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My Response to Anti-Puerto Rico Message Board Posters

T.I. Cruiser — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:00:25 +0000

I spend a lot of time reading various message boards and am always surprised by the amount of posts stating how rude the people of Puerto Rico are on board the cruise ship. In fact, a couple of years ago I recommended a cruise to a couple of members of my family and they expressed those same concerns. In my opinion if you think they are rude you must have never been to New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore or any other big city on the east coast. I have always been under the impression that if anyone thinks Puerto Rican cruisers are rude its because you either don’t understand or are unwilling to accept their culture. Here are some things you need to realize.

They probably will speak their native language, but they are on vacation with family and friends and have far better things to talk about than you. Get some self-esteem and stop being so paranoid
There will be a lot Puerto Ricans on board the ship, but I have never heard of people complaining about the number of Floridians on a cruise out of Port Canaveral. I don’t see what the big deal is about this.
At times they will cut in line. I have been on cruises out of many different ports and have yet to survive one without being “line jumped”. Additionally I have noticed that the Puerto Rican technique for line jumping is no different than the one used by most people from middle-America. Mom stands in front, dad stands in back. Mom keeps moving while dad stops as fifteen kids fill in the space in between.
Any time a cruise director says Puerto Rico they will cheer so loud you will think you are the only non-Puerto Rican people on board the ship, until the cruise director says either Canada or New Jersey.
The last thing you need to realize is that if we all spent more time enjoying what it is we like to do on vacation instead of worrying about what others are doing to enjoy theirs, we would all probably enjoy our vacations so much more.

Edit: This post was written in response to a couple of emails I received from people telling me about their nightmares of cruising out of Puerto Rico.

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Why you should take a cruise out of Puerto Rico?

T.I. Cruiser — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 10:54:06 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I took a cruise on the Carnival Victory out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. This was probably my fourth or fifth cruise out of that port and it remains one of my favorite ports of embarkation. While I don’t mind taking a cruise out of any port to me cruising out of San Juan is much better than leaving from Miami, Fort Lauderdale or just about any U.S. Port. Below are five reasons why I enjoy cruising out of San Juan, lets see if you agree.

It gives you an extra Caribbean port of call?

Flying in early or staying a day late gives you some additional time to prepare or recoup Caribbean style. While I do recommend flying in early or staying a day late any time you get the chance, being able to do it in the Caribbean is a definite plus. Most of the time when our ship docks we get to see the touristy side of an island. However, I really enjoy when sun goes down and the locals come out. Old San Juan is the one place I have been where I get to see a true fusion of local nightlife mixing with incoming cruisers. It is always a fun time.

Old San Juan is such a romantic place

Strolling around Old San Juan with my lady is one of the most relaxing and romantic parts of any cruise. Although at times San Juan gets a bad rep as being a bit scary, I have never experienced anything even remotely dangerous. Most of the areas are well populated and there is always a strong police presence. It isn’t unusual for us to spend hours sitting on a bench listening to Salsa Music spilling out onto the street from one of the many nightclubs, or sipping on Sangria at a sidewalk cafe. Once we even sat for about 30 minutes watching a family of locals, a mother and her three kids playing a game of red-light, green-light Here at home kids are in such a hurry to grow up and we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of working ridiculous hours that it was refreshing to see kids being kids and parents being parents (its not nearly as common as it should be).

Old San Juan has some of the best Restaurants you will find anywhere

Old San Juan is home to some of the best chefs and restaurants you will find in the Caribbean. The area known as Sofo (South Fortaleza) is a dense concentration of restaurants where you will find anything from authentic Puerto Rican food to Latin Japanese Fusion to a good old fashioned hamburger. If you can’t find a mind blowing meal in Old San Juan you really need to get both your palette and your sense of adventure checked.

Leaving From Puerto Rico gives you a chance to experience the Southern Caribbean on a seven day cruise

Since you are already in the Caribbean by the time you board your leaving from Puerto Rico gives you the ability to travel much further south than cruises leaving from U.S. Ports of embarkation. My first cruise out of San Juan took me down to Aruba which is nearly as far south as you can go in the Caribbean. The last cruise I took on the Carnival Victory took us as far south as St. Lucia and Barbados which isn’t extremely far but also gave us the advantage of being able to stop at a different island every day. Had we started our vacation in Miami we would have had to sacrifice either half the ports (for sea days) or not gone nearly as far south.

