What's the weather like in January??

[maryhill1]

Hi. We are sailing Sea Princess in Jan. 2011 ( Barbados 15night round trip)- has anyone any idea what the weahter is usually like at this time of the year?? (Coming from Scotland anything over 40* at any time of the year is a major bonus!!!

 

Can anyone offer any opinions/experiences on the Sea Princess?

We have balcony cabin C322. and any info would be welcome.

 

We stop at Tobago (Scarborough)/Grenada/Bonaire/Aruba/Grand Cayman/Ocho Rios/Tortola/Antigua/St Kitts & Dominica.

 

What's not to be missed/ whats to be avoided??

Has anyone done the Princess trip in Jamaica to the " mountain bobsled ride"? It sounds great :eek: but is it worth it- can you do it easily on your own??

Can anyone advise on trips to take/avoid( either by Princess or private)

Is it safe to go walking/sightseeing/shopping on our own (just me & DH) on the islands or are there any in particular where its not advisable??

 

Many Thanks Elaine:)

[Carolyn R]

The weather is nice and warm, in the 80s, lovely. The Carib balconies are double the size of most of the balcony cabins, half covered, half uncovered.

[caber]

Hi Elaine,

 

You will like Sea Princess. We did. I think all the balconies are the same size on this ship. They are cut out from the hull.

 

There will be mostly Brits because of the charter flights from over here.

 

I don`t know what you like but I would not miss swimming with the stingrays in Grand Cayman. You don`t even need to be a swimmer. It is a great experience. We took the ship`s tour but I know there are many others.

 

On many of the island you can get a tour by taxi at the dock. Just make sure you negotiate the price before you go.

 

We missed Ocho Rios a few years ago as it was too rough to tender. We still have the water shoes unused that we bought onboard.

 

Happy cruising.:)

 

p.s. I can guess where you live. We are only a few miles away.

[janina]

January is a great time for the carribean. Very pleasant 80's weather. Sorry don't know my celcius. Definately do the taxi thing in Greneda. Set your price with the driver. Not sure about the bob sled it Jamaica, but it does sound fun. The Dunns River Falls are nothing special...I would skip that.

[Dorset Cruiser]

The weather is nice and warm, in the 80s, lovely. The Carib balconies are double the size of most of the balcony cabins, half covered, half uncovered.

 

 

Not on Sea Princess:confused: All the balconies are cut from the hull of the ship. Sea Princess is a lovely ship. We did a transatlantic in April 2008 on her and enjoyed it. Have been to the Caribbean in January and the weather will be wonderful.

[maryhill1]

Hi. Carolyn/janina/Dorset Cruise and Caber.:)

 

Thanks so much for the info:- it all a great help in planning what to do.

I know it still months(lots of months) away but I like to be organised and sort everything well in advance. :D

 

so thanks again for the help.

Elaine

 

Ps Caber -- where abouts are you??

 

Elaine

[caber]

Bishopbriggs, just up the road!

[maryhill1]

Bishopbriggs, just up the road!

 

 

You're right --not faraway. :D

But despite the name-- I'm actually in Knightswood but I work in Maryhill and my other half lives there.

 

My older cousin used to live in "brigs years ago-- his wife's family all came from Bishopbriggs and Auchinairn.

He was the manager of a pub that way-- think it was called the Crows nest (or similar!)

 

Elaine

[maryhill1]

Bishopbriggs, just up the road!

 

 

You're right --not faraway. :D

But despite the name-- I'm actually in Knightswood but I work in Maryhill and my other half lives there.

 

My older cousin used to live in "brigs years ago-- his wife's family all came from Bishopbriggs and Auchinairn.

He was the manager of a pub that way-- think it was called the Crows nest (or similar!)

 

Small world!!!!!:)

 

Elaine

[billie5]

We did basically the same route with Sea Princess, but starting in Florida, when it used to include that stop. It was one of our favorite Caribbean cruises. The passenger mix was interesting then, perhaps one third boarding in Barbados, and the rest in Florida.

