ROLL CALL: 2/25/07 Caribbean Princess

[MattInFLL]

I think Travelling Together must be the name that RSVP uses, because I just called to get our bed configuration changed to queen, and she said I would have to call "Larry at Travelling Together"...and that is most definitely not my travel agent. :)

 

Buck, I really hope it's just that they are still adding the later bookings into the system. But the shore excursion are still widely available, and from my experience, you can almost always still get what you want when you board since so many have no clue they can do it on line. That said, I am bummed, because the one thing I wanted -a Beach Bungalow on Princess Cays -is waitlisted. So now I am re thinking.

 

Boytjie - I try to get to the terminal to board around 10:30 or 11...it is most crowded from 11:30 to 1:30... then it really dies off in the afternoon. You will see people boarding still even during muster drill. There are 7 other ships at the port that morning, so it is a busy day. Generally, even though it looks like a nightmare, the process is pretty smooth.

 

In our port, Princess has us listed as departing at 6pm from both islands, with boarding by 5:30 - generally you do want to be back at least 30 minutes prior to departure. I have almost always booked my own excursions, and never had a problem - but if I were booking something that were an all day thing and cut it close to departure time, I would book with Princess because they hold the ship for their own excursions. Renting a car is easy, but book ahead. We will have lots of passengers from other cruise ships in port with us on both islands.

[Tim-n-Rick]

I have my documents in my hot little hands! I'm so excited, but now we have so many choices to make for shore excursions!

 

So, dear CC friends, please post your recommendations for first time Caribbean visitors.

[TravelerRoss]

A taxi from the ship to the beach takes about 20min. There is a bar/restaurant on the beach, and across the street you can find a small strip of shops with a Subway, a ice cream store, and a small grocery. They post a sign on the beach with the name of the airline and the arrival times. Most of the larger planes will arrive btwn 12n - 4p. The beach is also nice and clean with beach lounges available for rent ($7.00). No real shade so take plenty of sunscreen, or rent a parasol if you are looking not to tan/burn. Be sure to bring your camera. These planes look as if they are landing right on the beach.

 

**NOTE** Be sure to ask your taxi driver or someone at the beach bar what time the "bridge" goes up for your return back to the ship. It's can be up for a long time and could delay your travel back. People have been known to miss the ship just because of sitting in traffic waiting for the bridge to be lowered for crossing.

[Boytjie]

A taxi from the ship to the beach takes about 20min. There is a bar/restaurant on the beach, and across the street you can find a small strip of shops with a Subway, a ice cream store, and a small grocery. They post a sign on the beach with the name of the airline and the arrival times. Most of the larger planes will arrive btwn 12n - 4p. The beach is also nice and clean with beach lounges available for rent ($7.00). No real shade so take plenty of sunscreen, or rent a parasol if you are looking not to tan/burn. Be sure to bring your camera. These planes look as if they are landing right on the beach.

 

 

I just found this vido of a plane landing at the beach. It's wild!

 

http://www.st-maarten-info.com/St-Maarten-Islandtour/IslandTour.html#MahoBeach

[cjswitzerland]

Well no direct reply from Nick regarding my booking number but did just receive an email from Fed Ex with a tracking number for an envelope that was sent from RSVP Vacations today.

 

So good news, somehings on it's way. Bad news, who knows how long it will actually take to get to me. Fed Ex should be quicker than regular mail but definitely not as fast as an email.

 

But I will keep my chin up. Perhaps there will have been a decision as to what many of the CC groupies intend to do and if lucky I will find there is still a space. Happy planning all. I will be watching to see what you all decide.:D

 

Christopher Cabin B249

[cjswitzerland]

Please ignore this as message double posted.

[monumax]

We went ahead and booked the 8:15 am-12:45 p.m. Champagne Catamaran Excursion from St. Thomas to St. John. We hope some of you may want to join us. When we get back we are taking a taxi "downtown" for shopping and taking the Paradise Tram (on our own, not an excursion). You can always cancel your bookings, so if you are thinking of an excursion, I would recommend booking it before it is gone.

In St. Maarten we are just going on our own, taking a taxi in the morning to Orient Beach, going to Pedro's or the Pirate Bar next to the nudie beach, and then taking a taxi back to town for some shopping before returning to the ship.

If they had parasailing at Princess Cay we would recommend that, as we did that two years ago at Half Moon Cay and enjoyed it. But according to the Princess website, this isn't an option. We are considering renting a see-through two man kayak, but at $33 for 1/2 hour not sure it is worth it. We will probably just use that as a beach, drink & eat day!

