Zenith 14-day Nov 2006 Caribbean: Part VIII - Nine Ports

[CaribbeanBound]

Celebrity Zenith

November 3—November 17, 2006

“Special” Caribbean

 

Part VIII - Nine Ports

 

A. George Town, Grand Cayman

10:00am to 5:00pm. You have to tender at this port, which means securing a “tender ticket” for your chance to leave the ship in a lifeboat for a quick trip to shore. Hint: go down to the show lounge at least a 1/2-hour before the announced time to secure your tender tickets if you want to be among the first groups off the ship. Upon arrival, you wait in the show lounge (while CNN is displayed on the theater screen) until your group number is called. The groups were called two at a time and escorted to the tenders. Passengers with ship excursions have first priority on the tenders and they are further filled with non-excursion passengers from there. Approximately 100 passengers are loaded into each tender. It was a very short 5 minute ride to the shore.

 

We had prearranged with Native Way Watersports for their Rays, Reef and Rum Point Tour ($60/pp including lunch). Upon arrival we were informed the south wind and waves were to heavy to dock and Rum Point, so we only did the Stingray City Sandbar and Coral Reef Snorkel portions of the tour ($35/pp without lunch, or $40 pp if not arranged in advance). We did some shopping and returned to the pickup point at 11:30am to board a small bus. It took but 15 minutes to get to the marina where we boarded a boat. The trip to the sandbar took about 30 minutes. Our tour group consisted of 7 passengers and 3 crew. Once at the sandbar we had plenty of time to feed, pet, hold, and swim with the stingrays. About a dozen rays with 16” to 3’ wingspans greeted us. They would swim close by and brush the back of your legs with a wing. It is very exciting. Question: were we concerned that the stingrays might hurt us? Answer: never! These are very tame rays that have been in close contact with several hundred humans a day for the past several years. No worries. Next we headed to the Coral Reef where we snorkeled with fish and rays amongst the coral garden. 30 minutes later we were back in the marina. We recommend this excursion!

 

We tipped the crew and were back in town by 2:30pm. We were hungry so we checked out the new Margaritaville Café. A raspberry margarita and a basket of fries set us back $18 including tip. Won’t do that again. The menu prices were displayed in Cayman dollars which are worth 20% more than US dollars, and we didn’t realize it until the adjusted bill with itemized tip arrived. We bought gifts at the conveniently located Tortuga Rum Company. They have a very nicely bottled Tortuga Citrus Honey for $8. They will also arrange to get any liquor you purchase delivered to the ship for free. We bought a couple bottles of Margaritaville Island Lime/Tequila Liqueur for $11 each as gifts.

B. Montego Bay, Jamaica

8:00am to 5:00pm. We prearranged for a Black River Safari and Pelican Beach Bar Tour with A-Z Planners ($60/pp). Two other cruise critic couples joined us. The six of us were the first passengers off the ship and we met our driver Clive who was waiting for us in the pier terminal. The seven of us got into a van and headed for the Black River, a scenic 90 minutes away. About 30 minutes into our tour, we busted a wheel on one of the many potholes that plague the island streets. This necessitated a 40 minute wait for a backup van and we proceeded on our way. Upon arrival at the Black River, we boarded a canopied pontoon boat with 6 other passengers and our captain for a pleasant cruise around the Black River where we saw birds, alligators, and interesting floral and trees. While you can’t see to the bottom of the river due to the black peat moss floor, the water itself is very clear. One of our braver cruise mates took a cool swim in the river. We tipped the boat captain and headed across the river for lunch at Riverside Dock.

 

While lunch was downright excellent (I had Guava Jerk Chicken with rice and peas) it took about an hour to get it out of the kitchen. We split the lunch ticket six ways. Lunch ran $11 including tip per person and that included picking up lunch for our driver as well. Pelican Bay was a relatively short drive, where we boarded a seemingly unstable, though eminently seaworthy, fishing boat for a quarter-mile trip to the Pelican Beach Bar. The elevated stick and thatch bar is located on a sandbar in the middle of the ocean! It is a sight to be seen. Running short on time, we left the bar after a brief stay. It would have been nice to kick back a little and maybe swim some too. We stopped at a local IGA grocery store for some Blue Mountain Coffee ($J 1065/lb, about $US 14/lb) and other provisions and rushed back to the port. We arrived at 4:35pm in time to make our 4:45pm deadline. We recommend A-Z Planners and this tour.

