Mitsugirlys FASCINATION with San Juan-review & pictorial

[mitsugirly]

 

Have you contacted the dive shop at Coki yet?

 

They responded within a few hours. :eek:

 

Here's what they said:

 

 

"HI Kim, Thanks for writing. Ear equalization for children is the number one problem for kids. That is one of the reasons that the depth is limited to 10 ft. Usually they will grow out of that as they get older. You all could dive together. Generally we would have everyone in the group go along with the bubble maker for the bubble maker ½ hr dive then return back to the beach to end the bubble maker dive. With the remaining air the dive group can return out onto the reef to go deeper and longer. You would need someone to watch the bubble maker while the group goes back out. The cost is $85 PP for the Discover Scuba’s and $65 for the bubble maker. Any one 10 or over would do the Discover Scuba. The bubble maker can sit in on the Discover Scuba lesson. Mask fins and snorkels are provided free if you want to snorkel before or after your dive. The intent of the Discover Scuba is to allow the instructor to evaluate the diver prior to the beginning or the actual course and to also allow the diver to reinforce their decision to continue on with the course or to not continue. Its really up to another dive shop whither they will use the Discover Scuba as open water 1. Generally they will want to them to do all 4 dives. What day are you on island and which ship? We would have a 9Am dive but sometimes we are full with reservations. Let me know if you have any questions. Let me know the date and we can then discuss reservations."

 

 

Oh gosh, the thought of them maybe not having room for our group because it's all booked up didn't even cross my mind. :eek: I know we are there with at least 3 other ships (one being the Oasis) :cool: I really hope I haven't waited too long for this. :(

[sunbird21]

Hi there Stacey!!! So good to hear from you and I can't wait to see some pictures of your cruise!!! I hope you had a wonderful time. Let me know when you do the Alaskan cruise and come back here and link it. I'm so busy with school work, work and now .... Sakari's new scuba diving classes that I rarely have time to come over here to read for "pleasure" and I'm only on here when I get a notification of a response to a thread I'm subscribed to.

 

So messaged that guy several times about the monkey after she got home with no answer from him...until about a week ago and he only replied "hi". :rolleyes: I have no idea about the rules in Ohio, but I do know they did find a place that sells all kinds of exotic animals in Tennessee (and has a farm). So if she wants one, she'll know where to get one. But, she has decided to hold off. They are buying another home (actually the closing is tomorrow) and will be moving out of their current home right after we return from our Epic cruise.

 

Our Epic cruise is going to St Thomas, TORTOLA (new port for us) and Great Stirrup Cay....fingers crossed there was no damage to it during Matthews rampage in the Bahamas plus there's the factor that it has been closed for remodeling and is supposed to reopen in November...cutting it close.

 

 

Hahaha I hear you-reading for pleasure? Whats that? My three obligations have kept me so busy the last few weeks that my poor body gave out LOL. I have mine about half written-at a slow space b/c of the above BUT at least since fit was the second to last sailing it will still be "fresh material" for next season's Alaskan cruisers….which will hopefully include you guys:)

 

Anyway, link is http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2409184 but if you don't get to it it right away,there will be more later:)

 

I'm looking forward to your next Epic review-she is my favorite ship currently, too(though we will see if Vista knocks her out). I predict that Sakari will be deeply attached to the bowl slide….I do hope you make it to Great Stirrup Cay-it sounds like a gorgeous location that only half of the cruisers get to. I forget, have you been to Half Moon Cay? It sounds similar.

 

 

I'm super impressed that she's trying scuba, although I'm sorry about the ear trouble-at least you know she will outgrow it at some point. I tried the beginner scuba once, and, well, long story short, they freaked me out with some of their precautionary tales.

 

Good luck on getting to do some type of scuba activity together though! I'm curious to learn more about this bubble maker thing…

 

 

Hope school is going well!!!

 

Stacey

[mitsugirly]

Hahaha I hear you-reading for pleasure? Whats that? My three obligations have kept me so busy the last few weeks that my poor body gave out LOL. I have mine about half written-at a slow space b/c of the above BUT at least since fit was the second to last sailing it will still be "fresh material" for next season's Alaskan cruisers….which will hopefully include you guys:)

 

Anyway, link is http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2409184 but if you don't get to it it right away,there will be more later:)

 

I'm looking forward to your next Epic review-she is my favorite ship currently, too(though we will see if Vista knocks her out). I predict that Sakari will be deeply attached to the bowl slide….I do hope you make it to Great Stirrup Cay-it sounds like a gorgeous location that only half of the cruisers get to. I forget, have you been to Half Moon Cay? It sounds similar.

