tonyfsu21

I can help but need more information. Where are you staying before cruise? You may not need to rent a car.

Embassy Suites on 17th Street offers all of your requests & we are not “in season” so prices are as good as they will get if your cruising before Labor Day.

Are you able to easily handle your luggage? I would get out of Miami via the Brightline train and take it North to Fort Lauderdale. Spend your day in Fort Lauderdale and when your ready to get to FLL it’s just an easy 5-10 min Uber ride away. Tons to do in Fort Lauderdale w/o the hassle of Miami.

Thanks. What’s the travel time from airport > Hotel> Port?

I am guessing there will be shuttle services available but that will be an expensive option. Are you staying 2 hours North for a reason? If Orlando is necessary can you leave 2 days early and stay in Orlando the first night and then head South? This will be a grueling venture the am of your cruise IMHO.

We are a family of 4 (kids 3 & 6) and thinking of taking Freedom Southern Caribbean in Nov 19. I have some questions for those who have sailed out of San Juan: 1. Is there a hotel or area that is preferred (close to port, dining exc)? 2. Best way from airport to hotel and hotel to port? I have Hilton loyalty so that would be preferred but open to all options. *** Not taking any budget into consideration. I am interested in the “nicest” and most convenient options as I don’t like dealing with lines, crowds exc and would rather pay to play. *** Thanks in advance. We are looking forward to an awesome itinerary!

IMHO- the thoughtful gifts are nice but what really makes a difference is cash. These folks work long hours away from their home countries & families so they can earn more money to better their lives back home.

Yes, scrap it. A speciality dining “formal” dining option would be better. Personally I don’t eat in the MDR so your wet thong doesn’t affect me. I do think that the “included” dining options should be free from dress codes since it is vacation and everyone should be able to dress comfortably. It’s just an opinion.

It’s vacation, wear what makes you happy and comfortable! Why anyone would be impacted by your choices in attire are bizarre to me. Personally, I wouldn’t bat an eye at someone wearing a ball cap, shorts, t shirt and flip flops on formal night.

Tons of appeal if you enjoy beach or pool days. If not, this isn’t going to be a great stop for you. On the other hand, if you do enjoy these things, Coco Cay is one of the best stops offered by RC.

Take the entire Casino Royale player program and toss it in the trash. Fire everyone and start over from scratch. It’s a mess. Anyone who says otherwise has simply not gone down the rabbit hole yet.

100% agree! Especially Aruba

We have been all over the Caribbean and this is my personal list of “stay on/ get off” ports: 1. Nassau- stay on the ship. Mostly dumpy with few exceptions at the mega resorts for day passes. 2. Cozumel- Get off. Lots to see and do. Great snorkeling, diving, beaches and a safe downtown. Also- rent a Jeep and tour the island perimeter road stopping at light house. 3. Falmouth- stay on the ship. Not safe, dumpy, constantly hassled for tip money. Dunn’s river falls just not worth the BS. 4. San Juan- get off. Great walking downtown and shopping. Fort is pretty neat to check out. 5. Labadee- get off. Great beach day. Dragon line zip line is great! Safe & fun. 6. Coco Cay- get off. Our personal favorite so far. Lots to do, awesome pool! 7. St Maarten- get off. Nice walk to the downtown shopping from ship. Nice beach and bars/food service located on beach! Maho beach is an experience and a drink at the sunset bar is a must. 8. St Thomas- get off. Bus to fabulous Meagan’s bay beach!! 9. Costa Maya- get off. Pool area right off pier makes for a nice day. Never left that area so can’t comment on the rest of the port. Mainland Yucatán is always a roll of the dice though IMHO.

IMHO- you are on a floating mega resort in Star Class. As far as the cruising experience goes (minus the boutique lines like Regent), it doesn’t get better! Stay on the ship and enjoy the Harmony. There’s no need to get off in Cozumel and certainly you are missing nothing of note in Roatan. Enjoy!

Correct

$10.00/ per spin (max bet)

I would think Labadee is a big money maker as well since it’s all under RC umbrella as a private destination.

Yeah it is really annoying. I agree

Here you go.

Have the Uber driver take the 17th street Entry to the port. There is a CVS on the corner of US1 and 17th street. Map to follow

Nope

2 weeks ago on Mariner playing the wheel of fortune machine with the gold spin. I hit a gold spin and it landed on 15 x multiplier and then the wheel of fortune hit $250 so it was a $250 x 15. $3,750.00. Fun night in the casino.

We had cabana # 1 and the WiFi worked great.

I don’t go to the Diamond Lounge because we book suites and utilize the Suite Lounge but they are similar in many ways. On Mariner I took my brother in law (non suite guest) with me every night for a drink. Not sure if the dress code is the same or not but I normally dress how I want on vacation which is shorts, T shirt and flip flops and have never been turned away. I do tip the concierge $100 on the first day so I’m sure that helps a bit. Zero questions asked, drinks flowing and the views from the expansive windows = amazing.

If you have a balcony, that’s the best spot IMHO.