Hello from the Carnival Freedom!

[lazydayz]

8 hours ago, d12j28 said:

 

Can't wait to hear about your day in Bonaire.  Love that island. 

Edited January 18, 2023 by lazydayz

[adam3313]

Hope you're enjoying your time in Bonaire!  

 

Keep the Spirit in good shape, (and leave some beer), as I board when you get off the ship on Sunday!

[Jamman54]

1 hour ago, adam3313 said:

Hope you're enjoying your time in Bonaire!  

 

Keep the Spirit in good shape, (and leave some beer), as I board when you get off the ship on Sunday!

Had a great day in Bonaire! Can't make any promises in regards to the beer. 😁

[Saint Greg]

@Jamman54 Did you have to show your vaccination card to get off of the ship in Grand Turk? 

[Guest BasicSailor]

1 hour ago, Saint Greg said:

@Jamman54 Did you have to show your vaccination card to get off of the ship in Grand Turk? 

NO, but you may in the near future.

[Jamman54]

8 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

@Jamman54 Did you have to show your vaccination card to get off of the ship in Grand Turk? 

Both of our cruises stopped at Grand Turk, and no, you don't have to show your vaccination cards to get off the ship. When we checked in for the Freedom they asked us if we were vaccinated, but didn't need to show the cards. When we checked in for the Spirit we had to show our cards. If you are checked in as not vaccinated, if you try to leave the ship in Grand Turk, you will be flagged and not allowed to leave the ship. We witnessed this getting off the Spirit. 😎

[jimbri]

Have a great time.  Sorry to hear about Jack's Shack.  We enjoyed going there and playing with Topher.  Looking forward to your photos.

[Saint Greg]

14 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

Both of our cruises stopped at Grand Turk, and no, you don't have to show your vaccination cards to get off the ship. When we checked in for the Freedom they asked us if we were vaccinated, but didn't need to show the cards. When we checked in for the Spirit we had to show our cards. If you are checked in as not vaccinated, if you try to leave the ship in Grand Turk, you will be flagged and not allowed to leave the ship. We witnessed this getting off the Spirit. 😎

Thanks. There’s a rumor amongst people on my upcoming Magic cruise that we need our cards to get off in Grand Turk which is something I’ve never seen. At check-in makes more sense.

[Jamman54]

14 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

Thanks. There’s a rumor amongst people on my upcoming Magic cruise that we need our cards to get off in Grand Turk which is something I’ve never seen. At check-in makes more sense.

Correct. Imagine how long debarking the ship in Grand Turk would take if you had to show your cards in addition to being scanned off? Now, it's a good idea to have your cards with you in case a restaurant or shop requires it for entry. We didn't run into this. 😎

[Saint Greg]

Just now, Jamman54 said:

Correct. Imagine how long debarking the ship in Grand Turk would take if you had to show your cards in addition to being scanned off? Now, it's a good idea to have your cards with you in case a restaurant or shop requires it for entry. We didn't run into this. 😎

Exactly.

[Jamman54]

Good morning Cruise Critic family! We are pulling into Aruba as we speak. It's another beautiful and hot day. Today we have an all inclusive day pass at the Barcelo Aruba which also includes breakfast, so we'll be heading out as soon as the ship gets clearance. Have a great day! 😎

[Guest BasicSailor]

Walked around the city a few weeks back. The town has really become quite deserted and decayed looking. A few panhandlers asking for money.  It's sad to see this happening to Aruba.

 

[Bostwick girl]

3 hours ago, BasicSailor said:

Walked around the city a few weeks back. The town has really become quite deserted and decayed looking. A few panhandlers asking for money.  It's sad to see this happening to Aruba.

 

We were there in November. Just got off the ship and walked to the casino. Wasn’t too bad and no one bothered us. 
 

