Mitsugirlys FASCINATION with San Juan-review & pictorial

[perfect match]

One last thing. I know you always do your research, that's why Inread your reviews! Did you find VI Snuba when doing your research? If what they say is true, and you decide on snuba, you may want to check them out.

 

http://www.visnuba.com/index.htm

 

Can you tell I'm done planning my own cruise? Would the fact that I'm obsessively looking at things for your cruise - which I know you are extremely capable of doing yourself - be a hint that I can hardly wait to get aboard my own ship? :eek: Are we there yet?! :D

[mitsugirly]

The aquarium dive I've done is Dive Quest at Epcot.

 

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/epcot-divequest/

 

It was way better than I expected. My husband and our neighbor were allowed to do the backstage tour with me even though they didn't pay for the experience. They watched the dive from the regular visitor section of the aquarium, them met me after the dive to see the video they made. Besides the sharks, there were so many different fish in there, and sea turtles as well. At one point our group went into "shark alley" and sat in a circle on the bottom while the sharks circled above us. Oh, one couple in our group got engaged during the dive as well.

 

If I remember correctly, to purge your mask just tip your head so the water in the mask is near the purge valve and blow out through your nose to force the water out.

 

Since you are comfortable with your dry snorkel, if I were you, I'd stick with that. I personally still use one that is open at the top. That is the type I have used for years, and I would rather get an occasional mouth full of water than try to breathe in and get nothing because the top of the snorkel is under water. That's just me, though. Most people I know seem to prefer a dry snorkel. With the dry type, I guess the most important thing is that the valve at the top really does keep the water out.

 

If the lens was popping out of your mask, it was definitely time for a new one! Check the fit with the snorkel you have in your mouth and be sure it still seals well. Any mouthpiece you put in your mouth changes the contour of your face, and since you will use the mask and snorkel together, that's when you want the seal to be tight.

 

What a shame about the helmet dive operator in Bermuda! I hate to hear stories like that. I wouldn't want to do any kind of dive with them either. I always research any dive op I use before I book with then with safety being my main criteria.

 

I was just looking at Coki Dive Center in St Thomas to see if they were the ones who offer snuba. Well, I didn't see snuba, but look what I found! They have- wait for it - a Bubblemaker program for kids Sakari's age!

 

http://www.cokidive.com/padi-bubblemaker

 

Why not contact them and see what they offer? Sakari would go crazy! She also wouldn't mind so much missing her session at home while you are on your cruise. I did not research this much. I just read through and saw that they do a brief instruction session, followed by a supervised dive in 10 ft. of water. Do you think Sakari could handle that? I'd get in touch with them and tell them what she is doing at home. See what they say. Decide if you are comfortable with what they tell you. I never looked for snuba or helmet diving once I saw this, but you can ask about that, too, if you want. If Sakari does the kids Bubblemaker at Coki, ask if you can snorkel along with the group so you can watch - I mean take pictures! Let me know what you think!

 

EDIT: I just went back to look a little more and saw that PARENTS are welcome to dive, too!

 

 

Wow diving in Epcot in the tanks sounds amazing. What a neat experience. I didn't realize you could do things like that.

 

Oh how neat...a bubblemaker program at Coki. I still don't understand the difference between bubblemakers and padi seals. When I told another friend about Sakari taking lessons, they mentioned the bubblemaker and I said "no the padi seal". What's the difference? I'm confused.

 

I know she would definitely like that. My only issue is the time thing at St Thomas. I'm just wondering if it would work out.

 

I did see where it says parents are welcome to dive too, but we don't dive, so I wonder if they'd allow me to snorkel above her. She would be fine in 10' of water I believe (or hope). But that's where it starts to get a little "iffy" with her ears.

 

 

 

 

One last thing. I know you always do your research, that's why Inread your reviews! Did you find VI Snuba when doing your research? If what they say is true, and you decide on snuba, you may want to check them out.

 

http://www.visnuba.com/index.htm

 

Can you tell I'm done planning my own cruise? Would the fact that I'm obsessively looking at things for your cruise - which I know you are extremely capable of doing yourself - be a hint that I can hardly wait to get aboard my own ship? :eek: Are we there yet?! :D

 

 

Oh that sounds pretty awesome too! Oh my, so many options but so little time. :( Gosh, I wish we were staying longer here.

 

I'm just wondering...since we have been to Coki before, and I have seen the AMAZING reef along the beach area there...when I look at the pictures of people doing the snuba on their site (both their picture area AND they take pictures of you while you are doing it to buy as well and post online), they really aren't in any area with coral? It looks like there's not much there. Mostly sandy bottom. :confused: I would hope that they would actually go where there's more than that because I know the beach area definitely has more.

[perfect match]

Wow diving in Epcot in the tanks sounds amazing. What a neat experience. I didn't realize you could do things like that.

 

Oh how neat...a bubblemaker program at Coki. I still don't understand the difference between bubblemakers and padi seals. When I told another friend about Sakari taking lessons, they mentioned the bubblemaker and I said "no the padi seal". What's the difference? I'm confused.

 

I know she would definitely like that. My only issue is the time thing at St Thomas. I'm just wondering if it would work out.

 

I did see where it says parents are welcome to dive too, but we don't dive, so I wonder if they'd allow me to snorkel above her. She would be fine in 10' of water I believe (or hope). But that's where it starts to get a little "iffy" with her ears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh that sounds pretty awesome too! Oh my, so many options but so little time. :( Gosh, I wish we were staying longer here.

 

I'm just wondering...since we have been to Coki before, and I have seen the AMAZING reef along the beach area there...when I look at the pictures of people doing the snuba on their site (both their picture area AND they take pictures of you while you are doing it to buy as well and post online), they really aren't in any area with coral? It looks like there's not much there. Mostly sandy bottom. :confused: I would hope that they would actually go where there's more than that because I know the beach area definitely has more.

 

 

Diving at Epcot was a lot of fun! I would love to do it again at some point.

 

I checked the PADI website and I think that Bubblemakers is their general intro for kids scuba and PADI Seals is the next level of the program where the kids move on to doing challenges using scuba like Sakari is doing now.

 

What are your port times in St Thomas? The Coki Dive Center site says their Bubblemaker program lasts 90 minutes. Add travel time both ways and decide if it would work, and if it is what you want Sakari to do. Then, call or email Coki Dive Center and ask them if they can schedule you within your time frame. I would also tell them that Sakari is already a PADI Seal at home, and ask them about you being able to snorkel along. They should be able to answer any questions you have. My understanding of the "parents can dive too" meant you wouldn't have to be certified. It would be more of a Discover Scuba experience for you, a good chance for you to try it out and see if you like it.

 

What I noticed on the VI Snuba website is that they claim to offer more than the NCL excursion. I thought the shallow water practice would be good for you. Did you see their comparison chart? http://www.visnuba.com/cruise.htm They also said they would work with you to stay within your time frame.

 

You have a decision to make! :D I suspect I'm not making it any easier, either, but I hope I'm at least pointing you in a good direction. Whatever you decide, I am sure you will have fun.

[mitsugirly]

Diving at Epcot was a lot of fun! I would love to do it again at some point.

