NJCruisers

On 2/10/2019 at 10:14 AM, lauraodonnell86 said:

For anyone wanting more of a personalized experience, we booked through Renee 2 years ago and it was fantastic. http://www.reneesnorkeltrips.com/snorkel-trips/  She used to be a Marine Biologist and could point out every fish along the way to us. Some of the fish would have completely been missed if she hadn't pointed them out to us. She keeps the groups very small (4 people in ours) and it is $45/person. I would highly recommend booking a tour through her! 

This sounds pretty cool too.  I checked out her website but it doesn't say anything about where to meet her or her boat.  Can you give me more info?  

@WAAAYTOOO Stupid question alert:  If the tour ends at 1:15 does that mean we leave at 1:15 or we are back at the ship by 1:15?

18 hours ago, SPS said:

I just got off of Freedom last week and both these are true, stargazing from the bow was great. The "Marquee" show was pretty uninteresting, I actually dozed off. We didn't even go to the other show later in the week. The Revue-style show on other ships have been pretty good.

 

I know things may change by November, but can you tell me what shows they do have?  Do the shows change based on ports?  I haven't been able to find a Cruise Compass that has the same itinerary.

8 minutes ago, tiny260 said:

I have never seen them searching bags or have dogs sniffing bags in St. Thomas, so you will probably be good.

The Windjammer doesn't care, to them it's just another person carrying food out to the pool deck...

Oh I knew the Windjammer wouldn't care.  I wasn't sure about taking it off the ship.  Thanks for the St. Thomas info.  

Just now, twangster said:

Go after muster.

But do I need to change my reservation or will they accommodate us right after?  The next available is 7:30. 

@twangsterHuh, so I wonder what happens to my 5:45 reservation?  

Just now, KLA said:

I know you can walk off with packaged and sealed food (like a bag of chips or a granola bar or something) but I've been stopped for fruit before (in Cozumel - I was with my in laws on my very first cruise ever and when the dog sniffed my bag and sat down next to me their faces seemed to indicate they were certain I had drugs in my bag). 

Ha! That must have been interesting. I only ask because I have to take medication with food & I'll admit I was hoping to bring a bagel or 2 to feed the fish in St. Thomas.

People mention popping in to the Windjammer and taking things with you.  Would we be able to do this on port days?  I'm only thinking like some fruit or a muffin or bagel to take with us as a breakfast on the go.  Or are we not allowed to leave the ship with any food?

7 minutes ago, marti314 said:

Typically Muster drill is anywhere from 3:45 - 4:30 pm for typical sailings that leave between 4 - 5 pm.  You can always use Matts handy dandy Cruise Compass repository to look at the actual ship you are on and look at the schedule to see at what time on Day 1 the Muster drill is. 

Ours is 8:30pm.  I have been looking at the Cruise Compasses, unfortunately all the Freedom of the Seas in the last 6 months are different ports than where we are going.  

My TA input 8pm for MTD and I'm now moving some of them around a bit.  I wanted to eat early for embarkation day, but how do I know what time the muster drill is?  5:45 shows that it's available.  Should I book that and hope for the best?  I would hate to be late and have to wait a long time.  We plan to eat lunch in the Windjammer so we would prefer the dining room for dinner.

12 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

You are correct. They do not drive over the bridge. The tours are on the other side of the bridge so you must walk across the bridge and hire the tuk tuk there.  We have never done an excursion with the tuk Tuks....we just walk over and hire one.  It is such a pleasant walk and the tuk tuks  are fun.  

If there are tuk tuk tours offered through the cruise planner I wasn’t even aware of that !  I’m sure that would be ok too but the tour would probably be different than the one you would get on the other side of the bridge and unquestionably more expensive.

We will be in Curaçao in April. Can’t wait !

The tours are $25 pp for an hour.  That's the same price if I go thru a tour or curtuktuk.com I guess I was confused by the wording.  I think I probably want the city tour for stay over visitors which meets at the foot of the bridge rather than the one for cruisers which picks up at the pier.  I can see why people get confused!

We are sailing on Freedom of the Seas and will be in Curacao on a Wed. from 8am - 8pm & it looks like there will be a total of 3 ships in port.  We plan on taking the RC Blue Bay Beach Break excursion from 9:15 - 1:15.  We plan to return to the ship to shower and get some lunch then explore Curacao on our own for a bit.  I am interested in the Tuk Tuk tours, but I'm a bit confused.  There are several sites to book through and all say they will pick you up at the Pier. I've read here to walk over the bridge and try to get one.  My understanding is they cannot drive over the bridge.  So my question is which tour would be better and how do I compare them?  I'd rather have it all planned in advance then not be able to find one when we are there.  

Can't wait to follow this one, saw many of these bands back in the day!  

I know it’s not a popular opinion & we haven’t been there in years but we just loved snorkeling & feeding the fish at Coki Beach. That’s the ONE thing my husband asked to do on this upcoming trip.We went with a large group last time, this is just us. We had a lovely server but another friend said theirs was rude. We are pretty easy going & only had some appetizers & drinks. We tipped well & they appreciated it. 

Yes, pretty much what was said above.  Think Smirnoff vs Tito's or Kettle.  It depends on your crowd who will notice or not.  If people tend to have a bunch of mixers in their drinks maybe not so much but if they drink straight up or only mix with club/water it would be more noticeable.  I know if I were invited to a reception and someone was paying for the drinks I would be happy with whatever they provided.  Maybe inquire if someone wanted something specific if they could purchase it on their own. 