 

 

I'm super impressed that she's trying scuba, although I'm sorry about the ear trouble-at least you know she will outgrow it at some point. I tried the beginner scuba once, and, well, long story short, they freaked me out with some of their precautionary tales.

 

Good luck on getting to do some type of scuba activity together though! I'm curious to learn more about this bubble maker thing…

 

 

Hope school is going well!!!

 

Stacey

 

I'M DONE! SO DONE! COMPLETELY DONE! Well...at least for this semester. I didn't take any classes for the last half of the semester because we had the cruise booked...so this means I'm done for the YEAR!! I don't start back up until January 9th! I'm so happy to be out for awhile and get this break. So many things to accomplish while I'm off. :D

 

I hope that Sakari likes the "toilet bowl" since it's a little different than Carnivals bowl slide (which she got hurt on once, I think the Dream, and it kind of had her scared of them for awhile). If I remember correctly, on the Epic you are going down on a tube instead of just your body, so it doesn't shoot you out of the tube and throw you backwards.

 

We will not be going to GSC. :( Between the renovations and the hurricane, the opening has been delayed until the week after our cruise. Darnit! I have only been there twice before. Once in 1989 :eek: when everything was simple and not much there and again in 2012. We tried once in 2014 and wasn't able to dock...and now this. Boo! We are going to Nassau. I'm not too excited about it and trying to find something new to do there. So...if you have any suggestions. (I did notice that NCL has excursions offered to Balmoral-private island, which is owned by Carnival, so I was thinking about that IF they ever open up any of the excursions in Nassau :mad:)

 

YES!!! Love Half Moon Cay. I actually like HMC better than GSC.

 

 

"I tried the beginner scuba once, and, well, long story short, they freaked me out with some of their precautionary tales" Oh gosh, you MUST elaborate now!

[sunbird21]

Congrats on finishing the semester!!! If you're feeling deprived, I have a paper on organizational leadership and management that I'd be happy to let you write[emoji4]

 

Nassau- probably not too much help- been there thrice and last time was on Epic, and I chose to stay on the ship. It was nice and quiet. When I did go, I did a stingray excursion the first time that went to a halfway decent island, and the second time went to Junkanoo beach- which was as nice as the name. I think I remember reading that you've been there before??

 

I do recall reading on Gambees Escape review that he went to an AI that looked kind of nice-check it out if you hadn't already.

 

Uh-oh, I think I opened a can of worms with scuba... only continue if you aren't easily freaked out. I don't want to be responsible for you canceling Sakari's lessons.....j/k. It was probably the way it was worded and me being a bit paranoid....

 

 

Anyway I was doing the beginners dive in Cairns and they gave us a briefing on the way out of all of the "safety checks" they have you do underwater.i forget the first two, but the third was taking the mouthpiece out and throwing it behind your back, grabbing it, clearing it, and putting it back in. Simple, right? The problem was that they told us we had to exhale continuously during this process. The instructor told us if we stopped- just the exhaling, not breathing in- that our lungs would burst( basically a pulmonary embolism). They tried to say that it wasn't that difficult to keep exhaling, but once I had the gear on and went underwater and tried it, I couldn't get that image out and freaked.

 

I kept telling myself that I should take a REAL class, and get the technique down, which other scuba people said that I met later, just haven't gotten around to it.

 

All in all, it was probably the way they worded it and the fact that it was a 20 min briefing instead of thorough instruction.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mitsugirly]

Congrats on finishing the semester!!! If you're feeling deprived, I have a paper on organizational leadership and management that I'd be happy to let you write[emoji4]

 

Nassau- probably not too much help- been there thrice and last time was on Epic, and I chose to stay on the ship. It was nice and quiet. When I did go, I did a stingray excursion the first time that went to a halfway decent island, and the second time went to Junkanoo beach- which was as nice as the name. I think I remember reading that you've been there before??

 

I do recall reading on Gambees Escape review that he went to an AI that looked kind of nice-check it out if you hadn't already.

 

Uh-oh, I think I opened a can of worms with scuba... only continue if you aren't easily freaked out. I don't want to be responsible for you canceling Sakari's lessons.....j/k. It was probably the way it was worded and me being a bit paranoid....

 

 

Anyway I was doing the beginners dive in Cairns and they gave us a briefing on the way out of all of the "safety checks" they have you do underwater.i forget the first two, but the third was taking the mouthpiece out and throwing it behind your back, grabbing it, clearing it, and putting it back in. Simple, right? The problem was that they told us we had to exhale continuously during this process. The instructor told us if we stopped- just the exhaling, not breathing in- that our lungs would burst( basically a pulmonary embolism). They tried to say that it wasn't that difficult to keep exhaling, but once I had the gear on and went underwater and tried it, I couldn't get that image out and freaked.