 

Don't miss snorkeling along the shore of Klein Bonaire (an island off Bonaire). It can claim to be one of the premiere Caribbean snorkeling locales. Private tours are easy to arrange.

 

Bill

[caber]

Hi Elaine,

 

It`s the Crow Tavern and it is still on the go.:)

[maryhill1]

We did basically the same route with Sea Princess, but starting in Florida, when it used to include that stop. It was one of our favorite Caribbean cruises. The passenger mix was interesting then, perhaps one third boarding in Barbados, and the rest in Florida.

 

Don't miss snorkeling along the shore of Klein Bonaire (an island off Bonaire). It can claim to be one of the premiere Caribbean snorkeling locales. Private tours are easy to arrange.

 

Bill

 

Thanks for the info!

Never been snorkelling - but determined to give it a go so this sounds great!

 

Thanks Elaine.

[maryhill1]

Hi Elaine,

 

It`s the Crow Tavern and it is still on the go.:)

 

thanks-- will get it right eventually!:o

 

We will take a run up there one night - just out of curiousity -- in fact - my ex- boss also lives in BB and drinks in the crow. He was a brilliant boss- pity he left!

Elaine

[hammers]

Hello Elaine, we had a wonderful time on the Sea Princess, we joined the ship at Montego Bay. I have attached some tips I pulled together from the Ports of Call forum. I hope you find them useful.

 

 

Montego Bay – Jamaica - Saturday 27th February Departs 8:00pm

At Sea – Sunday 28th February

Samana - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – Monday 1st March (Tender) 8:00am – 5:00pm

Best beach in Samana is Cayo Levantado (also called Bacardi Island), its a world class beach.

Sand - white/coral based.

Facilities - full service.

Shade - umbrellas, huts and palms abound.

Booked tour via Princess - $49.00 pp

Tortola – Tuesday 2nd March (Tender) 9:00am – 6:00pm

Cane Garden Bay

There is no fee to access this beach.

 

My only complaint was the number of lounge chairs set up. They took up most of the good sand and there was very little space for people to just lie out on their towels. The few people who didn't rent the chairs ended up getting wet by the waves. Public washroom beside Myett's Restaurant

 

Several people around us tried to snorkel but they said there was nothing to see. The locals were nice and friendly. Cheap food/drinks.

 

When we got off the boat (we were docked and not tendered), we simply followed the crowds to a small 'Welcome Centre'. It was right there and one would not miss it. Someone asked us where we wanted to go and then directed us to the correct shuttle. It was very well run - tours one side, shuttles and then taxis. We hopped onto the shuttle and 5 minutes later we were off to the beach. It was quite simple and very well organized.

 

The shuttle driver asked what time we'd all like to head back to the ship and was there as planned. We decided to leave earlier and grabbed a taxi - there were lots of drivers waiting around. There was no problem getting a ride.

 

One warning - if you take a shuttle, the driver will wait until the shuttle is completely full so you may have to wait around awhile depending on where others are heading. If you take a taxi, it is $7/person and there is no waiting.

Some do tours the rest are to the beaches. There older gentleman at the gate who will organise the open back taxis. Really easy and no need to book a tour. 6$ to cane garden and you arrange with the driver a pick up time.

$6 pp each way for a taxi to CGB. Providing there's enough to fill a minibus and they won't leave til it's full.

You pay one way arrange a time for pick up and then ignore it lol....there's plenty of taxis around the drop off/ pick up place for you to come off the beach anytime you want and find a taxi.

A truly lovely beach, very much EXACTLY what you'd want a Caribbean beach to look like.

Try to get there early so you can pick your spot $5 a sun bed but no padding on them unlike St Maarten so not v.comfy. Beach not very wide and if you pick a spot too close you're belongings may end up drifting out to sea on the waves.

St Maarten - Wednesday 3rd March 7:00am – 5:00pm

Beach day – Great Bay Beach + Maho Bay

You can pick up the buses on Back Street. Look for white mini vans with 'BUS' on the license plate. The destination is posted in the front window on a big white card. The buses don't go to Orient Beach or that area. You would have to get dropped off about a 1/2 mile plus away and walk the rest of the way along a dirt road. You can easily get to Marigot, Mullet Bay, Maho Bay using them. Note Mullet Bay is further along the coast than Maho.

