December 2020 - 12 Night Caribbean & The Americas (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Celebrity Reflection
PracticeAloha
Third Mate
Now living in Florida, but after 60 years in the Hudson Valley Area of New York
Joined 03/2017
5
Cruises4
Reviews133
Helpful VotesPast cruises
March 2020 - 7 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Conquest
The Conquest - Our Taxi to Four New Ports!
This was a good way to see 4 different ports in 4 days. This will likely be our last Carnival cruise though - it's just not the overall experience we want to pay for on board ship.
December 2019 - 12 Night Southen Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Celebrity Silhouette
The Holidays at Sea? Marvelous!
So wonderful we booked for next holiday season while on board! Celebrity Reflection for 12 days next Christmas and New Years.
February 2019 - 8 Night Eastern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Conquest
Fun Cruise
Generally the cruise was fun and worth the price. There were two glaring problems, however. When is Carnival going to do something about their smoking policy? Deck 5 near and in the casino was always so smoke-filled - it was difficult to spend anytime in the casino which we enjoy due to the smoke. It's terrible for them to allow smoking anywhere on board!
Also, the Wi-Fi package was expensive and the service deplorable. When we went to customer service to complain we were not given any satisfaction and were actually told to go near the computer center and try to hook up there. They admitted the service was spotty, but had no answer for what we could do - nor did they offer a refund on the 2 packages we had bought. This was infuriating to us, especially when we learned later that my brother, who was on the same cruise, experienced the same problems and had his charge for Wi-Fi refunded. Terrible customer service for us - excellent for my brother. What gives Carnival????
March 2017 - 8 Night Southern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Conquest
First time cruisers
Took our first cruise and found that 8 nights is just too much. We are not really good cruise material, but thought we would try one so we know what it's all about (think it will appeal to us more in another 10 years or so). We enjoy getting to a location where we feel safe and excited, getting a condo for a couple of weeks, and setting out in a rental car to explore the locale. We did this on Maui for 9 years straight and found it to be exactly our kind of getaway.
That said, we did appreciate the cruise. The ship staff was super friendly and efficient. Our cabin, and the ship in general, could use some updating, but we really don't know how it compares to other ships. It was acceptable and not dirty... we just felt it was dated and well-used looking.
Food was ok, though the steakhouse experience was top-notch. We found dinner to be better than what is offered on Lido deck. Lots of choices, just not all that great quality wise.
We were so glad we took excursions on 3 of the four stops as we did get a small taste of the islands... enough to know we now want to return to Curacao and Aruba on our own.
Carnival Conquest
Sail date: March 18, 2017
Took our first cruise and found that 8 nights is just too much. We are not really good cruise material, but thought we would try one so we know what it's all about (think it will appeal to us more in another 10 years or so). We enjoy getting to a location where we feel safe and excited, getting a condo for a couple of weeks, and setting out in a rental car to explore the locale. We did this on Maui for 9 years straight and found it to be exactly our kind of getaway.
That said, we did appreciate the cruise. The ship staff was super friendly and efficient. Our cabin, and the ship in general, could use some updating, but we really don't know how it compares to other ships. It was acceptable and not dirty... we just felt it was dated and well-used looking.
Food was ok, though the steakhouse experience was top-notch. We found dinner to be better than what is offered on Lido deck. Lots of choices, just not all that great quality wise.
We were so glad we took excursions on 3 of the four stops as we did get a small taste of the islands... enough to know we now want to return to Curacao and Aruba on our own.
Celebrity Silhouette
Sail date: December 22, 2019
The Holidays at Sea? Marvelous!
So wonderful we booked for next holiday season while on board! Celebrity Reflection for 12 days next Christmas and New Years.
Carnival Conquest
Sail date: March 07, 2020
The Conquest - Our Taxi to Four New Ports!
This was a good way to see 4 different ports in 4 days. This will likely be our last Carnival cruise though - it's just not the overall experience we want to pay for on board ship.
Carnival Conquest
Sail date: February 16, 2019
Generally the cruise was fun and worth the price. There were two glaring problems, however. When is Carnival going to do something about their smoking policy? Deck 5 near and in the casino was always so smoke-filled - it was difficult to spend anytime in the casino which we enjoy due to the smoke. It's terrible for them to allow smoking anywhere on board!