 

I checked the PADI website and I think that Bubblemakers is their general intro for kids scuba and PADI Seals is the next level of the program where the kids move on to doing challenges using scuba like Sakari is doing now.

 

What are your port times in St Thomas? The Coki Dive Center site says their Bubblemaker program lasts 90 minutes. Add travel time both ways and decide if it would work, and if it is what you want Sakari to do. Then, call or email Coki Dive Center and ask them if they can schedule you within your time frame. I would also tell them that Sakari is already a PADI Seal at home, and ask them about you being able to snorkel along. They should be able to answer any questions you have. My understanding of the "parents can dive too" meant you wouldn't have to be certified. It would be more of a Discover Scuba experience for you, a good chance for you to try it out and see if you like it.

 

What I noticed on the VI Snuba website is that they claim to offer more than the NCL excursion. I thought the shallow water practice would be good for you. Did you see their comparison chart? http://www.visnuba.com/cruise.htm They also said they would work with you to stay within your time frame.

 

You have a decision to make! :D I suspect I'm not making it any easier, either, but I hope I'm at least pointing you in a good direction. Whatever you decide, I am sure you will have fun.

 

 

Our port time is only 7-2pm. :( That's what's making this so hard. I just don't understand why they do this...especially when it's only a 3 port cruise to begin with. There should be plenty of time to get to the next port (there's a day in between).

 

I did read the comparisons of what they offer compared to the other (Carnival and RCCL) but I wonder why they didn't do a comparison with NCL (which is what we are on).

 

I broke the news of the possibility of doing either the PADI dive or the snuba when she got home from school last night and her eyes lit up and she started jumping up and down and said DIVE DIVE DIVE. She was so excited. Now I almost feel like I have to let her do this or she's going to be disappointed. :p'

 

Yea, I wouldn't mind trying it to see how I liked it. I was reading some TA reports and there were people saying they did this and that's what turned them on to getting certified. I told the hubby about it last night and his reply was "maybe you should just start taking your classes now so that by the time we leave, you can do some of your check offs while we are there" LOL.

 

Now I do have to say this...I've been to Coki. I thought the snorkeling there was simply AMAZING! The reefs along the side (both sides) just blew me away. I was able to see things and colors in coral that I had never seen anywhere else (and still to this day haven't see anymore of the beautiful purple coral that this place had there). BUT.... I was looking up both the snuba and the kids doing the dive there, plus as I mentioned earlier pictures on the website and online, and where is this beautiful coral? They are showing them mostly in areas with not much around so I'm really confused. I do remember seeing the divers go out in the water the day we were there and they went out in the sandy area (I'm sure to practice with their equipment) and then headed out, but do they even go over to the coral reef areas along the side? I guess the pictures I'm seeing is just bothering me a little. I guess if I don't see at least the type of things I was able to see when I was snorkeling, or better, it wouldn't be worth it to me.

 

After researching a new place to go several months ago, it was suggested to me to head to Secret Harbor. I was told it's a very calm area and protected and has excellent snorkeling there. I was also told there's a dive shop there and that's where you rent the chairs. I'm wondering if maybe this dive shop also does the same programs. It would be some place new for us and still get to do the experience. I'll have to check into this. :)

[SenatorsFan]

Hi, Kim. I just wanted to thank you for coming back to let us know how Sakari is doing and for all the great pictures! She looks like she's really enjoying herself.:)

Hope you have a great time on Epic. :)

Heather

[mitsugirly]

Hi, Kim. I just wanted to thank you for coming back to let us know how Sakari is doing and for all the great pictures! She looks like she's really enjoying herself.:)

Hope you have a great time on Epic. :)

Heather

 

 

Thanks Heather. Glad you checked back in to see her progress. I'm hoping we have a great cruise on the Epic too, but the "extended" family is going this time around :eek: (which always makes an interesting cruise) and it's really going to be hard to beat this Fascination cruise. :p

[perfect match]

Our port time is only 7-2pm. :( That's what's making this so hard. I just don't understand why they do this...especially when it's only a 3 port cruise to begin with. There should be plenty of time to get to the next port (there's a day in between).

 

I agree with you about the short, early :eek: port times. The only cruise we were on that stopped in San Juan was the same port time as yours in St Thomas. It was the only time I stayed on board the ship while we were in port. That was also the cruise that convinced me to get my second hip and both knees replaced, so that had a lot to do with my staying on the ship in addition to the time factor.

 

I did read the comparisons of what they offer compared to the other (Carnival and RCCL) but I wonder why they didn't do a comparison with NCL (which is what we are on).

 

VI Snuba did do the comparison with NCL. It is the same as Carnival.

 

I broke the news of the possibility of doing either the PADI dive or the snuba when she got home from school last night and her eyes lit up and she started jumping up and down and said DIVE DIVE DIVE. She was so excited. Now I almost feel like I have to let her do this or she's going to be disappointed. :p'

 

I was wondering if you had told Sakari about the possibility of doing the Bubblemaker dive yet. Since Sakari seems to be a much younger version of me when it comes to doing things in the water, I knew exactly what she would say! I hope you are feeling Ok about letting her dive because I think she will not let go of the idea easily.

 

I have to get off the computer for a bit, but I'll be back later with some info about the dive shop at Secret Harbor.

[perfect match]

I'm back! It's a shame when life interferes with my time on CC! :p

 

Yea, I wouldn't mind trying it to see how I liked it. I was reading some TA reports and there were people saying they did this and that's what turned them on to getting certified. I told the hubby about it last night and his reply was "maybe you should just start taking your classes now so that by the time we leave, you can do some of your check offs while we are there" LOL.

 

You could do that, but the Open Water certification course isn't cheap, and your cruise is coming up soon. It might be difficult to get your classroom work done before you cruise. Besides, you don't know yet if you will like scuba enough to want to get certified. I would suggest that you try scuba out with Sakari and if you decide you like scuba enough to get certified, you can start the process once you get home. You need 5 confined water (pool) sessions and 4 open water dives to get your certification in addition to your classroom work, so you could plan to do your open water dives on your next cruise. You could also do the Scuba Diver level of certification, which requires less classroom work than Open Water, and only requires 3 pool dives and 2 open water dives. Scuba Diver would qualify you to get tanks filled and dive to 40 feet, but I think it requires you to dive with a divemaster. It does limit the dives you are qualified to do. Since Sakari can't get full certification until she's 10, you would have plenty of time to complete your own Open Water certification by the time she is ready to do hers.

 

Now I do have to say this...I've been to Coki. I thought the snorkeling there was simply AMAZING! The reefs along the side (both sides) just blew me away. I was able to see things and colors in coral that I had never seen anywhere else (and still to this day haven't see anymore of the beautiful purple coral that this place had there). BUT.... I was looking up both the snuba and the kids doing the dive there, plus as I mentioned earlier pictures on the website and online, and where is this beautiful coral? They are showing them mostly in areas with not much around so I'm really confused. I do remember seeing the divers go out in the water the day we were there and they went out in the sandy area (I'm sure to practice with their equipment) and then headed out, but do they even go over to the coral reef areas along the side? I guess the pictures I'm seeing is just bothering me a little. I guess if I don't see at least the type of things I was able to see when I was snorkeling, or better, it wouldn't be worth it to me.

