Jewel of the Seas Review - Southern Caribbean February 19-26, 2017

[starrcards]

My wife, 10 year old son and I just returned from a 7 day Southern Caribbean cruise on the Jewel. We had great time. The ship still looks good 9 months after the dry dock. I will concentrate on our trip and ports but will also try include answers to questions about the Jewel that show up often on Cruise Critic. Don't expect photos. We took plenty but I'm a technophobe on how to include them in a review.

 

We left JFK airport on Friday morning 2/17 and arrived in San Juan about 4 pm. We claimed our luggage and got in the taxi line. It moved pretty well but it was hard to figure out the fee calculated by the dispatcher. Taxi fees in Puerto Rico are fixed but each bag is extra and there was a fuel surcharge space on the ticket. So an expected $17 taxi ride became $22. Not a major problem. We drove away from the airport and within 5 minutes we were in bumper to bumper traffic. Our driver told us "Welcome to rush hour in San Juan." He did his best to speed up the ride using local streets but the 15 minute ride took 45 minutes.

 

We arrived at the La Concha Renaissance and checked in. We booked a 2 night stay using points but did spring for the upcharge for an ocean view ($25.night). It was worth it. Great view. The hotel was very nice with all the features (pool, beach, casino) you could want. Our room was good sized and easily accommodated the 3 of us.

 

.We had seen in many reviews that food at the hotel restaurants was very expensive so we had planned on eating at some of the restaurants on Ashford Avenue, the main drag of Condado. So on Friday night we ate at Café del Angel, directly across the street from the hotel. The restaurant specialized in Puerto Rican food and we had great dinner for $50 (including 2 glasses of sangria which was very good). After dinner we did some exploring in the area and stopped at CVS to pick up our wine for the cruise. Then we went back to the hotel and crashed.

 

Saturday morning my son and I went to Orozco's restaurant for breakfast. The eggs and pancakes were about half the price of one breakfast buffet at the hotel. Since my wife wanted to sleep in, we stopped at Pinky's to get her some breakfast to bring back to the room. We got the Big Ol Breakfast Burrito (six, yes SIX scrambled eggs with cheese, tomatoes and onions for $6). As you could expect, the reaction when we got back to the room was "How am I supposed to eat all this?" She ate a good portion of it but my son and I gladly helped her. Yum.

 

When my wife got ready, we went down stairs to catch a bus to Old San Juan. It stops directly in front of the La Concha and is $.75 per person (exact change please). The bus was clean and efficient and dropped us off at the bus terminal downtown. We were able to catch the free trolley and go to Fort San Christobal. Quite an interesting place with great views of the ocean and El Morro. When we completed our visit, we headed to the trolley stop to go to El Morro. We waited about 40 minutes with no trolley appearing, so we decided to walk around Old San Juan (Morale of the story, don't depend on the free trolley to get you around OSJ). We passed a Starbucks and stopped for an iced coffee. Further along my son stopped for a gelato. We walked down to the cruise pier and through all the vendors and food stalls. We walked along the water viewing the shops and heading back to the bus terminal. After waiting a few minutes, we caught our bus back to Condao. As traffic free our trip to OSJ was, the return found it. But all things considered, I would have no reservations about recommending public transportation in San Juan.

 

We went back to our room and cleaned up for dinner. We decided to have Chinese food for dinner (makes sense in Puerto Rico). My son was in the midst of a chicken wing fetish so we picked Tayzan which had chicken wings as part of their menu. The food was fresh and tasty. My wife thought it was some of the best she ever had. Portions were huge and we took some back to the hotel. Dinner for 3 was nearly $100. But after all it was vacation. Then back to the hotel to get ready for embarkation day.

[hoopslover]

Following your great review. We are booked on this cruise next spring.

[mixplix]

we leave 4/9/17 - looking forward to your posts!

