ham_bone

Cortrans was great.

Clean, On time & friendly.

Would Recommend!

just confirmed & pre paid for Cortrans...

I'll post review after next week.

yes they require a vest but they gave me one to use when I brought my own gear. I snorkeled off their beaches and saw a LOT. one area had a ton of rays, another had a reef and a small airplane sunk to bottom & that area was full of fish (even some sharks). I'm going next week and am excited to snorkel there again

We used them in February from our hotel to the port and from the port back to MCO. We were happy with their service and would use them again. :)

great! good to hear. hopefully they respond soon.

THANKS!

 

Then I'll be taking Cortrans shuttle from port to MCO when we return. It's $20/pp one way. They had 3 great reviews on TripAdvisor so hopefully it goes well as I've never used them. :confused:

How was CORTRANS?? I just submitted a reservation from portC to MCO with them online and am waiting for a response. Its more than a car rental but I dont feel like dealing with the desks.

Are those stars on the rings or asterisks? :p

HA! thats great! made me laugh, but....

just had a customer tell me their kid rang up a $600 bill on their last cruise!

I use verizon & am going eastern carib on freedomOTS next week with the wife & 2 teenagers! I am leaning towards confiscating their phones when we are on the ship and just letting them have them for the islands, IF THAT ISNT TOO $$$$

Whenever I have cruised during the football season we have been able to watch the nationally televised games. They were on in different locations but our favorite spot on the Freedom was the on air club on deck 3. We hit the windjammer and promenade for snacks and brought em all in for the game. they even had a waiter come in to keep the drinks flowing! I think watching the night games from the pool deck would be awesome tho!

Go PATS! #deflatethis

 

Just as well for me as I'm not a big shopper, but DW, DD20, and DD17 had to make due with the limited stores that are at the pier. Not to worry though...they were able to find their Alex and Ani St. Maarten bracelets. :D

 

Thanks again for the info!

I am up in the air on the tour. we really want to see maho and wouldnt mind seeing some sights, but have NO interest in straw markets. Cant decide what to do (next WEEK!)

wife wants to know: Where is the shop that has the Alex&Ani bracelets & are they the exclusive ones??

we were only in marigot for about 30 min, the rest of the time we were either at the beach, seeing some of the beautiful sites or at maho to see the planes. We are not shoppers so i would have never taken this tour so many times if it was a shopping tour.....lol

 

bernard and his guys know when the big planes come in so we have always been there for air france, which is one of the big girls. And sometimes the traffic is a bear, so we were always glad to not have to worry about getting back to the ship.

 

Not trying to sway you one way or the other, just wanted you to know our tours have not been about shoppinh....:d

 

i hope you and your family have a wonderful trip!!

thanks!!!

Loved this......I hope he is on freedom in August! Saw Paul McCartney do this live in Liverpool a few weeks ago.....only singing it though!

in LIVERPOOL! ive seen him at fenway & the boston garden and he was amazing both times but I would trade both to see him in Liverpool.. Such a great performer even at this age.

Thanks for the BOOZE update! I never thought this would be a huge concern but it def has become one. I have never had a bar bill under $400 and thats even with making friends with some bartenders that hooked us up during the day and if we saw them staffing shows. One server (wont name him) saw me on day1 of a trip over a year since seeing him on a different ship & called me out by name from across the deck. I guess i have a problem, but I hope to see the doctor again.

I would book a tour with Bernard Tours. You will get your beach time at Orient, a little shopping time in the French capitol Marigot and then on to see the planes land at Maho. All for a very reasonable price and you will be back in plenty of time to do more shopping in Phillipsburg.

 

No driving for you, a very informative and interesting tour and for cheaper than you could taxi....sounds like a win-win to me....:D

 

We have been 4 times with Bernard now because it's so great!

 

I hope you have a wonderful trip !

Thanks! 9 days away for me!

what makes me nervous about bernards is a lot of people say they spent too much time shopping and didnt get to see jets, which is our priority (teenage boys & i'm very juvenile).

This thread has me as excited as I have been to go on this cruise in 9 days!

Glad to hear! I'm not normally a champagne drinker but mimosas (and bloody marys) will be flowing before lunch!

THANKS! this is great! going eastern on freedom with the wife & 2 teenage sons in less than 2 weeks and this is helpful! gonna forward them the links to the compasses.

we did late dining (always do), batman & robin in certain area? I HATE bad dinner service.

Hope you enjoyed your trip!

Drink package worth it for that itinerary? I have enough onboard credits for it but am waiting til day 2 or 3 to get it if i do.

thanks for the advice!

should I just talk to the reps on the ship and see about me & boys doing snorkel pkg and the wife just doing the beach??

stayed at the lago mar resort and really liked it there. great pool area and its on the beach. cab ride there was cheap and they transferred to port.

http://www.lagomar.com/

Sounds great and I think we are gonna go this route. we are a little nervous about going to a different island on our own. Theres a $40/pp tour they are offering I think will work & we def wanna do trunk bay so me & the boys can snorkel. Is this the one recommended?

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/shoreExcursions/product/detail/view.do?sourcePage=shorexByPort&ProductCode=STO3&DestinationCode=

Taking the FreedomOTS to St.Thomas in a few weeks and we want to check out St. John. I know some people just take the cab/ferry on thier own and I understand that process. This is a question about Royals offerings and the experiences people have had with them. I am travelling with my wife & our 2 boys (late teens).

So, Whats the scoop with Royals Excursions to St.John?

i hear ya there.

Check trip advisor for a tour company. I bet theres one that can arrange something for a fair price and youll get to see some beaches.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g150809-d2358819-Reviews-Tours_Plaza_Private_Day_Tours-Cozumel_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

maybe a van service from port will have one for the little one. we had a big van take us (group of 6) and they were running all day.

all of the servers were great but carlos was our main guy and made sure we were taken care of. we had 3 couples (guys drinking/girls lounging) and we gave him $90 as a group. we were there all day, ate lunch, snacks and drank like fish. GREAT DAY!!!

last time I was there they had placed some statues a little ways out that fish were living around. also made my way over to where the inflatable toys were anchored and there was some decent fish around them as well. No reef or anything like that tho. Water was crystal clear and calm when we were there and it was great for some 1st time snorkelers in our group and the gear was free.

take a short (minutes) cab to a all inclusive in cozumel. the beaches are great and the resorts/clubs have shade & facilities. Food is usually pretty good too. I am partial to Mr.Sanchos, good drinks, food, plenty of umbrellas by the pool or the beach and great atmosphere.