pbrady

There are not many true craft shops in Phillipsburg but if you want to go to Marigot, their open market have some true craft booths. They have the typical junk you see at all open markets but they also have nicer jewelry made from local finds, various sized paintings of local sites on different materials from shells to mirrors to canvas. I've seen handmade clothing items, bags & even home made spiced liquors. There is not a tremendous amount of true crafts but more than most markets. Also, Sarafina's French Bakery is right across the street. The pastries are beautiful. We take people & each buy one item & share. Their display is worth a few photos.

Just two warnings - the taxi to/from takes longer than you may think - allow plenty of time to return. There is a taxi stand right at the Marigot market. Second - do some checking - the Marigot market used to be open only Wednesday & Saturday.

One of our best tours ever was with Rose of Jim & Rose's Taxi. There were 4 of us - all in our 60's - 1 with recent hip replacement & one with new knee. Rose was fantastic - we take a tour each time we take someone new & this was the best. We like going just the 4 of us so we are not waiting for 50 people to get on & off the bus. She was very reasonably priced & we saw several things we never saw before. We researched the island and let her know whated we want to see. We enjoyed it so much - we booked again with her for our next cruise (someone joining us that has not been to St. Kitts). I emailed her & told her the must sees like Romney Gardens (Caribelle Batik); we want to see the fortress but have been there many times & never thought it was really worth the time it takes, the black rocks are great & she suggested a few other places. One of my favorite is the overlook on the south side of the island where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean. The difference in the 2 sides is stunning. The most fun was everywhere we went - people knew her & we got a very interesting slant on St. Kitts life.

cruisestitch - Agree, Agree & Agree!

It just caught my eye because they have a link for Cruise Baggage below & they service all cruise lines at US ports. This announcement specifically for Celebrity made me wonder if it was something different.

I agree. I don't want them to ship my luggage home, I just want them to get it to the airport & on my flight. We usually get to the area of the cruise port a couple days early so we wouldn't use it going to the cruise but getting off the ship - - it is so nice not to drag your bag to the airport. I really liked the old way - we'll have to see what this brings. I hope it is not a separate shipping all the way home. We get free luggage on the airline we use so I doubt we'd use it if they ship it all the way home.

Sorry if this has already been discussed -

I was searching to see if Celebrity took the luggage valet off their site or had any update. I came across:

https://www.luggageforward.com/celebrity-cruises-luggage-valet/

At first I wondered if this was old because I didn't see a date but way at the bottom it does say "Copyright 2016". Anyone else see this or know anything??

Marigot has an open market that does have some of the junk you see everywhere but also has some unique local things & nicer items & souvenirs. Note it is only open Wednesday & Saturday.

http://www.homeandabroad.com/browse/details/sites.ha?mainInfoId=6062555

The market is right at the water to the views are very nice.

Just across the street is an incredible bakery - Sarafina's French Bakery (search or check TripAdvisor) - people stand there just to take photos of their pastries. We usually take the group when there & we each get something different & share.

Shopping in Marigot is not good IMO, like France it is expensive.

There is a Taxi stand right in this area so getting a taxi back is easy - just go there when ready. Just be prepared, depending on traffic, it can take much longer than you might expect.

We did the Cosol tour 2 years ago - it was amazing - one of the best in 35 cruises. This past year we did try someone else & it was good but Cosol was better. Not only did we see so much & try some local treats but he is funny & outgoing. There were only 4 of us because we don't like to wait for bus loads of people - worth every penny!!

Thanks!!

We are booking Vancouver to Seward (northbound). Looking at the map, it seems we would want the starboard side of the ship for the best sites - is this correct or is there something I'm missing?

Really disappointing!! The biggest thing for us would be the bathroom clean-up while at dinner. We usually shower & the bathroom needs a refresh. Funny how this "luxury" cruise line keeps cutting the service. Agree, after 32 Celebrity cruises, it may be time to book something else. We could hardly wait to be Elite Plus, but once were were, there is no added benefit for us. With the drink package & unlimited internet when booking, big deal, an extra bag of laundry - really???

