MTdreaming

We did a 7 day out of Houston on RCI with our 28 yr old son and 22 yr old daughter.. they loved it. FlowRider was wonderful, rock climbing, mini golf..they went cave tubbing, zip lining, beach time, snorkeling etc at the ports. They shared a room, all beds can be separated into two twins.. so with three they would each have their own bed and space. I think they will really enjoy it. Alaska is more older folks, more scenery and much less active. For a first time the Caribbean will be a great family memory. You can do separate activities,meet up for dinner and maybe a show...I would also recommend a balcony, it is so nice to have the private space for some quiet time, not necessary probably for the "kids" and at that age you certainly don't need to be in the same area of the ship either. Another recommendation.. is splurge a bit for flow rider lessons early on, they will get so much more out of that and we found it to be the best money we spent on the ship. Enjoy and make great family memories...those opportunities get to be fewer and farther between very quickly.

We were hoping to see some scenic sites, maybe a garden or two and some historical sites as well...know there are a lot on the island but don't see too many that include just those, Not really interested in the caves or beach time this trip. Tours or Tour company recommendations?

Both get very good reviews, here and trip advisor.. Does anyone happen to have experience with both? or did you look at both and then decide on one ? and why? Thanks in advance.. probably can't go wrong with either.

has anyone done this.. We will be on RCI here on a Thursday and it is the only option I have found.. we wanted to see something of the history of the island. The website is not the best, says the tour starts at 9, but I am not sure where you get the tour, if you have to taxi to the location? Anyway I would appreciate any feedback, or other information on visiting these sites. They are UNESCO world heritage sites, so I thought there would be more information readily available. Thanks in advance for any advice, feedback or suggestions.

So with an 8pm muster.. can we sign up for the 8pm slot, and they will know where we are?? and just get there as soon as muster is over?

I am sure this is on here some place, but I couldn't find it. Does anyone know when the muster is held ? We are looking into booking speciality dining the first night and don't want to rush or be interrupted. It appears that times are available for 6, 8 or 8:30. Don't really want to eat too late...would this imply a muster at 7:30? Thanks in advance for any experience or advice about this.

There are 2 electric boat operators that go into the biobay in Fajardo. Neither offers transportation to/from their point of departure for their tour. You have to get to Las Croabas on your own.

Thanks for the reply.. not the answer I wanted. I guess we could look into a taxi and then have the driver wait.. but that sounds expensive and maybe not what we want to do. We will have to consider.

We are wondering what tour operators people have used. We do not want to Kayak.. are a bit older and have some health issues. We were wondering if there is a tour that includes transportation of San Juan.. Thanks for your help. We are staying 3 days post cruise and it looks like the moon phase will be very good for viewing.

We have done all...we only book balcony now...the fresh air, to air out the room. And to have some quiet space to yourself..very worth it. We do watch for price drops and can book with fairly quick notice so that helps. But I wouldn't enjoy a cruise in an inside cabin at this point, probably feel claustrophobic as someone else mentioned. Did I mention fresh air in the room??

Oh I love the gardens! They are a beautiful part of our island presented with a nice historical angle. I think you'll enjoy it! I presume this whole tour is booked through the cruise line, where else are they taking you?

They take you to the gardens and the Captain Morgan deal..that's pretty much it. Too bad it isn't a better combo, the excursion (as is the norm with Ship's excursions) is a bit pricey as well. I think I will stick to the historical walking tour with CHANT, and lunch as you recommended near the pier.

I just got off the phone with the museum director and the official schedule is Wednesday-Saturday only for the foreseeable future. Sorry!

Thanks for the extra effort in confirming that...I guess we will have to return another time :)

I will call Whim tomorrow and double check for you but last I heard they are still closed on Sundays. I'm a huge history buff myself and I'm sure you will love CHANT. Let me know what date you're coming in on and I will have more specific stuff for you. For lunch on a Sunday you have to hit Pier 69 in strand square! Amazing food and drinks right near the ship.