 

Just for fun, I went back and looked at your review of Coki. :D One of your pictures was of a group of divers going out from Coki Dive Center. You certainly did see a lot of beautiful fish and coral at Coki, even your first eel!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=42954577&postcount=379

 

Your dive would definitely start in a section of the beach with a sandy bottom because they do not want divers kicking the coral with their fins and breaking it. I'm sure you would be able to see the beautiful fish and coral you saw the last time you were at Coki since it is the same beach.

 

After researching a new place to go several months ago, it was suggested to me to head to Secret Harbor. I was told it's a very calm area and protected and has excellent snorkeling there. I was also told there's a dive shop there and that's where you rent the chairs. I'm wondering if maybe this dive shop also does the same programs. It would be some place new for us and still get to do the experience. I'll have to check into this. :)

 

The dive shop at Secret Harbor is Aqua Action. http://www.aadivers.com

They are a PADI Dive shop, and as such they do show Bubblemakers/PADI Seals on their dive training chart. However, they do not seem to offer it the way Coki does. Coki has a banner on their website for Bubblemakers. Aqua Action has a list of classes they offer on their website, but the only mention of Bubblemakers is on the chart of all courses offered through PADI. Makes me wonder if they have kid size dive gear available, and how much experience their staff has in teaching younger kids to dive. They might be fine, you woud have to talk to them about it.

 

Here's a link to a listing of dive shops in St Thomas. It has phome numbers for both Coki Dive Center and Aqua Action, including an 800 number for Coki Dive and emails for both.

 

http://www.visitusvi.com/stthomas/diving

 

Since Sakari is on board with the plan for her to dive, you may want to start making some contact with one or the other, or maybe both of these dive shops. :D

Edited October 21, 2016 by perfect match

[mitsugirly]

I agree with you about the short, early port times. The only cruise we were on that stopped in San Juan was the same port time as yours in St Thomas. It was the only time I stayed on board the ship while we were in port. That was also the cruise that convinced me to get my second hip and both knees replaced, so that had a lot to do with my staying on the ship in addition to the time factor.

 

We have only had, I think, 2 cruises with short port times like this: Costa Maya and Freeport. Costa Maya was easy because the beach at the Malecon is a few minutes away. But Freeport, we just ended staying on the ship and only got off in port for roam around and back on. I hate stops like this. I "usually" check the times before booking a cruise like this, but I'm not really sure what I was thinking this time around. LOL I will definitely double check port times on my future cruises before booking again.

 

VI Snuba did do the comparison with NCL. It is the same as Carnival.

 

 

Oh whoops, I didn't realize that NCL was listed with Carnival.

 

 

I was wondering if you had told Sakari about the possibility of doing the Bubblemaker dive yet. Since Sakari seems to be a much younger version of me when it comes to doing things in the water, I knew exactly what she would say! I hope you are feeling Ok about letting her dive because I think she will not let go of the idea easily.

 

Oh yea, I don't have a problem with her doing whichever she wants to do. I know she would enjoy it either way. I'm all for it if that's what she decides.

 

I have to get off the computer for a bit, but I'll be back later with some info about the dive shop at Secret Harbor.

 

I'm back! It's a shame when life interferes with my time on CC!

 

I know what you mean. School keeps getting in my way...the nerve of it! :o

 

You could do that, but the Open Water certification course isn't cheap, and your cruise is coming up soon. It might be difficult to get your classroom work done before you cruise. Besides, you don't know yet if you will like scuba enough to want to get certified. I would suggest that you try scuba out with Sakari and if you decide you like scuba enough to get certified, you can start the process once you get home. You need 5 confined water (pool) sessions and 4 open water dives to get your certification in addition to your classroom work, so you could plan to do your open water dives on your next cruise. You could also do the Scuba Diver level of certification, which requires less classroom work than Open Water, and only requires 3 pool dives and 2 open water dives. Scuba Diver would qualify you to get tanks filled and dive to 40 feet, but I think it requires you to dive with a divemaster. It does limit the dives you are qualified to do. Since Sakari can't get full certification until she's 10, you would have plenty of time to complete your own Open Water certification by the time she is ready to do hers.

 

Yea, he was totally joking around with me when he said to go get certified in a hurry before we go. There's no time for that with my schooling and everything right now. But "maybe" some day. We'll see. I think I would like to try it out first and see how it goes. They said I could do a trial course at the dive center and if I liked it then the money I paid on that course would go toward the real course. However, I just feel like diving in a pool is going to be an entirely different situation for me than in the ocean. I would definitely love diving in the pool...fresh water, no sharks, no worries. :p The ocean...that's going to raise my anxiety level a notch. I guess I have a few years to figure it out if I want to dive with Sakari.

 

Just for fun, I went back and looked at your review of Coki. :D One of your pictures was of a group of divers going out from Coki Dive Center. You certainly did see a lot of beautiful fish and coral at Coki, even your first eel!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=42954577&postcount=379

 

Yep, I did the same thing the other day too when I was showing Sakari the place I was talking about to see if she remembered it.

 

 

Your dive would definitely start in a section of the beach with a sandy bottom because they do not want divers kicking the coral with their fins and breaking it. I'm sure you would be able to see the beautiful fish and coral you saw the last time you were at Coki since it is the same beach.

 

 

 

The dive shop at Secret Harbor is Aqua Action. http://www.aadivers.com

They are a PADI Dive shop, and as such they do show Bubblemakers/PADI Seals on their dive training chart. However, they do not seem to offer it the way Coki does. Coki has a banner on their website for Bubblemakers. Aqua Action has a list of classes they offer on their website, but the only mention of Bubblemakers is on the chart of all courses offered through PADI. Makes me wonder if they have kid size dive gear available, and how much experience their staff has in teaching younger kids to dive. They might be fine, you woud have to talk to them about it.

 

I did look it up the other day and found the same thing you did with the PADI Bubble makers on the chart, but no class or dive offered. I did end up emailing them, but they have not responded yet (even though I thought I read that they respond within 24 hours or even that day).

 

Here's a link to a listing of dive shops in St Thomas. It has phome numbers for both Coki Dive Center and Aqua Action, including an 800 number for Coki Dive and emails for both.

 

http://www.visitusvi.com/stthomas/diving

 

Since Sakari is on board with the plan for her to dive, you may want to start making some contact with one or the other, or maybe both of these dive shops. :D

 

I still need to contact Coki dive center and see what they think and her situation...and even the possibility of me trying. I know they have the same qualifications as Sakari's dive center with filling out the form and "if you check yes to any of them, you need a doctors statement to dive"...which her yes would be the problem with her ears. So, I also need to contact her dive instructor and get a copy of the doctors statement that was filled out to take it with me. I can't believe I didn't make a copy. I'm usually pretty good at those things :cool:

[perfect match]

I still need to contact Coki dive center and see what they think and her situation...and even the possibility of me trying. I know they have the same qualifications as Sakari's dive center with filling out the form and "if you check yes to any of them, you need a doctors statement to dive"...which her yes would be the problem with her ears. So, I also need to contact her dive instructor and get a copy of the doctors statement that was filled out to take it with me. I can't believe I didn't make a copy. I'm usually pretty good at those things :cool:

 

Even if you don't manage to get Sakari on a dive, getting a copy of that Dr statement woud be a good idea. I can't believe you didn't make a copy of it either because you ARE really good about things like that! :D

 

I know you like to go to different places, but I think Coki might be the beter choice if Sakari is going to diver. The shop there seems to be much more open to, and prepared for kids her age, so probably safer. You can always try Secret Harbor on another cruise when you have more time to spend there. Besides, you really seemed to like Coki. I wouldn't worry so much about other people's pictures. Most people are not as determined as you are, and most of them have no idea where to look, or what to look for. Give Coki a call or email and see what you get from them. It may make your decision clear.