I have tried to open the link in 3 different search engines & all I get is that the "photo" requested no longer exists. Anyone have any idea why I can't see this or what I can do to get to it?

Thanks!!

West Lake Girl - I read that but that is not what Celebrity is saying in the above post.

We have to agree. We think the overnights are a waste. We did an overnight in Curacao in February and found very little to do. We ended up going to the near-by hotel & caught up on the internet. The very next night we were in Barbados until midnight - - on a Sunday. There was nothing open or to do during the day, so what are you supposed to do until midnight??? Next year it is an overnight in Aruba - again, not interested.

IMO - Celebrity is not thinking through these things, or they don't care.

This is so disappointing!! The day you get off the ship the elevators are worthless. We loved the luggage valet because we didn't have to struggle lugging the suitcases down the stairs. We don't set them out the night before because the last 2 times we had "misplaced" suitcases & it took so long we almost missed out 1:00 flight.

Totally agree with Happy2Cruise - Celebrity is eliminating another program we really liked. The prices keep going up yet the entertainment is disappearing all around the ships - unless it is to sell something, the nightly shows have, IMO, gone terribly downhill, and with the Go Big, Better, Best, being Elite Plus is a waste. It is a lot of points to get to Elite Plus but the Drink coupons a worthless with the bev packages; the 200 min internet is worthless with the unlimited internet - - Big deal, we get an extra bag of laundry. Four of us travel together - how do you do 8 bags of laundry on a 7 night cruise especially when you can't turn in a bag the last few days?? Believe it or not I talked to Captains Club today & when I pointed it out she brought it up on her computer & said she never realized that going from Elite to Elite Plus was worth '0' but once she looked, she agreed.

I also suggest contacting Jim & Rose's Taxi. They are so easy to work with and will work with you to design a private tour suiting your age group. We have been in St. Kitts many time & on several tours but we went with Rose in February & saw things we'd never seen. We enjoyed it so much we booked another tour with her on our next cruise.

There are 4 of us that cruise together. It may take a day or 2 to find a bartender we like. Then, every day, when we meet for our before dinner drinks, we take turns & tip him/her $5 each day. By the 3rd or 4th night of a 14 night cruise, our drinks come immediately & it is worth every dollar. I don't like putting it on the receipt because, as one bartender told us, those tips are in the tip pool & split based on the drinks served & the level (cost) of the drink - he told us about their point system. I've heard the opposite too so I cannot be sure how that all works but cash in his/her pocket is a sure thing.

We will really miss the luggage valet if they get rid of it. I think it is time to email Celebrity & let them know what a great service it is & we hope they find a new company.

I totally agree with the original poster. We started cruising when my girls were 6 mos & 2 years old. They were Elite by the time they finished their undergraduate degrees. One is now an orthopedic surgeon & the other has her masters in mechanical engineering & is a manager at an engineering firm. Do they have the money? Yep, more than we ever had. Do they cruise? Nope - neither one even wants to cruise. First, it is hard to even get 7 days off in a row; it is the same old ports that they already have seen many times & they can do so much by more planning their own vacations. The young people, that I know anyway, are much more adventurous and like to cover a lot more territory - a cruise is too slow. They have been on all 7 continents at least once & pack a lot into 24 hours. One daughter tried a 7 night Silhouette about 6 months ago & said the entertainment was terrible, the activities were down to almost none, a lot of the special perks she remembered from Celebrity years ago were gone & she said it will probably be another 10 years before she goes again.

Sorry - but I don't see an answer to my question.

The question is - when there is an Elite happy hour in the Sky lounge is it now X policy to keep the Sky Lounge open to the entire ship?

This was not the 1st day of the cruise but 4 to 5 days in. There was no sign for a Private Function, no one at the door...never saw the CC hostess. however, our Elite Plus letter in the room on the first day said the Happy Hour was in the Sky Lounge. They used our sea pass cards to determine if we were Elite, or higher, for the drinks but it was so crowded it was ridiculous.

