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?? for those who did the E. Caribbean route on the Legend or any other ship

Sandi149

By Sandi149,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Sandi149

Sandi149

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Hi folks,

 

I posted these questions on the proper Ports of Call boards a couple of times but nobody answers my questions. :( I just hope the moderators don't remove this post. Please "moderators" don't move this post because nobody answers me on the Ports of Call board.

 

Anyway, hubby and I are going to be taking the Miracle out of NY in June. Same route as the Legend last year. I have some questions regarding San Juan, St. Thomas and Tortola.

 

1. According the the brochure, the arrival time in San Juan is 3PM. We want to go to El Morro by cab from the pier and then walk down through Old San Juan. Will we be able to have enough time to see El Morro since it closes at 5PM? Also, how long does it take to walk down from El Morro to The Parrot Club. We want to have drinks and appetizers there. How far of a walk is it from the heart of Old San Juan to the pier where the ship will be docked? Is it relatively safe there? Also, if anyone has been to the Parrot Club can you tell me how it is?

 

2. St. Thomas, we are booked on the tour with Sunny Liston. We are doing the 3 hour shopping tour with him. Is this too much time or just the right amount of time? We also opted to go to Sapphire Beach. How is that Beach? Is there snorkling, a snack bar, bathrooms?

 

3. For Tortola, we are booked for the Baths tour through Carnival. How is it? Do you swim into the beach or do the hiking down to the beach? Are there lockers to leave your "stuff" in?

 

Any information is greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you. :)

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hstrybuf

hstrybuf

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The area of Old San Juan and El Morro itself is really much smaller than you would think. You can probably get a good map online or in a travel guide from the bookstore. Go see the fort then head back downhill. You should have plenty of daylight in June. The Parrot Club is my favorite place in Old San Juan. Ask for a table upstairs (if they still have the open air courtyard) and enjoy! We never felt unsafe there and stuck to the main streets. Most of them are cobblestone so wear good walking shoes. The pier area should be safe too. Just be aware that there are some folks on the street that you might not be used to seeing unless you live in a city.

 

Sorry, can't help with your other questions.

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caribbean dreams

caribbean dreams

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1- you will have plenty of time to see El Morro, the walk back down the hill to Old Town is about 5 or 6 minutes, The pier is in the Heart of Old San Juan, just cross the street.

 

2- Shopping in St Thomas is plentyful, i do not think 3 hours is to long.

 

3- I will not be at the Baths until July but from what i understand you will be entering from the water. The boats usually let everyone leave personal items onboard while you explore.

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Sandi149

Sandi149

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The area of Old San Juan and El Morro itself is really much smaller than you would think. You can probably get a good map online or in a travel guide from the bookstore. Go see the fort then head back downhill. You should have plenty of daylight in June. The Parrot Club is my favorite place in Old San Juan. Ask for a table upstairs (if they still have the open air courtyard) and enjoy! We never felt unsafe there and stuck to the main streets. Most of them are cobblestone so wear good walking shoes. The pier area should be safe too. Just be aware that there are some folks on the street that you might not be used to seeing unless you live in a city.

 

Sorry, can't help with your other questions.

 

Hi Deb,

 

Thanks for your reply. I do live in a big city....I live in NYC so I am used to city life. Just going to any new city can be a bit overwhelming especially when you don't know your way around.

 

Glad to hear that the Parrot Club is very nice. We are definitely going to go there.:D

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sunlover5

sunlover5

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Did the Baths through Carnival. DO NOT leave your stuff on the ferry that brings you over. You will likely be on a different going back. You leave the ferry, board a bus (Open air) and they take you to the baths. You have a hike down to them. There are no lockers there either. When we were there just one lady sellling some shirts and pop. It got very crowded as the day went on. It was pretty, different, but I probably wouldn't do it again. Have fun!

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Sandi149

Sandi149

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Did the Baths through Carnival. DO NOT leave your stuff on the ferry that brings you over. You will likely be on a different going back. You leave the ferry, board a bus (Open air) and they take you to the baths. You have a hike down to them. There are no lockers there either. When we were there just one lady sellling some shirts and pop. It got very crowded as the day went on. It was pretty, different, but I probably wouldn't do it again. Have fun!

 

Thanks for your reply Sunlover.....when you were down on the beach where did you leave your stuff? I can't see just leaving it down on the beach.

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nybumpkin

nybumpkin

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Sandi - This past June on Legend (July 2 was our port date), we docked in San Juan much earlier than scheduled - around 1:00. We opted to walk to Fort San Cristobal rather than El Morro (less than 10 minutes' walk), but if you arrive early you should have plenty of time for El Morro. There is a walk between the two forts - the walk along the waterfront is great! We then walked through OSJ back to the pier.

 

St. Thomas - We were on Godfrey's tour, but from what I can see it's similar. Two hours shopping was plenty for us, and that included walking around to other sites, like the Lutheran Church. I liked having a little extra time aboard ship in the morning.

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oceanlvr1016

oceanlvr1016

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We went to Sapphire Beach last May. It was beutiful and we had a great time. We rented lounge chairs and found some shade from the sea grape trees. We also rented snorkel equipment and did some of that. It was decent snorkeling. There is a little quick mart sort of store where you can get snacks, post cards, and misc stuff. It was a GREAT day.

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ariel7303

ariel7303

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My DH and I went on Godfrey's tour last October. We did the 2 hour shopping and that was plenty for us. Although, he isn't much of a shopper and I don't like the people standing outside the shops trying to get me inside. St. Thomas was one of my favorite ports on the cruise. We also went to Sapphire beach and LOVED it! There was a restroom for us to change into our bathing suits. Lounge chairs, snorkels, kayaks and windsurfing equipment was available for rent. I don't know about snacks as we didn't get anything to eat. But I think there were chips and such available for purchase there. The water is absolutely Beautiful there... You will Love it!! :D :D

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