 

I looked at your Maya Chan review today because our Oasis cruise is stopping in Costa Maya and someone on our roll call was asking about it. I did email her some info, but I also saw the cutest picture of a much younger Sakari holding a starfish. She sure has come a long way since then! She's a scuba diver now! :cool:

 

Diving in a pool is nowhere near as much fun as diving in the ocean! A pool is a great place to practice skills though, so if something does happen underwater you will know exactly what to do. You cn also have fun with games like underwater hockey, underwater obstcle courses and other games. Still, I personally prefer the ocean! :D

[mitsugirly]

Even if you don't manage to get Sakari on a dive, getting a copy of that Dr statement woud be a good idea. I can't believe you didn't make a copy of it either because you ARE really good about things like that!

 

I know you like to go to different places, but I think Coki might be the beter choice if Sakari is going to diver. The shop there seems to be much more open to, and prepared for kids her age, so probably safer. You can always try Secret Harbor on another cruise when you have more time to spend there. Besides, you really seemed to like Coki. I wouldn't worry so much about other people's pictures. Most people are not as determined as you are, and most of them have no idea where to look, or what to look for. Give Coki a call or email and see what you get from them. It may make your decision clear.

 

I looked at your Maya Chan review today because our Oasis cruise is stopping in Costa Maya and someone on our roll call was asking about it. I did email her some info, but I also saw the cutest picture of a much younger Sakari holding a starfish. She sure has come a long way since then! She's a scuba diver now!

 

Diving in a pool is nowhere near as much fun as diving in the ocean! A pool is a great place to practice skills though, so if something does happen underwater you will know exactly what to do. You cn also have fun with games like underwater hockey, underwater obstcle courses and other games. Still, I personally prefer the ocean!

 

 

I know, big FACEPALM for not making a copy. I was just so excited about her learning to dive that I wasn't thinking straight. LOL

 

I wonder if they allow you to take the camera and take pictures during the dive. I ask the hubby about us doing the class when she does and he said "ABSOLUTELY! I WANT TO". So, it looks like this may be the place for us.

 

I just wonder (and kinda worry) how it will be with all of us doing it. Meaning, I know that they will have (up to 2 kids) in a group per instructor, and then the website says 4 people in the "adult" class. So, will we even be close together diving but just in our own little group? I would hate it if we couldn't be close enough to watch her do her dive and take pictures. (Those have to go in my next review of course! :D)

 

Oh yes, that was Sakari's very first cruise...Maya Chan on the NCL Spirit. She has gotten so big and has grown to absolutely love the ocean, water, and animals. One of my all time favorite pictures of her is also from that cruise and ziplining all by herself in Roatan:

 

 

 

She has always been so brave and will try anything.

 

It's kinda funny also looking back at our Coki pictures to see Sakari still wearing her puddle jumper when swimming. It will be an entirely different story this time around. :eek:

 

I wanted to ask you about something that someone else told me on another thread that I inquired about using the dive shop at Coki...

 

 

"Forgot to mention that this dive we took with the class counted towards your certification if you signed up on line with PADI and enrolled in the course. So you could get your certification after taking their online portion."

 

Do you know anything about this? Does this mean that if we return home and the hubby and I decide to take lessons that this is considered one of our open water dives? Our local dive shop said you sign up and do the online classes from home, then you practice in the pool for 2 nights (I think he said 8 hours?), then you have to do the 4 open water dives. So if we returned home and signed up, we would only have to do the online class, the water classes and 3 other dives? :confused:

[perfect match]

I know, big FACEPALM for not making a copy. I was just so excited about her learning to dive that I wasn't thinking straight. LOL

At my age, we call those senior moments. You're still a bit too young to get away with that excuse yet, but you will be forgiven once you get the copy.

 

I wonder if they allow you to take the camera and take pictures during the dive. I ask the hubby about us doing the class when she does and he said "ABSOLUTELY! I WANT TO". So' date=' it looks like this may be the place for us.[/quote']

 

I seriously doubt you would be allowed to be taking pictures while you are taking a class. The instructor will want your focus on the class, not how cute Sakari will look. Honestly, I would not trust any instructor who would allow picture taking by a student in their class. Just not a good idea. Sorry, I know that's not what you want to hear, but if you want to dive safely, you really do have to know what you are doing and why you're doing it.

 

Doesn't your hubby have ear issues? If so, do you think he would get clearance to dive? I don't want to burst his bubble, but I do want him to be safe. While Sakari seems to have no real ear problems, she just needs to learn to get those ears cleared and she will be fine. I know she will manage that, hopefully, soon. From what I remember from your posts about your hubby's ear problems, I'm not so sure. Please insist he gets DR clearance before he dives. I really do want all of you to be safe divers!

 

I just wonder (and kinda worry) how it will be with all of us doing it. Meaning' date=' I know that they will have (up to 2 kids) in a group per instructor, and then the website says 4 people in the "adult" class. So, will we even be close together diving but just in our own little group? I would hate it if we couldn't be close enough to watch her do her dive and take pictures. (Those have to go in my next review of course! :D)[/quote']

 

I don't know how your dive shop schedules their classes. My shop is a much smaller one than yours. It is a one man operation, so obviously he can only teach one class at a time. If your shop schedules the kids and adults at separate times, then I imagine you could take all the pictures of Sakari that you want, and maybe she could take pictures of you. If both classes are running at the same time, see my response above. Ask your dive shop about their schedule. I seem to say "ask the dive shop" a lot, don't I? Really, though, they are the best ones to answer most of your questions.

 

 

Oh yes, that was Sakari's very first cruise...Maya Chan on the NCL Spirit. She has gotten so big and has grown to absolutely love the ocean, water, and animals. One of my all time favorite pictures of her is also from that cruise and ziplining all by herself in Roatan:

 

 

 

She has always been so brave and will try anything.

 

It's kinda funny also looking back at our Coki pictures to see Sakari still wearing her puddle jumper when swimming. It will be an entirely different story this time around. :eek:

 

Those zipline pictures are adorable.

 

Yes, Coki will be very different this time!

 

I wanted to ask you about something that someone else told me on another thread that I inquired about using the dive shop at Coki...

 

 

"Forgot to mention that this dive we took with the class counted towards your certification if you signed up on line with PADI and enrolled in the course. So you could get your certification after taking their online portion."

