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Name: Dale Nicodemi
Email: Nicodemi@aol.com
Age: 39
Occupation: Teacher
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-NordicEmpress
SailingDate: April 20, 1998
Itinerary: San Juan, Virgin Islands
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 99
CabinComfort: 80
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 80
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 75
FoodMidnightBuffets: 80
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 80
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService:
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 99
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 75
EntertShowLounge:
OverallPortsofCall:
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities:
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark:
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace:
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio:
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 28 Apr 1998
Time: 17:34:52
Remote Name: 152.163.207.40
Remote User:
Comments
As you see, this was my first cruise. We arrived in San Juan mid-day and easily found the
Royal Carribean people in the airport that directed to a line which
moved quickly to the buses. We were at the pier in no time. Before you board the ship
there's a large building where you get in line to receive a card that
will serve as a charge card and allows you to get on and off the ship. Then you take an
escalator upstairs where you will find a liquor store. We were told
that this would be the only opportunity to get liquor before boarding. It was much more
convenient than having to go into San Juan as we had incorrectly
expected. We overstocked of course. We were traveling with our 2 kids and 17 other family
members that also purchased liquor so we had way too much
in the end. I'd recommend getting soda for kids since they provide a 6-pack in your room
upon arrival but it costs $1.50 a can so buy it in advance. We
boarded and had no idea where to go but the staff was ready and waiting to help. We had
the Main seating for dinner so that was at 6:15 pm. I liked that
but you do feel rushed. Enough details. Our trip began on a Monday in San Juan and ended
on a Friday in San Juan. That meant that on Tuesday when
you woke up you were at St. Thomas, Wednesday you were at St. Martins and Thursday, St.
Croix. We had practically no time on the ship during the day so
I would recommend a longer cruise with a day on board to decompress. The vacation was
fabulous but very rushed. We are the type to not want to miss
anything so we seemed to be going at a fast pace all the time. We shopped on St. Thomas.
None of us are big shoppers but we wanted to see what all the
fuss was about. It was fun to see the busy streets but it was quite hot, 85 to 90, and we
were eager to go snorkeling which started at 1:00. We went back
to the ship for lunch and headed to a room for our excursion. It costs $38/person to take
a boat to St. John's and it was well worth it. We snorkeled two
more times and nothing compared to this. Some other family members headed to Buck Island
to snorkel and they raved about that as well. They saw sea
turtles, we didn't but I think either excursion would be good to choose. We again headed
to town in St. Martins...only because my son was pricing a Swiss
Army knife which we never bought but should have. The particular one he wanted was in St.
Thomas for $28 and it's $45 in the U.S. Oops. We decided to
see if getting our own transportation to a local beach by one of the taxi drivers would be
cheaper. The drivers practically attack you when you get to town.
One of them convinced us to go to Dawn Beach. It was an unbelievable trip up and down
bumpy roads which I think was part of the adventure. The beach
was nice but he had said we could snorkel when we couldn't. There were some topless woman
and one naked man but my kids never even noticed. The
woman were very discrete and the kids (ages 10 & 11) were too busy in the water and
playing in the sand to notice. It was quite disappointing for them
when they later discovered what they had missed. In St. Croix we headed for a Dive Shop
just off of the pier. For $20 per person they would transport us
to their dive shop 30 minutes away and provide equipment to snorkel and return us to the
pier whenever we wanted. We had a group of 14 and this
worked out well. I think it was Cane Beach, spelling is wrong. We snorkeled and at last
relaxed in the water and at the restaurant/bar that was a short walk
from the water. $6.50 for a hamburg was steep so we opted for a $2.50 hotdog. Fancy drinks
were $5.50, a beer was $3.00. St. Croix was relaxing,
quiet, not crowded and we managed to get away from all the crazy tourists like ourselves.
Nice coral was also washed up on the shore so my kids took the
liberty of packing afew pieces in their bags to go home with. You had to pack all your
things by 11:00 pm - midnight. A real drag. That meant that we would
have to lug our carry on until our flight left at 4:20 pm. We managed to get a van for all
14 of us and he took us around Old San Juan and the Rum Factory.
Skip the Rum Factory...it was terribly boring for all of us but it killed some time in an
air conditioned environment. The temp for the week was around 85 or
so...cooler in San Juan but still too hot to do much walking (with carry-on's). So to
summarize, our favorite experiences were the snorkeling trip from St.
Thomas to St. John's Island, the fabulous day in St. Croix, the shows on board that began
at 9:00 pm and the food and service in the dining room. The
complaints would have to be the cabin size (we had the smallest) and the length of the
trip which certainly is not too much to complain about. I'd
recommend it to anyone that doesn't have the time or money to do a 7 day cruise. My son
wanted me to add something. When they say don't touch the
sea urchins....Don't. He accidently touched one with the tip of a finger. He thought
something bite him at first until we realized that he was in very shallow
water with sea urchins too close. The pain was unbelievable, it ruined his experience, and
the pain could last for 2 to 3 days. He was lucky. By night time
his finger was more numb than painful but it was tramatic. We were given ice on the ship
to help with the pain but I later found out that you should use
vinegar. Just don't touch anything...coral, sea urchins, etc. and you'll be ok.
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