RCVoyager

The 8:30 departure out of San Juan is fantastic.  As mentioned, the muster drill is a 4 or 4:15.  You can do a 6 or 6:30 dinner and still be on deck or your own balcony for the 8:30 departure.  It's best to be somewhere on the starboard side of the ship.  There is a great view of El Morro as you leave the harbor.  It's so close you feel like you could reach out to touch it.

39 minutes ago, erinbee0000 said:

I heard that Royal does not dock in the same location as Carnival. Do you know if there is anything around the Royal area? Carnival docks in Old San Juan so you can explore. 

That is correct.  The Royal dock (Panamerican Pier) is within site of Old San Juan and the normal cruise docks (across the channel).  It is about a 10 minute cab ride when there is little traffic.  Probably a good bit more with ship traffic.  I'd still make the investment in time to see Old San Juan if  you have time.

There isn't really anything near the Royal docks except a Sheraton.  It's not called the "Nothing to Do Sheraton" by the locals for nothing.

Speaking of Grand Cayman, a little Barefoot Man never hurts.  Check him out.

17 hours ago, LetsTryThisTech said:

You say cool but the lowest it ever gets even with a cold front is in the 70s. Even when that big storm froze Northern Florida we were at perfect temps.

I know the 70s is not cold.  But when you are on vacation and want to go to the beach and other outdoor activities (say a trip to Stingray City), the 70s with clouds and wind are not what you want.  I love Cayman, and I am somewhat envious of those who live there, but I've had two vacations (out of about 6) affected by weather there.

On 1/30/2018 at 3:51 PM, jce2 said:

I was attempting to be funny....I failed.  Actually, I just completed my first cruise and it departed out of Galveston.  We arrived in Galveston the day befor ehte cruise shortly before noon and stayed pretty much on the beach side of the island.  I got to say I was pleased at the friendly, helpful, upbeat attitude of virtually everyone I met down there!  It was a delightful day, despite the chill in the air and at least partially because of that we have booked our next cruise out of Galveston as well!  Our only disappointment in this choice was the voyage outgoing and incoming thru the gulf as it was choppy, windy, and cold.  Really couldn't enjoy above-deck much until we got in the Caribbean.  Of course I have never sailed anywhere else so have no way of knowing if the Atlantic is similar.

No problem jce2.  I hope I didn't come on too strong with my reply.  If you want to go to the Caribbean and have dependable weather, with the possible exception of September and October, San Juan is the ticket.  The Gulf and even Cayman and Jamaica can get the tail end of the fronts that cross the lower 48... especially in winter.  It can be cool, cloudy, and windy for days.

9 hours ago, rjac said:

Just goggled them, cool!

Glad you checked them out.  Great music.  It costs about $20 to see them in most places.  They're the only band I know of where every member comes out for a meet and greet after the show.  They stay until the last fan leaves.  Truly unique.

My family had never heard of them.  My brothers and I met them on a cruise (Barenaked Ladies in 2007).  Now even my parents, in their 80s love them.

Gaelic Storm.. always.  If you've never checked them out, do yourself a favor.  Wonderful for all ages.  An absolute party of a band.

4 hours ago, Ray said:

A few random questions that hopefully someone can answer 

Arrive at JFK airport at 23.20pm from UK then fly out to San Juan at 8am next morning, done flights this way to maximise the time available in San Juan, given the time it will take to go through customs to enter US it's not worth while booking a hotel for 4 or 5 hrs just to head back to airport.

Noticed Wingtips Lounge in Terminal 4 where Delta fly out of, mixed reviews so is it worth booking this lounge for a few hours to get some sleep and food or will normal departure seating areas be ok?

also any showers in JFK available at this time of night/morning? 

Arrive in San Juan 2 days before cruise any recommendations on things to do, must see etc, not bothered about excursions, we like walking about seeing the sights and getting lost,?

also is it safe to walk about at night and any areas to be avoided? staying in old san juan near cruise port.

1st time cruiser so when boarding should we look at getting to pan american terminal early as we wont have a clue whats going on? 

Once on board whats the first thing a new cruiser should do (apart from get a beer)?

Flight back to JFK is mid afternoon, dont fancy going to airport hours in advance if sju airport has very little to do in it,  also don't fancy dragging suitcases round shops, so would it be better to stay on ship a while then heading to airport, if so whats the latest you can stay on ship and more importantly when do they stop serving alcohol? 

or are there excursions which can be done from port before flight.

