We chose this cruise for the great deal we found. The full itinerary didn't disappoint! Check out how we saved money on the San Juan board.
San Juan - As we expected, San Juan is back to normal and folks from the US shouldn't hesitate to visit. Taxis from the airport are still expensive as Uber still can't pick you up there (only dropoffs). Embarkation was pretty easy except the escalators weren't working forcing most to check their bags. Room was ready when we got on board about 2:30 pm. Dinner was almost cut short by safety briefing. Debarkation was super easy as we carried off our luggage. Rented a car from Charlies and enjoyed the Isla Verde beach before flying out in the afternoon.
St. Thomas - We love Lindqvist beach and it wasn't harmed by the hurricanes. We rented a car from Avis (not for everyone).
Someone posted a youtube video of this cabin which was helpful. I was nervous about booking an outside "guarantee" and I was anxious to see what cabin we would get and I had to wait until about 30 days before sailing to find out. They didn't contact us to tell us our cabin, but I discovered it by constantly checking my booking on their website. U29 was our cabin and it was just fine for us. Being fairly forward, we did hear a few bangs (I assume they were waves) and the thrusters woke us up about 6:30 to 7 am every morning as we docked. The showers are a little bigger than other ships, but the room was pretty much the same as other Carnival ships. Windows were always well salted and never washed (except by a passing rain shower). The mattresses seemed rather worn and uncomfortable. Even though I had read there was no fridge and brought a soft sided cooler to help, I struggled to keep drinks cold as the cooler was inadequate and when I asked for ice, we just got a simple plastic bucket of ice with no lid, so we quickly had water more than ice. Our steward tried to help by putting ice in the cooler but it leaked onto his towel and stained it. I gave up on our cooler and settled for the bucket and the steward started bringing ice twice a day. Just seemed like a hassle for him and us. If there's no fridge they should provide a cooler or at least an accessible ice machine down the hall.
Affordable taxis, beautiful views, nice beach at Carambola with a good snorkeling area.
At Browne's Beach the sand and sea are exactly what you'd want in the Caribbean...Paradise! We snorkeled a shipwreck and saw turtles.
Some rain and rough seas due to Tropical Storm Kirk but Vigie Beach was still very nice.
Beautiful Lindqvist Beach and awesome views on MountainTop and Paradise Point.
Embarkation was good, debarkation was great. Taxis are expensive. Isla Verde beach is very nice. Area has recovered from hurricanes and is back to normal.