[starrcards]

Embarkation Day - Sunday February 19, 2017

 

Sunday morning started out grey and showery. We spent most of he morning getting everything ready to go to the pier (and finish our left over Chinese food, still good the next day). We checked out of the hotel at about 11 am and grabbed a cab to the pier. Once again the cab fare was more that I expected but with no traffic it took all of 10 minutes. We got rid our bags and proceeded into the terminal. Our Gold status got us a short line and we basically walked up to an agent. All the paper work was completed and we were on our way. For those who want to know, there is a shop (stand? Kiosk?) to purchase wine past screening of bags. It was higher priced than CVS and it seemed no one checked if you brought more than your 2 bottle allotment. We were able to board the ship with no wait. It took a little over an hour from our hotel room to sitting down at the WJ.

 

We found a table at the outside seating area in front of the WJ and proceeded to enjoy a leisurely lunch. There was the usual fare, carved roast beef, salads galore for my wife and more fried chicken for my son. At about 1:30 pm there was an announcement that the staterooms were ready so off we went to find our room. We had a balcony cabin on deck 7, cabin 7094. The cabin itself was not overly large and when the couch was pulled out for our son, it was difficult to navigate from the main bed to the bathroom without climbing over the couch. Cabin would have been fine for 2 but was tight for 3. On the other hand the balcony was HUGE. My guesstimate was about 175 square feet. It had 2 chairs, 2 chaises and a table with room to walk around. The cabin was the first one off the Centrum. Good news and bad news. The cabin was close to the elevators but there was some element of noise when there was entertainment in the Centrum. The noise didn't bother us but might be a problem with a light sleeper.

 

Since we had the BOGO specialty dining, we had to figure out where we were eating that night. We stopped at Izumi to inquire and were told that Izumi does not participate in the BOGO. So much for that hope. We then went to Giovanni's Table and were told that no restaurants were assigned and we had to choose. We picked Giovanni's for the first night. We were asked if we wanted to reserve Chops for night 2 (Could not move that second night even asking pretty please with sugar on top). We said we'd choose later, just in case we wanted to do Giovani's again. And off we went to wait for our luggage.

 

Since RCL offered some spa treatments at up to 30% off, I got a hot stone treatment for my wife at 5 pm embarkation day. No bags appeared before we had to head to the spa. We dropped my wife off at 5 pm and my son and I headed to the Solarium food area. I was pleased to find Kummelweck roast beef sandwiches offered (with mayo and horseradish). I stopped to get my first Margarita of the cruise (more on my impressions about the drink package later) and my son used the freestyle machine and forced himself to have a couple of cookies (what a trooper). After our snack time, we headed back to the cabin and found our luggage. I had time to empty my suitcase and we changed to pick up my wife for dinner. We got back to the spa right before 6 pm (our dinner reservation time) and had to wait for my wife to finish up. She was finally done at 6:20 pm and we hustled down to Giovani's Table.

 

No problem that we were a half hour late. The restaurant wasn't very crowded and we were seated immediately. For all the complaints I had read about Giovanni's, we were pleased with our dinner. The ahi tuna appetizer was delicious and my family liked the Caesar salad an white minestrone soup (soup of the day). My wife had the pasta with blue cheese as her entrée and I had pasta with clams along with the filet mignon. The teramesu and cannoli were good deserts. All in all a good meal. Maybe not worth $29 per person but certainly doable as BOGO.

 

As we finished dinner, muster drill was called. Our station was right between Giovani's and Chops. We signed in and completed our training! On the way back to our cabin, we stopped at Chops to review the menu and decide on Chops for day 2 dinner. Back to the cabin to call it a day. Cecelia, our stateroom attendant, had made up the couch for our son. As I had said earlier, this really cramped the room and made my wife's task of putting her clothes away that much more challenging.

 

Next Day 2 St.Croix (and my drink package comments)

[caribou9]

Starrcards

 

Is the taxi baggage fee just for suitcases or should we plan to pay for carryon bags too?

 

For example DH will have a backpack.