[MattInFLL]

Well if it is any consolation for those who can not log in yet - I just looked at the excursions again, and hardly anything has been booked at all - except for my beloved bungalows on Princess Cays... plus they always hold back some to sell on the ship... I think you will get what you want.

 

I am seriously considering the America's Cup 12 Metre Challenge on St Martin - in the morning. Then we could taxi up to Orient Beach or shop in town. That Golden Eagle catamaran looks like fun, too, but I don't snorkel, and I don't think Ralph would like it if I were gone half the day :)

 

I second what Ross said about that bridge.. have heard that, too. Thankfully, it is only if you are coming back from that area/direction.

 

FYI, we dock a bit up from town in St Martin, but there are $5 water taxis running all day (I think it is $5 unlimited all day)..or it is about a 20 min walk. And in St Thomas, remember we dock in the new facility at Crown Bay, which is on the opposite side of the bay from Havensight (where everyone else docks)... so if you are booking your own excursions, renting a car, etc, make sure you indicate you will be docking there. It seems that the islanders are still getting used to the idea of there being regular dockings at Crown Bay. This also means that if you want serious shopping, you will have to make your way into Charlotte Amalie or over to Havensight. There's a retail complex planned for Crown Bay, but not much there yet. This also means - you mean there's more? - you are about 20 minutes farther away from Red Hook ferries to St John, and are better off trying for a ferry out of Charlotte Amalie if that is your plan (we did this last time).

[Tim-n-Rick]

:confused: My picks so far are the Segway tour in St Maarten and the helmet diving in St Thomas. The Segway tour is only an hour and a half so that would leave the rest of the day open for shopping and a trip to Orient Beach. I've always wanted to ride a Segway. The helmet diving is three hours, but it looks so fun and as I've said before I'm a sucker for touristy stuff.

 

Rick hasn't looked at the brochure yet so all this may change. :o

[dendren]

It appears that those of us that booked later, or booked under the special deal extended to previous RSVP cruisers in the last week or so will have to wait to get our Princess Booking numbers.

 

My suspicion is this is done to allow those passengers that paid full fares first crack at the shore excursions.

 

 

Good call Buck... the friends I booked with were told by RSVP a couple of weeks ago that since we booked on the cruise last year we would be first to get our docs... and we did. Personally being alone in my cabin I'd rather have half off the price but not that big a deal really. I'm sure if they have a nifty itinerary for 2008 then I'll prolly go ahead and book while on this one. Just easier to have it said and done and get all of our cabins next to each other.

[dendren]

I think Travelling Together must be the name that RSVP uses, because I just called to get our bed configuration changed to queen, and she said I would have to call "Larry at Travelling Together"...and that is most definitely not my travel agent. :)

 

Larry is with RSVP. On the last cruise he seemed to be one of the "higher ups" of the RSVP workers who were working most the trip. Sweet guy, was very helpful with a problem we had on the last cruise... oh, and a total cutie too :)

[jimnbillnpa]

Matt-

 

Good call on the Captain's Circle. One reason we booked this was because a Princess rep on the Westerdam last year told us we would get a cruise credit with Princess for this trip, even though it was an RSVP charter. I thought I should just make sure that happened, so asked my TA to follow up. Glad she did. It seems someone set us up with new Captain's Circle member numbers and this was showing as first trip even though we've been with Princess twice before. Not sure who did it or how it happened. TA gave our member numbers to Princess and everything has since been straightened out, but TA recommended checking in at the Captian's Circle desk once on board.

 

Also-would definitely be interested in doing taxi to Orient beach. (Or any beach that's quiet and beautiful.)

[MattInFLL]

My travel agent received our package yesterday, and put in the mail to me today... so 3 days before it gets here from California.

 

Tim and Rick, the helmet dive is the SNUBA thing I was talking about. FYI, it's 3 hours because you go with a big group, and then you wait while each group of about 8 has their time under water. You may be able to book this yourself through shoretrips and save yourself a lot of time (and some $$). I booked it direct through the coral world website. Your purchase of the helmet dive includes admission to coral world. And it's sooooo easy to get there and back with one of the big "taxi's"... just in case you don't want to do the whole group thing. But definitely a thumbs up no matter how you do it.

[MattInFLL]

Jim and Bill - yes when I was on the phone with them, I asked if I could put mine in, and she said it was already there... then she read off some random number that had no cruise credits. Maybe they just automatically assign some? I knew it wasn't mine since I had not switched my address on that account since moving from West Hollywood. Anyway, she was nice enough to call over to that desk while I was on hold and switch it for me.

