VOS 9 Day - Questions

[jhaasz]

A couple of questions:

 

- What is the best time to arrive at the ship, where they will not be a wait to board (we loved this on our last cruise!).

- What is the best night for Portofino's? Does the menu change nightly?

- What night is "lobster" night in the dining room?

- What did you do in Freeport? In Grand Cayman, we are going to book the "beach day" so we can get a lounge chair.

- What is the best swimming beach in Labadee?

 

Thanks to all for the help!

[SusieCruisie]

A couple of questions:

 

- What is the best time to arrive at the ship, where they will not be a wait to board (we loved this on our last cruise!).

- What is the best night for Portofino's? Does the menu change nightly?

- What night is "lobster" night in the dining room?

- What did you do in Freeport? In Grand Cayman, we are going to book the "beach day" so we can get a lounge chair.

- What is the best swimming beach in Labadee?

 

Thanks to all for the help!

 

 

Hi, I will be going on VOS 8-13-04 I can only answer a few of your questions, only from the reviews I have been reading. I suggest you look around, there are so many helpful people who have All your answers. From what I've read, Carribean night is the best for Portofino's, and everyone suggests it is so worth the $20 PP Arriving at the pier....Most have said the later people had less of a wait. I think I will get there about noon. I will also be booking the Beach Getaway for Cayman, as I'm spoiled and need my chair! Labadee, not sure, I know they have the Water Park, but not sure of the name of Beach, I do remember hearing Barefoot Beach somewhere though. Like I said, so manymore reviews you can read, just look around. Hope I helped a little.

Susie

[Chuck & Phyllis]

Jamaica:

 

oneiltay@cwjamaica.com

 

for Peat Taylor's tour (Dunns River Falls, Fern Gully, Shopping, $30).

 

Grand Cayman:

 

nativway@candw.ky

 

For Nativeway's (Stingray City and Skorkeling tour, $30 ).

 

Both of these tours are the best you can get. Forget about the ships excursions, email these people, no money down, great time.

 

We did these.

 

In Freeport, take the bus to Lucya and go on the beach, that's it there unless you want to take the Dolphin excursion.

 

Get up early to get chairs in the solararium pool area onboard.

 

Have a great cruise.

[jhaasz]

Thanks for the info; unfortunately, Peat Taylor will not customize a tour to your group (we have people that cannot climb Dunn's River Falls and the rest of us have been there, done that) so we went with A-Z Jamaica Planners. I hope they're good! :)

[Lizcourt]

A couple of questions:

 

- What is the best time to arrive at the ship, where they will not be a wait to board (we loved this on our last cruise!).

- What is the best night for Portofino's? Does the menu change nightly?

- What night is "lobster" night in the dining room?

- What did you do in Freeport? In Grand Cayman, we are going to book the "beach day" so we can get a lounge chair.

- What is the best swimming beach in Labadee?

 

Thanks to all for the help!

 

1. My sister and her family arrived between 3 and 3:30 for a 5 pm sailing and found no lines whatsoever. We arrived between 2 and 2:30 and lines were very manageable.

 

2. Portofino's menu does not change from night to night. I would go early in the cruise, in case you decide to go again, as some people have.

 

3. Lobster night was, I think, the night after the second formal night; in any event, it was later in the cruise, toward the end of the week.

 

4. In Freeport, we went to the Sheraton at Our Lucaya, but don't expect to get a beach chair there. They let you use the beach for free, but not the chairs. However, there is a little seaside cafe right on the beach, so if you don't care about lying in the sun, but like us just wanted a place to rest from the water for a bit, you can get a drink and sit there. In Grand Cayman, I highly recommend AGAINST doing the ship excursion to Seven Mile Beach, as it doesn't put you at a particularly nice place on the beach and isn't worth the money IMHO. Instead, get a cab to the Hilton; for a small fee, they'll let you use their beach, with chairs, and they even have a nice little cafe where you can have lunch.

 

5. As to Labadee, I didn't go to every beach so I can't say what one is the "best" for swimming but Barefoot beach was lovely and had nice soft sand. Stay away from Hideaway beach if you want to swim -- it's a nice beach to sit and sun on , but the shore and into the water are very very very rocky and shelly. Without water shoes, you'll slice your feet up.

[jhaasz]

Lizcourt - Thanks for the info. Are you sure that hotel was a Hilton (and not a Hyatt)? I could not find it on their website.