[davekathy]

Starrcards

 

Is the taxi baggage fee just for suitcases or should we plan to pay for carryon bags too?

 

For example DH will have a backpack.

 

 

The taxi luggage cost is a dollar per bag. No charge for your carry on you carry yourself.

Edited March 4, 2017 by davekathy

[starrcards]

Day 2 - St. Croix

 

We arrived in St. Croix on a bright, sunny morning as scheduled at 8 am. The forcast high for the day was 80 degrees. Quite a change from Long Island.

 

The first thing I did when I got up was to go to Café Latitudes for a large White Chocolate mocha. This gives me an opportunity to give my views on the deluxe drink plan. I was able to buy it at $39/day when it was 30% off. Besides alcoholic beverages, the plan also covered specialty coffees, fresh squeezed orange juice and bottled water. If my breaking even depended on cocktails, I would have lost money on the deal. I think 1 had 2 margaritas and one bloody mary on the cruise. But if you have 1 (or 2) specialty coffees, a freshly squeezed orange juice, a bottled water in port, beer with lunch and wine with dinner, I think you at least break even (7 beverages at an average cost of $7). That doesn't even take in to account the sodas from the freestyle machines, I was pleased.

 

We had breakfast in the WJ. The Jewel has made to order eggs and omlettes. The rest of the breakfast fare was pretty traditional except they had smoked salmon daily (not available on our Jewel Mediteranean cruise in September unless you asked for it). Several day it was by the egg station so I had a smoked salmon omlette. We never went hungry at breakfast.

 

After breakfast we left the ship to explore St. Croix. We decide to take a taxi to the Cruzan rum factory for a tour and tasting. We gave the driver a designated pick up time when she dropped us off (Your fare is round trip and you are given a return ticket when you pay). Even though Cruzan is now owned by Bean Suntory, many parts of the rum making process were still done by hand. Even my son was interested throughout the tour and enjoyed it. After the tour you are taken to the bar and given 2 drink tickets (pina colada or rum punch). If you ask nicely, they will give you a sample of their 12 year old sipping rum. Minors get alcohol free drinks. Definitely worth the $8 admission.

 

On the way back, we asked the driver to drop us at Sand Castle. They have a $10/person day pass for cruise passengers. It's a small resort with a pool and beach. Although the water was nice, the beach was hard to navigate. There was an undertow and the beach dropped off quickly. The area where the beach dropped off was covered with shells. Not my favorite beach of the trip. None the less we spent several hours here before taking the complementary shuttle back to the ship.

 

We had some snack time before dinner so another roast beef sandwich (they had then each day of the cruise) was in order. They go well with beer also. So then we went back to our cabin to get ready for dinner.

 

Our second night of our BOGO was in Chops and we enjoyed our dinner. I had the strip steak and my wife had the roast chicken. Both were done correctly and were tasty. Worth the BOGO price but probably lacking at full price.

 

After dinner we went to the Coral Theatre to see the Flyboys, an English music group. My wife and son saw them in September and raved about them. The show was very good and we all enjoyed it.

 

Next - The cruise continues

[starrcards]

Starrcards

 

Is the taxi baggage fee just for suitcases or should we plan to pay for carryon bags too?

 

For example DH will have a backpack.

 

 

We only were charged for the suitcases. Carry ons were free.

[easyboy]

Following along.

[dani negreanu]

Thank you for taking the time to review.

Not the same itinerary, but interested in your Jewel experience.:D

[starrcards]

Sorry it took so long to get this post done. I was almost finished with it when I got the dreaded "we have detected an error with your computer and have to restart." All the typing GONE.

