dioxide45

The only important thing is that you sign it.

I think it all depends on how much the tour is guided. If it is a boat ride to a beach with no real tour, the tip will be minimal. Perhaps just a buck or two per person to the boat crew. With a guided tour we will tip more for a full day tour vs a half day tour. In the case of a guide with a separate driver, we will tip the driver about half of what we tip the guide. I don't know why, but it is what we do.

Thanks. Look forward to the other details. I know how frustrating it is to get a big long response typed up and lose it all. Even worse when working on a Word or Excel document at work and forget to hit save and something drastic happens.

 

I hadn't thought of going a completely DIY St John excursion. The ferry trip from Charlotte Amalie to Cruz Bay is a long one where from Red Hook it looks like it is only 20 minutes. How long is the bus ride from the cruise terminal to Red Hook? Looks like the ferry toll is $14pp round trip. So a pure DIY could save $19pp (taking your bus fare in to consideration) over Xs Self Explore St John excursion. Not sure it is worth the extra trouble?

Okay. I looked in to this a little more. It seems the trip from Charlotte Amalie to Redhook is at least 30 to 45 minutes. So there really wouldn't be any time benefit to take the Redhook ferry. Though the Redhook ferry runs more often, so one could return earlier if they wanted to vs the Charlotte Amalie ferry. It looks like the main benefit is cost. Though could traffic problems from Redhook be a problem if running late back to the port. Where the ferry in to Charlotte Amalie pretty much drops you off close to the port?

Yes, for only $35 you could get an X excursion for DIY in St. John. It was using the Charlotte Amalie 45 min. ferry rather than Red Hook one. In the end I just got up that morning, decided to go to St. John on my own, and ventured out to find the local $2 bus and Red Hook ferry.

Thanks. Look forward to the other details. I know how frustrating it is to get a big long response typed up and lose it all. Even worse when working on a Word or Excel document at work and forget to hit save and something drastic happens.

I hadn't thought of going a completely DIY St John excursion. The ferry trip from Charlotte Amalie to Cruz Bay is a long one where from Red Hook it looks like it is only 20 minutes. How long is the bus ride from the cruise terminal to Red Hook? Looks like the ferry toll is $14pp round trip. So a pure DIY could save $19pp (taking your bus fare in to consideration) over Xs Self Explore St John excursion. Not sure it is worth the extra trouble?

We played independent in st. Croix and rented a car from avis. Most roads pretty good but obviously not for everyone. Tried to find a lighthouse up north but failed. Drove to christiansted which is beautiful with its mustard yellow bldgs and nice waterfront and boardwalk. Can go snorkel at buck island on big beard if interested. Can also find web cam and call your friends to watch you. Saw seaplane come in. Saw but didn't go in fort. Then went to botanical gardens which is sugar mill ruins in addition to gardens. Saw sugar mill ruins around area so decided to pass on Whim Plantation. Passed on pigs and beaches. St. Croix was civilized and nice. Nothing truly spectactular from sightseeing standpoint but very enjoyable place. Car rental was easy as place was close to where you get off ship. You DO however have to drive on left and many roads are small. If want simple beach one is walkable from pier though it is very, very basic. There is 2 person sun bug rental for $49 for 2 hrs. that looked different.

Thanks for posting about your cruise. We are on the same itinerary in November as part of a B2B. We have a car rental reserved in St Croix, though through Budget. Any tips for renting a car in St Croix? I knew about driving on the left and all. What are road conditions like other than just being small? We think a car rental will give us more time to explore and give us more freedom than a planned excursion would.

We also have a Jeep rented in St Thomas for the second cruise of our B2B. First time around we are doing the Self Explore St John. When we went on Freedom of the Seas, we did a shopping tour to St John and then skipped the guided shopping part and hopped on a taxi for Trunk Bay. Hoping to get there again and perhaps also Cinnamon Bay too.

It seems the cruise lines have caught on to this and started offering an excursion to get you to St John and set you free. Just need to get back to the ferry in time for the return trip.

The only reason they would ban this is if it cut in to their bottom line and people bought fewer photos from Celebrity. I don't see them prohibiting photos in the dining room. Haven't sailed on Celebrity yet, but on the other lines I have yet to see anyone obnoxious about taking photos. The worst is the cruise lines themselves.

As for the chef in the article. I don't understand why other people think it is their duty to tell people that they need to "disconnect". Perhaps they do, but they are your customer at your restaurant. Want them to come back, then keep them happy and mind your own business.

I am pretty sure that they change. The cruise lines offer these types of entertainers either discounted or free cruises for their work. They probably have some that come back again and again though.

We are also looking in to a car rental for our November cruise. Looks like Avis and Budget are within walking distance. Not sure about the driving on the left, as in all our travels we have still never done that. Always done excursions in St Thomas and used cabs in St John.

I wonder if anyone actually purchases anything out of that cooler?

 

We always ask for the stuffed to be removed and they put it in a basket under the bed. Would hate to taste one of those beers that been cycled many times form the heat to the cool.