 

I kept telling myself that I should take a REAL class, and get the technique down, which other scuba people said that I met later, just haven't gotten around to it.

 

All in all, it was probably the way they worded it and the fact that it was a 20 min briefing instead of thorough instruction.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

I have my leadership class next semester so actually, I'll go ahead and let you write your own and then you'll be good to go to help me with mine. :D I have 3 more nursing classes and 3 electives to go before I finish the program. I'm dragging it out as much as possible because I only do 2 classes each semester instead of the normal 3 (because of cruising...isn't that funny?) :p I managed to get 298/300 this time around and even challenged my TA for a point because I knew my APA was correct and she counted a point off for it. After she looked it up, she stated that I was indeed correct and not many students would catch that, congratulated me, and then told me that I "was ready for the MSN program". :p LOL

 

Since Sakari has completed the PADI seal program, I have watched her do all those safety checks, including throwing the mouth piece over her shoulder and doing the arm swoop to return it, all while exhaling. She made it look like a piece of cake. The thing that freaks me out is clearing the mask: putting water in them, then lifting the mask while holding the top of them and blowing to get the water out. I watched a video of some diver doing their check off in the ocean and they completely removed their masks then put it back on and cleared the water out! :eek: I just don't get that. Don't salt water get in your eyes? Are your eyes closed? How do you know if the water is out if your eyes are closed??? It freaks me out. That and sharks. I will have a full blown MI at that point!

 

So are you telling during this discover scuba that we have to do all those skills too? :eek:

[sunbird21]

I have my leadership class next semester so actually, I'll go ahead and let you write your own and then you'll be good to go to help me with mine. :D I have 3 more nursing classes and 3 electives to go before I finish the program. I'm dragging it out as much as possible because I only do 2 classes each semester instead of the normal 3 (because of cruising...isn't that funny?) :p I managed to get 298/300 this time around and even challenged my TA for a point because I knew my APA was correct and she counted a point off for it. After she looked it up, she stated that I was indeed correct and not many students would catch that, congratulated me, and then told me that I "was ready for the MSN program". LOL

 

Since Sakari has completed the PADI seal program, I have watched her do all those safety checks, including throwing the mouth piece over her shoulder and doing the arm swoop to return it, all while exhaling. She made it look like a piece of cake. The thing that freaks me out is clearing the mask: putting water in them, then lifting the mask while holding the top of them and blowing to get the water out. I watched a video of some diver doing their check off in the ocean and they completely removed their masks then put it back on and cleared the water out! :eek: I just don't get that. Don't salt water get in your eyes? Are your eyes closed? How do you know if the water is out if your eyes are closed??? It freaks me out. That and sharks. I will have a full blown MI at that point!

 

So are you telling during this discover scuba that we have to do all those skills too? :eek:

 

 

I'm not sure how your school scores, but that sounds pretty good to me!!Sigh....I just had a somewhat humiliating call from one of my course mentors on a pharm paper that I had written. Apparently, "essay style writing" is for undergrads, and was told that while I wrote a "beautiful story about CHF" , masters program wants you to basically write a separate document for each question that they ask, i.e., they don't want the paper to "flow together." So basically they want very dry, choppy papers. Yay. If you are getting feedback that you are MSN ready, you're way ahead of the game!!!

 

BTW, factoring in cruising isn't insane...its necessary!! You should enjoy life while you are in school, working, raising a child,etc. Otherwise, what are you working so hard for?

 

I'm glad I didn't freak you out with the mask swoop thing, sounds like it was no big deal in the pool, which tells me again that I should try a class. I can't remember the mask thing specifically(its been almost 5 years) but I do remember that there were two other safety procedures besides the swoop that we had to do, so I *think* that the possibility is there. I don't get the logic behind the mask cleaning either-especially if you have contacts or something. They should do the safety stuff right by the boat, so if it gets complicated you are not out in the middle of the ocean. If you are going with a private company, do they have reviews on TA that describe what the briefing is like? (I prob don't need to ask-I think you and I have similar pre planning research habits:) )

 

Anyway, hope your family is having a Happy Halloween!!! Did I miss a post as to what she's dressing up as or should I just go with some type of female sea creature with a fin? ;)

[mitsugirly]

I'm not sure how your school scores, but that sounds pretty good to me!!Sigh....I just had a somewhat humiliating call from one of my course mentors on a pharm paper that I had written. Apparently, "essay style writing" is for undergrads, and was told that while I wrote a "beautiful story about CHF" , masters program wants you to basically write a separate document for each question that they ask, i.e., they don't want the paper to "flow together." So basically they want very dry, choppy papers. Yay. If you are getting feedback that you are MSN ready, you're way ahead of the game!!!