The people of Puerto Rico really know how to party

Some of the most fun sail away parties I have ever had were out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, participation is usually off the charts. While I am not a big participant in choreographed line dances I do enjoy watching them and there is nothing sadder than seeing more members of the cruise directors staff doing the dancing than passengers. I also really enjoy kicking back in the hot tub giving my extremely limited faux-Spanish a try which is something I can’t really do anywhere else.

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Cruising On The Danube River

T.I. Cruiser — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:00:16 +0000

When most hear the term cruise, they think of the huge ocean liners that are built to accommodate thousands of vacationers. But some cruisers prefer to travel on a much smaller scale and enjoy river cruising. Viking River Cruises is one of the most popular river cruise lines. Although Viking River Cruises isn’t the only cruise line specializing in river cruising, it is still one of the more popular, offering a wide variety of trips to choose from. Viking offers extensive all-inclusive packages that guide adventurers through Europe, Russia, China, and Egypt. Travelers explore the regions through carefully planned, guided tours of historical and cultural sites and excursions to museums and local attractions. One of their European cruises, the Romantic Danube, not only takes travelers to the larger cities of Europe but also to the smaller, quaint communities along the Danube River. The Danube is one of the longest rivers in Europe.

This 8-day trip includes 7 guided tours spanning three different countries. The first two days consist of exploring the capital of Hungary, Budapest. There’s much to see here as it is considered to be the hub of central Europe and is regarded to many as one of the most beautiful cities in all of Europe. Viking will take guests on tours of both sides of the Danube that divides the city. Highlights of Budapest include the National Opera House, Parliament Building, and Castle District. Stunning views of the city can be seen on top of the hill where Fishermen’s Bastion and Matthias Church lie.

Stops in Vienna feature plenty of free time to explore with brief tours of the surrounding architecture, the circular road of Ringstrasse, and the Hofburg Theater. If you’re a fan of the medieval period and enjoy learning about the period’s history, Melk features a library that boasts an interesting collection of medieval manuscripts. The cruise also features a trip to Regensburg, which still has many of its medieval qualities intact. The tour through Regensburg makes for a very scenic tour with the preserved 13^th and 14^th century architecture.

Another highlight of this Danube River cruise is the trip through the Main-Danube Canal, which is 106 miles long. Many people enjoy going though the numerous locks of this famous canal that connects 10 European countries. The canal allows travel from the North Sea to the Black Sea. The last stop of the cruise is Nuremburg and famous sites include the former Nazi parade grounds and the Palace of Justice, the location of the Nuremberg Trials. Travelers also visit the Main Railway Station and Elizabeth and St. James Church.

River cruising is becoming popular in the tourism industry because it allows travelers to visit locations faster and easier, with river cruises often docking in the middle of cities, something many other large-ship cruises cannot do. The Viking Pride ship carries a maximum of only 150 passengers, making its river cruise much more intimate than traditional ocean liner cruises. But the accommodations are spacious and comfortable with panoramic views, fine dining and hotel-style staterooms. Those who have never heard of river cruising before might just find the perfect trip for them on one of Viking’s Danube River cruises.

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Suite Perks for Royal Caribbean Passengers

T.I. Cruiser — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:00:20 +0000

In the midst of the announcements concerning charges for room service and an additional cost menu item, Royal Caribbean is finally doing something to benefit some guest. This week Royal Caribbean has announced a bevy of benefits for their guests staying in suites. These new benefits range from special key cards to VIP seating at the pool and will commence this March.