 

C. Isle Catalina, Dominican Republic

7:00am - 5:00pm. Catalina is a small island off the south shore of Dominican Republic. Upon arrival, the first tenders (lifeboats and larger local catamarans) to shore carried provisions for the day’s activities. The first passenger tenders left at 8:20am. It was a quick 5 minute cruise to the dock where we were greeted by 8 local dancers and musicians. This was a VERY nice touch. Our large section of the island featured a beautiful white sand beach (about a half-mile expanse), palm trees, free beach chairs, and umbrellas. Snorkeling was available along the left side of the beach next to a 12-foot cliff. A BBQ lunch, featuring hamburgers, hotdogs, ribs, chicken, salads, fruits, deserts, and drinks, was served beginning at 11:30am. Large tents with picnic tables were provided. No host bars, beach volleyball, and nice bathroom facilities were available. A quarter-mile walk past the restrooms to the old pier found you amongst cactus, scrub brush, lizards and nice views of the beach and ship.

We were not bothered by locals selling trinkets unless you ventured past security into the shopping hut area.

 

Shops, numbered 1 to 15, were located on the far right side of the beach. They were very aggressive. “Come inside. No charge for look. For you best prices today. You are my first sale today”.

 

Tropical music played throughout our stay. Snorkeling was uneventful but the water was very clear and comfortable. We returned to the ship at 2:10 and received a cold towel to refresh ourselves upon arrival. This was a free excursion and a very enjoyable day at that.

 

San Juan, Puerto Rico

7:00am - 6:00pm. The ship arrived before 6:30am. There was a notice in our cabin to report to the Show Lounge for Immigration Inspection with our SeaPass card and passport at an assigned time. It went quickly and efficiently. Upon exiting the lounge we were given a pass to exit the ship. We did not need to wait until the entire ship cleared inspection like on other trips, which is nice because there is always a handful of completely clueless folks that don’t bother to show up. This voyage was no different. After several announcements for everyone to go through immigration, they began calling the clueless passenger’s names and cabin numbers. We got off the ship at 9:00am, walked over to the capital building and then some shops. Most do not open until 10. At 10:00am we met up with a group from the ship and our tour leader “Bob”. We visited the two forts (highly recommended) on our last two recent cruises so decided to hoof around town with a group instead to see something new. We shopped Bacardi for liquor, visited a local grocery store, a church, a street café for a local draft beer, zigzagged the town, lunched at Parrot Club (my wife’s new favorite eatery in San Juan), a few shops, and hit up a local microbrewery for another draft beer and then some more liquor shopping at Bacardi before reboarding the ship. Bacardi was offering fee Rum Punch and Rum and Cokes at the terminal building so we helped them out by drinking one. Bacardi Liquors offered some of the best prices on liquor that we saw at any port.

 

E. Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

7:00am - 5:00pm. We berthed at Havensight. Although we arrived at 7:00am, we learned today that Celebrity will not make any general announcements to leave the ship until 8:00am. We and another couple were first off the ship at 7:10am. Our destination this trip was Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay on the Island of St. John for snorkeling. Despite what everyone at the pier will tell you (and they will lie to you), you can get local transportation for $2 per person in an open-air taxi to Red Hook to catch a ferry to Cruz Bay on St. John.. Simply walk out of the Havensight pier main gate, cross the street, turn left and walk until you get to the Bus Stop (there is a pullover area) across from K-Mart and cross the street so that you are standing on the K-Mart side of the street. It is a leisurely 15-minute level walk. When you see an open-air taxi drive up, flag him down, tell him where you wish to go and enjoy the trip. The drive takes about 20 to 30 minutes each way depending upon traffic. The taxi will drop you off at the Red Hook ferry terminal. Pay upon exiting the taxi, go through the gates and hop on the ferry to St. John.

 

We caught the 8:00am ferry and paid our $5.00/pp fare. Normally, you would pay at the booth prior to boarding. The very pretty ride across the bay runs about 15 minutes. Upon arrival at Cruz Bay, St. John, we caught a 10-minute taxi ride ($6.00/pp) to Trunk Bay, stopping once along the way to take pictures of Trunk Bay from a picturesque spot along the road. We arrived at 8:30am which allowed us to get in free. Once the admission booth opens, it costs $4.00/pp to enter this beautiful white sand beach with clear waters, awesome views of islands and cays, nice facilities, and an underwater snorkeling trail. The snorkeling trail can be found on the right hand side of the beach. It begins on the far side of the little island and works its way around the island and ends on the closer side. The snorkeling is very good, with lots of fish and colorful coral. Including the four of us, there was a total of 7 people enjoying this beach from 8:30am to 10:15am when larger groups began arriving —– at which time we left and caught a $4/pp taxi for Cinnamon Bay. (Trunk Bay is now one of our top three Caribbean beaches).