 

Thanks.

[SusieCruisie]

Hi, Liz, can you tell me which night is Carribean nite? Everone says to go to Portofino's on that night. Also, if you remember, which nights are the formals? As far as the beachs in Cayman, did you mean not to do the Beach Getaway through the ship? I just really, really, .....did I say Really? lol Want to be on a beach with a chair!

Thank you for your input

Susie

[gonecruising]

Caribbean night on the 9 nt VOS was Tuesday night (Ocho Rios )

[tp-nj]

We were on May 21st sailing, arrived at 11:30am for embarkation, and found very minimum lines.

 

Never did Portofino's and can't remember the lobster night but did enjoy Johnny Rockets.

 

Freeport was dissappointing but that's just one opinion (actually 2).

 

Grand Cayman is beautiful although we opted not to go to the Beach on this cruise and however walked the town.

 

Labadee - we walked to the last beach on the right from the dock...walk towards Dragon Rock and set up camp on the left before checking out Dragon Rock.

 

We loved this cruise and are considering doing it again next year with a 5 night Bermuda.

[jhaasz]

tp-nj:

Thanks for the info. We are already booked for 7/10/2005 to Bermuda.

[pumbaa70]

Bump

[c breeze]

A couple of questions:

 

- What is the best time to arrive at the ship, where they will not be a wait to board (we loved this on our last cruise!).

- What is the best night for Portofino's? Does the menu change nightly?

- What night is "lobster" night in the dining room?

- What did you do in Freeport? In Grand Cayman, we are going to book the "beach day" so we can get a lounge chair.

- What is the best swimming beach in Labadee?

 

Thanks to all for the help!

 

I have heard that you can board as early as noon, but will not be able to get into your cabin.

 

We did not eat at Portofino's. Caribbean night is Day 5-Tuesday. The main dining room had veal parmagian (go figure) as one of the entrees and it was wonderful, as were the desserts, so I was glad I didn't miss this evening in the dining room. Brittish night was the second formal night- Day 7-Thursday and I wish we had missed this and gone to Portofino's. This was the least appetizing menu IMHO, but the food was very good everywhere on the ship.

 

Lobster night was Day 8-Friday and I would definitely be in the dining room that night! It was great!

 

Grand Cayman - we took a cab to the Westin, where we were able to use beach chairs for two hours, before being asked to move which we did. Just stayed in the beautiful water the second two hours (reapply sunscreen frequently).

 

Freeport - We were going to try Sheraton Our Lucaya in Port Lucaya, but decided to enjoy the empty shp that morning, since you must be back to the ship early that day.

 

Labadee - We went to Barefoot Beach and it was beautiful! Get there early if you want a shady spot when not in the water. It was hot!

 

Enjoy!

[Robinob]

A couple of questions:

 

- What is the best time to arrive at the ship, where they will not be a wait to board (we loved this on our last cruise!).

- What is the best night for Portofino's? Does the menu change nightly?

- What night is "lobster" night in the dining room?

- What did you do in Freeport? In Grand Cayman, we are going to book the "beach day" so we can get a lounge chair.

- What is the best swimming beach in Labadee?

 

Thanks to all for the help!

 

We returned yesterday....

We arrived at 11;30, on board at 11:55. Room wasn't ready but we were able to leave our carryons in the room.

 

We went on Sunday. Menu remains the same. IT WAS GREAT!!!!!

 

Lobster was on Friday.

 

Hated Freeport! Don't do the shopping. It was a waste of time. Grand Cayman was pretty. We went to the turtle farm and a beach club. Dolfhin swim and Dunn's River falls in Jamaica.

 

We went to the main beach where the temder lets you off. Too crowded. Find anyother.

[marciemi]

Robinob - can you give me some details on the dolphin swim/dunn's river falls? Which one did you do first? What did you think of the swim? I've only found one other thread with someone who'd done it and they were very negative. Was it fun? Any details? We're doing it as a family of 5 and I hate to waste so much money if it's terrible! My kids are really excited about doing it though, as is my husband. I'd be glad to hear anything you can tell me about what you actually did, cost for videos, could you bring waterproof cameras in with you, etc. Thanks so much!

[vacationqueen148]

Susie, in Grand Cayman go to the Grand Hyatt hotel. It is $25. a person but they give you $15. back for food and drinks. You have the use of their pool, bathrooms, changing room, the beach and they give you towels so you don't have to take the ship's towels with you. You can also rent jet skis and other water sports there.

