CocoCandy

Thank you for your review! I am sailing Breeze next month for the 1st time and am very excited!

It cost $4 per person in a van taxi from the port to the public beach (Seagrapes ) and there is no entrance fee.

Seagrapes beach has little open sided covered houses with benches that are first come, first serve for free use.

If you go to Calico Jack's Beach Bar ( right on the water next to Seagrapes public beach ), then you can buy a soda, water, or other fun beverage and that gives you access to using their showers, bathrooms, and use of their picnic tables under a sun cover right on the beach.

Hi,

I used to live on the island and there isn't really any walkable beach from the port. As the other poster mentioned, it is too hot to walk the mile and 1/2 or 2 miles comfortably.

You can pick up the city bus van on the side of the road by flagging them down. It is about $2 or $3 one way to the public beach ( seagrapes- no entrance fee) via the bus or $4 per person in a van taxi.

There is a place to snorkel and eat lunch that is walkable from the port ( 5 mins or so) called Eden Rock Paradise Restaurant. You literally walk down stone steps off the restaurant patio into the water, but there is no beach.

I sailed on my birthday this year. Actually, my birthday happen to fall on sailing day. The rep at the check in counter at the port commented on it when checking my ID and wished me a happy birthday.

When it was dinner time, I was presented a lovely cake by the wait staff who came out singing happy birthday. I asked my family if they paid for a cake and they said no and then we checked our sail and sign account and there was no charge for the cake.

I think it was the very nice man who checked us in at the port that may have had something to do with it. Either way, it was a lovely way to end my birthday and the cake was delicious!

I was on the Glory in April and really enjoyed the ship!

There is a jazzy type musical duo called " Bilateral" on that ship that consists of an guitarist and a female singer. Their music is wonderful and they play everything from Santana's " Black Magic Woman" to " Waves ( Robin Shultz Remix)" by Mr. Probz. I loved pulling up a chair with a drink and just listening to them :)

Here is a clip of "Bilateral" that I found on YouTube on another ship:

My family also enjoyed the Latin trio and their music.

Off the beaten path with no pool is Rum Point as other posters have mentioned before me. It is a little far to go, but definitely worth it. They have a fantastic bar and a lovely beach with free loungers and water toys available to rent.

It is not off the beaten path and doesn't have a pool... but Calico Jack's is right on Seven Mile Beach next to the public beach ( Seagrapes). It has a great open air bar right on the beach with adjoining picnic tables under shade and free showers. It is a very popular place for the international med students crowd studying on GCM and hospitality expats living on the island to go hang out at. They also throw a fabulous " Full Moon" party each time the moon is full lol that is not to be missed if staying on the island!

We stayed in Lido deck cabin on the Glory in April and loved it. It really spoiled us because it is so convenient to everything. Our cabin was very close to the elevator and stairs and never heard any noises that bothered us.

Next month, we are on the Breeze and will be in another Lido deck cabin close to their stairs and elevator. I will let you know how it is!

My 10 year old is a Ovo-Lacto-Pescatarian (he eats eggs, dairy and fish). He HATES Indian food (I love it). He's fine on cruises, he has pastas, pizzas, veggie omelettes, seafood dishes and so on. And he adores the Mongolian Wok noodle bowls!!! If your daughter is strict Veggie, she can have all those, minus the fish. It's harder for Vegans, but still very doable.

I forgot about Mongolian Wok for lunch! So delicious and lots of choices for vegetarians and non vegetarians alike :)

Has anyone gotten a great deal 2 or so weeks out? Just wondering if it's even possible?? Family reunion plans cancelled and now I'm stuck trying to find a family vacay for the first week in August[emoji20]

I have gotten fantastic deals on the Ecstasy this past March and again in April both through the Carnival website.

The March trip was booked about 4 to 5 days before sailing and the April trip was booked about 2 days prior to sailing.

I live in the Fort Lauderdale/ Miami area though, so I didn't have to coordinate any air travel to get to the port.

I spent a year living in St. Kitts and enjoyed some wonderful days at Reggae Beach Bar. The view of Nevis is spectacular. I tend to prefer the Caribbean side vs. the Atlantic side.

It is much further away from the port, so I am not sure about transport there as I had my own car.

If you decide to visit the Frigate Bay Strip/ Timothy Beach area, then I highly suggest you either get Cathy's bbq chicken and ribs with a side of rice and peas for lunch or grilled lobster or chicken roti from Shiggidy Shack. My mouth waters thinking of eating any of that stuff... memories!