 

We usually head to Mullet Bay to the beach and then walk over to Maho to see the planes, then walk back out to the main road and wait for another bus to come along with P'Burg as the destination.

 

It is an easy and affordable way to get around. It is always polite to greet those on the bus when you get on. Everyone has always been very friendly and helpful when we used this mode of transportation.

The 'bus stops' (such as they are) are kind of a fluid concept. as are bus schedules . Most often, you just spot a bus and flag it down. If it is full, it will continue past without stopping and you just keep your eye out for another one that will come along.

 

Usually, the bus will drop you on the main road near Maho Beach and you walk in the road that runs beside the airport fence. The Sunset Beach Bar is on the far side of the beach. Probably only a 3 minute walk or less.

With the help of my CC friends, we found our way to the city buses (vans really) on BACK STREET. We waved a bus that said MAHO BEACH on it (you can also get one that says Mullet Bay which passes Maho Beach first) paying $2 per person (each way) and went to MAHO BEACH next to the airport to see the planes land & depart. WHAT A BLAST, literally!!! We had such a great time! My husband was like a little boy waving his arms as the planes flew above us, wanting us to take his picture and video him too! The bus ride took about 30 minutes on the way there and about 25 minutes on the way back. We picked up and dropped off local people--everyone decent and polite. As others have posted about this bus ride, we felt safe, and our girls thought it added to the experience and was cool that we were travelling like the locals. It seemed we were mostly on the main road along with other taxis. Best times to see planes as posted was between 12noon and 2:30pm (giving you 2:30 as a safe time to head back for 5:30 sailing.)

 

Once at Maho Beach, we just sat on our towels and within 5 minutes the first plane came in; many small planes and a couple of 757's with the last one being AIR FRANCE at about 2:20pm which seemed huge flying over us. There were two men from our cruise who stood in the middle while a jet was in position for take-off. Well, when the jet thrusted it's engines for take-off, it was hysterical to watch these two guys fall back, one rolling into the water. They talked and laughed with us later about how it stung and how they couldn't stay upright in the blast. We walked over to Sunset Beach Bar and ordered Carib beers for $3 each and later had rum-runners for $5 each. We did not eat there as we had a huge breakfast before going. There were chairs & umbrellas for rent (sorry, don't know how much). We packed up after the AIR FRANCE plane at 2:30 and immediately flagged a bus back to PHILLIPSBURG. The bridge did not go up, but you should allow at least 2 hrs return in case it does according to what people have posted. This is supposed to be the low tourist season for them, so that may help with traffic. As far as the beach there, the truth is you don't go there for the beach itself. The attraction is definitely the planes. The stretch of sand is narrow in width going from the ocean to the street, but the sand is clean and soft. The water was crystal clear and cool, but drops to waist level pretty quickly. Although it was not wavy that day, you could feel the tide pull you back and forth a bit, so I would be very careful with small children. It's good for a quick dip to cool off, but not to stay in for a long time I feel.

 

Okay, the one thing I messed up on was finding BACK STREET in the first place. I took directions with me from these boards, but once there I was a little confused and had to ask a couple of people. So I wrote down very specific directions with a more scenic route through the BOARDWALK to help out those who want to try it. You can take the water taxi from the pier to the Boardwalk for $6 per person roundtrip, but we decided to take this walk which was about a 1 mile/15 minute walk, really not bad at all!

