mominva

Our family has stayed there twice the night before we head out on a cruise.  We safely walked across the street to a diner.  My husband bought a few items at a K-mart, I think, but it must have closed.  It is an easy walk across the street.

It looks like there is a Chipotle on the same side as the hotel.  You wouldn't have to cross the street.

I did 9 night in May 2019 and formal nights are 2nd and 8th nights.

I recommend going directly to Music Hall (Deck 4) after you board Anthem.  The dancers are in there to make any reservations you need.  The line gets long and is so slow.  But, it's better to get it over with.

If you are interested in The Escape Room, when you board Anthem, go straight to Music Hall to make your reservations.  It is free but it fills up quickly.  We ended up going standby for a 4 pm slot.  We waited in the hall at 3:30.  They did accommodate the 4 of us plus 2 more standby people for a total of 14.  The leader never leaves you alone and you are not locked in the room.  My kids had fun.

Once you board Anthem, go straight to Music Hall (Deck 4) where you make reservations for everything.  The line gets long and is slow.  The dancers are in there making the reservations for iFly, North Star, the Escape Room and shows.  

I have stayed there twice. They will send a complimentary van to the airport to pick you up. But you have to get your luggage first, then call them to tell them you are ready for pick up. One time, it took forever and 2 phone calls before the van came. It was rush hour and the airport traffic was backed up.

There is a shopping center across the street with lots of stores and a few restaurants. We ate at a diner that was good. Also, we went to a Wal Mart or K-Mart to pick up some items before the cruise.

The breakfast at the hotel is complimentary. There are lots of cruisers, so the elevator is busy in the morning. Just allow time for that.

When my children were younger, they loved the aqua park. It lasts one hour, and then another group had their turn on the inflatables. It was $15 per child. I'm not sure how much it is now.

I just read 2 nonfiction books on my Caribbean cruise. They are set in the Caribbean, so it was fun to read them while I was actually there.

An Embarrassment of Mangoes by Vanderhoof : A couple live on a sailboat for 2 years in the Caribbean

A Trip to the Beach by Blanchard: A couple opens a restaurant in the Caribbean

I want to thank everyone for the book recommendations. I just returned from a Caribbean cruise and read both of them.

An Embarrassment of Mangoes by Vanderhoof

A trip to the Beach by Blanchard

Both were perfect reading for a cruise. You learn more the islands and seasons. Both are nonfiction.

My husband, two teens (17 and 19) and I went on the Harmony of the Seas. We have been on the Oasis of the Seas twice, so it was fun to compare the 2 ships. It is a beautiful ship and we all had a blast.

This was an Eastern Caribbean cruise (Nassau, St. Thomas, St. Kitts).

One of the first things I usually do is get my Sea Pass hole punched at Guest Services so I can wear it on a lanyard. You can't do that anymore. Apparently, if the Sea Pass is punched, it will no longer work. They now sell lanyards on board that have a clear sleeve that you put the card in.

I saw several people wearing the WOW bands, although we didn't purchase them. They are $4.99 each and are sold at the WOW Band Desk at Boleros, Deck 5, when you get on the ship.

We did My Time Dining and were assigned to the Deck 4 dining room. A few times, they brought us to a table on Deck 3. Each night, the waiters were great and we got out in about an hour. My kids had all of their activities, so an hour was perfect. We did not make any reservations for a particular time to eat. We mainly ate before 7 pm and didn't have any problems getting a table. One night, we went to dinner at 8:30 and we had to wait for a table. Apparently, a lot of people like to eat then.

We tried to go to all of the nightly entertainment. We saw the comedy show for adults only (we thought it was fun) and we saw the comedy show on the last night which was for the whole family. It was the same 2 comedians. I was surprised that both comedians used a lot of the same jokes. Oh well.

There are 2 ice shows. One requires reservations and the other one does not. The skaters did a wonderful job.

There are also 2 aqua shows. One requires reservations and is a little strange. My husband thought it was too weird. The 2nd one does not require reservations and is much more fun.

Grease is the best musical we have seen on Royal. The other musical-Columbus -had great songs and an amazing set. The story line is a little strange.

The headliner was a juggler and a comedian. There were some funny parts, but a lot of his sketches went on for too long.

The entertainment is so varied and I think that is what we like about the big ships.

If you need a pool towel, you have to use your Sea Pass to check one out. If you don't check it back in, they will charge $25 to your Sea Pass.