 

I figured they would do this, since I head HAL people got credit for the westerdam charter... and since they all have the same corporate parent I was hopeful.

 

As for St Martin, I would probably do the 8:30 race (oy - I better not be hung over :) )...there is a tour guide everyone raves about... something Prince...Prince Personal Services I think..and she will take care of whatever you need for a reasonable price... and you can customize it.. like - take us to Orient for a while, then we'll want to come back and shop for a bit ...etc..

[cjswitzerland]

So this morning I have an email from Nick with my booking number and assurance that details are in the mail. If I had only waited another 15 minutes last night before giving up. Oh well, have it now. Thanks Buck for the suggestion of sending the email to Nick.

 

Bob and Max: See you on the Champagne Catamaran at 0815. This is the one excursion I really was sure I would do. Depending on what is scheduled the night before, I may need you to bang on my cabin door that morning to be sure I am up and ready to go.;)

 

Tim: Segways are a lot of fun. When I worked at Walt Disney World, I had a few olleagues tht used them to get around either backstage, or during the hours that their were no guests. I gave one a try but never used on for long distances. Its all down to balance, so not something to do if you have been drinking.

 

In St Maartin there are a few things that catch my eye. The ATV's and horsebac riding were my initial thoughts but then Matt, your interest in the Americas Cup sail had me look at that too. Must admit that I would probably have not even looked at the details if you had not mentioned it. Now I have a real dilema as I have many choices. I guess I will wait a little longer on making my decision until we get a little more details on the onboard schedule and that it appears that it is possible to continue to book online. Oh the choices.

 

FOUR WEEKS and I will be in transit. Oh the agony of having to wait.

 

Christopher

[MattInFLL]

Tim and Rick - ooops I gave you some slightly wrong info... SNUBA is the modified snorkeling at Coral World with the air hose. What Princess calls the helmet dive is what Coral World calls Sea Trek. And if you go here: http://www.coralworldvi.com/ under activities you can find it. I have a picture of myself in one of those things by my bed. :) You can email them to see if they will let you book direct. And actually Coral World is looking a lot "healthier" than when I was there. You can also see pictures there of a lot of the activities you see on Princess's site, such as the sub ride, etc. Finally, it's on Coki beach not Megan's Bay, but still a very nice beach.

 

Christopher, I am just letting all the info "settle" at this point.. then I can make up my mind :)

[cjswitzerland]

I try to get to the terminal to board around 10:30 or 11...it is most crowded from 11:30 to 1:30... then it really dies off in the afternoon. You will see people boarding still even during muster drill. There are 7 other ships at the port that morning, so it is a busy day. Generally, even though it looks like a nightmare, the process is pretty smooth.

 

 

I found this NOTIFICATION from Princess Cruise Lines when I scrolled down on the itinerary page of the Cruise Personalizer that I thought I would share:

 

** Important Information Regarding Embarkation **

 

Please be reminded that embarkation begins at 1:00 pm.

It is recommended that you arrive after 2:00 pm in order to avoid long

lines and waiting times. Please note that adequate facilities are not

available at the pier to comfortably accommodate large numbers of passengers

who arrive prior to 1:00 pm.

 

In addition, passengers arriving prior to 11:00 am will not be permitted

to enter the port.

I am always anxious to get on board too but I really hate the confined feeling of a crowded terminal. So I guess I will be aiming fora 2:30 arrival.

 

Christopher

[MattInFLL]

Christopher, trust me, they always say that. And especially since there are 8 ships worth of people getting off, and 8 ships worth of people trying to get on - thankfully spread out over the many terminals :) - they would rather we came later because of the traffic tie ups more than anything. I have boarded QM2 and Westerdam at that port on very busy days, and was on board, already in my cabin and enjoying lunch in the buffet before 1pm. The Caribbean Princess reviews all seem to support the same thing. There is always a chance they will be short staffed and there will be a wait, I suppose...but I think it will be OK. However, no matter what, the place is a mad house earlier in the day....so if you hate crowds, wait.

[MattInFLL]

I was trying to edit my last post and I had trouble...sorry for all the posts in a row. I think whoever runs the board needs to learn that the issue is *bandwidth* not software...but I digress.

 

I was at the mall this afternoon and picked up some red shorts and red t-shirt for the red party...though I fear I will look like a tomato. I also picked up some jammie bottoms for the pajama party, and a new pair of swim trunks. All reduced and on sale, yippee. I am still thinking about the underwear party...and what's this about a trashy tourist T-dance? Didn't see that on the site?