 

Day 3 - St. Maarten

 

We arrived in St. Maarten to a cloudy, rainy morning. We had scheduled a Soualiga Destinations swim and scuba excursion. Since we didn't know how our stomachs would react to the power boat, we skipped breakfast. We left the ship and started to walk to Dock Maarten. On the way, we were hit with a downpour and had to hide under a building roof for a short time. We finally made it to the dock and met Capt. Bob. Many of the participants were talking about the poor weather. Bob said the forecast was for clearing in the afternoon but the decision was completely ours. He indicated that he would return any money paid if we decided not to go. After a lot of hemming and hawing among the three of us, we decide to bail. The skies brightened by noon but it was still breezy and the water around the ship had a decided chop. Did we make the right decision? We'll never know. But because of the professional and courteous way we were treated by Capt. Bob, we decided that we would book this excursion again if we should return to St. Maarten. We walked back to the ship and had a late breakfast.

 

Afterwards we decided to visit the shops at the cruise port. After moseying around for about 2 hours we decided to head back to the ship for a relaxing afternoon. When we boarded, Guest Services told us that the Meet and Mingle would be day three after sail away. We received no notification in our cabin (although we received notification of every sale on the ship) and we didn't follow up. Later we decided to see the 6 pm showing of "Inferno," the new Tom Hanks movie in the theatre. The theatre is small and cozy and a good place to watch a movie, They showed a movie through out the day each day.

 

My son noticed that it was wing nite in the WJ and that's where we had dinner, They had 3 kinds of wings, fried, Thai and jerk. Since he was still on his wing kick, he was in heaven with the fried wings. My wife feasted on the salads and I enjoyed the grilled steaks. Needless to say no one left hungry. After dinner, we browed the shops and headed back to the cabin to bed.

[starrcards]

Day 4 - Domenica

 

The day here was bright and sunny. After breakfast, we headed off the ship to the botanical gardens. We walked through the cruise port (lot of hawking for taxis and tours as in Nassau) and on our way fo the 15 minute walk to the gardens. When we got there, the change was almost surreal. We left the hustle and bustle of downtown Roseau and entered the stillness of the botanical gardens. I chose to find a bench in the shade and watch the sky and trees. My wife and son chose to walk around the gardens. The gardens also has a breeding facility for the rare Sisserou parrot which we got a chance to see. We were going to climb Jack's Walk up to Morne Bruce to get a view of the city but the trail was too steep and we decided against it (I know, whimps). We then walked back through town and stopped at the shops and local merchants near the pier. Most of he local vendors had the same

items but were able to pick up some souviners and spices (vanilla). We then headed back to the ship for lunch.

 

 

At lunch we met Aiden and his family again. Our son and Aiden met on day 1 and played (and I use that term loosely) ping pong. They decided to meet that evening at the kids Club (Adventure Ocean). We finished lunch and went back to our cabin to relax on the balcony.

 

I took my son to the WJ for dinner (hot dogs and fries) and dropped him off at the kids club at 7 pm when it opened. This gives me the opportunity to talk about Adventure Ocean. Our son has gone to Adventure Ocean on all 3 of our cruises and enjoyed it each time. The kids are divided by age group and the staff is very good. On this trip, our son made friends with 3 other kids (Aiden and 2 others) and they are going to email/write each other. I think this is the best way for the kids to meet others of their own age.

 

We had an 8 pm dinner reservation in the MDR (Mojo/casual, I'll outline the menu and dress sequence at the end of the review), After dinner we walked around the ship until it was time to pick up our son at 10 pm. Then off to bed.

[crosby99]

We are on the same sailing on April 2nd enjoying your review :D

[love2cruise72]

Day 2 - St. Croix

 

We arrived in St. Croix on a bright, sunny morning as scheduled at 8 am. The forcast high for the day was 80 degrees. Quite a change from Long Island.

 

The first thing I did when I got up was to go to Café Latitudes for a large White Chocolate mocha. This gives me an opportunity to give my views on the deluxe drink plan. I was able to buy it at $39/day when it was 30% off. Besides alcoholic beverages, the plan also covered specialty coffees, fresh squeezed orange juice and bottled water. If my breaking even depended on cocktails, I would have lost money on the deal. I think 1 had 2 margaritas and one bloody mary on the cruise. But if you have 1 (or 2) specialty coffees, a freshly squeezed orange juice, a bottled water in port, beer with lunch and wine with dinner, I think you at least break even (7 beverages at an average cost of $7). That doesn't even take in to account the sodas from the freestyle machines, I was pleased.