 

BTW, factoring in cruising isn't insane...its necessary!! You should enjoy life while you are in school, working, raising a child,etc. Otherwise, what are you working so hard for?

 

I'm glad I didn't freak you out with the mask swoop thing, sounds like it was no big deal in the pool, which tells me again that I should try a class. I can't remember the mask thing specifically(its been almost 5 years) but I do remember that there were two other safety procedures besides the swoop that we had to do, so I *think* that the possibility is there. I don't get the logic behind the mask cleaning either-especially if you have contacts or something. They should do the safety stuff right by the boat, so if it gets complicated you are not out in the middle of the ocean. If you are going with a private company, do they have reviews on TA that describe what the briefing is like? (I prob don't need to ask-I think you and I have similar pre planning research habits )

 

Anyway, hope your family is having a Happy Halloween!!! Did I miss a post as to what she's dressing up as or should I just go with some type of female sea creature with a fin? ;)

 

 

Well, their grading is just like any other grading. Most of our papers are worth 30 points total and goes by "usually" five or so categories on the rubix. Then we have a discussion board "paper"...and I do mean "paper" because sometimes they are longer than the actual essay paper itself. Then 2 other DB replies, which is a "smaller" paper. Each have a certain requirement of words/pages and references. I usually manage to get 30/30 points on all, but silly me, I missed 2 points this time...totally my fault and I completely own up to it (level 1 and level 2 headings messed me up). I do have to say that writing papers are my forte, even though it may not seem like it on here. :p I am definitely an "over achiever" when it comes to writing papers. They say you have to have 3 scholarly references, then they are getting about 12-15 from me. :D (Seriously). I think I did a paper last semester that had 19. :eek: I don't take any chances.

 

Sakari learn to remove the regulator, throw it over her back, blow bubbles and get it back in her mouth and purge. The learned how to clear the mask. Of course using the octopus. Fin pivot, buoyancy control-hovering and of course all the equipment, hand signals and reading the air gauge. I think that's the basics. I may be missing something. She just hasn't learn to equalize the ears. :(

 

Well...other than sea creatures...she is a bird as well. Has been for many years. So, she talked me into buying her stuff to be a peacock. I bought the huge wings/feathers for her back, a long bright blue wig that matched the color of the feathers (which daddy ended up wearing by the end of the night) and this peacock mask with feathers on the top. She had a blast tonight racing around getting candy. She left my grandson (Brayden) in her "dust" and he was dragging toward the end. LOL Even his little sister did better than him tonight. I ended up having to take him back to my house to "rest" before it was over with. :p

[OceansOfTravels]

Mitsugirly,

 

Thank you so much for your information about "Discovery Beach Bar", Carambola, and Pinel Island. I have an excursion booked for St.Maarten that stops at Pinel Island and it was nice to hear your side/see the pictures. I will definitely think about taking one of the hikes! Also, for St.Kitts, we will be there with three ships total in port, so I was looking for a secluded area to go to the beach that I know will not fill up, so Discovery seems likes a great place, with Shipwreck and Carambola down the way for food/facilities.

 

I thoroughly enjoy your reviews and I cannot wait to start reading your Epic review. I remember telling you that I planned on starting my "Port Photo Reviews" on the port of call forums to show my port adventures, and I wish I started them earlier, but the past few months have been crazy with life and school. But I plan on starting them soon! :D Thanks again for all of the hard work you put into these reviews!!!!

Edited November 22, 2016 by OceansOfTravels

[mitsugirly]

Mitsugirly,

 

Thank you so much for your information about "Discovery Beach Bar", Carambola, and Pinel Island. I have an excursion booked for St.Maarten that stops at Pinel Island and it was nice to hear your side/see the pictures. I will definitely think about taking one of the hikes! Also, for St.Kitts, we will be there with three ships total in port, so I was looking for a secluded area to go to the beach that I know will not fill up, so Discovery seems likes a great place, with Shipwreck and Carambola down the way for food/facilities.

 

I thoroughly enjoy your reviews and I cannot wait to start reading your Epic review. I remember telling you that I planned on starting my "Port Photo Reviews" on the port of call forums to show my port adventures, and I wish I started them earlier, but the past few months have been crazy with life and school. But I plan on starting them soon! :D Thanks again for all of the hard work you put into these reviews!!!!