 

Do you know anything about this? Does this mean that if we return home and the hubby and I decide to take lessons that this is considered one of our open water dives? Our local dive shop said you sign up and do the online classes from home' date=' then you practice in the pool for 2 nights (I think he said 8 hours?), then you have to do the 4 open water dives. So if we returned home and signed up, we would only have to do the online class, the water classes and 3 other dives? :confused:[/quote']

 

I have never done online classes, mostly because back in 1975 when I first got certified there was no such thing as online classes! Once again, I'm going to go back to my favorite quote, "ask your dive shop" about whether or not the Bubblewatchers dive with Sakari would count as one of your Open Water dives. The person in the other thread was most likely talking about Discover Scuba, not Bubblewatchers. The Bubblewatchers dive may well count, but I do not want to tell you it will only to have your certifying dive shop tell you it doesn't.

 

As far as the online classes go, I think you have a pretty long period of time to complete the course work, but there is a time limit. Ask your dive shop about the time limit, and what proof of your Bubblemakers dive they would need from Coki if they are going to count it.

 

In summary, here's what I think.

 

Sakari has a while to go before she turns 10 and can do her certification, so there is no reason you have to rush yours.

 

The Bubblemakers dive at Coki is not that expensive or that deep. It would be a good chance for you and your hubby to try it out and just see if you really like it. Your hubby's ears should be fine in only 10 feet of water. It is the deeper dives that would come later that concern me with him. My husband tried diving because he thought he would like it, but ultimately decided he did not like it, and never completed the class he started.

 

If you are doing the Bubblemakers dive with Sakari at Coki just for fun, not certification, they MIGHT actually let you take pictures! Ask them!

 

If you discover that both you and hubby like diving, and really do want to get certified, you still have plenty of time to do your certification either before Sakari is old enough to start hers, or with her if you prefer.

 

If you do decide you want to go for it and get your own certification under way, then be sure you are clear with both dive shops involved about what you are doing, and about what communication they need to have with each other and with PADI to be sure that certification happens.

 

Remember, a well trained, well prepared diver is usually a safe diver. A diver who comes back here and writes a trip report telling us what a great time they had diving. That's the kind of divers I want you guys, all 3 of you, to be. I do not want you to be the divers that someone else has to come here and tell me what went wrong with your dives. Yes, there is a lot to learn to become a certified diver, but I have no doubt you guys can do it. You do have your RN, after all, and there's a lot more that went into that! Take your time with the scuba, have fun with it, and enjoy the journey!

 

Oh, one more thing. My husband broke his clavicle today, so if I disappear for a while, that would be why. We did go to the ER today and it is a bad break. They were afraid the bone might have punctured his lung, but the X rays showed that it did not. We have to call my orthopedic surgeon Monday to see what he wants to do. He has already talked to the ER doctor, so he knows what is going on. My job until Monday is to keep my husband reasoably still, because every time he moves, the bone moves. I will get back here when I can.

[Tennessee Rose]

Thank you so much for this review! I think it has been one of my favorites ever. Friends and I went on this trip about 2 years ago and loved these ports. Although we did totally different things, I'm enjoying seeing "what else" is there for these ports.

 

Enjoying!

[cruzin Phillis]

Casino

 

 

This super bright light Howling Wolf game (and there's tons of others similar) are always big favorites on the cruise ships. People are usually waiting in line a lot of times to play. They did not seem to be very popular on this cruise.

 

 

 

 

I played this wolf game at the casino in Lake Charles, LA. It was LOUD:eek: and BRIGHT!!! Paid out pretty well. Hope it is on the Magic for my cruise next year

[cruzin Phillis]

:D

 

 

Another "on my to-do list"=the Oasis. So that's what was there that day? I will have to check this out! However, is the Oasis itinerary as port intensive? If so, I wouldn't want that ship out of there. When I sail the Oasis, I want very little ports and more sea days to experience the ship.

 

I sailed on the Oasis during the inaugural season and loved the ship. DH and I agreed that 7 days is not enough. The ship does not do port intensive cruises but the ship is intensive!!! She typlically does 3 port days and 3 days at sea. She is huge and while I loved the balcony over the boardwalk, I will, if I get to sail on the Allure get one in central park. It was a pain walking from the back of the ship to the middle or front.

[mitsugirly]

At my age, we call those senior moments. You're still a bit too young to get away with that excuse yet, but you will be forgiven once you get the copy.

 

Well, I have been getting emails talking about me signing up for "senior" benefits, Medicare and so on. (Yes, they really know how to get under my skin and I'm sure I look pretty ridiculous yelling at my computer screen when I get those emails).

 

I seriously doubt you would be allowed to be taking pictures while you are taking a class. The instructor will want your focus on the class, not how cute Sakari will look. Honestly, I would not trust any instructor who would allow picture taking by a student in their class. Just not a good idea. Sorry, I know that's not what you want to hear, but if you want to dive safely, you really do have to know what you are doing and why you're doing it.

 

Sigh :(

 

Doesn't your hubby have ear issues? If so, do you think he would get clearance to dive? I don't want to burst his bubble, but I do want him to be safe. While Sakari seems to have no real ear problems, she just needs to learn to get those ears cleared and she will be fine. I know she will manage that, hopefully, soon. From what I remember from your posts about your hubby's ear problems, I'm not so sure. Please insist he gets DR clearance before he dives. I really do want all of you to be safe divers!

 

 

Yes, he had issues with (I suppose) a busted ear drum when he was a teen and infections up until several years ago when he went to the doctor, who sent him to an ear doc who told him that his ear drum was either busted or missing??? Idk, he seemed to get those things mixed up and I wish I could personally talk to the doc myself to get clarification. They put him on ear drops and the infection cleared up and he never had a problem after that. They did tell him when he is in any water, whether taking a shower or swimming, to always wear ear plugs to keep the water out of his ears. However, he hasn't listened and has never worn them and hasn't had any more issues. I do know that you wouldn't really be able to wear any ear plugs when diving because that would keep you from being able to equalize. He doesn't have problems when flying or clearing his ears. He's able to pop them by holding his nose. I know that he'd need to get clearance.

 

 

I don't know how your dive shop schedules their classes. My shop is a much smaller one than yours. It is a one man operation, so obviously he can only teach one class at a time. If your shop schedules the kids and adults at separate times, then I imagine you could take all the pictures of Sakari that you want, and maybe she could take pictures of you. If both classes are running at the same time, see my response above. Ask your dive shop about their schedule. I seem to say "ask the dive shop" a lot, don't I? Really, though, they are the best ones to answer most of your questions.

 

I think you misunderstood. I wasn't talking about having us with the kids for our scuba certification. I was referring to when we were on vacation and the bubble maker class has up to 2 kids in it and the adults have up to 4 people. I was wondering if they would let us be together.

 

 

Those zipline pictures are adorable.

 

Yes, Coki will be very different this time!

 

 

 

I have never done online classes, mostly because back in 1975 when I first got certified there was no such thing as online classes! Once again, I'm going to go back to my favorite quote, "ask your dive shop" about whether or not the Bubblewatchers dive with Sakari would count as one of your Open Water dives. The person in the other thread was most likely talking about Discover Scuba, not Bubblewatchers. The Bubblewatchers dive may well count, but I do not want to tell you it will only to have your certifying dive shop tell you it doesn't.