They put sinks outside of the Windjammer, which is a huge improvement. People have to walk through the sink room, so there is no excuse about washing hands! There is also a sink outside of the Solarium which I don't think I saw on the Oasis.

White night was on Day 5. They don't make a big deal about it. They just suggested everyone wear white to the Boardwalk Latin Fiesta. I love for my family to wear white on one night of the cruise, so we were prepared.

Formal nights are Days 2 and 6.

My 19 YO went to the Red Party which was on Day 5 at 11:30 in Studio B. He loved it! Which means they probably played his type of music! I am not sure why they called it the RED party.

Instead of the 70's party on the Oasis, they hold a 90's party in the Royal Promenade. It wasn't just me. No one seemed to know most of the songs. I'm not sure why they picked them! It is still a popular event; they just need to pick some other songs.

They also held a 50's party in the Royal Promenade and the songs were the ones everyone knew. This dance goes along with the Grease theme. It was fun.

My 17 YO had a blast in the teen club. She met so many new friends and was always busy with the nightly activities.

My 19 YO went to a lot of the parties and shows with us. Afterward, he headed to karaoke (in On Air) or to the dances (in The Attic, which is where the comedy shows take place). During the day, he hung out at the flowrider with his friends. I always hope there are other college aged people on board who want to hang out.

If you have any questions about the cruise, I'll try to answer them.

We just returned from a 7 day cruise and our first stop was Nassau. I like this stop because we can walk to a beach. I have a 17 and 19 YO who love to take pictures on beaches.

Just walk off the boat and make your way out of the port. It is a little hard to find the exit but you will find it. Turn right and walk along the sidewalk. It is about a 15 minute walk. We had 3 ships in the port that day, so Junkanoo Beach was crowded. There are bathrooms and a bar. The water is pretty. Entering the water, the sand is a little rocky, so I wore my water shoes. It didn't bother the rest of my family. There was no shade. We didn't plan to stay long, so I didn't ask about umbrellas. There is Wi-Fi.

We walked back toward the boat and stopped at Senor Frogs. It was lively in there and my teens had fun watching musical chairs and listening to the music.

Then, we walked to the straw market, and we got separated. There are front and back entrances. Make sure to set up a meeting point in case you get separated. My husband and I walked up and down all of the aisles and couldn't find them. We were supposed to be back by 1:30. It was like they disappeared into thin air. Finally, I spotted them and was so relieved. They were actually right outside the straw market at the wood carving market.

My family of 5 was on the Oasis this past summer. We had a stop in San Juan and we decided to walk to El Morro and then walk around Old San Juan. We actually had a lot of fun and would love to go back. My 3 teenagers loved it because our phones worked here! We got exercise; the forts are run by our National Park Service, so you learn some history. Also, I think we had had enough sun at that point.

I think next time we may visit a beach.

We stayed at a hotel close to Port Everglades prior to the cruise. After I checked into the hotel, I talked to the shuttle bus coordinator. I booked the shuttle bus to the port for the day of departure for my family of 5. Then, he asked if I needed transportation to the airport after our cruise was over. It was $10 per person and I needed to book it right then.

I know the port and the airport are only 2 miles apart. It seemed steep to pay $50, so I decided to take my chances.

After our cruise was over, we walked to the taxi stand. There was no line at all (and we were on the Oasis). All of the taxis were vans, so they had plenty of room for all of our luggage. And it only cost $14 plus tip to get to the airport.

I just wanted to let cruisers know that taxis are plentiful and cheap at the cruise terminal.

I just came back from a cruise that stopped in St. Maarten. We took a bus to Mullet Bay beach and I saw the Golden Eagle catamaran docked in the bay. There were another catamaran and several other smaller boats that also visit the bay.

Mullet Bay beach is beautiful. You can find it on Google Maps.

We just came back from a cruise on the Oasis which stopped in St. Maarten.

I want to post notes from my excursion on St. Maarten. We did this same excursion 2 years ago and not much has changed.

We walked off the ship and through the port all the way to downtown Phillipsburg. The walk is about 15 minutes. From there, we caught a bus to Mullet Bay beach. After spending a couple of hours there, we walked to Maho beach to watch airplanes take off and land. Then, we caught another bus back to Phillipsburg and walked back to the ship.

