Thumper44 Posted December 21, 2023 Report Share Posted December 21, 2023 Who's going to the Windward Islands with us? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimDee Posted December 27, 2023 Report Share Posted December 27, 2023 We are! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted December 28, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2023 On 12/26/2023 at 11:30 PM, KimDee said: We are! Awesome! We are Jared and Shannon from Kansas City. This is our tenth cruise and second from Puerto Rico but we're always looking for tips and cruise hacks. Did you find any good deals or special opportunities on this trip? The current problem I'm trying to solve is finding a good tour with airport transfer on the last day. I'm afraid I waited too long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted January 5 Author Report Share Posted January 5 Anybody here get the airport transfer tour to the San Juan airport? In the cruise planner I only see a tour which appears to not include a transfer (maybe just for B2B folks?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimDee Posted January 7 Report Share Posted January 7 We're Camille and Sean from Maryland. We did all our travel arrangements to and from the ship independently. We're flying into Puerto Rico Friday morning so we can spend the day doing some sightseeing and we're flying out of Puerto Rico the Saturday night that we return. This is my third cruise, his 5th. Our first from Puerto Rico. WAAAYTOOO and Thumper44 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted January 7 Author Report Share Posted January 7 17 hours ago, KimDee said: Our first from Puerto Rico. I think you'll love Puerto Rice; we're coming in Tuesday night so we can spend a few days just driving around the island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted January 7 Author Report Share Posted January 7 I'm trying to think of where to tell people to find us… the only reliable place from day to day on the cruise is that we'll be in the royal theater for most shows almost every night and we always come early and sit in the middle of the middle section on the main level, maybe 6 or 7 rows from the stage. That seems to be the one constant from one cruise to the next. We usually do all the other stuff (solarium, pub trivia, game shows, excursions, etc etc) but we almost never skip the evening show. I should make this a new thread… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiltedFun Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 I’ll be there. We arrive early Friday night with the wife and two older teens. I’ve been to Puerto Rico a couple of times. Been to the West Indies several times also. Looking forward to a wonderful trip. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted January 11 Author Report Share Posted January 11 On 1/10/2024 at 8:29 AM, KiltedFun said: Looking forward to a wonderful trip. See you there! Have a great trip! KiltedFun 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimDee Posted January 17 Report Share Posted January 17 This trip is a special one for me. I grew up in Trinidad but migrated to the US when I was 20. I'm getting to bring my better half, meeting up with family and getting to celebrate carnival. It's a multifaceted bucket list. Perhaps we meet up at sail away? KiltedFun, Thumper44 and WAAAYTOOO 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted January 19 Author Report Share Posted January 19 On 1/17/2024 at 12:10 AM, KimDee said: I grew up in Trinidad We have an excursion in Trinidad but have no special plans for Scarborough, Tobago. Any recommendations for a couple who are just walking around? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted January 19 Author Report Share Posted January 19 On 1/17/2024 at 12:10 AM, KimDee said: Perhaps we meet up at sail away? It's hard to say where we'll be at sail away, but this is us. Please come up and say hi. Tell us you're from the RCblog message boards!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimDee Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 On 1/18/2024 at 10:24 PM, Thumper44 said: We have an excursion in Trinidad but have no special plans for Scarborough, Tobago. Any recommendations for a couple who are just walking around? I th On 1/18/2024 at 10:24 PM, Thumper44 said: We have an excursion in Trinidad but have no special plans for Scarborough, Tobago. Any recommendations for a couple who are just walking around? There should be little souvenir shops and eating places downtown and you'd definitely get a feel for the island. I'm not familiar with what's close to the cruise port but I know that there are shopping areas nearby. The only other thing that I'm not sure about is that Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and some stores might be closed. We actually stop in Trinidad on Carnival Tuesday which was why we didn't book any excursions and we will be downtown Port of Spain watching the festivities. Growing up, Ash Wednesday was always an unofficial public holiday because Carnival Monday and Tuesday are always right before Ash Wednesday. People