[Robinob]

Robinob - can you give me some details on the dolphin swim/dunn's river falls? Which one did you do first? What did you think of the swim? I've only found one other thread with someone who'd done it and they were very negative. Was it fun? Any details? We're doing it as a family of 5 and I hate to waste so much money if it's terrible! My kids are really excited about doing it though, as is my husband. I'd be glad to hear anything you can tell me about what you actually did, cost for videos, could you bring waterproof cameras in with you, etc. Thanks so much!

 

 

First we did the dolphins. We really liked it. No, no cameras are allowed in the water. We were in the water for about a half hour. Each group of 7-8 had their own dolphin. We swam around her, petted her, took pictures, and played around. One thing that I didn't like was that the vests we had to wear were not clean. We did not buy the video, only three of the pictures that were taken. From there we went to the falls. I enjoyed the climb. It was uneven surfaces and you can get hurt if you are not careful. I would not recommend it for children under 10 years old. It is a long way up. When we were finished climbing you had to exit through the market. Look straight ahead. If you do not wish to buy, do not make eye contact with sellers. There are many, many people trying to sell you everything. We then went to Margaritaville in Island village for a late lunch and walked back to the ship. It was a tiring but good day.

[marciemi]

Thanks so much for the info. So you didn't get "pulled" or "pushed" or any of those extra things - just swam? Guess that's why this one is cheaper. It's probably still a good place to start though. Your day sounds exactly like what we want to do. We were hoping we'd have time to make it to Margaritaville for lunch and the water slides for the kids and since they're big Jimmy Buffettg fans! Thanks again!

[FinelyCruising]

Lobster night is Friday, right after the second formal night of Thursday.

 

In Cayman we listened others on this board and wen tup to the Marriot Courtyard. There is a great beach with chairs, watersports, a beach cafe with aweseome chicken fingers and Cubano sandwiches and therr is a roped off area in the water and the snorkeling there was very, very good!

 

Freeport is a tough port, we took the taxi to the International Bazaar and got there earlier than they were open, and then took the vbus to Port Lucaya, which of the two is a better choice. We did not do any beaches here, and it was nice to walk around a bit at the end of the cruise.

 

Jamaica's Peat Taylor was very very good. Did the Falls, Fern Gully and some other spots. He does do an afternoon trip to the river tubing which I have heard was very good. He would have taken us at no add cost if we had wanted to go. We opted to poke around at the Island Village by Margaraitaville and were offered some bones along the way.

 

On Labadee the second beach, barefoot beach was nice, much more open and spread out. We snorkeled there and saw a few fish but several sqid which we had never seen before. It wa good. Our teens were over at the aqua park side which looked good as well. They found tons of starfish in that area. The BBQ was pretty good, it was almost too hot to do anyhting but stay in the water, and we avoided the straw market that was there. But beautifyul blue skies and very nice water on this stop. Get there early and find the shade.

 

Any night for Portfinos is good, we did two and one of them was the Jamica stop on Tuesday. Book as soon as you get on the ship, as it is small and hard to get the times you want if you wait.

 

Have a great time, we did!

[tp-nj]

We are also going to do the 5 night to Bermuda although we are booked on the June 12th sailing...Can't wait!

[SusieCruisie]

Hi, VacationQueen....Thanks for your reply, I just want a Chair, and a clean calm beach, maybe rent an umbrella. and a floating mat, not to much to ask. I'm leaving Friday, have been Living on the boards, and still feel so very confused. Thanks for any info.

Take care, Susie

[sn2bhappy]

We just got off the ship yesterday! The formal nights were Saturday (2nd night) and Thursday. Caribbean night was Tuesday (the day you are in Jamaica). We did not go to Portofino's. We were a small group of 36, and the only time we really all got together was at dinner every night. If you have any other questions, let me know. You will have a wonderful time.

[Robinob]

A couple of questions:

 

- What is the best time to arrive at the ship, where they will not be a wait to board (we loved this on our last cruise!).

- What is the best night for Portofino's? Does the menu change nightly?

- What night is "lobster" night in the dining room?

- What did you do in Freeport? In Grand Cayman, we are going to book the "beach day" so we can get a lounge chair.

- What is the best swimming beach in Labadee?

 

Thanks to all for the help!