Enjoy!

Yes they are. I was in the The Haven on an NCL ship with someone who is world famous and had several bodyguards onboard with him and his family as well as personal staff - I don't want to mention who as they are frequent guests on NCL. He and his family were very nice and mostly stayed in The Haven or exited the ship via back elevators with the concierge or butler to go on private tours. Some family members would venture into the public rooms of the ship from time to time unrecognized. Their security people memorized who we were on day 1 of the cruise and never bothered us. We treated the VIP and his family like anyone else. My family has a long history of interacting with various VIPs, so it was nothing new to us. He seemed more interested in our lives than we were in his. Maybe he liked it that we didn't make a big deal about who he was or ask for autographs or photos. We never told anyone else on the cruise who was in the Haven and still won't say. So their secret is safe with us. A funny aside, our Cruise Critic group was mad because we wouldn't bring them into The Haven on the Cabin Crawl. I hadnt put my cabin on the list for the cabin crawl in the first place, but I had intended to bring them up if I could. But I couldn't. I couldn't say why not, so they decided I was a snob and were rude to me for the rest of the cruise. LOL!

Very exciting! Thank you for the story :)

My imagination has it being someone with kids like Matt Damon or the Pitt-Jolie family!

This is a link to an older thread on the same topic if interested.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1638249

Thank you! I will check this thread out now :)

I have always wondering if very famous celebrities are able to cruise and enjoy themselves without being mobbed for autographs and picture requests.

Looking forward to any other stories :)

I did self disembark the last time I was on Ecstasy a few months ago in April.

They announced on my sailing that they would start letting passengers get off around 8 to 8:15 am.

I was in a bit of a rush because I had to be at work in Fort Lauderdale at 9am :eek: Rush hour traffic on 95 can be a mess for those of you familiar with South Florida traffic.

I was off the ship by 8:30 and made it to work by 9:15, so only a tiny bit late ( no one noticed though because I asked a co-worker to turn on the light to my office as soon as she arrived lol).

We had made the cabin reservations with my mother in my room and my dad with my sibling. Everyone was an adult, so it was just a mistake when we made the reservation and of course, my parents wanted to stay in the same room.

We just asked at check in if they could put my parents together, then switch my sibling to my room. It was no problem at all and we each got our room keys reflecting the new room switch.

Add me to the list that did not find the Indian vegetarian options spicy either.

They are actually super delicious in my opinion and would be a great way to intro into eating different ethnic foods.

You could also tell the waiter that the order is for a child and they may be able to add a little bit more yogurt to any item in order to cool the minimal spicy level.

PS: If she can handle tex-mex foods, then she will be fine and will probably love the Indian food.

Congratulations on the end of your residency training :)

I am looking forward to the rest of your review since I am sailing Breeze next month!

Great review! I am excited to sail the Breeze in August :)

Congratulations @RPS99SHO!

Thank you for the review and pictures!

You will have a great time on the Glory! I sailed the Western Caribbean route in May and really enjoyed it.

They have a fish and chips counter that serves things like fresh ceviche ( raw marinated fish/ seafood with spices) , fried oysters, soup, and fried fish. It is located on the 2nd floor of the Lido buffet.

I'm missing 2 will post those when I get home and can scan them.

Thank you so much, @pepsigirls !

I have never done either of those excursions, but have been to Rum Point Beach many times before.

It is gorgeous and one of my favorite beaches! There is much more shade than on Seven Mile Beach. Also, you don't have to pay extra for recliners and chairs.

Just a note, hotels DO offer day passes for cruise guests on Grand Cayman.

I used to live in Grand Cayman and had friends who worked in the hospitality industry and verified this.

Marriott, Westin, and Grand Cayman Beach Suites offer day passes, but you would need to contact them directly for pricing and further information.

To the OP...are you doing a day pass or something similar at the Royal Palms? I'll be in Grand Cayman in September and am considering a day pass at one of the hotels if I can find one that does them...

Marriott, Westin, and the Grand Cayman Beach suites all offer day passes for cruise guests. All of these hotels are on Seven Mile Beach. You would need to contact them directly for information. Enjoy your trip !

Pretty much everything, including supermarkets and liquor stores, are closed on Sundays. Also, you can't buy alcohol in the gas stations on Sundays either.