Details:

Once off the ship, walk through the port, past the shops and through the gate. There were tour operators waiting outside of the gate. After going through the gate, turn left. You will see signs showing you that you are headed toward downtown Phillipsburg. After 10 minutes, there are colorful shops to the left. I went in there to get some refreshments. There are excursion places in there also. Walk over this cute little bridge and now you are in downtown Phillipsburg. That street along the beach is called Boardwalk. You need to go down a side street to the next street. That is Front Street (parallel to Boardwalk). Then, go down another side street to the next street. That is Back Street (also parallel to Boardwalk). This is where the buses are. They are vans that will have a sign on the windshield that says Mullet Bay/Maho or Marigot or whatever. Also, its license plate will say BUS. Just ask the driver if they are going to Mullet Bay beach and ask how much. It was $2 per person and the driver was very happy to change their sign from Marigot to Mullet Bay.

You will pass Maho beach on the way to Mullet Bay. Just try to pay attention. The bus ride is about 30 minutes. At Mullet Bay beach, there are a row of chairs and umbrellas. It costs $15 for 2 chairs and an umbrella.

The bay is very popular with excursions. The Golden Eagle catamaran stopped there as well as several other smaller boats.

We knew the kids wanted to see planes land at Maho, so we left around 12:30. After you walk out of the parking lot, turn right on the main road. You walk along a golf course and head toward a pharmacy. We stocked up on refreshments here. Turn right on the road where the pharmacy is. Walk for about 5 more minutes and turn right to Maho beach. There is a bar right there on the corner.

When you are ready to leave, just go back to the main road (the one you were on before you turned right to Maho) and wait for a bus to come along. It might take a couple of minutes. The bus will drop you off in downtown Phillipsburg. Then, walk back to the ship!

If you are on the Oasis, the port itinerary says that the ship is docked from 7:30 to 1:30 pm. We took our time that morning getting off the ship so we didn't get to the fort until around 10 am. The walk took no longer than 30 minutes.

I don't remember walking on cobblestones on the way to the fort. Afterwards, when we were walking in Old San Juan, cobblestones are everywhere.

I think some of the walk is uphill, but it is not bad at all.

We probably spent 1 hour at the fort.

You can see the other fort from El Morro. We thought about doing the other fort but felt like it would be more of the same. My kids had fun at El Morro, so I didn't want to push it. That is why we decided to walk to the catholic church and then shop along the way back to the ship. It's so close to the ship but we did get turned around and were a little panicked.

Lastly, it seemed like most people speak English. I did ask one officer if I was headed in the right direction to El Morro, but she said she did not speak English. She was standing the tourist office, so I bet she did know English!

One more thing: Take your photo ID and Sea pass with you. The Puerto Rican officials want to see your Photo ID before you get back on the ship. This creates a jam to get back on the dock. There is no orderly line. I didn't take my photo ID even though the signs say it. I have only been asked for it in the Bahamas, so I never think about taking it. Anyway, they let me back on without it, but make sure you take it.

I have one. We just got off Oasis last Saturday. I have never been successful posting a photo of the cruise compass. This is for the Eastern Caribbean cruise to St. Martin, San Juan and Labadee and is for the 15-17 year olds.

Day 1 Welcome Aboard Party at 11 pm

Day 2 11:30 pm Glow Party. Says to dress in white.

Day 3 11:30 The Warehouse Party. Sounds like it is a hip hop party

Day 4 11:30 PJ Movie night

Day 5 11:30 Total Request Party

Day 6 11:30 Prom Night

Day 7 11:30 Farewell Teen Award Party

My family of 5 just stayed at Spring Hill Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port, Dania Beach, FL. We just needed to spend one night before our cruise on the Oasis of the Seas out of Fort Lauderdale. So many hotels cannot accommodate a family of 5 without having to pay an arm and a leg.

This hotel also has 3 things I was looking for:

- complimentary van to pick you up at the airport when you arrive in Fort Lauderdale. You just have to call them after you get your luggage out of baggage claim.

- a complimentary breakfast.

- a complimentary shuttle to the cruise port. After you check in cto the hotel, you need to check in with the shuttle operator. He will give you a time to meet in the hotel lobby. A full size bus takes everyone to the port.

Plus, there are places to eat dinner that are walking distance. A Chipotle and McDonalds as well as a diner (that's where I ate) are close. My husband also picked up some needed items at a Kmart right there. It's across the street from a large strip shopping center.

My family of 5 (my 3 kids are teenagers) just got off of the July 23 sailing on the Oasis of the Seas. At the port of San Juan, we got off the boat and walked to El Morro (Castillo San Felipe del Morro).