Also, the Wi-Fi package was expensive and the service deplorable. When we went to customer service to complain we were not given any satisfaction and were actually told to go near the computer center and try to hook up there. They admitted the service was spotty, but had no answer for what we could do - nor did they offer a refund on the 2 packages we had bought. This was infuriating to us, especially when we learned later that my brother, who was on the same cruise, experienced the same problems and had his charge for Wi-Fi refunded. Terrible customer service for us - excellent for my brother. What gives Carnival????
Cruise tips
On Cozumel, we spent our excursion at Discover Mexico Park, roughly 2 miles from the port. It was such an interesting day! I finally learned the difference between the Aztecs and The Mayans and a whole lot more about Mexico's history. Had margaritas and they served tacos at lunchtime - all for an extra fee. Saw the Papantla Flyers - a ritual dance where participants climb a 30-meter pole and launch themselves – tied only by their waists – toward the ground. I recommend this excursion if you are interested in Mexican history - not a great outing for small children though. Also, it's entirely a walking tour (and it's HOT there) so beware... there were wheelchairs available for the disabled walkers which I did use.
Took a riverboat cruise, up the Belize River and saw Howler Monkeys, manatees and crocodiles in and along the river's edge. Stopped at Iguana Depot for lunch which was a fun hour - several iguanas were there in the trees and came down at feeding time. Had local food of Bamboo chicken, rice and beans, and green salad - WITH an old fashioned Coke in a glass bottle!
Our eexcursion on Grand Cayman was canceled by the tour operator which was a disappointment. We decided not to book something else in its place. We went ashore and spent the time in Margaritaville, having drinks and a typical bar-type lunch. It was fun, but our cancelled tour of the rum distillery and rum cake shop would have been more fun.
Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
We did a Carnival sponsored bus tour of the island with Carol as our guide. It was exceptional! Spent time at an indigenous peoples village (the Garifuna) and museum in Punta Gorda which was educational and so interesting. Then onto French Harbour where we relaxed oceanfront at The Buccaneer. It had a tidal pool and places to eat and shop AND, the best Honduran coffee shop!
We thought the port was laid out well. We enjoyed the views of bustling Miami from our veranda, but we otherwise did nothing in Miami as we live in south Florida so have been there by car several times before.
Carnival Conquest
You should expect an acceptable level of 'middle of the road' quality of everything included in your experience. Carnival Conquest is outdated but functional and a good alternative for a less expensive getaway to places you couldn't easily see on one trip as easily as you can on a cruise ship.
We enjoyed this island too.
Barbados is a fun island! We enjoyed it!
Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S.V.I.
We enjoyed our excursion here but the island did not appeal to us in the long run; meaning we did not experience an urge to return.
We enjoyed our excursion here very much!
This was by far the most amazing excursion through The Spice Island. The island smells of the spices as soon as you feel a breeze. I highly recommend this island for seeing the lush vegetation and rain forest settings we tend to associate with tropical islands. Grenada is beautiful!
Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida
We live not too far from port so did not spend time here except to embark and disembark here.
We enjoyed our excursion here very much, but at the last stop, a tour mate fell and hit his head. He ended up being OK but he and his wife had to leave the cruise and fly home as his concussion was too much to continue. That put a damper on the day but it had nothing to do with the beautiful island of Saint Lucia.
We had been here before and had a wonderful excursion that trip, but our excursion for this trip had been cancelled and we were just too tired after back-to-back excursions for 6 days to book anything else. Saint Kitts is a favorite island of ours, though, so we do recommend visiting it. It's very clean! i
Celebrity Silhouette
Talk to the staff - they may be very different from you, but they are warm, feeling, individuals with so much to share of their lives. It's a great opportunity to make new friends!
Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida
We live near here and did not spend time in port except to access the ship.
Enjoyed our excursion highlights but too much freeway driving for our taste. The rainforest part of the excursion and the time at the fort were both interesting, but the driving time to see all the sites was just too much.
St. Kitts is stunningly beautiful - our favorite Caribbean Island now. Took a 4x4 'safari' excursion with Greg's Tours and LOVED it!
This is a fun port with excellent offerings for beach or pool swimming.
We did an excursion and found the island to be surprisingly littered which was too bad. I do not mean the residual hurricane Irma damage either; just general road trash. We were hoping to feel more welcomed as well but found the French side a little standoffish.
Unfortunately, it poured rain while we were in port here. Not the greatest way to be introduced to the island but can't change Mother Nature.
The excursion we took included the sugar cane field and the cigar making stops. These areas of the DR are very poor and so dirty. It was upsetting to see how the people live with all the litter around and don't have enough pride to clean it up. Sad.
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