Here are DIRECTIONS:

 

Walk straight to the end of the shops at the pier, turning right at the end of the straight line of shops, to exit the entire pier area. You will exit passing the security guardhouse and out through the bluish gates onto the main city street. Once there, turn LEFT walking on the paved sidewalk on the left side of the road. On your left you will pass the construction site of the Pier Improvement Project and then a boat dockyard. Once you pass the boat dockyard look for a green gate with a sign on it for FRONT STREET & BOARDWALK. Turn left into there to follow the paved walkway. If you pass the Shell Gas station you have walked too far. Follow the pavement along the BOARDWALK which lines the beach there and is very picturesque & beautiful. The beach is pretty there with lots of colourful bars restaurants & shops. This area is only about 4 yrs old and very cosmopolitan looking. Walk to the area of the main WATER TAXI pier which is at the mid-length of the beach & Boardwalk. This is the cross street where you will turn RIGHT--when you turn right you will be facing the COURTHOUSE. Walk past the first block which is FRONT STREET to the next block behind the courthouse which is BACK STREET. Once on Back Street you will find the city bus/vans driving by with their signs on the window. You can try to find a bus stop sign (a symbol really) or just flag abus down from anywhere which is what most of the locals do. Don't be afraid to ask for directions as the people there are quite friendly and helpful. Also, at the water taxi building area, there is a Tourist Information Booth you can get help at. I also got a great map of the area on the ship right before you swipe your sea pass to debark. Silly me though, I didn't actually look at it until afterwards!

 

The BOARDWALK had great specials and happy hours, some of them starting at 2:00pm. There were signs for "2 beers for $3.00" and also "2 chairs, 1 umbrella and a bucket of beer for $15.00". We came back here after Maho Beach and swam, drank, shopped, and had a great time! It was a fun-filled and inexpensive way to spend the day. Absolutely enjoyed ourselves!

You can also grab a van-cab at the pier for $ 6 pp and be at Maho in 20 minutes: while the walkers are still looking for Back Street, you are enjoying a cold one at SBB.

Antigua – Thursday 4th March 7:00am – 5:00pm

Dickinson Bay. We went there on the same cruise back in September that we'd gone to Morningstar beach in St. Thomas. Dickinson Bay is now my favourite beach that I've ever been to while cruising. It is where the Sandals Antigua resort is. The sand is like powdered sugar. The water was clear and there were no waves. If no Sandals guests are using the water sports equipment and services, non-guests are able to use them (don't know if there's a charge though). The Sandals water sports guy we spoke to was actually from New England. There were people snorkelling and doing all sorts of other water sports. The beach was clean and about a 20 minute cab ride from the port. You cannot eat at the Sandals Resort, but there is a non-Sandals restaurant at the entrance to the beach. I did not eat there, though.

Official taxi fair from st Johns to Dickerson Bay is $12 for 1-4 passengers each way. We arranged with our licensed cab driver for him to pick us up at the beach at a particular time for transport back to the ship. He was very punctual. We tipped him well on the trip there and on the trip back to the pier. We were pleased with the service.

Dominica – Friday 5th March 8:00am – 6:00pm

Tour with Reyno

Barbados – Saturday 6th March 7:00am – 9:00pm

swimming with Turtles

Save money,Taxi to Paynes Bay in Barbados about $10 great beach they will drop you at The Blue monkey restaurant, lots of small glass bottom boats and they will take you out to snorkel with Turtles 40 yards off beach and then onto a sunken ship to snorkel, but go early and beat all the cruise ship tours and have Turtles more or less to yourselves, about $20 also the beach and blue monkey are v.good for rest of the day.

Westwater Adventures Barbados

We just returned from Barbados on the Queen Mary 2 in December. My girlfriend and I had heard that there were good inexpensive turtle tours available at Folkstone Marine Park, so we took a Yellow/Blue bus (very convenient and cheap way to travel on Barbados, BTW) to the park and took a tour with "Westwater Adventures Barbados" on the boat "Shamon Too".

 

Folkstone Park itself was beautiful and relaxing and there were only a few other people there. There are also nice free changing rooms, an outside shower, and no charge for admission.

 

After we entered the park, a park employee/lifeguard immediately came up to us and asked us if we needed anything. We told him we were looking for a good turtle tour, and he proceeded to call the operator of Westwater Adventures for us. We negotiated a price of $35 per person, although we heard later that the regular price is around $40. About 5 minutes later, the "Shamon Too" came up to the beach just south of the park, and we boarded the boat.