1 hour ago, twangster said:

Freedom, leaving from San Juan will be on Atlantic Standard Time when she starts her cruise.  

Aruba is also in the Atlantic Standard Time zone.  

Neither Puerto Rico or Aruba observe Daylight Saving Time, they remain on the same time all year and never "spring forward" or "fall back" like some parts of the mainland USA does.  

Consequently you will be on Aruba time when you arrive.  

Okay, so I was in the "special" math class back in the day...I'll share this info with the hubby and he can figure out what time it will be in November! LOL  Thank you:) 

19 hours ago, Matt said:

Let the tour know you're on a ship. They are usually quite understanding about travel delays for cruise guests.

Okay, I booked through Aruba Water Sports and this was in their email:  Once you guys arrive, please double check the local vs ship time as some ships have 1 hour difference.
We have had customers arrive late because of this which is why we inform our cruise customers about this.

I did Google this before posting here, which only has me more confused!  RC says ship arrives in Aruba at 8am - the snorkel tour leaves at 9:30, we are supposed to check in at 9.  We will have our own snorkel gear so that should buy us some time.  Taxi should be about 15 minutes, not including actually getting one.  

So, how do I figure out ship vs port time for all - Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire & St. Thomas?  Any help would be appreciated!

7 hours ago, JLMoran said:

Daytime snorkel? -- check!

Evening fun at the beach bar? -- check!

Realizing the ship is leaving in 30 minutes and joining the pier runners? - Check-a-roo-nee!!!

Ha! No, I never want to be one of those people.  Also, I’m really bad at running... wait... I never run so that’s just an assumption!

Thanks @Matt & @twangster!

I think I have my Aruba day/night all planned now! 

Freedom docks at 8am - I am interested in going on a snorkel tour at 9:30 am that we would have to take a taxi to - Aruba Water Sports Center on Palm Beach.  If the tour is at 9:30 is that cutting it too close?  Will it be crazy trying to get off the ship and get a taxi?  

On 1/28/2019 at 12:23 PM, WAAAYTOOO said:

I enjoy bringing SMALL gifts for my room attendant and for the Genie, when I have one.  I posted a response to a similar thread over on that "other" site and got so. much. grief !  Of course the crew do not have unlimited space to store gifts...I am well aware of that, so I don't bring a waffle iron.  Just something small that can be easily stored or regifted, for God's sake !  I also tip well...it's not as if I am bringing a cheap trinket and then failing to tip.  I do both !  I just believe that a gift, to which you have given SOME small amount of thought, is a nice touch.  For those who think it's insulting or demeaning to do it....don't.  For example, I will usually bring a ball cap for the Redskins, Capitols or Nationals (even though I am not a sports fan myself) and a pashmina or similar wrap for the ladies.  If they don't want the gift, they can toss it overboard or give it to someone else.

I'm a newbie so I'm not aware of the "other site".  My area of NJ is famous for Pork roll egg and cheese sandwiches & since they don't travel well I think the taffy is a good idea.  They usually sell boxes that say "greetings from NJ" or something like that. I'm also an Avon Rep, so usually before a trip I will order some perfume/cologne/moisturizer samples and use them in addition to a daily tip & leave on the nightstand. They are on small cards and I just attach the money to it with a little note.  Like you said, it's the thought that counts!

On 1/26/2019 at 6:30 PM, ThyriC said:

Another thing I like doing for the staff, just because I'm strange like that.  But I think they appreciate it.  I like bringing a small trinket from my home town for them.  I especially like doing this for my cabin steward.  Usually its something small like a tshirt, or a unique body wash or lotion, or a pin.  Usually I give the pin to waitstaff or bartender and the lotion to a cabin steward. I know if I was working for months and months straight at sea with limited access to interesting new items that I'd like these things, so I just bring some small things for them and I attach a note that this gift is for them.

 

I agree with pretty much everything else you wrote.  I'm a bartender myself (2nd job) and will almost always tip generously.  I have to say I love this idea too - I live in NJ, the Jersey Shore to be specific (no, nothing like that awful show), I guess I can bring some salt water taffy on the ship to give to our cabin steward. Thank you for suggesting it!

16 hours ago, JLMoran said:

If you want to have a group of regular table-mates and are concerned about whether they'll be there every night, I'd recommend getting the late traditional dining slot. Yes, you're eating at 8:30 every night, but based on my experience and what others here have reported, this is the ideal traditional dining slot. Especially if you want a big table.

• MyTime Dining is just about done by this point, so the wait staff can actually catch a breath and aren't running all over the place; this translates into better service
• You get more of that "classic" experience of getting to know the wait staff and them getting to know you
• While it's not guaranteed you'll lose fewer table-mates to specialty dining or other things, it should be less likely
• The food quality should be better since the kitchen isn't as hard-pressed to keep up with demand

You bring up a lot of good points.  Initially I was worried about missing out (I believe the kids call it FOMO these days, lol).  I need to get in the Disney mindset that I won't be able to see/do it all & that's okay.  This is supposed to be a relaxing vacation!  Which means if I do have us up and out early & on the go most of the day, we can get back to the ship and take a little nap before dinner if needed, lol. 

20 hours ago, Matt said:

It largely depends. Keep checking back. You should have ample opportunity to book it.

Yes, I'm sure RC will gladly take more money from me!  Just trying to budget some stuff & I have no idea how much it will cost.

I can't even find the Photo Package info in my cruise planner.  When does that become available?