 

Again, I think there's some confusion. It counting as one of the open water dives...I was referring to us (adults) doing the Discover Scuba while in Coki and it counting toward one of our open water dives for our scuba class if we decide to pursue it.

 

 

As far as the online classes go, I think you have a pretty long period of time to complete the course work, but there is a time limit. Ask your dive shop about the time limit, and what proof of your Bubblemakers dive they would need from Coki if they are going to count it.

 

In summary, here's what I think.

 

Sakari has a while to go before she turns 10 and can do her certification, so there is no reason you have to rush yours.

 

That's what I was thinking to. But, if I do sign up for the Discover Scuba and really like it this time, I will probably seek out other dive places to do the DS when in port on future cruises.

 

The Bubblemakers dive at Coki is not that expensive or that deep. It would be a good chance for you and your hubby to try it out and just see if you really like it. Your hubby's ears should be fine in only 10 feet of water. It is the deeper dives that would come later that concern me with him. My husband tried diving because he thought he would like it, but ultimately decided he did not like it, and never completed the class he started.

 

The Bubble makers dive at Coki said only 10 feet. But, the Discover Scuba said, I believe, 30-40 feet. Heck, I'm not even sure I can pop my own ears myself. I guess this would be a learning experience for all of us.

 

If you are doing the Bubblemakers dive with Sakari at Coki just for fun, not certification, they MIGHT actually let you take pictures! Ask them!

 

If you discover that both you and hubby like diving, and really do want to get certified, you still have plenty of time to do your certification either before Sakari is old enough to start hers, or with her if you prefer.

 

If you do decide you want to go for it and get your own certification under way, then be sure you are clear with both dive shops involved about what you are doing, and about what communication they need to have with each other and with PADI to be sure that certification happens.

 

Remember, a well trained, well prepared diver is usually a safe diver. A diver who comes back here and writes a trip report telling us what a great time they had diving. That's the kind of divers I want you guys, all 3 of you, to be. I do not want you to be the divers that someone else has to come here and tell me what went wrong with your dives. Yes, there is a lot to learn to become a certified diver, but I have no doubt you guys can do it. You do have your RN, after all, and there's a lot more that went into that! Take your time with the scuba, have fun with it, and enjoy the journey!

 

Oh, one more thing. My husband broke his clavicle today, so if I disappear for a while, that would be why. We did go to the ER today and it is a bad break. They were afraid the bone might have punctured his lung, but the X rays showed that it did not. We have to call my orthopedic surgeon Monday to see what he wants to do. He has already talked to the ER doctor, so he knows what is going on. My job until Monday is to keep my husband reasoably still, because every time he moves, the bone moves. I will get back here when I can.

 

I think I'm getting a major case of anxiety with all of this. Maybe I'm over thinking it, maybe it's a sign. I just don't know. The issues with the ears for everyone, the possibility that it could damage the ear and the pain involved, the risk of something happening while in the water....:( I just feel like the more I think about it, the more I'm unsure. I went from being super excited about it to now I feel scared and worried.

 

I find it weird that Sakari's dive shop and instructor has not even replied to my email to him about obtaining a copy of the doctor statement on my thoughts on Sakari diving in Coki. He has always responded the same day previously when I emailed him AND he's the Assistant Manager of the dive shop. Very odd. I just may have to visit the shop some time this weekend in person.

 

Another thing, I did email the dive shop at Secret Harbour. There was a little misunderstanding about what I was trying to say (mentioned Sakari had her PADI Seal completed and 1 aquamission done, the night diving and my intentions of filling in her November mission, because she would miss it because of vacation) and they took it as she had only done her first Aquamission in the book. They said for $90 they could fulfill Aquamission 2-5 the day we were in port. I guess my terminology was maybe a little off and had to explain her class instruction (Aquamission 1-5) is completed and she has her PADI seal. Then 1 specialty mission (night diving) is completed. I wasn't looking for them to do one of the missions, just looking for a bubble maker class to "make up" for her missing the next mission here at home.

 

Anyhow, they said they would be happy to do a dive with her to make up for it and we could come along if we were certified. If we weren't, we could do their discover scuba class. Both classes would cost $90 each person. :eek: I think I'll stick with Coki, which is cheaper and they actually advertise they do a kids class.

 

Oh my gosh. I hate to hear about your husband. I hope that the xrays proved to be correct and no lung puncture. Please tell me he's ok. That's so scary. I wish him a speedy recovery!!! I hope you are doing ok as well. It's not easy caring for someone who is not supposed to move around, especially if they are an active person in the first place. Please update when you get a chance.

Edited October 27, 2016 by mitsugirly

[mitsugirly]

Thank you so much for this review! I think it has been one of my favorites ever. Friends and I went on this trip about 2 years ago and loved these ports. Although we did totally different things, I'm enjoying seeing "what else" is there for these ports.

 

Enjoying!

 

Thank you for the nice comments. I'm glad you enjoyed it. This trip was my favorite trip I think I have ever taken. It was simply amazing. I honestly can't wait to do it all again!

 

I played this wolf game at the casino in Lake Charles, LA. It was LOUD:eek: and BRIGHT!!! Paid out pretty well. Hope it is on the Magic for my cruise next year

 

I think they have this game on every single cruise and even on land. Some cruises it seems very popular and others it don't for some reason. :cool:

[mitsugirly]

I sailed on the Oasis during the inaugural season and loved the ship. DH and I agreed that 7 days is not enough. The ship does not do port intensive cruises but the ship is intensive!!! She typlically does 3 port days and 3 days at sea. She is huge and while I loved the balcony over the boardwalk, I will, if I get to sail on the Allure get one in central park. It was a pain walking from the back of the ship to the middle or front.

 

Yes! Central Park is the place I would like to over look. It looks so amazing but I can only imagine the price of those rooms. :eek:

[PTAngel]

I was on the Oasis last month in a CP Balcony cabin. It was the cheapest of the balcony cabins! We were on deck 10. I would stay in one again if I had the chance.

 

I am going again in March but I need an accessible cabin & those all seem to be on the upper decks so I am staying in an OV Balcony on deck 6. It's the first time in a OV Balcony on any ship so I am looking forward to something different.

[perfect match]

Kim, stop over thinking the diving! Yes, there is a lot to learn, but the process should be fun!

 

I like your plan of going to Coki and trying out the Bubblemaker dive with Sakari. It will be a fun activity that the 3 of you can do together. They said they only take you down about 10 feet, so it should be safe for everyone. You have plenty of time to get certified before Sakari is ready to do hers.

 

DH is doing much better now. Thank you for asking about him. He had surgery on Thursday to get the ends of his broken clavicle back together, and a plate and screws installed to keep them there. The bone ends were pretty far apart, the doctor had a hard time getting them lined up again. He still has some pain, but nowhere near as much as he had before the surgery. We should be good to go on Oasis next week as long as he doesn't get an infection in the surgery site. I did cancel the Segway tour he had planned in Cozumel along with his zipline and coaster excursions in Ladadee! No way was he doing any of those with a broken clavicle! :eek:

[mitsugirly]

Kim, stop over thinking the diving! Yes, there is a lot to learn, but the process should be fun!