 

We were surprised to find out that we were the only ones on the tour, and we had a glass bottom boat all to ourselves. Our guide was extremely friendly, explaining the safety and design of the boat, and inviting us to ask any questions we had, and to go on the top deck of the boat if we wanted even more privacy. He talked about some of the different hotels and beaches in the area, and explained how once we got to the turtles we should avoid touching them, following them from the back, and wearing fins (which could hurt the turtles). He also had a bag of small fish to feed the turtles.

 

The best part of the tour was when we were swimming with the turtles. Other boats pulled up containing 100+ passengers, but our guide anchored away from many of the other boats. We jumped in and saw turtles immediately. Every time I stuck my head above water, our guide was pointing out other turtles or telling me where to find my girlfriend (who was also swimming around). Some people had swum out from the beach, and he also helped them find turtles -- politely mentioning that next time they should really take a tour... The turtles were huge and spectacular, and one swam right up on my chest to get air. Everyone else was laughing, and I was just stunned.

 

The tour wasn't over yet... We proceeded to snorkel at a reef closer to Folkstone. Our guide pointed out a lot of nice brain coral and fish though the bottom of the boat. He also showed us fire coral and reminded us to avoid touching it (or ANY coral). When he found out we were experienced snorkelers, he told us he would go park the boat over the shipwreck (where all the other haords of people were swimming) and that we could swim, at our own pace, from the reef to the shipwreck. The reef was stunningly beatuiful, and we enjoyed being able to snorkel away from everyone else. When we neared the shipwreck, the water became crowded with people and fish. The huge schools of fish above the shipwreck were fun to swim around, but as our guide also said, the reef was really much nicer.

About an hour and a half after departure, we were dropped off near Folkstone, and thanked for our business.

Overall, we were EXTREMELY SATISFIED with this tour. Our guide was spectacular, and obviously had a tremendous amount of knowledge about the area. We were continually impressed by his attentiveness and concern about the well-being of the turtles and coral.

 

We found out after we got back that the tour company does have a web site. Search for "westwater adventures Barbados".

To get to Folkestone by bus:

 

Walk out of the cruise terminal. You'll walk through a vehicle gate along the waterfront, in the direction of downtown. Then you'll walk past a roundabout and a few blocks through a nice park, still along the waterfront. Across the street, you'll see a big touristy complex called Pelican Arts Centre.

 

Anyway, when you get to the end of the park, look across the street again. You'll see a couple of little snack trailers (I think one said "coca cola" and one said "carib") and behind them is the bus terminal. Jump on one of the yellow busses with a blue stripe and a sign that says "S'town" or "Speightstown", and you'll be on your way.

The cost of the bus is $0.75 US or $1.50 BDS. You pay the conductor before you get off. Folkstone has a sign near the highway, but you need to watch for it. It will be in an area of a lot of big nice hotels and estates with walls around them. When you see the sign, just bang on the side of the bus or ring the bell, and the driver will stop and let you off. If you tell them you want to go to Folkstone, they'll probably help you out, too.

 

When you're ready to come back, flag down a Bridgetown (B'Town) bus outside of the park. They run about every 5 minutes, so it's not a problem. When you get back to Bridgetown, just stay on the bus until you get back to the bus terminal. They'll call "last stop" downtown, but you don't need to get off downtown unless you want a long walk back to the cruise terminal -- just stay on the bus and it will go where you want to go.

The Boat Yard we offer a great Beach Package.

How far is The Boatyard from the cruise Terminal?

The Boatyard is about 3 - 5 mins drive depending on traffic. There is a Taxi stand outside of the cruise Terminal. If you choose to walk, it is about 15 - 20 mins depending on your pace.

How much for a Taxi?

Taxi fares are regulated by the Barbados Government and are pre-set to where your final destination will be, meaning all the Taxis should quote you the same fare. The taxi rate to The Boatyard from the Cruise Terminal is US$3.00 one-way. When you enter the Boatyard, included is your return transportation to the Cruise Terminal, leaving approx at 1:00pm at 15 mins intervals.