celebrate Carnival Monday and Tuesday and then take Ash Wednesday off to rest. Thumper44 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimDee Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 Here we are! Thumper44, SpeedNoodles and WAAAYTOOO 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted January 22 Author Report Share Posted January 22 6 hours ago, KimDee said: We actually stop in Trinidad on Carnival Tuesday which was why we didn't book any excursions and we will be downtown Port of Spain watching the festivities I'm seriously going to cancel our excursion… if it's ok if we follow you downtown, that is… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted January 22 Author Report Share Posted January 22 6 hours ago, KimDee said: Growing up, Ash Wednesday was always an unofficial public holiday because Carnival Monday and Tuesday are always right before Ash Wednesday. So if things are kind of shut down for the holiday on Ash Wednesday, what do you think we ought to do? Maybe go to a beach? Maybe just lower our expectations and kind of wander around a bit? By the way, I really appreciate you taking the time to give me this feedback. My wife depends on me to do all the planning and your insight is so valuable! WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimDee Posted January 24 Report Share Posted January 24 The excursions should go off as planned, especially the ones to the beach and any nature centers. It's just the main shopping areas downtown Port of Spain should be closed along the carnival parade route. The ones in the cruise terminal should be open. For Tuesday, if anyone plans to just walk around downtown Port of Spain, just keep in mind it will be crowded, there will be loud music and costumed revelers. If you're not familiar with it, I'd suggest looking at a few youtube videos on Trinidad Carnival to see what it's all about. Tuesday, we're meeting up with my mother and sister as well as a few cousins who all live in Trinidad. My cousins are "playing mas" which is what being part of a carnival band is called. The costumes can be a bit skimpy, the dancing is a bit suggestive and the cousins are looking forward to introducing Sean to his first Carnival. It is a huge street party. If you want a more relaxing experience, I'd stick with the excursion that you planned especially if it was to Maracas Beach. But, if you watch the Carnival videos on YouTube and you want to experience the whole thing, you're welcome to join us. There may be a good bit of walking involved because we'll be trying to the cousins and their band. There's usually at least 10 huge bands some with hundreds of costumed revelers and they are moving through the streets to get to one main stage. I will try to get a good realistic video to show you what it's going to be like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimDee Posted January 24 Report Share Posted January 24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimDee Posted January 24 Report Share Posted January 24 https://youtu.be/szDMDZ6Dx6g?si=REV6K2U6FJSYblOj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted January 25 Author Report Share Posted January 25 21 hours ago, KimDee said: The excursions should go off as planned I got an email today the the Trinidad excursion was canceled because of carnival WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimDee Posted January 25 Report Share Posted January 25 Ugh. I was afraid of that but didnt want to cause a false alarm. Sean and I were just talking about this today and I told him based on my past recollections about Carnival (granted that's like 20 odd years ago but the celebration has only gotten bigger) that there was a chance that any excursions needing to access main roads might be canceled. Carnival causes traffic shutdowns throughout most of the main port of spain streets because those become the band routes. While port of Spain is the biggest parade of the bands, there are others in the smaller towns and Villages which could also affect traffic. Which excursion did you book? Guess we're gonna have our own little "mas band chipping down the streets of Port of Spain". Which is just a Trinidadian way of saying there's going to be a group of us dancing our way down the streets. On the other hand, there may be taxis looking to make a huge profit by taking tourists to local areas. I'll check with my family members to see how much of port of Spain road traffic is closed due to the carnival and what alternative transport might be available and let you know what I find out Thumper44 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimDee Posted January 26 Report Share Posted January 26 Adding these screenshots here. The first is the Carnival Parade route. The second shows the location of the cruise terminal. Using the Hyatt Regency as a point of reference for both pics, you can see that the route isn't really that far from the terminal. I've been given feedback by family members that the areas closer to the port might be less crowded because some bands choose not to go all the way down to those specific judging stations. I