Daddy / Daughter vacation

[TPD]

Originally Posted by lovinmaryland

Would you mind posting some more info about the ship, ports, etc... I am going on this exact sailing in December! SUPER EXCITED

I submitted a review to CC last night but it says it could take a couple of days to be reviewed and submitted. Here are some highlights that may help but feel free to send a PM.

San Juan - the daughter and I did the zip-line excursion through Celebrity. This is the one that is only about a 30 minute drive from Old San Juan. We enjoyed it and highly recommend it. I tried to do this on my own but was having difficulty with arrangements, and in the end with a taxi to get us there, would have cost more than doing through the cruise line. We arrived back to the port too late to do much else, but I learned that there is a free trolley in Old San Juan that has numerous stops - will try next time. I have been to the rain forrest in the past but the drive one-way is over an hour.

St. Maarten - We had wanted to do the Rhino Riders on our own, but when we got to the info desk in port, the next available tour wasn't till 2:30 - would have been cutting it close on getting back to ship in time. This is possible to do on your own I believe but better get there early. So we walked about 2 minutes outside of the port to a shack that does bicycle rentals. We would have enjoyed doing this but when we got there, no one was manning the place. We walked another 5 minutes towards town and found 2 places renting ATVs. I negotiated with one guy on a rental since it was almost noon when we ventured out. Mistake - we got an ATV that was not in such great shape, though it did get us around the island. We had fun driving around the island making a few stops. I think next time we will rent a better ATV and drive to the zip-line place (we like ziplining in case you didn't notice!) and then head to the beach. Maho Beach was neat to see and the beach is good.

St. Kitts - This has been my best experience in the caribbean ever! I reserved a scooter ahead of time through this place and can't wait to go back and do it again. The owner of this place was one of those guys I would love to have working for me - took the time to go over the must-see places and give instruction on operation of the scooter. The scooter was well maintained and we enjoyed driving around the island at our leisure and stopping at different places to explore. I can't say enough about this. Everyone in St. Kitts is very nice and helpful -We got lost once and had no problem stopping to ask for directions. We enjoyed the beach at South Friar's Bay - not crowded for us when we were there.

The ship itself is gorgeous. We did the Lawn Club Grill the 1st night because of the discount. Would not recommend this at full price. We have done Murano's, Qsine, and Tuscan on previous cruises and enjoyed them. I did Bistro on 5 for the 1st time on this cruise and will do it again. I did the alcohol package, the kid got the soda package. Service was excellent. Food was excellent throughout. Entertainment was some of the best we have had on a cruise.

I highly recommend this ship and itinerary if Celebrity is what you like. I can send you the link to my pics if interested, not that I am that good of a picture taker.

[luvmygdaughters]

Well, we're not doing a cruise after all. Hubby has always wanted to do an all inclusive resort. We found a great deal in Cancun on a resort that is only a year old. Very resonable price which includes airfare. Tripadvisor had wonderful reviews about the service, food and people. We're going in May, I'll let you know how it is.

[TPD]

Originally Posted by luvmygdaughters

Well, we're not doing a cruise after all. Hubby has always wanted to do an all inclusive resort. We found a great deal in Cancun on a resort that is only a year old. Very resonable price which includes airfare. Tripadvisor had wonderful reviews about the service, food and people. We're going in May, I'll let you know how it is.

I will be interested in hearing your opinion/comments on an all-inclusive vs a cruise. Should have a lot of similarities/benefits - unpack once, no arguing over where you are gonna eat, unlimited alcohol, a safe environment, etc.

BTW, My Reflection review was published on CC.