 

Cinnamon Bay is part of a campground with good facilities, snorkeling equipment rentals, and kayak rentals. The beach is not as pretty as Trunk Bay but offers good snorkeling as well. Sea Turtles can be spotted here in the middle of the bay feeding on the sea grass, but we did not spot any this trip. We caught a taxi back to Cruz Bay ($7/pp) at 11:40am. We just missed the noon ferry so we ate lunch at High Tide Bar and Grill adjacent to the pier. We enjoyed the Virgin Island Pale Ale (a fruity beer made for distribution in St. John by a brewery in Maine), and especially liked the sweet mango salsa which accompanies the chips and salsa appetizer. We shopped until 1:45pm and bought tickets for the 2:00pm ferry, which was 30 minutes late arriving. A very large crowd anxiously waited in a long line in the hot sun on the pier. There was no problem getting everyone on the ferry. We arrived back in Red Hook at 2:40pm. Ignore the $7/pp taxis and wait for a $2.00 taxi again EXACTLY where it dropped you off. (Do not cross the street). We got dropped off a couple blocks closer to Havensight than the K-Mart where we picked up the taxi. St. Thomas is a major shopping destination. Havensight has a large number of shops convenient to the ship, however, the real shoppers head into Charlotte Amalie to do their shopping. It is very easy to get to St. John from the ship. We look forward to doing this excursion on our own again.

 

F. St. Johns, Antigua

7:00am—5:00pm. (Do not confuse St. Johns, Antigua for St. John, USVI). We prearranged an island tour with Lawrence of Antigua ($35/pp + $5/pp entrance fee to the national park). Since our tour was not expected to start until 10:30am, we walked around the pierside shops. The taxi drivers and vendors are very aggressive. You’ll be offered a taxi ride at least a dozen times. Souvenirs and food are very expensive here. No bargains to be found. Most local shops carry the same trinkets and shirts. The shops carrying original merchandise are even more expensive.

 

We met Lawrence and the rest of our small (10 people) tour group at the pier and headed for Lawrence’s beautiful air conditioned bus with comfortable seats and large windows. Lawrence gave us a wonderful guided tour of the island including English Harbor, the Nelson dockyard, Shirley Heights, and a rain forest. Free range goats and sheep roam the countryside, streets, yards, and high school athletic fields. We also saw donkeys, cattle, and mongoose. We had an option ($10/pp) to stay at Turner’s Beach, a pretty shell-sand beach on the Caribbean side of the island with a bar and grill, and changing facilities. Due to the heat, we opted to return to the ship. After dropping of 6 of us back at the ship, Lawrence returned to the beach to pickup the 4 that stayed. We recommend Lawrence’s tour.

 

G. Phillipsburg, St. Maarten

This island half owned by the French and half owned by the Dutch. We dock on the southern Dutch side. The northern French side (actually a little more than half) is named St. Martin. We shared a taxi ($6.00 per person when you have at least 6 people) from the pier to Orient Beach. Hint: if you only have 2 people, wait a few minutes for someone else to join you. We got dropped off at Pedro's Bar which was empty upon our arrival at 9:30 am but considerably busier when we left the beach at 1:30 pm. Hint: tell your driver when you wish to leave and he’ll be waiting for you at the prearranged time. We settled in at The Pirate Beach Bar and Grill, which we enjoyed on our last trip. We got two lounge chairs on the waterfront with a 3-inch-thick chair pad, an umbrella, and two drinks for $14.00. Service by was great. He'd check on us and reposition our umbrella to allow for more shade or sun as desired. We also enjoyed a couple of grilled grouper sandwiches with fries and slaw for $20 including tip.

 

Orient Beach is a beautiful white sand beach with blue and green waters. This is a clothing-optional beach, and yes, folks exercising this option do walk the length of the beach or sunbathe along the beach. This beach had everything available for a price: jet ski, parasail, windsurfing, and more. To our surprise, we discovered that Orient Beach also has some good snorkeling. Head for the dark reef area to the right of Pedro's (as you face the ocean) in front of the nude beach area. Schools of fish and a ray could be spotted. Taxi prices have risen since our last trip. It now takes parties of 6 or more to get the best pricing ($6/pp) to Orient Beach, Dawn Beach, and Marigot.

