lauraodonnell86

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

We've stayed at this Marriott as well.  It used to have a nice poker game in the evenings.  However, I believe that this hotel was badly damaged in the recent hurricanes.  Is it back open and in full operation ??

Yes it is fully back open! We were just there in January and they had just finished remodeling the pool. It's in perfect condition now! Headed back in December for 2 nights! 

23 hours ago, pezgirl said:

Any recommendations on where to stay the night before in San Juan and places to eat? Thanks. 

Depending on how much you want to spend, we have stayed at Hampton Inn & Suites San Juan and also Embassy Suites Hotel & Casino which are both about a 5 minute walk to Isla Verde Beach! Both hotels have a nice pool area and are walking distance to several restaurants in the area.

If you are willing to spend a bit more, we stayed at San Juan Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino last year (on points from my hubby's work) and it was absolutely wonderful. It is directly on the beach and also has a great pool area. The area around this hotel is very fun to walk around and there are tons of great restaurants and little outdoor sitting areas to have a drink. It's in the Condado area.

I would recommend all 3 hotels! I know there are others on this board who will also have good recommendations! Good luck in your search!  

I'm sure that I commented on the other thread as well but I just need to reiterate what I said! We have cruised out of San Juan 12 times (see signature) and have 4 more booked in the future (including back to back cruises). We absolutely love leaving from San Juan because you don't have to wait for the weather to "warm up" in January like you might have to if you left from Florida. The ports from San Juan are just amazing! We usually stay 1 or 2 days beforehand in San Juan because it's an amazing place itself! You really won't be disappointed. There are always going to be people out there who complain but honestly, you can't rely on their opinion because they just hate life in general (lol). Freedom is a wonderful ship (our favorite class) and there is always something to do! If you have any more questions, let me know!  

19 hours ago, CruisinUpinLife said:

When you did the caribbean paddling, did you book the excursion version that included travel or traveled there another way?

Yes we booked the one with the transfer included. The lady that picked us up was awesome and had a nice air-conditioned taxi. 

14 hours ago, CruisinUpinLife said:

Are you on the FOTS Jan 5 sailing?

edit: I just saw you are. How exciting! My husband and I will be on your sailing from St Louis!

Awesome! It's going to be a great cruise! We will be waiting for you on board!  I hope your flights are cheaper than ours with coming 1 week later! 

6 minutes ago, twangster said:

Xmas and NYE is often an expensive time to fly.  Hotels, cruise fare, airfare, they are all more over holidays.  

I generally find San Juan cruises less than Florida cruises so the savings in cruise fare often pays for the airfare difference in San Juan.  The other benefit to San Juan cruises is an extra port to start with.  San Juan is one of favorites ports so that's a win even before the cruise has started.

I agree!! I'm thinking about just going ahead and booking the airfare and not stressing about it anymore. We will be flying out Dec 27th and coming back January 12th. Can't wait!

13 minutes ago, FloridaCruiseGirl1210 said:

What airline do you fly to SJ? Im curious bc I know SW flies out of MCI i figured that would help with the cost (including the cost of luggage that is)

We aren't really picky about which airline we fly with, we usually just pick the cheapest. We find SW to actually to be more expensive than the others but I guess I don't take off the baggage that other carriers charge. We are booked for this coming NYE and flights are around $1000 per person right now 

We absolutely love sailing from San Juan. We sail from there almost every January. The more expensive airfare is worth it to us! We can escape the Kansas City winter in January and immediately be in 85 degree weather as soon as we get there. There is no waiting for it to warm up as you leave another more northern port. We usually make it a back to back sailing because once you have paid for the airfare, you might as well tack on another week for not that much more $! We LOVE port days and getting to visit a different island 6 out of 7 days is amazing! Some people may see it as a negative that the bigger, newer ships don't go out of San Juan. We love Freedom of the Seas and would never say anything negative about it. It will be refurbished January 2020 so that is something to look forward to!

Let me know if you have any questions as we have done both routes and all of the islands many times over. You WON'T be disappointed. 

6 hours ago, KathyC said:

We'll be in St. Maarten in October, but it's just the two of us, so figured we'd try to do something with a group in December and just wander about in October.  Last time we wandered to Phillipsburg, so thinking the French side for October, maybe Marigot.  We're not huge beach people, so try to save that for group visits.  We get bored just the two of us sitting there. 

That's funny because all we do is go to the beach anymore! We LOVE it! Makes for cheap(er) cruises too!  

2 hours ago, KathyC said:

@lauraodonnell86 Pinel Island looks like a good idea for Oasis in December...maybe we can get a group to go? 

Possibly! I am going on a B2B at the end of December (NYE GC) and hitting St. Maarten twice during that cruise and my husband and I were planning on going there one week so I'm not sure if I'll go on Oasis too. My sister is coming with me on Oasis and we aren't sure what we are doing yet at any of the ports! I can't wait!

