My View: Harmony of the Seas - 8 days of semi-live tips & too many pics!

[APDMOM]

San Juan Tour

 

Our plan was to walk to a stop for the free trolley, hop on, and get the free sightseeing trip to one of the forts.  Unfortunately, the first trolley had broken seats and very poor ventilation.  It was like an oven, so we hopped off at the next stop.  We walked again... this time to stop number 3.  This time, we waited 35 minutes and still did not see a trolley.  We decided to pay for a tour instead, as we were just wasting time in the heat at this point.  About 15 yards from where we waited, we saw the trolley - another closed one, which was packed with people.  The tour ended up being the best decision of the day.  

 

Just off the ship:

Tip:  These are the signs that indicate a stop for the free trolley.  I don’t know if the hurricane caused damage to the trolleys, because they used to have nice open air trolleys that were in great condition.  The two trolleys we saw were very run down and old.  They also did not come every 15 minutes - closer to 40 minutes.

 

When you get bored waiting for a trolley, you study Spanish and take meaningless pictures 😂

 

[APDMOM]

Although we waited another 40 minutes for the tour to start, it was worth the $15 per person.  

 

Tip:  It may be worth getting about 10-15 people together on the roll call to fill one of these tour vans.  The reason we had to wait so long is that passenger traffic from the ship had died down quite a bit (we had been docked for over an hour), and not many people were interested in a tour.  

 

The tour visited a small part of the new city, and stopped at several spots in Old San Juan, including a beautiful beach.

 

Capitol Building:

 

President’s Walkway:

 

Driving to the new city:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

This hotel was built in the shape of a cruise ship, because the original owner’s wife liked cruise ships so much.  There is a pool in the lobby, where the wife died after diving onto the edge of the pool from one of the balconies overlooking it.  The building is now abandoned.  

 

The beautiful beach.  We may just come spend more time here on our next visit to San Juan:

 

 

 

 

 

You get a nice view of El Morro:

[APDMOM]

John the Baptist:

 

Vive San Juan...Ciudad de todos:

 

El Morro:

 

 

 

Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery:

 

 

They have these beautiful biking trails all around Old San Juan now.  One goes to the beach we had visited:

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Walk Back to the Ship:

 

We were dropped off at Plaza Colon, which is an easy walk back to the ship.  Although a majority of the buildings we saw had been repaired and repainted since Hurricane Maria, there was this one building with plants growing from it.  It seems like they are starting the repairs:

 

 

 

San Juan is beautifully colorful!

 

 

 

 

Back to our home for the week:

 

[APDMOM]

Sail Away:

 

 

I love how the clouds made it look like there are 3 mountain ranges:

 

Formal Night number 2 - Solarium Bistro:

 

 

Tip:  Outside the Solarium Bistro are these stairs that I think make a pretty backdrop for a formal photo.  Too bad I had not packed my larger tripod:

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

My View: End of day 6...That moon is slowly growing:

 

[JamesEM]

Enjoying your reports and photos, the reason I asked about the monkeys in St Kitts was, on our cruise this past Nov. there were several cruisers returned to the ship with fleas from their photos experience. 

[APDMOM]

3 hours ago, JamesEM said:

Enjoying your reports and photos, the reason I asked about the monkeys in St Kitts was, on our cruise this past Nov. there were several cruisers returned to the ship with fleas from their photos experience. 

 

Ooh!  Not good!  I always steer clear from them, because I heard about them not being clean and safe.  I know on one of our cruises they gave a warning about the monkeys, but I did not see or hear anything this time. 

 

So, for those who are reading this...

Tip about St Kitts:  Admire the monkeys from a distance. You don’t want to come home with fleas or something worse...

[APDMOM]

Good morning from our balcony!  I will be back soon with my report on Labadee.  

 

Thanks to everyone following along, and for all the “likes”, especially destiny217 🙂

 

 

[mrpie90]

55 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

Good morning from our balcony!  I will be back soon with my report on Labadee.  

 

Thanks to everyone following along, and for all the “likes”, especially destiny217 🙂

 

 

 

 

hi.

could you please tell me where they held the meet and mingle party and also

what day and time it was held?

many thanks.

 

IAN

[APDMOM]

My View: Day 7 - Labadee

 

The beautiful sunrise held the promise of an equally beautiful day in Labadee.

 

 

View from our balcony:

[APDMOM]

2 minutes ago, mrpie90 said:

 

 

hi.

could you please tell me where they held the meet and mingle party and also

what day and time it was held?

many thanks.

 

IAN

Hi, Ian!  

 

It was on the third day at 10:30 a.m. in the aqua theater.  It was posted in the Cruise Compass too.  This itinerary is a bit unique, as we have an extra day (8 days as opposed to 7).  So, it may be on the second day during the normal 7-day itineraries.  Just keep an eye on the Compass.