 

We had breakfast in the WJ. The Jewel has made to order eggs and omlettes. The rest of the breakfast fare was pretty traditional except they had smoked salmon daily (not available on our Jewel Mediteranean cruise in September unless you asked for it). Several day it was by the egg station so I had a smoked salmon omlette. We never went hungry at breakfast.

 

After breakfast we left the ship to explore St. Croix. We decide to take a taxi to the Cruzan rum factory for a tour and tasting. We gave the driver a designated pick up time when she dropped us off (Your fare is round trip and you are given a return ticket when you pay). Even though Cruzan is now owned by Bean Suntory, many parts of the rum making process were still done by hand. Even my son was interested throughout the tour and enjoyed it. After the tour you are taken to the bar and given 2 drink tickets (pina colada or rum punch). If you ask nicely, they will give you a sample of their 12 year old sipping rum. Minors get alcohol free drinks. Definitely worth the $8 admission.

 

On the way back, we asked the driver to drop us at Sand Castle. They have a $10/person day pass for cruise passengers. It's a small resort with a pool and beach. Although the water was nice, the beach was hard to navigate. There was an undertow and the beach dropped off quickly. The area where the beach dropped off was covered with shells. Not my favorite beach of the trip. None the less we spent several hours here before taking the complementary shuttle back to the ship.

 

We had some snack time before dinner so another roast beef sandwich (they had then each day of the cruise) was in order. They go well with beer also. So then we went back to our cabin to get ready for dinner.

 

Our second night of our BOGO was in Chops and we enjoyed our dinner. I had the strip steak and my wife had the roast chicken. Both were done correctly and were tasty. Worth the BOGO price but probably lacking at full price.

 

After dinner we went to the Coral Theatre to see the Flyboys, an English music group. My wife and son saw them in September and raved about them. The show was very good and we all enjoyed it.

 

Next - The cruise continues

 

Wow thank you for taking the time to post your review. We are doing the same itinerary in 2wks and it has been very very helpful. I do have some questions, the beverage package did it go on sale before your sail date? When you purchase the beverage package Do they charge gratuities to your Seapass account every time you get a drink at any bar(alcohol, non-alcohol, specialty coffee)?

Thanks again

[starrcards]

Wow thank you for taking the time to post your review. We are doing the same itinerary in 2wks and it has been very very helpful. I do have some questions, the beverage package did it go on sale before your sail date? When you purchase the beverage package Do they charge gratuities to your Seapass account every time you get a drink at any bar(alcohol, non-alcohol, specialty coffee)?

Thanks again

 

 

I purchased the beverage package in December when it and internet were on sale 30% off. Someone usually posts the availability of these sales on the Royal Caribbean forum. They include 18% gratuities when you purchase the plan. No additional gratuities charged per drink on the ship. You may add additional gratuities at your discretion.

[starrcards]

Day 5 - Barbados

 

Another beautiful morning in the Caribbean. Bright, sunny with temps expected in the 80's. After breakfast we left the ship and made our way to the taxi stand for our day at the Boatyard. When we got to the taxi stand, we were told that the Boatyard had no more umbrellas or chaises. Since I had read on Cruise Critic that taxi dispatchers tried to direct cruisers to their favored beaches, I said that we would go to the Boatyard anyway. When we arrived, the sign out front indicted no chaises or umbrellas available. We were allowed to enter and found some chairs that we moved in to the shade of the building. Problem solved. Later in the day, as people left, chaises and umbrellas become available but we were fine where we were. The atmosphere at the Boatyard was spring break (minus the college kids), lots of music and drinking. But the beach was beautiful, best of the cruise. Fine white sand gently sloping into the crystal clear water. Exactly what I expected a Caribbean beach to be. No undertow. No shells or rocks under your feet.