 

 

 Thanks in advance

Ray

 

Old San Juan is a treasure trove of history.  My suggestion is that any tour of Old San Juan start with a walk around the south side of the wall, up the west side and enter through the city gate, just as the sailors did 400 years ago.  Once in the gate it's a 2 block walk up to the Cathedral.  It's beautiful and you can see the tomb of Ponce De Leon.  Then up the hill to El Morro.  There's a million other things too, but that's a great start.

I think you can board the ship by 11:00.  As mentioned, have lunch a beer and explore.

On 1/4/2018 at 5:24 PM, jce2 said:

What do I think?  ........ Get the heck out of Texas!!!

 

Gotta disagree with this completely.  DFW is a great place to live.  Cruising from Galveston is not my first choice, but it's a nice choice.  With the DFW airport right there, you can go anywhere in the world for your next cruise.  There is tons to do in Dallas, great restaurants... and no state income tax in Texas.  It's hot in the summer, but pretty good weather the rest of the year.  

18 hours ago, princevaliantus said:

Yes...the email was copied verbatim. Annexed hereto is a screenshot of the email for the Doubting Thomas. Directly from Royal Caribbean  and if there is still any further doubt, please feel free to contact Royal Caribbean directly and confirm. What followed after the email was the back-and-forth with the C.S. Rep over the phone.

With the poor use of the Language, this can't be directly from Royal.  It must be from a third party or just flat out inaccurate.  Has anyone seen a correspondence written this poorly from any above board business let alone one as conscientious as RCCL? 

3 hours ago, Ray said:

We are sailing out of San Juan on the freedom in Nov 2018, will be booking flights from UK soon,  Aberdeen to New York with Aer Lingus as we want to stop off for a couple of days in New York on way back for some Xmas shopping, are there daily flights from New York to San Juan, preferably direct. Flight from New York to San Juan would have to be after 6pm 

 

Thanks 

Yes.  There are daily flights from any of the three NY airports to San Juan.  I'm not sure how much is available after 6PM

On 12/1/2017 at 2:30 PM, princevaliantus said:

On another board, there is a wave of individuals who were getting upset at Royal's latest blunder, followed by their ever relenting faux pas. I was curious to see if in fact any of my 8 cruises were affect.  Came down to 1 excursion. Apparently, Royal bit a little more off than they could chew. Through their recent Cruise Planner sale, Royal cut prices a little too much and now to make up the loss, they are cancelling certain excursions and re-pricing them higher. This is how it starts:

First the email:

Dear Guest, We’re looking forward to welcoming you aboard Royal Caribbean. As you prepare for this exciting vacation, we need to let you know that your tour reservation for Baroque Charm and the Bay of Kotor (KV70) in Kotor, Montenegro has been canceled due to due operation reasons. Here are some authentic destination excursions in Kotor, Montenegro that may be of interest to you: KVD6 - Baroque Charm and the Bay of Kotor We’ve already updated your itinerary and refunded your original form(s) of payment in the full amount. To select a new tour, we’ll need to create a new reservation for you. Please visit http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/shoreExcursions.do or call us at (800)398-9819 to ensure space on your new excursion.

Second:

You go check in your cruise planner and to find that the same excursion in name, detail, etc., is being offered at a higher rate, which is evidenced in their OWN EMAIL above.

Third:

I called their Shore Excursion Department, to get transferred to numerous individuals who didn't either grasp the English language and/or had clue what they were doing. The excuses offered made absolutely no sense.  I actually re-booked it to show the C.S. Rep what I was referring to and sent it to her via email. The C.S. Rep rushed to get a Supervisor on and the Supervisor was speechless, and among their attempt to get back on the phone to give me an excuse, they forgot to put me ON HOLD!! DUHHHHH!! I HEARD EVERYTHING and I must truly say that Royal just gave me the ONLY reason I needed to second guess any future sailings with them.

Finally:

When they got back on the phone, before she even spoke, I told her to save any and all excuses as she forgot to put me on hold and I heard all the chatter and scheming of excuses that they were going to attempt to tell me. I informed them that "this call was being monitored and recorded for quality purposes" and I will be informing corporate and vigorously giving thought to cancelling all 2018 AND 2019 cruises. I thanked them and then I hung up!

I can't actually believe that Royal has stooped to the same tactics as Carnival Cruises. Un-freaken-believble!!  Sorry for the rant but guess you guess should keep an eye out for your future reservations/excursions. TGIF!!!!!!

Question:  Are these emails copied verbatim?  They are presented as such.  If so, I highly doubt their validity.  Poor grammar, no apology, and poor conjugation.  Not from Royal Caribbean.  This is a scam.