 

They should just eliminate the whole thing and stock it upon request with what someone actually wants.

My guess is that a lot more people use it than you think. Sure it is expensive, but people go for the convenience. There is very little cost to maintain it and stock it so even if they just sell one or two items a week in one out of every four cabins, they are making plenty of money across all their staterooms and ships.

If they were empty and one had to request the cooler be filled, sales of minibar would plummet as people are more likely to take something if it is there. If it isn't there and they have to ask for it to be stocked, a very tiny percentage of people will do so.

Fridge is too strong a word. They are coolers. What you put in at room temp will not get much cooler. You'll have to off load the mini bar items inside. Just tell your steward and he'll remove them, or suggest you put them under the bed in a bag.

Not sure if this is wise, don't they count the items every day and add the charges to your room bill? Best to avoid any issues and just ask the room steward to have it cleared.

Thanks:)

USA Transfers is who we always use in Cancun.

For the OP, you may be best to post some of the photos that were on the flash drive to a site like Redit. The more exposure you can get with this increases the chances you will find the owner.

I wouldn't't expect Celebrity to be proactive in any real way to track down the owners of these kinds of things. They probably hold them for the 60 days and then either destroy them or put them in to boxes and auction them off along with luggage that goes unclaimed.

They probably only worry about checking lost and found when someone calls to say they left something behind.

I would be much happier for a proactive guest to take this type of item with them and track down the owner instead of relying on Celebrity to get it to me. Of course there is also the chance that a dishonest guest will just keep the item for themselves.

While you may be out the $24.99, you may be able to still use the $200 toward a future cruise if you book with the same TA. Call your TA to confirm. We cancelled with a travel agent (perhaps the same one as you since the fees were identical), and they indicated that the $100 per cruise could be put toward a future cruise if we booked it within a year of cancellation.

We too pre-book the transfer company and all transfer companies will tell you to walk outdoors and look for their color shirt. getting outdoors through the sliding doors is the key. Once you're at the bar on the right you're safe! :p

Also, when you do get outside the doors, it can be overwhelming. Not only is your transfer company waiting out there, so is everyone else's. And there are literally dozens of them. Signs everywhere.

I say tip in peso. Then the person you are tipping doesn't need to be concerned about converting your US$$ to peso. There are also certain regulations on converting US$$ to pesos in Mexico, so make it easier on them and tip in peso.

The key to getting through the Cancun airport unscathed is to pre-book airport transfers. Then when you come out of customs, keep your eye on the target and talk to no one until you get outside to where you meet your transfer service. You will be approached, accosted and asked 100 or more times if you need a ride. Politely say no and continue on your way.

Hi Cruise Junky,

 

Assuming both guests desire the upgrade, I certainly would advise guests to make the purchase in advance. IMO, it's a no brainer. With that said, there are a handful of situations where it becomes tricky (i.e. when only 1 guest desires the upgrade). At that point, it becomes a personal choice.

I would think if even one person plans to upgrade, it makes sense for both to do it anyway in advance.

For only one person to upgrade on board, it would cost $35 more for a seven night cruise. You can pay only $70 extra ahead of time to upgrade both guests. Your only saving $35 by waiting to upgrade a single person on board. I guess $35 is $35, but if it were me, I wouldn't bother to wait and upgrade only one person on board. There is also a chance the price could go up before sailing also.

The problem is that the reps and TS's get a commission for every insurance policy they sell. So for them trying to make it as appealing as possible to get people to pick it up is in their best interest.

If they tell someone it is better to pay it at the time of deposit, then the person might outright decline it. If they say you don't have to pay the premium until final payment, people may be more likely to pick it up.

It is also important to note that the insurance is underwritten by a separate company, not RCCL. So as far as they are concerned, until they are paid, you are not covered.

We always pick up third party insurance as it seems more comprehensive than the cruise line policies for pretty much the same price.

Want that rental car cost alot if you are leaving at the port while you are not using it while you are on the cruise? I haven't rented many cars but that seems expensive.

We will be in West Palm Beach the week before the cruise. The cost to park at the terminal will be $105. We have a free room at the Four Points Cocoa Beach the night before on Starwood points. The rental will cost about $100 more to keep is the extra week. With the hassle of trading it in, getting transportation, getting another after disembarking, we figured it was easiest just to pay the extra costs to keep it the whole time and park it. Staying at the Country Inn & Suites was about $150 for a night and parking the car there, so it made the decision easier. An extra $50 in the grand scheme of things with all the bucks we will be dropping for FOS is nothing.

Ok stupid question- are you leaving a rentl car there that you had precruise or do you mean that you have a rental car reserved to pick up after the cruise?

It will be a rental car parked at the terminal lot that we parked there precruise.

Also- what are your thoughts on catching an 11am flight out of MCO (Orlando)?

 

Thanks!

We are in a similar situation. We are looking to sail in June, booked a 12pm flight out of MCO. We will have a rental car parked at the port. I figure 45 minutes to an hour to the airport and we like to arrive two hours prior to our flights. Is it possible to be off the ship by 9:00 am?