 

 

You are very welcome for the information on Discovery. If you go there, please let me know if you enjoyed it. They do have food there too, so I wouldn't rule out just staying there to eat instead of going to Shipwreck or Carambola.

 

Thanks for your kind words about the review. They are a lot of work. I'm currently working on my Epic review. Whew...

[OceansOfTravels]

You are very welcome for the information on Discovery. If you go there, please let me know if you enjoyed it. They do have food there too, so I wouldn't rule out just staying there to eat instead of going to Shipwreck or Carambola.

 

Thanks for your kind words about the review. They are a lot of work. I'm currently working on my Epic review. Whew...

 

I've been doing some research and I'm still not finding much. However, I know there are chairs and food, so it sounds like a perfect day to me. Do you by chance know if I can take a taxi directly to here, or should I take one to Shipwreck and walk?

[Beth_55]

Loved this review Kim ! I am thinking of booking a cruise out of San Juan also ! It look fabulous ! Deciding between RCI's Jewel and Carnival Fascination. Leaning towards Carnival due to the itinerary. We love balconys and they actually have some aft balconies open ! Think I will make my decision tomorrow. Then I will have to REREAD your review ! :D

[carolinagalcruise2011]

Just finished reading your review and it was awesome as usual! I did the southern itinerary back in May and love Old San Juan. We went to the fort to explored for about 3 hours and hop on & off the free trolley exploring downtown. It was HOT in early June also there. Thanks again for your review & now off to find your Epic review.

[mitsugirly]

I've been doing some research and I'm still not finding much. However, I know there are chairs and food, so it sounds like a perfect day to me. Do you by chance know if I can take a taxi directly to here, or should I take one to Shipwreck and walk?

 

I'm honestly not sure if a taxi goes directly here. I'm sure you could ask once you get there. If not, I would say to take a taxi to Carambola and walk down. It seemed closer from that direction to me. :)

 

Loved this review Kim ! I am thinking of booking a cruise out of San Juan also ! It look fabulous ! Deciding between RCI's Jewel and Carnival Fascination. Leaning towards Carnival due to the itinerary. We love balconys and they actually have some aft balconies open ! Think I will make my decision tomorrow. Then I will have to REREAD your review ! :D

 

You will love it no matter what you decide to do. If Carnival has an awesome deal on aft balconies, I think I would go with them. They are probably cheaper. The itinerary is awesome! Let me know what you decide. I'm thinking about doing this again next summer. It was by far my favorite vacation to date.

 

Just finished reading your review and it was awesome as usual! I did the southern itinerary back in May and love Old San Juan. We went to the fort to explored for about 3 hours and hop on & off the free trolley exploring downtown. It was HOT in early June also there. Thanks again for your review & now off to find your Epic review.

 

Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I want to go to the graveyard by the fort next time. It seemed so interesting and unique when I seen it online. That's one of my goals next time.

[Beth_55]

Well Kim , I booked with RCI on the Adventure of the Seas. Liked the itinerary better than the Jewel. Also got an aft ! Anyways this cruise goes to St Maarten, St Kitts, Antiqua, St Lucia, and Barbados. :D

[Jey01]

Kim can you tell us about The NCL Dawn? Have u been on her? We've only done one NCL (Sun to alaska). The Sun was "okay" I think maybe we didn't like it as much bc it WAS an Alaskan cruise and the vibe was so different. We LOVED alaska but drinking frozen drinks isn't the same in a hoodie with gloves lol. How does the Dawn compare to a CCL trip? We r looking at a 10 day repo from SJU to Tampa in Jan 2018. We love San Juan! Glad u liked our suggestion. Also, "where" did you snorkel at coki? We r going to STT for 6 days this winter! We've been to Coki but I don't remember coral! It was when we 1st started snorkeling so we didn't go too far. Sorry for the book lol!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Jey01]

Oh, plus if you go back to Barbados check out "harbour lights" it's just down from the boatyard, less crowded, not as wild. You can email ahead and reserve chairs. It's $20 to snorkel with the turtles. Plus you also go to a shipwreck and snorkel too. I've got pics from that on my "social media page" (jennifer young Stevens)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[runningmoms2girls]

Well Kim , I booked with RCI on the Adventure of the Seas. Liked the itinerary better than the Jewel. Also got an aft ! Anyways this cruise goes to St Maarten, St Kitts, Antiqua, St Lucia, and Barbados. :D

 

We are on that exact cruise in March. I'm trying to figure out our excursions now.