The cost is US$15 per adult and 10us for kids under 12 years of age and includes the following:

 

A FREE welcome drink, unlimited use of the beach chairs, restrooms, showers, changing rooms, use of Non-motorised water sports like the Iceberg Slide, Ocean Trampolines, Rope Swing, there is also a Bar and a Restaurant that make up part of our Facility. Shared umbrellas are also included whuile stocks lasts.

Transportation back to the Cruise Ship terminal is free of charge; our shuttles start at 1pm and go every 15 minutes until 4.30. Taxi fare to Boat yard is $3.00. You are issued a wristband which allows you to go in and out of the property as you wish; this has to be worn at all times.

Reservations are not required and we open at 9am, we are about 7-10 minutes drive from the Cruise Terminal by taxi. If you would like to arrange pickup which is free of charge, just let us know the time and number of persons. We meet at the Round-A-Bout outside the Port Gate.

Motorised water activities as well as snorkelling are also available for rental on the beach.

Jet skis are roughly around 50us for 1/2 hour, Snorkelling about 15us per person and parasailing about 60us per person these however are operated by independent persons on the beach.

The Boatyard also offers a Catamaran Lunch Cruise daily from 9.30am to 2.30pm. It's a 5 hour cruise that includes food, unlimited drinks, two snorkel stops one which allows you to swim with turtles and another over an active wreck and reef, which provide lots of fun for the" water enthusiasts"

or total relaxation for those who prefer to "just get away from it all" and be pampered. Adults are 75us and kids 12 and under are 38us each.

Reservations are required for this trip and you can do so by email or if you prefer our telephone numbers are 246 228-8142 / 246 826-4448.

ST. VINCENT – Sunday 7th March 8:00am – 5:00pm

Villa Beach and Indian Bay - There are two white sand beaches on mainland St. Vincent located on the southeast end of the island. They are divided by a small hilly projection and are easily accessible. Both beaches offer good snorkelling and provide lovely views of Young Island and some of the Grenadine islands.

6 of us took a mini-bus to Villa Beach which is very unimpressive but just across the bay is the little known gem of Young Island. Just stand on the beach and a water-taxi will appear to take you across, as usual negotiate the price and you have to enter by wading into the water and exit onto a wet jetty. This is a private island largely occupied by a single hotel, but visitors are welcome with the restriction that you cannot use the sunbeds and hammocks belonging to the hotel. Just stretch out your beach towel and enjoy a lovely setting with excellent swimming, including a swim-out bar just off the beach. From later discussion we had the best beach-trip of anyone we spoke to on the ship. The round-trip cost 10 USD for the mini-bus and 2 USD round-trip for the water-taxi.

GRENADA – Monday 8th March 7:00am – 2:00pm

Grand Anse Beach, water ferry $8 round trip per person. Retain ticket for the return trip. You can take any of the water taxis back. The journey is approximately 15 minutes ride to the beach. The beach is beautiful -- calm clear water --- but beware - the locals start as soon as you walk the dock to the beach.. There were three of them fighting each other as to who was going to have the best beer prices--- Told them all to go away until we decided who to buy from -and we used a nice girl named Nikki... Two chairs and umbrella were $15 -- said normally $20- but depends on who you talk to.... Got 6 beers for $15-- with a free one thrown in....

Was a wonderful day -would definitely go back again --- Five minute walk from ship to water taxi... very easy.

Bonaire – Tuesday 9th March 12:00pm – 7:00pm – changed to Wednesday 10th March 7:00am – 2:00pm

Last month when My husband and I were in Bonaire. We went to the Divi Flamingo resort. It was in walking distance from the port.$10.00 pp for a day pass. It was great snorkelling . You get a chair and drink with your pass. They have a eatery onsite and bar (regular menu prices). No sandy beach but they had long piers with tables and lounge chairs that over looked the water it was beautiful!!. You can even leave to go back to the ship for a meal if you like and return with your pass (we didn’t). Oh you can use their showers and pools as well with your pass.It was a steal at $10.00. We saw 100's of fish while snorkling.This was our second time there and will not be the last.