 

I wanted to try a flying fish sandwich in Barbados and they were available here. The sandwich is served with fries and tarter sauce on the side. Add the local hot sauce at your own risk. I have no other point of reference but I thought the sandwick was very good. The only negative of the day was not being able to swim with the turtles. We signed up immediately upon arriving at the Boatyard. We were on the middle of page 2 of the list but they were working on page 1. We were told it would be a two hour wait. When we left over three hours later, we had not been called and there were still 2 more trips before we would have been called. None the less it was a great beach day and worth the $25/person fee. The Boatyard provided transportation back to the pier as part of the fee. Just a hint, don't use the last shuttle, bus or taxi from your beach day. Give yourself some wiggle room so you dont miss the ship.

 

Back on the ship, we went to the WJ for a cool beverage. They were sampling sushi from Izumi (and handing out 25% off coupons) to encourage passengers to eat there. Back to the cabin to clean up for dinner. Our son again ate in the WJ (another hot dog and fries) and went to the kids club when it opened up at 7 pm. He has gone to the kids club on all 3 of our cruises and has enjoyed it each time. The staff is very good. And it is probably the best way for kids to meet other kids their age. Our son made friends with 3 other kids and they exchanged phone, emails, addresses, etc.

 

After we dropped our son at kids club, my wife and I went to the Coral Theatre to see the early show of Brad Cummings, a ventriloquist. Yes, a ventriloquist. They still exist. And he was funny. After the show, we went to the MDR for dinner (Pomodoro/Smart casual 70's). Once again the food was good. I had the lamb shank and my wife had the turkey (also available in the WJ that nite). Another note, escargots were available each evening in the MDR. After dinner we walked around the shops until it was time to pick our son up at kids club at 10 pm. Then back to the cabin for bed.

[starrcards]

Day 6 - Grenada

 

Another warm and sunny Caribbean morning. Our plan for the day was to walk around St.George's and hunt for some spices. After breakfast we left the ship and checked out the shops in the cruise port. Then we headed out into town. We found a supermarket where we bought some spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and saffron). Behind the supermarket was an outdoor market with local vendors. We picked up some spice necklaces (6 for $20) and banana ketchup. My son sampled the ketchup and gave the OK to bring it home. There didn't seem to be much more to see, so we headed back to the ship. We agreed that Grenada was our least favorite port on the cruise (maybe we should have planned an excursion).

 

We had lunch in the WJ. More sushi samples and coupons. Our son wanted to go to the kids club for the afternoon and we headed back to the cabin to relax. At 5 pm we picked him up and we got ready for dinner. We had a 6:15 pm MDR reservation so we could eat dinner together. It was lobster night (Jasmine/Formal) and we enjoyed dinner once again. We all had a lobster tail and they brought us a second full entree rather than a tail on the side. Just an aside about MDR dress. Men still wear shorts to the MDR on casual nites. On formal nites, only a few tuxes, mostly shirts and ties (with and without jackets). Still one or two guys wearing shorts. As usual, the women are dressed better that men.

 

After dinner, our son went to the kids club till 10 pm. We sat and listened to some music. After we rounded up our son, it was off to bed.

 

 

Day 7 - Sea day

 

Last day of the cruise, heading back to San Juan. After breakfast we stopped by the tee shirt sale on the pool deck as we normally do. The previous nite at dinner we were invited to participate in a galley tour and champagne brunch (for a fee of course, but our son would be free). So we met in the MDR at 10:30 am as directed. There were about 50 participants and we were divided into 3 groups. Our group was led by "Handsome" Hans, the headwaiter and a 33 year veteran of RCL. You could tell he was very proud of his ship and his company. Being somewhat of a foodie I really enjoyed the tour. The 45 minute tour showed us all aspects of the kitchen (huge) and how they prepared all the food and bakery goods for 2300 passengers on a 7 day cruise. After the tour, we returned to the MDR for brunch, Unlimited champagne, mimosas and bellinis. Choice of antipasti, fruit, sushi, shrimp cocktail and soup as starters. Salmon, french toast, quiche or beef wellington as an entree. And cheesecake for desert. Not a bad deal for $28 per person. Off to the kids club for our son and balcony relaxation for the parents.

