Questions about 7 Day Southern Caribbean

[jme02067]

Anyone have anymore info on getting to San Juan, Puerto Rico (ways to get cheap flights and traveling to the boat from airport)?

Also, we will likely be staying overnight in San Juan for one night. Anyone know of good hotels for a cheap stay?

How about this being a good cruise for me and my friends (given our age and status as college students)?

[Cruise Specialist]

Welcome to cruise-chat Jake,

When you state that the Destiny is the best value for your cruise, have you compared air-fare, extra hotel night and transfers to the ship. If you fly into the airport and plan on staying overnight then you will have to get a taxi to take you to the hotel.

I just checked, you can actually do an Exotic Western cruise out of Miami for just a couple dollars more then flying to San Juan.

Before you book, get a good TA to work with you and help you plan this out. Sometimes a great price on a cruise is not such a great deal if you end up spending extra money on getting there and all the extras.

Good luck in planning this, you do need to make a decision soon as Spring Break cruises sell out fast and sometimes the closer you get to the date the higher the prices go.

[Cruisehappy]

I looked at the change and Barbados is my favorite port. Although, the ship use to stay until 10:00PM now it leaves at 5:00PM so I don't know how the Boatyard will be for partying. Ask a crew member. San Juan, the ship leaves at 10:00PM so you can go to Senor Frogs and have a great time.

[llev80]

Hey Jake,

I went on the Destiny in Feb, 2005 with some college friends. At the time, we had been out of school for about a year and we were all around 25 years old.

The boat and itinerary are fantastic. The downside to this ship is that most passengers are Spanish speaking. I would say that 75% of the boat was Spanish speaking and were natives of San Juan. Most of the music in the bars/clubs was Latino as well. This might be what you are looking for but for us it was difficult and frustrating to communicate/connect with many of the other passengers.

I have been on 8 Carnival Cruises and have always been the one to make the arrangements for our group. It’s a lot of fun and can be rewarding for you if you hook your friends up with a good deal and everyone has a great time. Here's my advice:

If you are flying out of New England, plan to arrive the night before to avoid being delayed and missing your sailing do to a snow storm. It almost happened to me so I always fly in the night before. As mentioned above, take into consideration the extra cost of lodging when comparing cruise prices. Compare different cruise itineraries based on the total cost per person including air, hotel, transportation, parking, etc.

Take a direct flight- No connections!!! I went on a cruise out of San Juan (Royal Caribbean) and had a connection in Philadelphia. The airline lost our luggage and it took 3 days for it to arrive. It was terrible! You and your buddies will have a difficult time picking up the ladies if you’re wearing the same t-shirt on day 3 that you wore the day you boarded the ship- trust me -. This can be avoided my booking a direct flight. If your buddies are hesitant b/c they don't want to spend the extra money for the direct flight remind them of what can go wrong.

Splurge for a balcony. Great place to have a few drinks before heading out and even better place to end the night once the bars have closed. Plus, the ladies always enjoy a cocktail on the balcony.

If you are on a tight budget go for an inside cabin- do not spend the extra money for a window as they are useless. Either go inside cabin in the bottom of the boat to save some money or go big and book a balcony.

Alcohol- Read the numerous threads on how to smuggle it aboard. This is a great way to save money and will allow you and your friends to get a buzz going before you get up on deck or go out for the night.

Request the latest Dinner seating available. Less families with children and it gives you some time to get a nap in or catch a little extra sun before dinner.

Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck in your planning.

Louis

[TrvlPro]

Alcohol- Read the numerous threads on how to smuggle it aboard. This is a great way to save money and will allow you and your friends to get a buzz going before you get up on deck or go out for the night.

Louis, I was right with you and thought you provided very good advice until I got to the quote above. Couln't you get buzzed at home a lot cheaper? No need to smuggle, no ship full of other people to p!$$ off in the process.

Neil

[jme02067]

Louis,

Thanks for all the details.

I doubt we will spend the extra cost on a balcony (likely just inside cabin).

What thread would you suggest I look at for ways to sneak on booze.

Thanks,

Jake

Originally posted by llev80:
Hey Jake,

I went on the Destiny in Feb, 2005 with some college friends. At the time, we had been out of school for about a year and we were all around 25 years old.

The boat and itinerary are fantastic. The downside to this ship is that most passengers are Spanish speaking. I would say that 75% of the boat was Spanish speaking and were natives of San Juan. Most of the music in the bars/clubs was Latino as well. This might be what you are looking for but for us it was difficult and frustrating to communicate/connect with many of the other passengers.

I have been on 8 Carnival Cruises and have always been the one to make the arrangements for our group. It’s a lot of fun and can be rewarding for you if you hook your friends up with a good deal and everyone has a great time. Here's my advice:

If you are flying out of New England, plan to arrive the night before to avoid being delayed and missing your sailing do to a snow storm. It almost happened to me so I always fly in the night before. As mentioned above, take into consideration the extra cost of lodging when comparing cruise prices. Compare different cruise itineraries based on the total cost per person including air, hotel, transportation, parking, etc.

Take a direct flight- No connections!!! I went on a cruise out of San Juan (Royal Caribbean) and had a connection in Philadelphia. The airline lost our luggage and it took 3 days for it to arrive. It was terrible! You and your buddies will have a difficult time picking up the ladies if you’re wearing the same t-shirt on day 3 that you wore the day you boarded the ship- trust me -. This can be avoided my booking a direct flight. If your buddies are hesitant b/c they don't want to spend the extra money for the direct flight remind them of what can go wrong.

Splurge for a balcony. Great place to have a few drinks before heading out and even better place to end the night once the bars have closed. Plus, the ladies always enjoy a cocktail on the balcony.

If you are on a tight budget go for an inside cabin- do not spend the extra money for a window as they are useless. Either go inside cabin in the bottom of the boat to save some money or go big and book a balcony.

Alcohol- Read the numerous threads on how to smuggle it aboard. This is a great way to save money and will allow you and your friends to get a buzz going before you get up on deck or go out for the night.

Request the latest Dinner seating available. Less families with children and it gives you some time to get a nap in or catch a little extra sun before dinner.

Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck in your planning.

Louis

[llev80]

Jake,

Not sure where the thread on alcohol is but maybe Dave can point you in the right direction. Dave- can you help us out?

By the way, the Destiny is by far the best itinerary I've been on so don't let my experience discourage you from booking this cruise. It was a blast!

Neil,

Glad you thought most of my advice was good. I used the phrase "get a buzz" as a figure of speech. I'm on the younger side (27) but drink responsibly and never disrespect those around me. It sounds like you had a bad experience? It's too bad that a couple of roudy drunks ruined your impression of younger cruisers and their partying ways.

I typically take a bottle or two on board b/c it is convenient to have a couple of drinks in my room w/out having to order from room service. Yes, it does save some money but its not my primary motivation.

Louis

[TrvlPro]

Louis, I apologize. I was out of line with the comment. One of those days.

Cheers, Neil

[llev80]

No worries Neil. Thanks for the apology.

Louis

[KAWS]

I found two sites that work great for flights. First one is flightnetwork.com and the second is sidestep.com. Both are pretty good for finding good flights. I like flightnetwork best because it will also pair you up with one airline going/one coming if it makes the flight cheaper.

We just got back from a cruise and one of the stops was San Juan. RIGHT at the pier is the Sheraton Old San Juan. It is probably a bit pricier but you save taxi to the pier because you can just haul your bags across the road to the pier and you're there.

Another suggestion for rooms is priceline.com Read biddingfortravel.com before you bid though to find out how and get some valuable pointers.

Kim