[mitsugirly]

Well Kim , I booked with RCI on the Adventure of the Seas. Liked the itinerary better than the Jewel. Also got an aft ! Anyways this cruise goes to St Maarten, St Kitts, Antiqua, St Lucia, and Barbados. :D

 

Well I hope you have a WONDERFUL time there. Antiqua is not a place I have been to before. Hmmm.

 

 

 

Kim can you tell us about The NCL Dawn? Have u been on her? We've only done one NCL (Sun to alaska). The Sun was "okay" I think maybe we didn't like it as much bc it WAS an Alaskan cruise and the vibe was so different. We LOVED alaska but drinking frozen drinks isn't the same in a hoodie with gloves lol. How does the Dawn compare to a CCL trip? We r looking at a 10 day repo from SJU to Tampa in Jan 2018. We love San Juan! Glad u liked our suggestion. Also, "where" did you snorkel at coki? We r going to STT for 6 days this winter! We've been to Coki but I don't remember coral! It was when we 1st started snorkeling so we didn't go too far. Sorry for the book lol!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Yep, been on the Dawn. If you look in my signature line (must be done from a computer I'm told), you will find my DAWN review.

 

We snorkeled at Coki from the beach. It was SO AMAZING. I just recently returned (2 weeks ago) from going back to Coki, but this time we went scuba diving. AMAZING!

 

 

Oh, plus if you go back to Barbados check out "harbour lights" it's just down from the boatyard, less crowded, not as wild. You can email ahead and reserve chairs. It's $20 to snorkel with the turtles. Plus you also go to a shipwreck and snorkel too. I've got pics from that on my "social media page" (jennifer young Stevens)

 

Oh yea, I did hear about Harbour Lights. I will definitely check them out and see if it would be a good fit for us when we return. I'm always up for going some place different.

[MrsKChicago]

We won't be in a position to cruise for awhile and every now and then when the cabin fever sets in, I dive into one of your reviews for a bit of escapism. I found them very useful on our Getaway cruise a couple years ago, too.

 

We have a couple of restaurants in the Chicago area where trains bring your food. The food was mediocre at the one we've visited, but the experience is neat! A little easier of a trip from Ohio, too.

 

I'm looking forward to reading more about your possible scuba experience in the next review (I'm headed to read that one next). My husband wanted to do a discover scuba session when we were in Cozumel and I went along with it despite being really kind of terrified about the experience. I loved it! Once we were in the water and I realized I wasn't going to just instantly drop dead, it was amazing. I hope you ended up going because it sounds like something you would also love.

 

Thanks again for the virtual escape from toddler life ;)

[mitsugirly]

We won't be in a position to cruise for awhile and every now and then when the cabin fever sets in, I dive into one of your reviews for a bit of escapism. I found them very useful on our Getaway cruise a couple years ago, too.

 

We have a couple of restaurants in the Chicago area where trains bring your food. The food was mediocre at the one we've visited, but the experience is neat! A little easier of a trip from Ohio, too.

 

I'm looking forward to reading more about your possible scuba experience in the next review (I'm headed to read that one next). My husband wanted to do a discover scuba session when we were in Cozumel and I went along with it despite being really kind of terrified about the experience. I loved it! Once we were in the water and I realized I wasn't going to just instantly drop dead, it was amazing. I hope you ended up going because it sounds like something you would also love.

 

Thanks again for the virtual escape from toddler life ;)

 

Thanks for the kind words and glad I can help a little with the Escapism. :D

 

Although the restaurant sound neat, I will probably have to wait until I return to PR to find one. The only way I travel outside of my city these days is by plane. I just hate driving and it makes me feel sick and lightheaded. So I don't usually go far.

 

If you haven't found it, my Epic review is HERE.

[Mepps3]

Just stumbled on this review and it is so great! So wanted to chime in and compliment you on a very thorough writeup!

 

I did this same cruise with my wife in June. I chimed in on a few of your Q/A posts over the summer when you were planning. I also used your older reports to help plan our excursions....so thanks for that! :)

 

Let me just say, it was pretty damn hot in June as well...but definitely not as "melt your face off" as you experienced!! We walked the hills of OSJ before the cruise!

 

My wife and I honeymooned in Barbados in September 2006 and it was really hot then. So that is normal. We fell in love with that island and went back a few years later and did a lot of touring. The people there are so nice! We met a nice guy at a bar that gave us a free tour of the whole island! It was great. We were even brave enough to rent a car for a day to do more touring...driving there is crazy, but an organized chaos on the left side of the road. I highly recommend you guys get back there some day, it is an amazing place, especially off the beaten path and away from the hot spots. For example, they have collapsed caves called "Gullies" that are their own little enclosed rain forests. Great for a little nature walk.