[crewsweeper]

5 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Good morning Cruise Critic family! We are pulling into Aruba as we speak. It's another beautiful and hot day. Today we have an all inclusive day pass at the Barcelo Aruba which also includes breakfast, so we'll be heading out as soon as the ship gets clearance. Have a great day! 😎

Would love to hear your thoughts or see Patti's picture of the Barcelo resort.

[richbum]

Could I bother you to get a picture for me? I forgot to get a pic of what is in the Jamaican Sunrise at the Red Frog Pub last week...It was my favorite drink during my whole vacation.....

[Princess Cruiser27]

Have a great day in Aruba. 

[Jamman54]

2 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

Would love to hear your thoughts or see Patti's picture of the Barcelo resort.

They will be part of our review when we get home. Patti took a zillion pictures. Spoiler alert, we had a great time. Just wish we had the long port day today instead of yesterday. 😎

[Jamman54]

1 hour ago, richbum said:

Could I bother you to get a picture for me? I forgot to get a pic of what is in the Jamaican Sunrise at the Red Frog Pub last week...It was my favorite drink during my whole vacation.....

I can do that. 😎

[Jamman54]

1 hour ago, Princess Cruiser27 said:

Have a great day in Aruba. 

Thanks Barb, we did. 😎

[ADreamIsAWish]

8 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

Thanks. There’s a rumor amongst people on my upcoming Magic cruise that we need our cards to get off in Grand Turk which is something I’ve never seen. At check-in makes more sense.

 

Just off the Magic 1/14/2023 and was also on during Halloween week 2022. I will say there was a huge difference between the CD's announcements regarding vaccinations for GT a couple weeks ago vs. October. We did not need to show cards in GT either time. But, Joey placed lots of emphasis on "bring it with you or take a photo of your card". At check in, we had to verbally confirm our status.

[TxTeach79]

1 hour ago, ADreamIsAWish said:

 

Just off the Magic 1/14/2023 and was also on during Halloween week 2022. I will say there was a huge difference between the CD's announcements regarding vaccinations for GT a couple weeks ago vs. October. We did not need to show cards in GT either time. But, Joey placed lots of emphasis on "bring it with you or take a photo of your card". At check in, we had to verbally confirm our status.

 

Yeah, it's the oddest thing.... I sailed on MG over thanksgiving and NYE, and neither time was a word said about vaccination cards in GT. No one checked anything, and if it wasn't for meeting a couple in the pool one day who was unvaccinated and got a letter in their cabin the day prior saying they couldn't go ashore, I'd have never known this was an issue. Not sure if this is based on CD, current status, or what, but Joey's girlfriend did not say a thing about it either time. 

[Jamman54]

2 hours ago, TxTeach79 said:

 

Yeah, it's the oddest thing.... I sailed on MG over thanksgiving and NYE, and neither time was a word said about vaccination cards in GT. No one checked anything, and if it wasn't for meeting a couple in the pool one day who was unvaccinated and got a letter in their cabin the day prior saying they couldn't go ashore, I'd have never known this was an issue. Not sure if this is based on CD, current status, or what, but Joey's girlfriend did not say a thing about it either time. 

They never asked your vaccination status when you checked in at the pier? How would that couple be denied unless they had asked them? Wierd. 😎

[TxTeach79]

39 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

They never asked your vaccination status when you checked in at the pier? How would that couple be denied unless they had asked them? Wierd. 😎

 

They did on the first sailing, and not at all on the second. Definitely very odd!

[teacher34]

I can’t wait to read your review, Jamman ! I love all the information you give and all of Patti’s pictures ! We sail on Feb. 25 on the Magic and will be going to Bonnair, which is a new port for us. Do you still have to be tested before sailing ? We are vaccinated.  

[Jamman54]

36 minutes ago, teacher34 said:

I can’t wait to read your review, Jamman ! I love all the information you give and all of Patti’s pictures ! We sail on Feb. 25 on the Magic and will be going to Bonnair, which is a new port for us. Do you still have to be tested before sailing ? We are vaccinated.  

No testing required on cruises less than 16 days. 😎