 

I like your plan of going to Coki and trying out the Bubblemaker dive with Sakari. It will be a fun activity that the 3 of you can do together. They said they only take you down about 10 feet, so it should be safe for everyone. You have plenty of time to get certified before Sakari is ready to do hers.

 

DH is doing much better now. Thank you for asking about him. He had surgery on Thursday to get the ends of his broken clavicle back together, and a plate and screws installed to keep them there. The bone ends were pretty far apart, the doctor had a hard time getting them lined up again. He still has some pain, but nowhere near as much as he had before the surgery. We should be good to go on Oasis next week as long as he doesn't get an infection in the surgery site. I did cancel the Segway tour he had planned in Cozumel along with his zipline and coaster excursions in Ladadee! No way was he doing any of those with a broken clavicle!

 

Her dive instructor finally answered me and said that he would pull her file and email me a copy... a few days ago...and I have not received anything yet. So, I stopped in to the dive shop earlier today and they can't find her file now. :eek: They looked everywhere...old files, recent files, files waiting on their certification cards (which is where hers should be) and they put a call into the dive instructor with no return call yet. :( Maybe that's the reason he didn't email it to me after his last email. Ugh. Sigh. I keep wondering if these are all signs. :o

 

He did say that he thought she would enjoy the bubble maker experience. What exactly is the difference between bubble maker and PADI seal?

 

His comments "It was really fun to have her in class, she is super excited to be underwater, I can tell she loves it"

 

I don't know if we can do the class "with" her but it sure would be fun. If we do the discover scuba, it said we go down 30-40 feet and her class doesn't. So I would assume we would not be in the same class. I had also ask him about us doing the dive and it counting toward one of the dives for the certification class and he said that normally it generally only applies when the same instructor that does the class. This doesn't make any sense to me since they told me several times that you can do the online class and the dives in the pool then you were welcome to get checked off any place you wanted...included on vacation in the Caribbean and you would have to contact them ahead of time to let them know you were checking off and they had to be a certain type of instructor/diver (can't remember all the names and terminology). I mean I even read that on the PADI site too.

 

(I'm still trying to figure out how someone can remove the mask, put it back on and get the water out of it. That scares the crap out of me. Do you close your eyes? I have a contact in 1 eye and had surgery on the other and it bothers me a lot so I can't imagine). :eek:

 

So glad to hear that the surgery eased the pain. Poor guy. At least you'll still get to go on vacation. I wish I was on the Oasis next week. I could tag along and "monitor" him and his surgical wound. ;) :D

[perfect match]

Hmmm, I'm wondering why Sakari's file is missing. It certainly shouldn't be. Hope the dive shop is able to find it ASAP.

 

As far as I can tell, Bubblemakers is an introduction to scuba for kids. PADI Seals seems to be the various challenges the kids do once they learn to use the scuba gear. I think they are just names for the different stages of the kids scuba program. Since I don't have any little ones of my own, I never paid much attention to the PADI kids program, other than I knew it existed, so I'm learning about it right along with you.

 

Have you contacted the dive shop at Coki yet? Find out what they mean when they say parents can dive too. If it were my kid doing her first open water scuba, I think I would want to be as close as I could. While you would be in the same general area doing Discover Scuba, you would be paying more attention to your own dive than you would be able to pay to hers. You will have plenty of time to do Discover Scuba and get yourselves certified before Sakari is old enough to get her own certification.

 

I think the dives you would do in Discover Scuba might be a bit different from what you would do in your dives for certification. Discover Scuba is just diving for fun. Certification dives require that you be checked off on specific skills that would not be done in a normal Discover Scuba. I have never done Discover Scuba, but I think it is just an introduction to the scuba gear you will be using followed by a chance to try that gear out in the water.

 

While we would love to have you along on Oasis, I think your family is counting on you to be with them on the Epic! You know they would be lost without you! :eek: :D Barry gets his stitches out the day before we sail. :D

[mitsugirly]

Hmmm, I'm wondering why Sakari's file is missing. It certainly shouldn't be. Hope the dive shop is able to find it ASAP.

 

As far as I can tell, Bubblemakers is an introduction to scuba for kids. PADI Seals seems to be the various challenges the kids do once they learn to use the scuba gear. I think they are just names for the different stages of the kids scuba program. Since I don't have any little ones of my own, I never paid much attention to the PADI kids program, other than I knew it existed, so I'm learning about it right along with you.

 

Have you contacted the dive shop at Coki yet? Find out what they mean when they say parents can dive too. If it were my kid doing her first open water scuba, I think I would want to be as close as I could. While you would be in the same general area doing Discover Scuba, you would be paying more attention to your own dive than you would be able to pay to hers. You will have plenty of time to do Discover Scuba and get yourselves certified before Sakari is old enough to get her own certification.

 

I think the dives you would do in Discover Scuba might be a bit different from what you would do in your dives for certification. Discover Scuba is just diving for fun. Certification dives require that you be checked off on specific skills that would not be done in a normal Discover Scuba. I have never done Discover Scuba, but I think it is just an introduction to the scuba gear you will be using followed by a chance to try that gear out in the water.

 

While we would love to have you along on Oasis, I think your family is counting on you to be with them on the Epic! You know they would be lost without you! Barry gets his stitches out the day before we sail.

 

 

I hope they are able to find it too. He ask when we were leaving and I told him less than 2 weeks and he said "Oh, plenty of time left" :eek: Not in my opinion because I'm such a planner and have to be organized perfectly. So, hopefully they'll find it sooner rather than later.

 

I think you are right about the bubble makers vs the seal program. I think the bubble makers just show you how to use the equipment and the seal of course works on all the things you have to do once you become certified (like clearing the mask, removing the regulator and putting it back in your mouth and so on, since those are all things Sakari did in class).

 

I did email Coki this morning with a LIST of questions. :eek: They are going to think I'm crazy. :D Hopefully they'll answer some time this week. I ask Sakari this morning if she still wants to do the scuba dive and she said yes. I then proceeded to test her knowledge about the equipment and stuff to see if she remembered it all. She did great and still remembered. But, we can't figure out what the thing is that inflates/deflates the BCD. Maybe it doesn't have a name or is just considered part of the BCD?

 

I think you are right...the family would be totally lost without me. I have always told my husband that if anything would ever happen to me and I'm no longer around, I would expect him to continue to cruise with Sakari because she loves it so much and I wouldn't want her "lifestyle" to change just because I'm not around anymore. (I know, morbid talk, but the truth). He would be so lost, as well as the rest of the family! :p

 

Ok, back to looking at my new fish books I just got in the mail thanks to another diver that recommended them for verification. :D (Paul Humann's Reef Fish Identification, Reef Coral, and Reef Creature). :)

[AllieVegasGirl]

So, I finally got back to reading the rest of your review!! Thank you for an AMAZING post!! So detailed & all of the pics....wow!!

