THinPH

Has anyone walked to Pelican Peak zipline from the port in St. Maarten? They say 10 minutes, but is it a safe, easy walk... and is there a sidewalk, etc.? Or is there a better way to get there and back? TIA

Last year a lot of things were 50% off, including drink packages and excursions, but business is booming this year so may not offer as many deep deals.

We went to Playa Mia last week, booked through Royal. It was really good overall and we would go back. The buffet food was ok, not great, and they didn't have labels... so with the language barrier we didn't know what alot of it was. Not good for picky eaters, lol. If you aren't big drinkers, I'd suggest doing the regular Beach Break and just ordering food/drinks off the menu for more options. That's what we'll do next time. If you get the deluxe package and want a waiter to get your drinks, I suggest tipping when you order. Otherwise it seems like you need to go get your own. They're more interested in helping paying customers than all-inclusive people, IMO.

Exactly! Aside from the hassle of going to bars or whatever to get drinks, I typically drink sugar free, non carbonated beverages, so I'm excited about the light flavored lemonades in the machine.

That's a bummer! At least we're in port every day on Voyager so we won't need beverages onboard all day like we do on sea days, lol. We've never gotten the soda package before so our cruise on Allure next week will determine if it makes sense for us in the future. Thanks for the feedback!

Awesome, thanks! We're on Allure next week so that's great news.

Sadly, the app doesn't even have a Beverages tab for my sailing... so not feeling confident. I was hoping maybe the app was just outdated, lol.

I just don't know if they have any of the stuff I usually drink, like sugar free lemonades, etc. so I was curious about what they "should" have. Also, does anyone know if Voyager has Freestyle machines yet?

Is there a list of the beverage options in the Freestyle machines, or does it vary by ship?

A lot has changed in the past few years, and the last post I found on this topic was a couple years old... so just wondering if Voyager has Freestyle soda machines yet? If not, it probably doesn't make sense to get a soda package if we have to deal with a bar every time. Sailing over Thanksgiving. Thanks!

FYI, as of today all the Labadee excursions are now available for my May cruise (after emailing them earlier this month), so some of your sailings may be available now too.

I'm a little late to chime in, but if you purchased travel insurance, it might include compensation for missed ports (which includes itinerary changes). I know my Allianz policies purchased from AAA include it. Or, you could probably find a different cruise at a good price with the current sale. I recently cancelled and rebooked for a similar reason. I'm sure you'd have a good time on this one, but personally, I'd probably rebook and go where you really want...especially if you wouldn't be able to take a second cruise in the near future.

On the website, the 11/15 Odyssey sailing lists this itinerary: Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas | Cruising | Nassau, Bahamas | Cruising | Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I'm scheduled for Labadee in May 2022, so hoping things are resolved by then.