After walking off the ship and reaching the main road, turn left onto Calle Marina/Hwy 1. It is extremely busy at that intersection, with passengers, street vendors, tour operators, etc. You will see a Walgreens and a CVS. We stopped to get some refreshments at CVS and then continued down the street. On the corner of Calle Marina and Calle Tanca is a Tourist center. There, we got a much needed map. When we exited the tourist center, we crossed Calle Tanca. La Casita was on our left. I asked people along the way if I was headed in the right direction to El Morro. You end up walking along the Paseo de la Princesa. I kept seeing maps on stands along the way. Also, there are lots of tourists walking to El Morro or walking back from El Morro. I asked so many people to make sure we were headed in the right direction. When you get to the San Juan Gate, you can go through the gate and turn left and will run into El Morro or you can go along the Paseo del Morro walkway. We went through the gate, I asked some workmen who were working on the gate, and they said either way would work. Then, I saw more tourists headed back and they confirmed that this way worked.

We eventually got to El Morro. It costs $5 per person to enter the fort. There are bathrooms there.

It was very hot and humid. There is a lot of shade along the way. When we got to the grounds of the fort, it was breezy and felt good.

Just remember to wear walking shoes and take water. The walk was great exercise for us and my teens are the perfect age to walk. You get to take in so much more than if we caught a cab. We saw the cats that I had read about. They enjoyed the fort as much as my husband and I did.

We took a different route back, so that we could stop in the San Juan Cathedral. Then, we shopped along the way back. Just make sure you have a map.

Our phones had service in San Juan, so the kids were excited. I didn't think about using my GPS, but I bet that would have worked great!

I never saw the free trolley to the fort, but like I said, there was so much commotion by the port.

When the Oasis is docked, you can see the other famous fort from the Solarium on deck 15. When the boat leaves the port, it goes right by El Morro. It was such a pretty sight!

I found a recent cruise compass with the stops St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, Labadee on Oasis. Here is the link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2370219

I hope this works. :)

Do you happen to have the cruise compasses for this itinerary? I leave on July 23 with the same itinerary. Thanks.

There are both free exercise classes and extra fee classes. I have only done the free ones. The free ones were at 7 am and 7:30 am. The first one was stretching for 15 minutes. The second was abs for 15 minutes. I also believe there is water aerobics.

We are on the Oasis soon and I have an 18 and 19 year old. They enjoy making new friends on our cruises. They have no interest in going to an all-inclusive resort on an island because they think it won't be as easy to meet new people.

I am pretty sure I have seen a meeting time on the Oasis for 18-20 yo in the Cruise Compass. Hopefully, this will be well attended. If not, the pool is probably a hang out for social types.

I booked Red Stripe in the Falmouth port at a kiosk. I thought it would be cheaper to book the beach after I got off the boat, but the kiosk is the same price, same bus, etc. They even use your room key to pay for it, so you don't even need cash.

We were there in the summer and one employee at the kiosk said we would have to wait an hour to get on the bus, while another one said that we could get on right away. It was popular because it is conveniently located 10 minutes away. Buses run back and forth to the port, so it's super easy to get back whenever you want.

I don't think you can hire a taxi to take you there because the beach is behind a huge fence. As the bus approaches, an employee opens the gate for the bus. I didn't see any vehicles other than the buses.

My husband and I took our 3 teens to the Blue Hole one summer and to Red Stripe Beach on another trip.

The Blue Hole is about 1 hour and 20 minutes from Falmouth. We hired Courtney Taylor to take us there. He was great. Within 5 minutes, you feel completely at ease at being in Jamaica. The kids still say this was the best excursion ever. I know there are pictures of this here on CC.

Red Stripe Beach is $29 per person. You can buy the passes now or on the ship or at the port. We did wait until we got to the port to buy them. I wanted to see what the weather was like. There are buses going and coming back continuously. The beach was not crowded when we arrived but more and more people came. The beach is secured with a gate. It is only a 10 minute ride. There was a DJ playing all of the music that teens like and he tries to get the kids to line dance. My girls loved it, but I heard some adults complaining that it was too loud. There was a little shade but then I ended up in the sun and had to move. You also have to pay for chairs. My husband felt it was overpriced; he was comparing it to the free beach in Grand Cayman. I just don't think there is an alternative in Jamaica this close to Falmouth. Plus, my kids were entertained by the DJ.