 

H. Road Town, Tortola, B.V.I.

7:00am—5:00pm. There is no need to prearrange any excursions here. Taxis line up at the pier to take you anywhere you want to go. Our sights were set on visiting Virgin Gorda, our favorite beach in the Caribbean. We got off the ship just after 8:00 am and walked 15 minutes to the red-roofed ferry terminal off to the left of the pier. Speedy's and Smith's both offer service to Virgin Gorda. Speedy's schedule allowed us more time on Virgin Gorda. So we caught the 9:00 am Speedy's ferry over and the 3:30 pm ferry back. Cost is $25 per person roundtrip, including roundtrip Speedy's Taxi service from the Virgin Gorda docks to The Baths. (You will not want to attempt to walk to The Baths from the dock). We opted to pay $10 more ($35/pp total) for the “Sun and Fun” package which also included lunch and rum punch at The Bath & Turtle.

 

We brought our mask and snorkel with us. Rentals are available at The Baths for $10 plus a $30 deposit. Sit upstairs in the open air seating atop the ferry to enjoy cool winds and great views. 30-35 minute ride each way followed by a 10-minute taxi to The Baths. There is a $3.00 (adults) and $2.00 (children) entrance fee to The Baths which are part of the BVU National Parks Trust. (Interestingly, there is no entrance fee if you arrive at the Baths by sea, which numerous private excursions seemed to do). A restaurant appropriately named “Top of the Baths” is nearby and offers incredible views of the surrounding islands. A 5-minute walk (350 yards in length) down to The Baths was rocky and uneven. At the bottom, single-use-only lockers can be rented for $2.50 each, via a token that can be purchased at the shop nearby. They are large enough to hold a beach bag or backpack. Tokens are also required if you wish to take a shower. The Baths are an incredibly fun experience. The Baths were really fun to explore. Highly recommend water shoes, a water camera, and a swimsuit. A beautiful beach with crystal clear waters awaits visitors on the other side of the rock maze. The water was nice and clear. Visibility was easily more than 50 feet!

 

Our taxi driver returned for us at 1:30pm, as agreed, to take us into town to eat. The Bath and Turtle Bar and Grill, located in a small strip mall with a dive shop, bank, and a few other shops, has little atmosphere but they make it up with good food and friendly service. Our coupon indicated that we could spend up to $10/pp, but our waitress allowed $12/pp which covers most items on the menu. We enjoyed our rum punch with a lunch platter consisting of a Caribbean Jerk Chicken sandwich, coleslaw and potato salad. We shopped a little after our leisurely lunch, then headed for the pier. The pier is a short 5-minute walk across a parking lot, past a small grocery store, and beyond an old partially-fenced park. Our ferry was already at the dock when we arrived at 3:00pm. We promptly boarded and departed on time at 3:30pm, arriving back in Road Town at 4:05pm. We had no problem getting back to the ship before the 4:45pm cutoff. Highly recommended!

 

I. Key West

7:00am—1:00pm. We spent 30 minutes going through immigration since it ran late. We got off the ship at 8:00am. This was our third trip to Key West. Since we had already done most of the tourist stops on our prior trips, we opted to simply walk around the port and shop. Most shops do not open until 9:00am or 10:00am. We bought a shirt at Buffet’s Margaritaville (using a 20% coupon we found online) and visited Kino’s Sandals. We were back on the ship by noon for lunch and we departed at 1:00pm.

 

J. Days At Sea

We had four days at sea. One was rough. One was very rough. The other two were fairly calm. There was no lack of things to do on the ship. Sea Days actually provided nice rest spites and

allowed us to get reenergized. It also helped pace the cruise. We slept in late. You can also eat, play games, attend art auctions, port shopping briefings (basically a way to kill time watching a talking advertisement), watch movies in the room, attend shows, eat, nap, blackjack tournament, slots tournament, midday snack, cards, pools, bars, eat, trivia contests, “Battle of the Sexes” ongoing trivia sessions, shuffleboard, ping-pong, darts, read, chat with fellow passengers, eat, board games, Bingo, eat, rum tasting, shopping, gambling, exercise, live entertainment... the list goes on!

 

K. Ships in Port

We had at most three ships in any port with us. Most ports were but one or two ships which was really nice. Visit CruiseCal.com to see which ships are likely to be in port during your cruise. Be careful about keeping your window shades closed when in port as the ships sometimes berth no more than 25-feet from each other and you can easily see the folks on the other ships. My wife got a shock as we were leaving St. Thomas. As my wife finished her shower and opened the bathroom door, she let our a shriek and quickly withdrew into the bathroom. Turns out we were passing another ship and a large number of passengers on the ship opposite us were out watching our departure, and she could see them waiving at us through the window!

 

Part IX to follow.

 

The complete review can be found at: http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/zenith14.html

[cheleh]

I love the way you reviewed everything- answering all my questions about transportation, if it was a good excursion or not, what it was like when you got there. AND extremely well organized- better than the guidebooks I've been reading. Thanks for taking the time to post!

[CaribbeanBound]

Thank you. I appreciate the feedback.