 

We had done the large catamaran turtle cruises in the past and they are great..but the swimming with turtles tour at the boatyard is just as good! We did that as well this past June. Oh, and I am glad you guys found all the creatures on the pier posts! I snorkeled around there a lot! The rope swing was so much fun! Sorry they didn't have an attendant for you. Did they have the free drink/shot alarms go off every so often? That was a fun little treat. Didn't know if you knew...but 'Banks' beer is the official beer of Barbados. I miss it so much. So when I saw your husband with a Carib for his free drink, I was so sad!! Ha ha. But that's just me and and I am way too into beer.

 

So we chose Coki beach at St. Thomas solely based on your snorkeling report..and it was fantastic!! So thanks again for that. Unfortunately, your report about the lifeguard really pissed me off, but I am not at all surprised. When we were at Coki beach, we witnessed a tourist drown while snorkeling. Other swimmers dragged him to shore, and a bunch of people did CPR....not a single lifeguard or anyone else to help. Some worker called an ambulance...and it took like 15-20 minutes to arrive. Easily the saddest thing I have ever seen on vacation. Don't know what the deal is with St. Thomas and lifeguards, but I think it is definitely something that needs to be known...the beaches are "Swim at your own risk". Oh, and the icing on the cake was some a-hole local was filming the whole thing on his cell phone! I could not believe it!! My wife called him out and verbally undressed him in front of the whole beach...and he yelled back at her and then some beach employee told my wife to be quiet!! What planet was I on?? Not trying to be a Debbie downer....but I know you have a strong voice on this forum so I just wanted to share my experience with you. So that experience combined with the crabby and bickering cab drivers makes me never want to visit St. Thomas again. It is soooo night and day compared to Barbados in how they treat tourists! (oh, and just for the record..we are definitely not "elitist" travelers that expect to be pampered..)

 

Glad you did the Spencer boat tour in St Lucia. Best snorkeling of my life!! The land tour is pretty cool, I like to learn all about the island I am visiting and it was pretty informative. Not sure if your family of run-and-gunners would be able to stand being away from the beach for an hour, though! One funny thing I remember...the roads are littered with Mangoes! They have 13 different kinds there and the trees must be everywhere!

 

Alright, this response is entirely too long. Just want to say thanks again for your thorough reports. They really are a huge help.

Edited December 8, 2016 by Mepps3

[mitsugirly]

Just stumbled on this review and it is so great! So wanted to chime in and compliment you on a very thorough writeup!

 

I did this same cruise with my wife in June. I chimed in on a few of your Q/A posts over the summer when you were planning. I also used your older reports to help plan our excursions....so thanks for that! :)

 

Let me just say, it was pretty damn hot in June as well...but definitely not as "melt your face off" as you experienced!! We walked the hills of OSJ before the cruise!

 

My wife and I honeymooned in Barbados in September 2006 and it was really hot then. So that is normal. We fell in love with that island and went back a few years later and did a lot of touring. The people there are so nice! We met a nice guy at a bar that gave us a free tour of the whole island! It was great. We were even brave enough to rent a car for a day to do more touring...driving there is crazy, but an organized chaos on the left side of the road. I highly recommend you guys get back there some day, it is an amazing place, especially off the beaten path and away from the hot spots. For example, they have collapsed caves called "Gullies" that are their own little enclosed rain forests. Great for a little nature walk.

 

We had done the large catamaran turtle cruises in the past and they are great..but the swimming with turtles tour at the boatyard is just as good! We did that as well this past June. Oh, and I am glad you guys found all the creatures on the pier posts! I snorkeled around there a lot! The rope swing was so much fun! Sorry they didn't have an attendant for you. Did they have the free drink/shot alarms go off every so often? That was a fun little treat. Didn't know if you knew...but 'Banks' beer is the official beer of Barbados. I miss it so much. So when I saw your husband with a Carib for his free drink, I was so sad!! Ha ha. But that's just me and and I am way too into beer.

