Welcome to Cruise Talk the Internet's most popular discussion forum dedicated to cruising. Stop by Cruise Talk anytime to post a message or find out what your fellow passengers and industry insiders are saying about a particular ship, cruise line or destination.
>>> Reader Reviews >>> CruisePage.com Photo Gallery >>> Join Our Cruise Club.
Latest News...Explora Journeys, the luxury ocean travel brand of the MSC Group, today celebrated another important milestone in its mission to redefine high-end hospitality at sea and further strengthen its position in the ultra-luxury travel segment. During a triple ceremony held at Fincantieri's Sestri Ponente shipyard in Genoa, Italy, Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of the Cruise Division....
Latest News...Carnival Cruise Line- Opens in new window is rolling out its latest onboard enhancement, Express Dining, giving guests a more convenient option with the same quality cuisine and dining experience Carnival is known for. The program is now available on 15 ships and will be fully implemented across the fleet by the end of May. Available nightly in each ship’s main dining room, ..
Latest News...Princess Cruises today announced its spectacular 2028 World Cruise onboard Coral Princess, a 115-day, globe-spanning journey to 49 destinations across 24 countries and five continents - featuring 39 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, more overnight and late-night stays, and a maiden call to Mossel Bay, South Africa. Departing January 3, 2028,...
I can't wait.... inthesouth@msn.com
The catamaran/snorkel tours that come with drinks included are alot of fun. SOme people we met did the Blackbeards beach cay trip and enjoyed it.
St. Thomas:On St. Thomas, the kontiki party was a great party boat. If your in the mood for something more romantic which is probably the case here, I would reccommend the buck island tour. They take you to a nice beach and provide snorkeling gear and drinks.
San Juan:The Carabali horseback riding sounded nice in the brochure but I didn't care for it. There were too many people and I thought we would be in a rainforest. It was more like a slightly wooded area and the swimming hole was nothing special. Nobody even went in the water when we went. The horseback on the beach sounded nice but your best bet is probably to just sleep in and walk around old san juan (right off the boat) for a while.
Labadee:Labadee is one of my favorite stops. I love going on the amiga island tour (done it 4 times, plan to go again in june). The people who run it are really nice and it takes you to a nice tiny island to snorkel or just lie around a nice secluded beach. You could walk around the entire island of amiga in about 10 minutes. Afterwards, I like to get a bite on labadee (they have a bar-b-que) and find a nice hammock to nap in. The best beach on labadee is the farthest away. You can get on one of the tractor pulled carts and they will take you there. I think its called dragons rock or something. Most people hang out by the nearest beach and it gets crowded. It is definitely worth the trip to the further beaches. You will have the whole place to yourself. You can get a GREAT picture of the ship if you walk up to the end of the rocks. They have built a walkway to the end of the cove where there is a great view of the ship against the mountains.
We have been pretty happy with the rcl excursions we have taken but sometimes the road less travelled makes all the difference. I would check into chartering your own boat with one of the local guys on one of the islands. You could probably find some charters online or by talking to the guy on the ship. They have people who specialize in finding local vendors that have proven to be honest and give good deals. Some of my friends have cut there own deals with taxi drivers for personal tours. They have discovered some nice local secret spots doing this. Be careful though if you don't do a RCL tour and ask the experts on board about what to look out for. Better safe than sorry.
Lastly, consider staying on board for at least part of the day at one of the stops. Its an awesome ship and the only time to really get some time alone with her is when the other 3,000 people are off doing there own thing.
Enjoy & Congrats!!!
Ultimate Bulletin BoardTM 6.1.0.3
More Vacation & Cruise Specials...