Here is a list of the new benefits:

Concierge Club access – All suite guests aboard Radiance-, Voyager- and Freedom-class ships will receive access to the Concierge Club.
Elite keycards Guests staying in Grand Suites or higher will receive a special gold key card so the staff can better identify you.
Extra Edibles – On the first formal evening, Suite guests will receive a pre-dinner cheese presentation, with petit fours delivered at turndown on the second formal evening. Free 24-hour room service, coffee and tea will be available throughout the cruise, guests will also be able to order a full breakfast, lunch and dinner from the main dining room’s menus.
Priority check-in – Guests staying in the Presidential Family, Royal, Royal Family, Owner’s and Grand suites will be granted access to dedicated security and check-in lines to expedite the embarkation process. Those staying in the top-tier Royal and Presidential Family suites will be met and escorted onboard by a senior officer.
Priority disembarkation and luggage service – Passengers will have access to priority disembarkation and will receive complimentary luggage transfer to the airport.
Upgraded cabin amenities – Scheduled to be completed by 2010 is the refurnishing of some 2000+ suites across the fleet. Upgrades will include plush sofa beds, new deckchairs and tables, and new entertainment systems including flat-panel televisions and CD/DVD players.
Upgraded room service – Suite guests will be able to enjoy complimentary slippers, bathrobes, Vitality bathroom toiletries, Ghirardelli chocolates at turndown, plush duvets and a special pillow menu.
VIP access – Guests staying in the Grand Suite and higher category cabins will receive an invitation to a private cocktail reception hosted by the Captain. They will also receive VIP seating for shows in the main theater, priority bookings in the salon and spa, and priority access for tendering and shore excursion tickets.
VIP poolside seating – Suite passengers sailing on Voyager- and Freedom-class ships will be able to access reserved VIP seating both poolside and at the ice shows in the Studio B venue.

How do you feel about the new benefits for Royal Caribbean’s Suite Guests?

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My March Cruise on the Adventure of the Seas

T.I. Cruiser — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 11:00:36 +0000

Finally, I have completed the planning of my March cruise. Well, actually I did it a couple of weeks ago but haven’t had a chance to sit down and write about my choices. I will be on the March 15^th sailing of the Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas, leaving from San Juan, Puerto Rico. I have sailed this itinerary before on the Adventure of the Seas (AOS) and really enjoyed it so I figured, why not do a repeat. We booked a run of the mill inside guarantee in order to keep down the costs, which is fine with me since I am more of a people watcher than cruise cabin shut-in.

March 15th Adventure of the Seas

The reason I chose this cruise is because I love the Southern Caribbean and I am a big fan of spending the night in San Juan prior to sailing. In my opinion, Aruba and Curacao are extremely relaxing and offer a different flavor than the rest of the Caribbean. Although I am not really a St. Thomas fan, St. Martin may very well be my favorite Caribbean cruise port.

As I mentioned earlier, I plan on flying into San Juan the day before the ship leaves. A pre-cruise stay in Puerto Rico serves two roles. First flying in a day early allows me to go out and get a real feel for the nightlife in Old San Juan. Through the years, I have developed a great comfort level with Old San Juan. I feel completely at home navigating the streets, mingling with the locals and I have even made a friend or two in my trips there that I wouldn’t mind seeing again. My second reason for flying in a day early is to have a buffer for any inclement weather that may hit the northeast in March.

Normally I only do direct vacation flights since I am always afraid of missing a connection, however this time I am taking a flight that has one connection. At literally half the price I just couldn’t pass up on a deal that gets me to the destination only 3 hours later than the direct flight. The two flights are spaced with enough time that I shouldn’t have much of a problem making the connection which does give me peace of mind, but in the event of something going wrong the unbeatable combination of travel insurance and having a one day buffer guarantees that I don’t miss the ship.

We chose the Condado Plaza as our pre-cruise hotel. I have stayed at this particular hotel once before and really enjoyed it so I figured why not try again. Well, that’s not entirely true. I was planning to take my chances with Priceline but that idea was shot down. In any case, I am pretty happy with all of the accommodations I have booked.

I started out with a certain price in mind that I did not want to exceed. By using a few different websites and a couple of hours of time doing research, I was able to hit nearly all of my targets. I feel the key to getting what I wanted was to have realistic targets and a solid plan before I started pricing my cruise. In the end, I feel it really paid off because I ended up getting the entire vacation booked for just over two thousand dollars.

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