 

1. We arrived at 11:25 and were aboard at 11:55

 

2. We went on Sunday. No, Same all week

 

3. Friday

 

4. Freeport was a disaster because we didn't go to the beach. Those who did loved it. Many went to the Sheraton beach.

 

5. Many chairs on Colony Beach in GC

 

6. Across the peninsula from where the tender lets you off.

[MarkAT]

Hi! Just got off the ship yesterday and had a fantastic cruise - the ship is absolutely beautiful and awe-inspiring!

 

1. We drove to Bayonne from Philly and arrived around 11:25 - we parked and were on the ship by 12:15 and the room was ready - I was amazed. There were a fair amount of people there already - I would definitely advise arriving early if you can. Had lunch at the Windjammer.

 

2. The menu at Portofino's stays the same each night. We went on Tuesday night, Caribbean night in the dining room. Food and service was impeccable. Our server only had two tables and she did everything but hand feed us. Here is what I chose and I highly recommend: Appetizer: shrimp and risotto; I substituted Caesar salad for the pasta in an "attempt" to cut back; filet mignon - it was 1.5" thick and delicious; tiramisu - now I am not a fan of this desert usually - however, it was an edible chocolate shell filled with raspberries and a thick white chocolate pudding with 2 large chocolate sticks! We had booked another night at Portofino's but decided against it for caloric reasons. Don't miss the opportunity if it is an option for you.

 

3. Lobster night was Friday

 

4. We went to Barefoot beach in Labadee and it was great. I will also echo an earlier poster's advice - get to Labadee very early if you want a shady spot. It is the first stop on the cruise and it is very hot and the sun is really strong.

 

My impressions after the cruise - Ship is still in great shape, food is mostly above average, with Portofinos being excellent. My mattress should have been replaced. I would in the future probably choose a bit of a smaller ship with less of a family focus - there were 1500 children on this cruise and the adolescents were at time really out of control. These are actually minor issues and did not detract from the overall experience, which was wonderful. Would definitely book with RCI again.

 

Have a great time when you go!

 

Mark

[marciemi]

Mark - how was disembarkation yesterday? What time were you (and others) off the ship?

 

It's funny - we're worried about the opposite problem. We're on the Sept. 10th Voyager with 3 preteens & I'm worried that there won't be any kids for them to hang with and activities won't happen due to the lack of kids. Guess we should have gone in July - but the prices were prohibitive and I don't think I'd want to put up with 1497 other kids being obnoxious either! (Not to say mine are perfect, but at least I have control over them unlike the others!)

[suesnake]

Hi, Just got back yesterday-we arrived around 11:35, was onboard in 30 minutes, and was able to go to our room.(luggage was there at 2)In fact when you go to look at boarding photos, they break them up by time slots and the first slot starts at 11:30.Parking was a snap(after you drop other passengers and luggage off, you just circle around to park-adn getting there that early you get a great spot so when you disembark you walk straight to your car-with luggage(get the kind with wheels)Disembarktion is not as fun-you have to be out of your room by 11. Our color was called around 1:45. Get out of your room earlier and get a seat in the lounges-in the back like the aquarium bar.(bring you book)Lobster nite was friday. The best beach was barefoot beach. There are plenty of loungers and hammocks, we got a nice spot under some trees.Don't forget your map they give in your compass alot of people didn't bring it and didn't know which way to go to eat. In Jamacia we did the 4x4, it was great, even tho our jeep was the only one with out a roof cover. You really go off roading and our guide would just pull up to trees and plants and just start pulling things off for to smell and taste. It was wild. It ends at Dunns falls. Not wanting to sit in a bathing suit for 4 hours I didn't climb. But be advised they have changing rooms, and you must wear a closed water shoe no flip flops.Grand caymen was stingray city. and that is a must do. we fed them and had our picture taken. The are HUGE, and so soft. In freeport we did the kayaking in the mangroves.I have never been kayaking before(and I am a large woman)It was alot of fun. It's not easy to manuver, and very twisty.Then a small nature walk, and to the beach for a swim and sandwhiches.(wear your bathing suit no place to change)Only drawback was ton on yellow jackets in picnic area. You gotta swim to escape them.(no one got stung). And we hand fed the local racoon!! This was a long tour and the boat had too wait for us to get back, so no time for shopping. We didn't use Portifinos, but friends did and loved it, to each there own.