2 hours ago, bcarney said:

They are - I was on her last week in 9376 and kids in connecting 9381.  They had a flatscreen TVs. 

That said - my room was the same exact colors in the photo above, which is why I refer to the rooms as being "dated" and hope they are updated in January's refurb.

I have stayed in 9376 twice.  Great balcony.

On 11/17/2017 at 10:02 AM, SammiB said:

I am looking for some recommendations for things to do on these islands?!?!

We are a young couple in our 20s, and are quite satisfied with just sight-seeing. Some adventurous activity recommendations would be appreciated! I've looked at all the shore excursions listed online, and I was hoping there was more?

We climbed the volcano in St. Kitts last year-- it was amazing! but would like to do something different

Is there a better beach than Jolly Beach in Antigua? We had an amazing time there and planning to go back.

We've done the Bacardi tour in Puerto Rico- would recommend, but looking for something different???

 

THANK YOU!!!! :)

To me, San Juan starts with a walking tour of Old San Juan.  You can do it on your own, and there is a ton of history there.  Again, to me, the best way to start that tour is to walk around the south side of the wall and enter through the original city gate.  From the gate, it's straight up the hill two blocks to the San Juan Cathedral and the tomb of Ponce De Leon.  The church is open all day.  You can just walk in so long as you do so respectfully.  Once you leave there turn right and head up the hill to an incredible 16th century old fort (El Morro).  A romantic thing for couples to do is to fly a kite on the grounds of El Morro.  Have lunch.  Ice Cream at Ben and Jerry's.  Shopping.  It's all there.

We did West Coast to Hawaii a few years ago.  Great cruise.  We changed times 3 times during the trans Pacific portion of the trip.  It was in the daily paper (Carnival's version is called  the Cruise Compass I think) and was announced by the Captain in the Noon announcements.

On 10/20/2017 at 2:50 PM, Tampaite said:

Question: Smoking - Are there designated smoking areas on the ship or if it free for all? I dislike smokers(nothing personal) as am allergic to the smoke and it's nauseating.

For future cruises, Are there any cruise ships that are non-smoking only?

We didn't think about this(smoking) before booking but with an Infant in the group, this has come up now as we are reading more reviews on Majesty of the Seas ship

The Carnival Paradise used to be a smoke free ship.  They found it wouldn't work, and Carnival now allows smoking on it.  The smoke free experiment was about 20 years ago, so maybe it's time for some cruise line to try it again.  I'm guessing it hurt casino revenue more than the cruise line thought.

1 hour ago, Tammy Smith said:

Personally I'm not interested in going to war zone looking areas or being on vacation while residents continue to suffer. We'll be changing our cruise if San Juan or St Marten remain on the itinerary. We'll donate to organizations helping with aid and relief. Let islands heal without gawkers. 

 

I see your point, but they need tourism to return.  It is their lifeline.

1 hour ago, Paul&Karen said:

Just rang RC to seek an upgrade for our 12 Day cruise leaving 2 Dec out of NY to what's left of the Caribbean, and I see there maybe another one forming called Ophellia.

Anyway rang to see about paying the difference from our balcony ($4463 AUD) to a JNR Suite, thinking maybe a cost difference of $2000 to $2500 and more than happy to pay that price, only to be told no an extra $6000 AUD.

So total for the JNR Suite, if I elected to get it, would be $6000 AUD plus I will loose $4463. So total cost $10463.

Due to being only 52 days out I will loose the price and will go to a "new booking". After I picked myself off the ground I ask "you have plenty of Suites available of all types, I'm not cancelling but spending more to upgrade"...reply "no no that is the price".

We have already booked/paid our specialty restaurants, drink packages, Chefs Table, just waiting on the shore excursions.

This is going to be our 4th cruise (Platinum) out of America and another booked/paid Dec 18.

Very very disappointed at the moment, again not after any "freeby" but thought they would have been alittle more helpful to swap over.

Might have to go back and look at who we cruise with next.

Regards Paul & Karen

 

Wait for RCCL to contact you late in the game for an upgrade.  It may come, and if it does, it will be at a good price.

6 minutes ago, Bella said:

Instead of staying the night before in San Juan, do you think flying into Ft. Lauderdale the day before, staying overnight and then taking first direct flight out to San Juan day of cruise would work?     

To take this good idea a step farther, Miami has flights to San Juan all day long.

