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26-06-2005, 03:39 AM
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#1
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Eastern Caribbean Cruise
We are going on a caribbean cruise on Royal caribbean
from Miami
Navigator
Sailing on July 2 for days.
is this a bad time of the year to go on such a cruise?
It is the EASTERN Caribbean cruise.
We are a family of 4.
2 parents and 2 kids -
2 boys 13 and 9
Since we are on a budget .......
Question on Excursions
***************************
Which are the best Excursions ?
Which offers god value ?
What Excursions should we not miss ?
What would be really great for such a family ?
Any pointers help would be highly appreciated
Any other unrelated suggestions to the above are MOST welcome.
Thanks
Ava
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26-06-2005, 05:51 PM
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#2
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Re: Eastern Caribbean Cruise
On 06/25/2005 12:39 PM avacohen100@yahoo.com while holding "court",
exclaimed:
>We are going on a caribbean cruise on Royal caribbean
>from Miami
>
>Navigator
>
>Sailing on July 2 for days.
>
>is this a bad time of the year to go on such a cruise?
>
>It is the EASTERN Caribbean cruise.
>
>We are a family of 4.
>2 parents and 2 kids -
>2 boys 13 and 9
>
>Since we are on a budget .......
>
>Question on Excursions
>***************************
>
>Which are the best Excursions ?
>
>Which offers god value ?
>
>What Excursions should we not miss ?
>
>What would be really great for such a family ?
>
>Any pointers help would be highly appreciated
>
>Any other unrelated suggestions to the above are MOST welcome.
>
>Thanks
>Ava
>
>
>
Most of the folks who cruise, chat and review their cruising experiences
at: rec.travel.cruises .If you post your question there, you'll get lots
of responses.
As for excursions, sometimes you are better off taking those offered by
the ship. This is true if you don't have much experience in selecting a
reliable tour operator. Plus, if there are any delays the ship is more
inclined to wait for folks on a ship's excursion.
Let's see boys 13, and 9. If they are good swimmers I can't think of
anything more fun than a reef snorkeling excursion. I'm not sure if the
9 year old may meet age/hight requirements but if so, riding horses in
the water can be fun. You get wet and cooled off and the horses seem to
like it too. Some of these are just old nags that are ridden in a
straight line, no fun. So ask questions. There are hight age
requirements for some things so check before you book. Many excursions
are non-refundable. If your itinerary includes a stop at Grand Cayman
(more of a Western Caribbean but sometimes included in Eastern), an
excursion to Sting Ray City is a must. It's a sand bar off Grand Cayman
reachable only by boat. Sting Rays congregate there and don't mind
being fed by humans.
You might also put out feelers for dolphin encounters. The ones where
the dolphins are in pens are kind of sad. But some are better then
others. There are a few where the dolphins are free to come and go as
they please, they come back for the free fish. Plus, I think they are
just as curious about us as we are about them. I have been on wild
dolphin swims off the Florida Keys. However, there's less leeway for
lapses in dolphin ettequit. You don't want to annoy or shock a wild
dolphin. So wild encounters are something the boys can do when they are
older.
Personally, for boys their age, I would book a Western Caribbean cruise
that included Grand Cayman, Cozumel (excursions to Mayan Ruins on
mainland.) and Jamaica (climbing Duns River Falls). But, you probably
got a good deal on this one. If you haven't already gotten your cruise
documents, take a good look at them. There should be some literature
about ports-of-call and excursions. Most of these indicate the degree
of physical activity (walking, climbing, swimming) involved and any age
hight limitations. They should give you an idea of what's available in
any port and how much it costs. If you opt to take a non-ship sponsored
excursion, 1) it shouldn't cost more than the ship's one or extremely
less, 2) pay attention to transport times, distance from the port and
amount of activity time. You should be returned to the port at the
latest 1 hour before the ship sails. Always set your watches to ship's
time and be aware of the difference in local time.
Someone I know made the costly mistake of engaging a local guide who's
time was 2 hours earlier than ship's time. She just told the
guide/driver "We need to be back at the port at 4:00 pm." The driver
complied, but to her chagrin the ship had already sailed. There were
cruise line officers at the port that were very helpful in facilitating
her transport to the next port of call, but she had to pay all the
additional transport costs herself. So, maintaining awareness of ship's
time is very important.
--
________
To email me, Edit "blog" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951
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