sound right. They charged for everything imaginable and it was a sticker shock! So, just wondering about this place.

 

So when you drop the rental car back off, you go to that location and then how do you get to the port? Just grabbed a cab and paid the cost back?

 

Thanks in advance for any info you can help me with. I'm a little nervous about our first time doing this. :)

First off this has been a great review and has some really great pictures and equally great stories. Thanks again for taking the time to write it. Especially the last few pics of the Pinones area.

To Mitsugurly.... the sites like airbnb, homeaway, etc are great for finding condos or homes for rent anywhere. Our last trip there we stayed in a great condo in Fajardo real close to BioBay for a couple of days then went into Old San Juan the day before the cruise. Rental cars are very simple as well... as the OP says Charlies has some great reviews, we have always used the enterprise location in the Hilton in Condado. They won't pick you up at the airport but taking a cab there and then coming back to the airport is more than made up for in the cheaper prices than the airport rates. Also they will take you to the cruise port when you turn the car in. Driving in Puerto Rico is pretty easy just realize most signs are in Spanish and English. GPS really does save you also. We took our Garmin but my kids had their phones doing GPS and they all worked great. Hope you have a great cruise.

I would tell you to sail out of San Juan.... it is the best itinerary in the fleet right now. While I have not been on the Fascination, I have been on an older ship that is similar (the Paradise) and I think it is fine. However the southern route out of San Juan is the star of the show not the ship. I have 3 reviews of that cruise in my signature (2 on the Victory and one on the Valor) Puerto Rico is a great place and sailing out of there is a fantastic experience. We come there from Utah so while not quite as far as you still not close to the port. Wherever you decide have a great cruise.

I am so excited about reading your review. I've read a few of your other reviews and totally enjoyed them. Looks like you and the family had a wonderful time, thanks for taking us along on your trip.

Thanks for your comments and for reading my other reviews. We did have a great time. This is my favorite cruise itinerary and vacation place of all time. We just love it in Puerto Rico and the Southern Caribbean. In fact we wish we were there now... and out of the Utah Winter cold. :eek::)

Dirkgun - Isn't it time you took another well-deserved cruise? Your review was so awesome that we'd love to have another one soon.:)

Maybe you can create a "Go Fund Me Page" for your trip (ha-ha)

Thank you that is so very nice of you. I would also love to have another one in the chamber as it were. lol. If I thought a "Go Fund Me Page" was an option I would be all over it. :eek::D:rolleyes: Be sure to have a great time on you next one and be sure to write a review. They are very fun to write so you can relive your experiences.

Thanks for the review and including the contact info for the taxi drivers in Barbados and San Juan. I am off on the Liberty in 5 days. I did the same itinerary on the Victory 5 years ago. I enjoyed your review !

You are entirely welcome. I include names of those who really do a good job in case anyone needs to contact someone. I really hope you have a great time. Would love to read a review from you when you get back. :D

You can tell this is a well-written comprehensive review when its still active almost a year later! Thanks for all the info. I will be going on a Carnival cruise (Conquest) that will stop in Puerto Rico, also St Kitts, and St Maarten. This will be our first Carnival cruise. I am really looking forward to the itinerary. Not sailing out of San Juan, but still getting a taste.I enjoyed reading about your trip and all the info you shared. Thank you for the time you put into it!

PS, you sailed on this cruise the same time we did our last. It was for our 25th Wedding Anniversary!

Thank you so much for the nice words. I really like writing reviews for a couple reasons..... 1. it means I got to go on another cruise. 2. It is a great way to relive the trip at a later time. Enjoy your time in the Caribbean you will love those Islands. SAN Juan is a magical place try to make sure to really explore the city it is a must see.

Great review. This is by far the best itinerary in the cruise industry. Thank you for sharing. Loving the pictures and writing so far. I have not been on CC for too long then I found your review today. Really makes me miss our trips there. Thanks again for taking the time to write a good review.

Hi,

 

Do you remember the name of ferry company? I read somewhere that there are 3 companies operating the route. The ferry you took looked really in good shape.

 

Thx!

Oops.... see above post. Somehow I quoted the wrong post in my answer.

Thanks for the quick reply. Taxi it is! Can't wait for this cruise, as it will be the sixth for DW and I, and the first for my SIL and BIL.

The company we used was the only ferry going out of Red Hook Bay. I know there is other ferry places like in Charlotte Amalie.... We just took the taxi to Red Hook and got on the ferry there. It was a very simple process. Sorry I did not see your question until today. I hope it helps.