was also told that some bands choose to take the streets later in the afternoon so depending on all aboard, we may miss a good bit of the crowds. There should be no regular traffic allowed within the parade route itself and many of the surrounding streets would be closed as well. I don't know if all excursions were canceled or just specific ones that needed to drive through Port of Spain. Thumper44 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted January 27 Author Report Share Posted January 27 On 1/25/2024 at 12:35 AM, KimDee said: Which excursion did you book? I don't recall the name of it but it was one of the see the historical sights and go shopping kind of excursions. I'm not surprised they canceled considering everything you've pointed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimDee Posted January 27 Report Share Posted January 27 Royal Caribbean is still advertising excursions to the beach and other nature based trips. Can't speak for the bird sanctuary or anything like that but if the beach excursion is still available, that might be a good backup plan. But, most people who don't go to participate or watch the parade of bands do go to the beach so I'm not sure how crowded that might be. My mom also told me that within recent years, hopping on a flight or a ferry to head over to Tobago for a beach day on Ash Wednesday has become a thing. Again, this is just feedback from family based in Trinidad. My own personal experiences are 20-ish years ago when I was a "yut". Thumper44 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AandD Posted January 31 Report Share Posted January 31 On 1/18/2024 at 9:33 PM, Thumper44 said: It's hard to say where we'll be at sail away, but this is us. Please come up and say hi. Tell us you're from the RCblog message boards!!! I see you are from KC. We are out of St. Joe. Seems like there are a lot of people on the facebook group from the area. Maybe we will run into you. Thumper44 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted February 1 Author Report Share Posted February 1 On 1/31/2024 at 4:39 AM, AandD said: Maybe we will run into you. Absolutely! We have family and friends in the St Joe, Rushville, Dekalb, Dearborn, Platte City area. We'll be wearing Chiefs shirts (at least the first few days) and will be watching the game, of course. Come say hi! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiltedFun Posted February 2 Report Share Posted February 2 So, it looks like we're going to be going with KimDee (which band are we following) for "mas" while in Port of Spain, looks like Tobago should be quiet. Watching the game with Thumper44. Thumper44 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimDee Posted February 3 Report Share Posted February 3 12 hours ago, KiltedFun said: So, it looks like we're going to be going with KimDee (which band are we following) for "mas" while in Port of Spain, looks like Tobago should be quiet. Watching the game with Thumper44. My cousins are playing with Yuma so I want to find them to "take a lil wine". Again, I urge those of you who are unfamiliar with Carnival, to have a look at the carnival videos on YouTube so you see what you're getting into Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiltedFun Posted February 4 Report Share Posted February 4 On 2/2/2024 at 8:24 PM, KimDee said: My cousins are playing with Yuma so I want to find them to "take a lil wine". Again, I urge those of you who are unfamiliar with Carnival, to have a look at the carnival videos on YouTube so you see what you're getting into I have definitely done "a lil wine in my days." Lived in NYC for 20 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimDee Posted February 4 Report Share Posted February 4 4 hours ago, KiltedFun said: I have definitely done "a lil wine in my days." Lived in NYC for 20 years Love it. I was on the Parkway many a time watching that Parade until I had my kids. Used to go up to Boston to see that Carnival and DC. Also went to Caribana a few times and even played mas there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted February 4 Author Report Share Posted February 4 On 2/2/2024 at 6:08 AM, KiltedFun said: Watching the game with Thumper44. Where at? According to the app the "Big Game" is being shown on the pool deck, in the "Pit Stop", and in the Safari Club. I think I'll gravitate toward the Safari Club, probably… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper44 Posted February 6 Author Report Share Posted February 6 We're leaving for soggy Puerto Rico in a few hours and I may not look at these boards again before we are on the ship. Travel safe everyone and see you Saturday! WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiltedFun Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 On 2/4/2024 at 3:32 PM, KimDee said: Love it. I was on the Parkway many a time watching that Parade I have been there plenty of times. I’ve also worked that parade many times. I use to be FDNY. Former paramedic. KimDee and WAAAYTOOO 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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