In March we spent about 5 hours with Rose of Jim & Rose Taxi - it was fantastic. So many people along the way knew her & we laughed a lot. We had been on St. Kitts many times & have done many tours but she took us to places no one ever did before. When we got to the black rocks, half the people there knew her and she has a lot of interesting background info & info specific to St. Kitts. We could not believe how inexpensive this tour was & it was just the 4 of us seeing things we chose to see & skipping some of the things we've seen 10 times. As a matter of fact, we have someone with us who has never been on St. Kitts on the next cruise & already booked Rose again - can't wait.

We were on the Eclipse earlier this year for their 14 night cruise. We have done this cruise several times but for the 1st time the Sky Lounge was open to everyone during the 5 to 7 time period. It was packed. We usually enjoy talking to others & have seen the same people year after year we enjoy talking to during this relaxed, enjoyable time. We couldn't find a seat for awhile & had to go up to the bar to order drinks. We waited 45 mins for the drinks & then they were the wrong drinks. We had the drink package so just found another bar to meet at before dinner but it wan't as fun. I know they usually do the vouchers because of the number of Elites on this cruise but on previous cruises, they still restricted the Sky Lounge.

Is this the new policy fleet-wide? How about other ships?

There are 4 in our group & we like the private, personable, tours. Does anyone have any recommendation on a private tour guide? We are looking for a guide with a van to be comfortable. If you know of someone, do you have contact info?

I had a European cruise booked and changed it to a Caribbean Cruise. I transferred the booking number & all on board transferred as well as the beverage package (that wan't available at the time). However, for the European cruise, you could pick 2 perks & for the Caribbean one perk, so we gave up the unlimited internet. I've also moved Caribbean cruises to a different ship or date & all perks have transferred. On board, I have actually been told by future cruise reps to book something way out to hold the perks and then decide later what you really want - it has worked every time (except for the loss of a perk described above).

We love the luggage valet & for our most recent cruise, we were on the Eclipse out of the POM but flew out of FLL. The notice they send says you can do that IF your flight out of FLL is after a certain time, I think it was 1:30pm or 2:00pm. This year our flight was really late so it didn't matter but in planning for the next cruise, it might. Many of our airlines do not go to Miami. Does anyone know the exact time that is on their Luggage valet sheet?

Many, many years in Public Health & Toxicology has taught me to always verify what I hear or think:

The Centers for Disease Control website (http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/GIlist.htm) says the most important way to prevent the transmission of dangerous diseases is to frequently wash your hands with soap and water and/or use a hand sanitizer. If soap and water are not available it is recommended to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol or contains a "persistent antiseptic" such as SHBAN Alcohol Free Hand Sanitizer with povidone-iodine. Alcohol rubs kill many different kinds of bacteria, including antibiotic resistant bacteria and TB bacteria. It also has high viricidal activity against many different kinds of viruses, including enveloped viruses such as the flu virus, the common cold virus, and HIV, though is notably ineffective against the rabies virus.

Alcohol rub sanitizers are not very effective against Norovirus (winter vomiting virus) unless they are combined with benzalkonium chloride in a hand sanitizer.

It also says the CDC recommends at least 0.13% benzalkonium chloride to be effective against norovirus. Gold Bond Hand Sanitizer is the only one I can find commercially available. It is at most major stores (travel and larger sizes) and Walgreens, CVS…..

Gold Bond Hand Sanitizer – Benzethonium Chloride 0.2% (synonym of benzalkonium chloride)

On the Reckitt Benckisnr, manufacturer of Lysol, Q & A website for lysol:

When used per label directions, LYSOL® Disinfectant Spray "Brand III" is effective against norovirus. However, LYSOL® Disinfecting Wipes are not effective against norovirus. And if you have any older Lysol “Brand II” around, it is not effective against norovirus.

The "Brand__" is near the word "Lysol"

Some may think it is just the company's marketing but after testifying in a lot of law suits, these companies do not post things like this if they don't have the testing to back it up. Hope that helps.

I always re-spray my cabin with Lysol Brand III and keep some Gold Bond Hand Sanitizer with me. Don't know if it has helped but in 33 cruises none of our group has ever had a problem even under many Code Reds. I also don't know if cruise lines get a special make of hand sanitizer that has the benzalkonium chloride in it. I think I'll check into that - Happy Cruising!!