 

So we chose Coki beach at St. Thomas solely based on your snorkeling report..and it was fantastic!! So thanks again for that. Unfortunately, your report about the lifeguard really pissed me off, but I am not at all surprised. When we were at Coki beach, we witnessed a tourist drown while snorkeling. Other swimmers dragged him to shore, and a bunch of people did CPR....not a single lifeguard or anyone else to help. Some worker called an ambulance...and it took like 15-20 minutes to arrive. Easily the saddest thing I have ever seen on vacation. Don't know what the deal is with St. Thomas and lifeguards, but I think it is definitely something that needs to be known...the beaches are "Swim at your own risk". Oh, and the icing on the cake was some a-hole local was filming the whole thing on his cell phone! I could not believe it!! My wife called him out and verbally undressed him in front of the whole beach...and he yelled back at her and then some beach employee told my wife to be quiet!! What planet was I on?? Not trying to be a Debbie downer....but I know you have a strong voice on this forum so I just wanted to share my experience with you. So that experience combined with the crabby and bickering cab drivers makes me never want to visit St. Thomas again. It is soooo night and day compared to Barbados in how they treat tourists! (oh, and just for the record..we are definitely not "elitist" travelers that expect to be pampered..)

 

Glad you did the Spencer boat tour in St Lucia. Best snorkeling of my life!! The land tour is pretty cool, I like to learn all about the island I am visiting and it was pretty informative. Not sure if your family of run-and-gunners would be able to stand being away from the beach for an hour, though! One funny thing I remember...the roads are littered with Mangoes! They have 13 different kinds there and the trees must be everywhere!

 

Alright, this response is entirely too long. Just want to say thanks again for your thorough reports. They really are a huge help.

 

Oh wow, let me just start by saying thank you so much for all of your kind words and thank you even more for your thoughts and experiences. I love when people share that information.

 

I'm planning on going back and doing this again next summer. It has to be probably the best trip I have taken. It was just so amazing and I want to do it again. But, the cheapest time to go always seems to be that end of August (I guess they figure most of the kids are back in school by then and the prices drop). I wonder if it's always that hot during those months? Or was this just an abnormal summer for them.

 

Even though we didn't get to see much of the island at Barbados, I can tell it's definitely a beautiful place and I would absolutely love to go there for a vacation. However, our airline doesn't fly there yet...so that's off the table for now.

 

The caves (gullies) sound amazing. I was really heartbroken that we didn't get to do the rain forest in PR when we were there. I'm honestly not sure if they had the free drink/shots when we were there. We got there so early and there wasn't anyone there, then headed for the boat tour and then moved to the other side (further away from the bar) and I spent almost the entire day in the water (of course!!!) so I probably wouldn't have known even if they did. :D I hate beer (just can't acquire a taste for it...bitter), so didn't know about the local beer. The hubby drinks once every now and then (only on cruises) and knowing him, he probably just said "give me a beer, you pick". But that's what he ended up with.

 

Glad you had a good time and snorkeling at Coki. It's an amazing place for that stuff. We just got home about 3 weeks ago and went there again except this time...WE DID SCUBA DIVING! It was a blast and I think I have found a new hobby. :p The life guard thing wasn't at Coki though, so I'm confused. :confused: Or was you referencing that it's like that at all the St Thomas beaches? Does Coki even have life guards because after being there twice, I have never seen any. Again, not to say there aren't because I spend my time with my self in the water and head under water. lol

 

So sad about the person drowning. Very sad knowing that Coki is a pretty popular place and there's always a lot of people there but yet no one out there noticed? I mean I know a drowning person isn't necessarily going to throw their arms around and bring attention to themselves like you see in the movies, but I think if I'm snorkeling and I see someone at the bottom, floating or lifeless, I would hope I would notice something isn't right. Aww, I hate that you feel that all this makes you never want to return to St Thomas. I absolutely love St Thomas and although it has it's faults, it's still such a beautiful place with some amazing beaches. I haven't been disappointed in any of them yet. I will definitely return again some day.

 

Sakari still talks about snorkeling at St Lucia. She brought it up the other day again and said it's her favorite place ever. Next time I return there, I am going to have to find out about the scuba diving there. Especially since this is the place that prompted Sakari to want to learn to dive and that place would be pretty amazing to dive at. We did say that next time we go back, we wanted to do the mud/volcano/whatever it is tour and then the beach. So, we might be able to handle it for 1 hour away from the beach. :D

 

Thanks again for your comments (and any help you may have provided in my research for this cruise). :)

[Megn2414]

Awesome review! Thank you for taking the time to write such a thorough and beautiful trip report. I've been trying to decide which itinerary to go with on my next cruise and you have made my mind up for me! :)

[SouthCaribbean2017]

Had a question about this itinerary...since it departs out of PR, I presume it's possible to board the ship, drop stuff off at the room, and then promptly turn around and leave the ship to wander around SJ?

[sanmarcosman]

Had a question about this itinerary...since it departs out of PR, I presume it's possible to board the ship, drop stuff off at the room, and then promptly turn around and leave the ship to wander around SJ?

Yes you may.