Cruise Tips and Suggestions

[txgirl74]

Hello,

 

My partner and I are going on a cruise in December. We are going on Royal Caribbean, Serenade of the Seas. Our itinerary will take us from Puerto Rico to: Tortola, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Dominica and Barbados.

 

I was wondering:

 

1) Does anyone have any overall cruise tips we can take with us to make this trip more enjoyable?

 

2) has anyone does any excursions in these ports? Where did you book them and how were they?

 

Thank you!

[shipgeeks]

Depends what you like, of course, but I highly recommend the beach at St. Maarten. Just walk to it from the ship, about 15 minutes. Beautiful sand, beautiful clear water, lots of cafes and bars behind it if you want that.

At Dominica we have done a bus tour (ship-sponsored) which took us to places we couldn't have seen otherwise - lookout, waterfalls, etc. - but it was 4.5 hours long, which was a bit beyond comfortable. Lots of driving up and down very steep and winding hills.

On Barbados you can also walk to a beach, (15 minutes) and just beyond that, the town, which is interesting to walk around. Or you can grab a taxi at the ship terminal and ask to go to the beach with the nicest conditions that day.

I hope this helps as a start.

[CruiserBruce]

You can learn tons of cruise tips simply by reading here. But the best place to read would be on the RCCL board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

 

There you will learn lots about RCCL, your ship and your cruise.

 

Also go to the Caribbean ports board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

 

Go there so you can start thinking about what you want to do in each port.

[panoramaofthepast]

Hello,

 

My partner and I are going on a cruise in December. We are going on Royal Caribbean, Serenade of the Seas. Our itinerary will take us from Puerto Rico to: Tortola, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Dominica and Barbados.

 

I was wondering:

 

1) Does anyone have any overall cruise tips we can take with us to make this trip more enjoyable? Here's a couple of suggestions to keep things organized -

• a 12 pocket, over the door shoe holder - not for shoes, but for things like sun glasses and meds and suntan lotion and small odds and ends that adds to clutter
  
• a surge protector for extra plugs for all the electronics
  
  
• post a notes and/or dry erase marker for leaving notes
  
• a couple of gallon sized zip lock plastic bags
  
• half the clothes and twice the money as you planned! :)
  
  

 

 

2) has anyone does any excursions in these ports? Where did you book them and how were they?

Orient Beach at St. Maarten is beautiful; it is a nude beach, so that may not be your taste

You can book on your own by checking websites or through your cruise ship. There are pros and cons to each. If it is your first time, I'd recommend using the ship's excursion, if it is going somewhere you are interested in.

 

Have fun!!

[jnc411]

Hello,

 

My partner and I are going on a cruise in December. We are going on Royal Caribbean, Serenade of the Seas. Our itinerary will take us from Puerto Rico to: Tortola, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Dominica and Barbados.

 

I was wondering:

 

1) Does anyone have any overall cruise tips we can take with us to make this trip more enjoyable?

 

2) has anyone does any excursions in these ports? Where did you book them and how were they?

 

Thank you!

 

We have been to all the ports on your list. It is a wonderful itenirary.

Puerto Rico: just take the city trolley through old town up to the forts, it is a fun and interesting time then get off in old town and stroll through the shops , lots of neat things to see.

Tortola: We went snorkeling there , really fun

St Maarten : the beach , beautiful .

St.Kitts: We took a ships tour of the island

Dominica: We did a river float ( the rapids were pretty rough)

Barbados: We love Barbados , every time we go there we do something new, lots of choices.

Have a wonderful time , enjoy your cruise. Be sure to check the Ports of call board here on

Cruise Critic , it will give you loads of information

Cori

[txgirl74]

Thank you all. this is wonderful information!

[cruzeluver]

I would certainly consider going to the Baths during your stop in Tortola. They are actually on a neighboring island, Virgin Gorda which is a short ferry ride away. You can book an excursion there through the ship and there are other vendors as well. Check out the Tortola board for more info. Absolutely beautiful and a really unique place to swim, snorkel or just relax!