 

Tonight for dinner we made plans to join Aiden and his family for dinner. Since they had early seating dinner we joined them. The MDR staff was very helpful in making a table for the 7 of us. Dinner (Pimento/Casual) was a lot of fun. When they had the parade of MDR staff, the two boys wound up dancing on the stair with the staff. They were so good that they were invited back for the second seating to dance again. They were thrilled. They didn't even mind missing part of kids club.

 

As promised, here is the menu and dress schedule for the cruise.

 

Day 1 - Casual Portobellio

Day 2 - Formal Saffron

Day 3 - Smart Casual Basil

Day 4 - Tropical/White Mojo

Day 5 - Smart Casual Pomodoro

Day 6 - Formal Jasmine

Day 7 - Casual Pimento

 

Just a few other loose ends. Bags of Laundry at $34.95 offered Day 3. Drink Cards $70 offered Day 4.

 

 

Disembarking

 

Since we had a 5:20 pm flight, we were give number 22 for departure. We left the ship at 10 am. We went to the baggage area and were deluged by porters. We selected one and were off to collect our bags. The porters have a special customs line with literally no wait. Hint: Porters are worth the money!. Once outside we joined a tour of OSJ with final transportation to the airport. Worth $25 per cost. Saw a few things that we missed on our own and stopped for lunch (on our own) in a great local place. Back to the airport by 2:30 pm. Check in and security painless and we were at the departure gate ready to go.

 

Questions?

[imlulu]

Sounds like a great trip. Thank you for the detailed review. I like the number of different ports on the Jewel. I would like to try but am hesitant in flying into SJU due to cost. We have been to Old SJ before and really enjoyed.

[dogsdogs]

Thank you for the great review. Was the OSJ tour a ship excursion?

[starrcards]

Thank you for the great review. Was the OSJ tour a ship excursion?

 

 

No. We tried to find out about the RCL one but the Shore Excursions had such limited hours on the sea day, we had no success. The tour we went on was offered right outside the baggage area. The guys had blue shirts on (Sky something, sorry my senile mind doesn't remember the full name) and offered tours and airport transportation.

[anewmac]

Sounds like a great time! Good to know about the Boatyard, we will try and be first off and hurry there along with not listen to the taxi drivers.

 

You mentioned the galley tour can you sign up anywhere else or just at dinner the night before sea day? We are doing this same itinerary in a few weeks, so your trip report came at a perfect time!

 

Also last question regarding the drink cards you mentioned? What does that entail and how can you obtain? We didn't buy the drink package and now I'm 2nd guessing if we should? But with 5days in port not sure we would get our money's worth.

 

Thanks

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[dani negreanu]

The previous nite at dinner we were invited to participate in a galley tour and champagne brunch (for a fee of course, but our son would be free). ......

 

Any hints how to get an "invite"?

 

 

Disembarking

 

We left the ship at 10 am.

 

 

Were you allowed to remain on the ship so late???

Thoroughly enjoyed your review, thanks, Dani

[theOSU1]

Thanks for the balcony info for cabin #7094. We are booked into this cabin in June (on sister ship Brilliance in the Med) and is nice to know we will have several loungers and a table on the extra:D large balcony....liked your review very much. Happy cruising...Brett

Edited March 5, 2017 by theOSU1
wording addition

[easyboy]

Great review! Thanks for sharing your experience.

[cruzriz122]

Day 6 - Grenada

 

Questions?

 

Hi, we have the Galley tour booked for our cruise in two weeks and I received conflicting information on whether my Grandpa (motorized scooter) will be able to join. Were there any stairs or areas where it appeared to not be able to fit a scooter? Thanks for your review!!