 

🙂

[mrpie90]

3 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

Hi, Ian!  

 

It was on the third day at 10:30 a.m. in the aqua theater.  It was posted in the Cruise Compass too.  This itinerary is a bit unique, as we have an extra day (8 days as opposed to 7).  So, it may be on the second day during the normal 7-day itineraries.  Just keep an eye on the Compass.

 

🙂

 

 

thank you

[beachys]

Good morning!  I may have missed it, but what tour company did you use in San Juan?  We will be there in January for the first time and have a group of us so a van would be great!  

[cruiser82]

Really enjoying your review! Do you remember where the 'I love SJ' sign is in San Juan?

[APDMOM]

3 hours ago, beachys said:

Good morning!  I may have missed it, but what tour company did you use in San Juan?  We will be there in January for the first time and have a group of us so a van would be great!  

Hi, beachys!

 

I did not catch the name of the company (DH thinks it is Happy Tours), but there is a line of E450 vans in front of the Sheraton.  Just ask for Quigg.  He will get you set up.  There is no need to pre-book.  They have plenty of vans.  I will be in San Juan again next month, so I can double check if the vans are all with the same company.  🙂  The street’s name is Calle Paseo de Colón.

[APDMOM]

2 hours ago, cruiser82 said:

Really enjoying your review! Do you remember where the 'I love SJ' sign is in San Juan?

Hi, Niya!

 

It is in the new city in front of the convention center. 🙂

[APDMOM]

Arriving in Labadee:

 

 

 

Stirring up the sand to dock:

 

Plenty of jellyfish made their appearance after the ship stirred up the water:

 

A view of Labadee from the Boardwalk:

[APDMOM]

We went to Solarium Bistro for breakfast before going ashore.  Although it was a bit more busy than usual, we easily found a 4-top table and enjoyed a more relaxed breakfast.  We got off the ship about 30 minutes after all clear.  

 

Tip:  There is a ferry to Columbus Cove, but it can be slow.  We opted to get our pictures taken first, including a couple of selfies.  We walked through Nellie’s Beach to Columbus Cove and still beat the ferry.  This was handy, as we found a lounger and put it in the shade before the masses from the ferry arrived.

 

 

There are yet more improvements from our previous visit.  There are plenty of hammocks in the shade, and you can even get your nerd on with a game of chess.  (I am one of them) 😁

 

Walking through Nellies Beach:

 

Arriving at Columbus Cove... the best view of the ship:

 

 

There are plenty of these see-through fish, which are easier to spot by finding their shadow!

 

Tip:  If you want to avoid the pushy sales at the Artisan Market, cut through Nellies Beach, past the slide and Arawak Water Park.  Columbus Cove has the best view of the ship.  Adrenaline Beach is a good spot to observe the ziplines.  So, it depends on your preference.  Both Columbus Cove and Adrenaline beach are sandy - no water shoes needed.

 

[APDMOM]

Exploring the Island:

After about 45 minutes of swimming and fake snorkeling (because I can not get my ear wet, I hover very close to the surface 😂), we walked back toward the zipline overlook.

 

Island drinks galore:

 

Madagascar Characters Everywhere:

 

 

 

We decided to hop onto the tram to ride around and enjoy the scenery:

 

 

They now have these boat couches by the performance stage:

 

 

Gloria at the kids’ splash park:

[APDMOM]

More of the photogenic Labadee... I know it is not an island, but it sure feels and looks like one from our angle.

 

We love the penguins!

 

I did not know zipping down on your stomach was an option... I would love to do that!  Next time...

 

 

We did the parasailing on an previous visit, and definitely recommend it.  This excursion is run by Royal Caribbean staff, as opposed to a local operator.

 

 

 

We found sea urchins amongh the rocks:

 

Look at the waves breaking!

 

The security guard was kind enough to take some pictures for us.  He lives in Labadee Village, so be kind and tip him if you run into him too.

 

 

[APDMOM]

A few more views of Labadee:

 

 

 

On the way back, we saw plenty of jellyfish by the pier:

 

 

[APDMOM]

Seriously, It is a Cruise Budget!

 

I spent my afternoon getting highlights (10 foils for $50 total).  The sweet lady who did my hair was the best!  She was so shocked when she asked when the last time is I had a haircut.  Naturally, not since February... and it was free as I had my DH trim it straight.  Thankfully, I have curly hair and can get away with that.  Well, Georgina gave me the Royal treatment when she heard how stingy I am about spending money on myself.  It was serious fun!

Edited November 17, 2018 by APDMOM

[APDMOM]

Another Solarium Bistro Dinner:

Can I take this restaurant home with us?

 

Muzik Xpress:

We spent an hour listening to Muzik Xpress, our favorite band onboard, in Dazzles.   I will try to upload short video clips once I am home.  They are too large for CC.

 

My View: End of day 7... One of my most memorable cruise days in 29 cruises!