 

I went on the same cruise Sept 11th-18th. I wanted to see if you had any tips/tricks/suggestions that I could take into consideration before going on mine, but unfortunately by the time I left for SJ, I think you had only gotten to getting on the ship at that point. I was looking back at pics of my own vaca yesterday when I remembered about your review & wanted to check back!! It was nice to see more pics of "my" vaca by looking at yours now! LOL

 

I agree with you on the MDR lacking acceptable service. We also waited FOREVER to get some coffee and a Coke. BOTH times we went in there (Dinner once, breakfast on sea day) and it was the same both times. And same experience with the water! Haha

 

OMG the heat!!! I live in Las Vegas, so I'm used to hot, but that humidity!!! I learned the 1st day we were there that I would not even bother to put any type of makeup on after that the entire time we were there cuz it was literally gone with 15 mins of stepping outside!!! I also have super curly hair, so no straightening it either! My hair dryer I brought did come in handy when my phone got wet though and wouldn't work. It fired right up after using it on it for about 5-10 mins. =D Oh, and we decided to do the Paseo del Morro walk, but walked the entire thing all the way over to El Morro fort....the heat got to me at one point, I had to stop and rest in the shade for about 15 mins til I didn't feel like I was gonna pass out anymore!! I was constantly drinking water along the way too, but it didn't seem to matter. After the cruise, we walked to San Cristobal fort, but I wore a hat that day & had no issues whatsoever. Maybe it had to do with the sun beating down directly on me that 1st day?? Definitely a brutal sun down there!!!

 

We also didn't really care for St Kitts. IDK if it was our experience this time, but it was our least fav of all the islands. I could take it or leave it.

 

We also did Spencer's Tours in St Lucia, but we did the 1 that goes to the volcano/mud bath and waterfall also. While it was nice to see, you really didn't miss too much. Out of everyone in our group that day, only 1 person did the mud bath. I was so worried about "smelling" the rest of the day, I passed, but if given the opportunity again I would give it a try! The waterfall almost seems like a man-made thing, put together for a tourist attraction. Pretty, but I guess I was expecting something a little different.

 

If you make it back to St Maarten, you need to experience the low flying planes at Maho Beach! Soo very cool to be in the water and have the planes literally flying RIGHT over your head as they land on the runway at

Princess Juliana International Airport just a hop, skip & a jump away! We did another independent tour with Bernard's tours and it was the best and most informative of all the ones we did that cruise!

 

We also stayed at the Sheraton in OSJ, both pre & post cruise. While we arrived around 6:45 pm Saturday for our 1st stay, Sunday when we got off the ship (around 7:20 am), we went right over planning to just have our bags put into storage.....but they had our room ready for us already!!!! I couldn't believe it!! We had a great experience there, and would definitely stay again if leaving out of port there!

 

Well, thanks again for all that you put into your review. It's much appreciated!!!!

[mitsugirly]

So, I finally got back to reading the rest of your review!! Thank you for an AMAZING post!! So detailed & all of the pics....wow!!

 

Thank you so much for the nice comments. I appreciate it.

 

I went on the same cruise Sept 11th-18th. I wanted to see if you had any tips/tricks/suggestions that I could take into consideration before going on mine, but unfortunately by the time I left for SJ, I think you had only gotten to getting on the ship at that point. I was looking back at pics of my own vaca yesterday when I remembered about your review & wanted to check back!! It was nice to see more pics of "my" vaca by looking at yours now! LOL

 

I agree with you on the MDR lacking acceptable service. We also waited FOREVER to get some coffee and a Coke. BOTH times we went in there (Dinner once, breakfast on sea day) and it was the same both times. And same experience with the water! Haha

 

OMG the heat!!! I live in Las Vegas, so I'm used to hot, but that humidity!!! I learned the 1st day we were there that I would not even bother to put any type of makeup on after that the entire time we were there cuz it was literally gone with 15 mins of stepping outside!!! I also have super curly hair, so no straightening it either! My hair dryer I brought did come in handy when my phone got wet though and wouldn't work. It fired right up after using it on it for about 5-10 mins. =D Oh, and we decided to do the Paseo del Morro walk, but walked the entire thing all the way over to El Morro fort....the heat got to me at one point, I had to stop and rest in the shade for about 15 mins til I didn't feel like I was gonna pass out anymore!! I was constantly drinking water along the way too, but it didn't seem to matter. After the cruise, we walked to San Cristobal fort, but I wore a hat that day & had no issues whatsoever. Maybe it had to do with the sun beating down directly on me that 1st day?? Definitely a brutal sun down there!!!

 

Honestly, I have 2 problems with the heat and make-up. I tan SUPER QUICK, therefore my make-up no longer matches after about day 2. :p The next issue is that I also have oily skin. Make-up + oily skin + heat....YUCK. So, I usually forego the make-up fairly soon after the cruise starts. LOL

 

We also didn't really care for St Kitts. IDK if it was our experience this time, but it was our least fav of all the islands. I could take it or leave it.

 

St Kitts was a decent experience this time around, just not the time before. I actually really enjoyed seeing the black sand beach and if we ever return, I will probably just head down that way to spend the day. But like you, I could take it or leave it and I can't say it's one of those "wow, I gotta get back there" type of islands for me.

 

We also did Spencer's Tours in St Lucia, but we did the 1 that goes to the volcano/mud bath and waterfall also. While it was nice to see, you really didn't miss too much. Out of everyone in our group that day, only 1 person did the mud bath. I was so worried about "smelling" the rest of the day, I passed, but if given the opportunity again I would give it a try! The waterfall almost seems like a man-made thing, put together for a tourist attraction. Pretty, but I guess I was expecting something a little different.

 

I would do that portion of the tour that you did JUST FOR the mud baths! :D I just think they would be a lot of fun and make for some great pictures for a review as well. :p

 

If you make it back to St Maarten, you need to experience the low flying planes at Maho Beach! Soo very cool to be in the water and have the planes literally flying RIGHT over your head as they land on the runway at

Princess Juliana International Airport just a hop, skip & a jump away! We did another independent tour with Bernard's tours and it was the best and most informative of all the ones we did that cruise!

 

Been there done that a few times now. ;) Loved watching the planes come in low. Broke my hand there on our 2010 cruise. That lovely concrete retaining wall got the best of me!

 

I'm not sure if you know or not, but the huge KLM 747 had it's last day in St Maarten friday (I think it was). It will no longer be flying into St Maarten. I'm so sad about that and so glad that I got to witness it several times in the past. There's nothing that compares to that plane coming in for a landing there or taking off.

 

 

We also stayed at the Sheraton in OSJ, both pre & post cruise. While we arrived around 6:45 pm Saturday for our 1st stay, Sunday when we got off the ship (around 7:20 am), we went right over planning to just have our bags put into storage.....but they had our room ready for us already!!!! I couldn't believe it!! We had a great experience there, and would definitely stay again if leaving out of port there!

 

Well, you definitely got lucky with having your room ready right away. We would definitely stay there again in the future. Other than the waiting, no calls, and room mix up, (well, and diner as well) it was the perfect location.

 

Well, thanks again for all that you put into your review. It's much appreciated!!!!

 

Thanks again for your comments. I appreciate it and glad you enjoyed the review. :)