I was in Bonaire last week on the Caribbean Princess. We went to the Divi Flamingo. they offer a day pass for $10 per person which includes the use of the pool, beach, chairs, etc. When you get off the ship, go to the street that runs along the shore, in front of the dock and turn right. It is a 5 minute walk at most, very easy.

 

We went on the Woodwind snorkel tour. It leaves from the dock at the Divi resort. We arranged this in advance of our trip. They take you on a catamaran to an incredible reef on the protected area off Klein Bonaire. You are separated into groups based on ability. We did a drift snorkel for a full hour. I have been to a lot of islands and have done a lot of snorkelling. This was the best that I have ever seen. We saw at least 15 large sea turtles, tons of coral, schools of colourful fish, sponges, puffer fish......the list goes on. The guides Tina and Dee were fantastic. When they saw something of interest, they would free dive and point it out and then surface to tell you about it. There was a underwater photographer taking photos of us and the scenery. We bought a disc of the photos from her, they were beautiful. I highly recommend this trip! Here is a link: http://www.woodwindbonaire.com/

Curacao – Wednesday 10th March 7:00am – 2:00pm changed to Tuesday 9th March 1:00pm – 8:00pm

 

Best Beach for a Half-Day Visit: Seaquarium Beach has all imaginable facilities (shops, bars, water sports vendors and restaurants), plus white sand and palm trees; it's a good choice for families.

Cab $5 per person / each way from cruise terminal to Cabana Beach (formerly Kontiki)

 

Beach - $3 to get in

$3 for lounge chair

Your taxi driver will return to pick you up at a designated time if you speak with them on the way there.

 

No problems getting a taxi at the pier, we walked off the ship and there was a line of taxis just waiting for you.

Cabs are $15-20 to the closest beaches. We walked across the bridge into town and hooked up with a van to Cabana Beach Club (seaquarium area), cost was $15 The beach club was nice, $3 to get in and $3 to rent a lounge chair. Great food, good drinks, protected cove for swimming. A local told me the bus was only $1.50 if you didn't need a taxi.

The buses that go east (towards Kon Tiki/Cabana Beach) leave from the bus stand at the cinema. Just cross the floating bridge, go left along the water, walk past the terraces and the floating market and you will see the cinema on your left hand on the other side of the canal. You will need the buses that go to Seaquarium. Just tell the driver to drop you off at Kon Tiki and he'll tell you when you're there (it's on his route). Expect to pay about $1 for this ride.

Ask the driver when he drops you off where to pick up the bus and at what time.

Blue Bay Beach is a large shady beach just northwest of Willemstad, near the village of Sint Michiel, with lots of facilities. It's popular with local families and visitors because of the soft white sand. The sea floor slopes gently from the beach, so children enjoy playing here. There are lounge chairs, palm trees, shade umbrellas, a nice bar and restaurant, a water sports center (diving and sea kayaking!), and a bikini shop. There is a children’s playground, a fairly large pool, and showers and toilets. On Sundays you can join a barbeque lunch. An admission fee for Blue Bay, Curacao is charged

Thursday 11th March – Day at Sea

Grand Cayman – Friday 12th March (Tender) 9:00am – 6:00pm

Stingray City with Moby Dick Tours. Tour starts 12:00pm (arrive 30mins earlier).

At the end of the trip, we journey back to our dock where you can choose to go back to the terminal or be dropped (from the bus) at the World famous Seven Mile Beach (Royal Palms Beach or Sea Grape Beach area). Sunbeds are $10pp + umbrella $5. Taxis/shuttle buses back from there are frequent and cost only $4per person and take only 10mins.

Montego Bay – Jamaica - Saturday 13th March arrives 7:00am

[maryhill1]

Hi Hammers.

You're a Star-- this info is fantastic!

Really helpful & saved me a lot of searching.

Really appreciate your help.

 

Thanks Elaine.

[hammers]

Hi Elaine, you're welcome. if you need any further infomation, just ask. As I said in my post, we had a great time on the Sea Princess, our only disappointment was not stopping at Grand Cayman due to the high wind closing the port. Never mind, it means we will have to go back next year:D

 

Terry