 

J&M - I was trying to hang on to the Catherine the Great myth. Oh well. I recently lost my myth about the origins of the word POSH. It was well reported (on the internet) that POSH came from the days of transatlantic ocean travel. You wanted to be on the sunny side of the ship in each direction, since things were a bit cruder in those days in terms of a/c and heat in the cabins...so the wealthier English people could do this, and their tickets were stamped P.O.S.H. - for Port Outbound Starboard Home. Makes sense. But nope...just an internet myth. Although Catherine makes for more interesting mental diversions. :)

[monumax]

Christopher,

Glad to hear you will be joining us on the catamaran. It will be an early start to the day, but we won't have to eat much breakfast since there will be stuff to eat on board. We'll have to be careful not to drink too much the night before! But the early start will give us extra time to explore St. Thomas in the afternoon, so I think it will be worth it.

 

Matt,

I have several red tank tops (not sure which one I'll wear), red bicycle shorts, and a red ball cap. But you are right, when you put all that red on at once it is pretty overpowering!

[2cruisinchiks]

So do we have a meeting time scheduled for all of us. We have to meet. You guys all seem so nice.

:)

[MattInFLL]

J&M - Tom (RMS Olympic) will be holding court that first afternoon of boarding at one of the bars up top (you'll have to look back - I forget which one). I was hoping we'd have the schedule by now, but I guess we have to wait for Feb 1 to figure out when a good time will be beyond that. (Also anyone in town early, there's the "official" Cubby Hole gathering Sat night).

 

I caved and booked the 8:30 America's Cup on St Martin. Max I wish I could get up that early two days in a row, but I know I would be cursing the gods (I tend to be up very late). I booked us on the Atlantis sub at 10.

[monumax]

I believe Tom suggested meeting at the Tradewinds Bar on the Sun Deck at 3 p.m.

[RMS Olympic]

As the Captain of the Radisson Navigator would say...itsa me......

Well I am now on hyper drive having reserved my 2 tours. Champagne catamaran in St Thomas and the Golden eagle in St Maarten. This will be my third time on the Golden Eagle........my fav thing to do in St Maarten.

Last time which was a straight cruise .....the ladys all said I was a pig just because I took one of those floats and my drink and floated out to all the boats (private cruisers) to check out the merchandise. Could I help it all the people on those boats were in the buff.........there was some stuff.......snap snap snap. Well , those ladys said I was a pig, but guess what.....I turned around to find they had to get closer looks themselves. Sailing back we all compared notes.....add some rum punch and I was a bad boy.........

The crew on the Golden eagle the first time (a gay cruise) were really alot of fun and had no problem with all the boys. Some of the crew were real cute.....and loved the attention. So I am going back!

St Thomas...I agree with the idea that the Champagne cruise gets back early enough to go shopping....

So Monumax.....y'all got company.....

haven't received documents yet even though I booked last year...but Princess gave me my booking number easily...they already had my Captains Circle number listed for this cruise.

By the way, for boarding they (Princess) recognize past passengers for boarding. In October they pushed me right to the front of the line at 11:00 even though boarding was suppose to be at 1:00 or later. I found myself on board waiting for others to get on....me complain...no way.

This week its off to look for some costumes...which I never do.....but what the heck.

Now to find a BFTC......boyfriend for the cruise. You know, a go to dinner, have cocktails do things with traveling companion. On a boat carrying 3000, there has to be one thats will be fun to share things with.

Oh, larry with RSVP.....if I was drop dead gorgeous,and rich and powerful, I'd trap him, marry him and lock him up for safe keeping.....as nice or nicer inside as he is on the outside......sigh. Just too young.....double sigh.

well, time for me to submit this post.

Tom aka Bertha.

[mikec5426]

We called and got our booking # as well!

 

We LOVE the champagne catamaran sailing. We booked the 9:15 one before reading the board.... oops!!! I guess we will see you guys over at the island!

 

If you havne't done this excursion before they have a drink onboard called "pain killers"---- YUM!!!! :D

 

St. Maarten- we would LOVE to go to Orient Beach. SO it sounds like you all recommend just a cab and not an excurions? If so, how much is the cab and how long is the ride?

 

I know this big boy would never get nude! haha But I wouldn't mind if there was a nice to sit by and watch. :cool: Mike=Voyeur TMI??? Maybe!! haha

 

We can't wait for the trip and especially to meet everyone!!

 

MAX- we were at Freddies last night for a fundraiser and thought of you guys! I hope you have a great time there! If you ever come in town again-- shoot me a message! :)