@TheHobbys Hey John! I haven't been able to read through this whole blog yet but I've been enjoying your scopes so much! I have been researching that the Loterie Farm Zip-Lining and was wondering if you booked ahead of time? I went on the website and they said that reservations aren't available and it's first come, first served. Thanks for any information!

@JennyB I know! It's so amazing! I can't even remember how we came across the information on it but it's really not publicized at all so it's not busy (or it wasn't when we were there). 

@griswold81 The walking trails are really nice! They are all around the island so you can go to all sides of it. There are different kinds of beaches (all sand, all rock, some sand and rock) so you have your pick! It really didn't take long to get from one place to another. We weren't intentionally walking from one point to another and were exploring and checking out wildlife on the way but I think you could go from one side of the island to the other in about 15 mins. Keep a look out for wild hermit crabs! They are everywhere and so awesome!  

FYI, for people who don't want to rent kayaks to get to Pinel, you can take the ferry for $12 per person round trip. 

@Mrs. RoyalMoyal Awesome!! I'm so glad you booked it! I hope you have a wonderful time and I look forward to hearing about your experience!

1 minute ago, CFL said:

This picture is great, looks like paradise!  This is exactly the type of beach experience we are looking for since it will be an anniversary cruise!  Were they any insects like mosquitoes or anything like that where we would need insect repellant?

I don't remember anything like that being a problem! It actually rained on us as we were kayaking over to Pinel but it was fine! They give you a dry bag to put all of your stuff in. You can spend as much time as you wish there. There was also a large grill where they were grilling shrimp, lobster and steak. It looked soo good! I think you will have a great time! 

Just now, CFL said:

Your pictures are awesome!  I had been looking into Pinel Island and I think I may go for it 

Thanks! We had such a wonderful time and you can walk across the island and find a beach where you will be the only one on it! There was only 1 other couple on this beach where we took this picture! It was such a cool place!  Have a great time!

I would suggest Pinel Island in St. Maarten. It is very secluded and you can snorkel, kayak, walk around the island and see a lot of wildlife, or just sit on the beach. We used Caribbean Paddling to get over there. Rented a double kayak from them and only took about 10-15 mins to kayak to Pinel Island. Here is the link for the website: https://www.caribbeanpaddling.com/rentals/kayak-rental-pinel-island  If you do not wish to kayak, they have a water ferry that can take you over there. I have attached some pictures so you can see our experience. We will be going back at the end of this year! 

@twangster Thanks for letting me know that the ship stops in San Juan in a different spot than it ports out of. We leave out of San Juan every January but I've never actually stopped there as a port. I am doing that for the first time in December. Good to know that it'll be different than Pan American. You are a wealth of knowledge! 

On 4/15/2019 at 12:55 PM, twangster said:

Just don't plug a hairdryer or curling iron into it.  Step daughter made that mistake once  

Good to know. When my husband and I traveled to Ireland, the first time I straightened my hair, it fried it  Not cool!

@twangster Thanks for the tip. I just ordered one!

On our last cruise, the Top Cruiser on board (2800+ points) asked for something different each night. He got them all family style so we could all try them. My favorite was the Jerk Pork. He also ordered some fried rice of some sort but can't remember exactly what it was called. They have so many different options but most of the time you need to tell them the night before so that they can get it prepared. 

We used birth certificates because my step son and niece didn't have passports. We also got an authorization letter signed from my niece's mother stating it was okay for her to come with us and for us to make decisions for her. Last year, they didn't ask for the authorization letter but we don't want to take the chance! Have so much fun!

On 3/25/2019 at 1:25 PM, WAAAYTOOO said:

Wish we knew but we don't.  I will be on the second cruise after O comes out of dry dock being amped.  I am so excited.  I hope she isn't delayed for some reason !

I'm on Oasis December 8th and booked solo because it's such a great price! I would be sad if it got cancelled because I've never been on Oasis class but I wouldn't be TOO devastated because I am sailing on Freedom December 29th for a B2B!

I would definitely recommend Adventure. That was our "home ship" for many years in San Juan and we were so sad when she left! She's a wonderful ship and I love the layout of Voyager class ships. Enjoy your cruise either way!  

12 hours ago, Galveston Steve said:

Hi Laura! I have not used 81st Dolphin, but I think they would be fine. It’s outdoor, gated, and looks secure. A few months ago I used Port Parking, as mentioned above, and had a good experience. I think you would be fine with any of the providers in Galveston. Several have a park and walk option that saves money if you don’t need the shuttle bus. You can drop your bags at the cruise terminal, drive to the parking lot, and walk back to the ship. Of course the weather may make this option uncomfortable. Have a great cruise!

Thanks @Galveston Steve, you are so helpful and awesome!

@Galveston Steve Hi there Steve! I have read a few of your posts about parking but they seemed to be a little dated so wanted to check with you about it. Do you know anything about 81st Dolphin Parking? We used EZCruise Parking last year but 81st Dolphin seems to be a little cheaper. I can't find that many reviews online so just wanted to make sure we weren't making a mistake Thanks for you help!!