We will be there on April 12.. I am double hitting you for information, on this and another thread.. thanks again.

Which part are you referring to? Grab a taxi van, it'll be pretty cheap.

sorry, I put it in my title and then did not carry that down to the actual text part.. The excursion also includes a visit to The St George Village Botanical Garden, are the gardens worth a visit. or should I stick to a walking historical tour? Again thanks for input and quick responses. We will be there in april, on the 12th.

It's a complete waste of time, they basically sit you in a big room to watch a long commercial before they drive you around in a big golf cart. Then you get 2 drinks at the bar and buy crap you don't need at the gift shop.

 

Go to Cruzan, they actually walk you through the plant and explain everything to you. At the end you can drink pretty much whatever you want.

 

Enjoy!

Is that part of the excursion worthwhile.. or are they fairly standard fare..and how would you recommend getting there?

Thanks drake2014...good to know that as well.. scratch that off my possibles..

I have heard that The Whim Museum is closed on Sundays.. are there other historical sites that close down on Sundays. We will be coming in a Jewel of the Seas on a sunday.. I am hoping to do the Walking tour of with CHANT.. we like history. Would you recommend a lunch spot in walkable distance? And thanks so much for being willing to help out, it really is wonderful.

I have been before, not looking for a beach.. so ideas would be welcome. I know about Bernard's tours...but they sound like they do a lot of "beachy" trips..

With that price differential I would say the Med for sure.. I would think you will find better prices more often in the Caribbean than in the Med..Also it would be easier to travel to the Caribbean with children at a younger age than the Med..However I would add that I am not a huge fan of Med cruises.. I want to spend more time in each port than is available on a cruise...There is so much history, art, culture etc etc to enjoy that you barely get to sample it on a cruise. As to Turkey..we loved Istanbul when we were there, a fascinating city where you could spend weeks, see something different each day and enjoy wonderful food. I would think you would be fine safety wise as well...The world is not a safe place anymore unfortunately wherever you are... Enjoy.

We went with our two younger adult children.. we went ahead and spent the money for the lessons early on. It is usually only 4 and no more than 6 people with two instructors.. the instructors we had on Navigator were fabulous and the learning curve was quick. Everyone enjoyed the flowerier the rest of the trip and would get comments on their abilities...amazing what a bit of training can do. It isn't cheap but well well worth it.:)

Hope you are enjoying your next cruise...thanks for taking the time to post this info!

There was a similar thread to this on a Princess site a year or so ago.. the phrase for formal night became Geriatric Prom Night, abbreviated to GRN...Having sailed on Carnival, Princess and Royal.. I found that that Princess was probably the most consistent with enforcing a tie/jacket rule but the bling gowns were most in evidence on Carnival. I like to dress nicely, but not formal for a cruise, all the associated shoes, jewelry etc..just not ideal in this day of charged airline luggage. So everyone enjoy what your idea of a nice evening out is and let it go....

I found this but haven't tried it yet.

 

http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~msscott/Walking%20Tour%20of%20Old%20San%20Juan.pdf

Thanks for posting that, it looks very interesting and handy to have along.

We would LOVE to go to Havana. Hopefully Cuba will become accessible to Americans before we reach our personal expiration date.

Todays new headlines would indicate that USA relations with Cuba might be thawing and that would mean Cuba would a possible port.. I think a fascinating one as well.

We have requested it online every cruise (both RCC and others) never has it been there on arrival, but the steward has always gotten it for us promptly. This has been our experience on the last 5 or so cruises. I would bring an extension cord just in case, I think they always have distilled water but it is the extension cords that can get scarce.

The total for 3 nights was $432.23. That included taxes and resort fees. All you had to do was book directly from their website anytime from Black Friday to cyber Monday. There were no restrictions on the dates. The only restriction was that you had to book 3 nights.

 

 

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Thanks for the response.. I guess it was the three day thing.. I was looking for only two. Again Enjoy your trip.. hope it is full of many happy memories.