6 hours ago, RNM said:

I am really aggravated with RC.  Have a cruise set for 10-21-2017, ADVENTURE OF SEAS.  Was scheduled to arrive in San Juan on 10-19-2017.  Received call from RC that hotel damaged in San Juan due to Hurricane Maria, but no rooms available on island.  RC employee told me I would be receiving a refund for hotel and confirmation e-mail -- nothing refunded or received.  RC employee said Air2Ground was working on my new flight itinerary because I would just have to fly from where i live to San Juan on 10-21-17, cruise date.  I said what if there is a flight delay and I miss ship, response, we will fly you to the next port.  Next port would be day 3.  Mind you was told no hotels on island.  Called Air2Sea and was told we are not working on anything for you.  We have you arriving on 10-19-17 in San Juan and if you change anything you will be penalized.  So we are in limbo--pretty pathetic considering the state of PR.  It's nice RC is evacuating people from PR, but it would also be nice if RC would spend some of those "humanitarian" efforts on its paying customers.  Also PR has limited water even for sanitation, little of almost everything.  Supposedly ADVENTURE OF SEAS will be back in San Juan on October 6 and ready to cruise October 7.  Not enough time for disinfection if you ask me especially if there was very little water for sanitation in PR and you are using ship for evacuees.  Why would RC still not give travelers a heads up re; a cruise a couple of weeks away -- where are we supposed to stay in San Juan if we miss our ship because of flight delay.  Feel sorry for islanders, but instead of RC being savior to the Caribbean, try being savior to your paying customers!  And now I'm reading blogs the Adventure of Seas is shabby.  Who wants to go on vacation after all of this!

The Adventure of the Seas is not "shabby".  It's a beautiful ship.  To me, it's the sweet spot of cruising.

RCCL is helping save lives and doing the best they can in a terrible situation.  They will do their best for you.  It's unfortunate, but for now, you have to wait.  They are helping Puerto Rico recover.  If things don't improve in San Juan, they will have to cancel more cruises, including your's.  

Because you have air-to-sea, you are in a better situation than those flying on their own.  RCCL will know where you are in the process, and will hold the ship for a time if needed.  If that is the case, the more people running late, the better for you.

My advice, try to relax and see how it plays out.  I know people who cruise in Sept or Oct every year because the rates are so low.  However, there is more risk this time of year than other times.  This is the year where Mother Nature decided to make the bills come due.  It's not RCCL's fault.

13 hours ago, djbobbydeese said:

Just the facts

Hey dj.  I wanted to respond to your post.  I know I did earlier in the week.  I know you know that RCCL is doing the best they can with a terrible situation.  Nobody can help the fact that 3 terrible storms, 2 of which hit the same area, have wreaked havoc on the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and SW Atlantic Ocean in the past 3 weeks.  It seems the major cruise lines that serve these areas have really stepped up to help save lives and to do the best they can for their passengers. If it were me, I'd be bummed too.  I've had one vacation rescheduled by a hurricane, and the replacement turned out to be one of the best trips of my life.  I hope you can work out to take full advantage of the discounted cruise they've offered.

If you go to the RCCL website, you'll see the potential changes due to weather by looking at the Weather update yellow banner at the top.  The other change is due to a mechanical problem.

48 minutes ago, djbobbydeese said:

thanks, we did a transatlantic in march. then on the new Princess Majestic around Italy and Greece,  then a smaller vessel around  the smaller island ports. I think the Achilles heel in this trip is going to be the air-"port" as opposed to the cruse port.  

You could be right.  I think it will all come down to damage at SJU.  Good luck.

46 minutes ago, djbobbydeese said:

Our original plans were to go on Thursday prior to the departure date but we switched to  Saturday due to the obvious Also, we purchased Insurance. Southwest airlines stopped service as of 6PM yesterday. I am new here but not to cruising. 35 days this year alone. Thanks though..

The storm is over Puerto Rico now.  It should be long gone by Saturday.  Then the question will be how much damage to Puerto Rico and the ports you are scheduled to go to.  I hope you have a great time.  The most number of days I've been on a ship in a year is 26.  I'm a little jealous of your 35.

3 hours ago, rjac said:

Wow, those are really neat! Thanks for the links.

You're welcome.  When I say you have to finesse marinetraffic.com, I mean that you have to read it carefully.  The cruise ships are in the big blue icons.  Oftentimes there is an old reading for a particular ship (say 12 hours ago).  Then when you go ahead in the general direction that ship was going you may see a smaller blue icon identified as "passenger vessel".  Most of the time, that is the ship you are tracking from the 12 hour old reading.  

There is something in the website that doesn't always identify the ships by name.