...and a happy New Year! 12/30/2010

[Rose Quartz]

Hi Jule, and Welcome!

Add us to the list of first timers on Eastern Caribbean. DH and I plan to play it by ear and see where that gets us.

 

[sdchickie]

Welcome Julie! We just got off an Eastern in October and in St.Thomas we took a cab to Sapphire beach and it was absolutely beautiful! We will be going over to St. John this trip because I've heard great things about it. I'm guessing you've done Nassau since you've been to the Bahamas. St. Marten will be a first for us as well, but I've heard that going over to Maho beach and watching the planes land right over your head is pretty cool.

 

[twokats]

We just booked last minute. Happy to be on for New Year's! Can anyone give us any tips on shore excursions? We've never been on the Eastern Carribean cruise before, only Western and Bahamas. Any "must-see" or "must-do" activities in the ports? So much planning, so little time with last minute booking. And, any hints as to what the Castaway Club gift is at this time?

Glad to have you join us!!

We are doing the St. Maarten Island & Butterfly Farm Tour and the St. John Island Tour. Have never done either before, but I have a friend who has been to St. Maarten several times and she said the Butterfly Farm was great!
She also said shopping at Remas (I thinks that was how she spelled it) was the place to shop and she gave me the name of a good restaurant on the wharf, but I will have to ask her again what that was.

On another thread I saw that most said the Castaway Cay gifts were the same as what had been given for the last few month or so.

 

[first timers]

We just booked last minute. Happy to be on for New Year's! Can anyone give us any tips on shore excursions? We've never been on the Eastern Carribean cruise before, only Western and Bahamas. Any "must-see" or "must-do" activities in the ports? So much planning, so little time with last minute booking. And, any hints as to what the Castaway Club gift is at this time?

We were in St Maarten for a week several years ago and the shopping in town was pretty good. If you stop in the Burger King near the dock, you can get beer with your Whopper. Orient beach is a bit touristy, the big attraction being the nude beach at one end of Orient beach but the nude sunbathers you see are not the slimmest or youngest. I think it's a gimmick for the taxi drivers to take tourists to the "nude beach" and collect a fare. Most of the beaches on the island are beautiful. I think the restaurants on the French side are better but shopping is better on the Dutch side. The Dutch side has casinos, the French side does not. The French side has toples beaches, the Dutch side does not. Alex

 

[sdchickie]

We were in St Maarten for a week several years ago and the shopping in town was pretty good. If you stop in the Burger King near the dock, you can get beer with your Whopper. Orient beach is a bit touristy, the big attraction being the nude beach at one end of Orient beach but the nude sunbathers you see are not the slimmest or youngest. I think it's a gimmick for the taxi drivers to take tourists to the "nude beach" and collect a fare. Most of the beaches on the island are beautiful. I think the restaurants on the French side are better but shopping is better on the Dutch side. The Dutch side has casinos, the French side does not. The French side has toples beaches, the Dutch side does not. Alex

So do you know where I can get my hands on some good chocolate? I've heard that there is somewhere on the island that has good chocolate like the Belgian chocolates that they have overseas.

 

[lucky1]

So do you know where I can get my hands on some good chocolate? I've heard that there is somewhere on the island that has good chocolate like the Belgian chocolates that they have overseas.

Does someone have a chocolate Jones?

 

[sdchickie]

I'm always jonesin for chocolate, anyone know where I can score some of the good stuff?

 

[lucky1]

I'm always jonesin for chocolate, anyone know where I can score some of the good stuff?

Do you have a world market place (Cost Plus) near you? I generally find good chocolate there from Europe. But unfortunately I don't know enough about where to get it in the ports we are going.

Hmmm... Maybe I know what to get you your cabin for FE gifts

 

[lucky1]

Ok.. I have no idea what I am doing for FE gifts yet (except for Terri).

My fundraiser yesterday went well. After stressing about it for weeks and having several mishaps and lack of parent participate. We finally got done. We made $1500. Not bad for the first ever Nutcracker tea for the Ballet Company. I have now learned how to ask for donations and am prepared to do something again, but I will not take it all on myself.

Now to throw myself into preparing for the cruise, packing and FE gifts. I don't even remember what we picked for excursions...

Laura

 

[twokats]

Ok.. I have no idea what I am doing for FE gifts yet (except for Terri).

My fundraiser yesterday went well. After stressing about it for weeks and having several mishaps and lack of parent participate. We finally got done. We made $1500. Not bad for the first ever Nutcracker tea for the Ballet Company. I have now learned how to ask for donations and am prepared to do something again, but I will not take it all on myself.

Now to throw myself into preparing for the cruise, packing and FE gifts. I don't even remember what we picked for excursions...

Laura

Congrats on the achievement! Sounds like you learned a lot!

 

[ladypoo]

We are no longer GTY!!!!!!!! We will be in room 2011.. I think that is pretty cool will be ringing in the new year (2011) with the room number! Should have good luck in the year to come!

 

[lucky1]

We are no longer GTY!!!!!!!! We will be in room 2011.. I think that is pretty cool will be ringing in the new year (2011) with the room number! Should have good luck in the year to come!

That is pretty neat


Nikki - I know you said you just got a trader Joe's in your area. I just looked in our freeze and there was some Candy Cane Jo-jo ice cream. DH must have bought that last time he was there.... But think of it as oreo cookie ice cream with peppermint.
Trader Joes can be a good thing and sometimes a bad thing.
Laura

 

[sdchickie]

Just saw this posted on the boards and thought I'd bring it over here for in case you missed it. It's a coupon for 30% off counter service dining at the theme parks from Dec. 19th to Jan. 1st. So if any of you are going to the parks before our cruise it's a great deal!
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...oucher-dine-during-off-hours-save-30-percent/

 

[TXCruisemom]

Just saw this posted on the boards and thought I'd bring it over here for in case you missed it. It's a coupon for 30% off counter service dining at the theme parks from Dec. 19th to Jan. 1st. So if any of you are going to the parks before our cruise it's a great deal!
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...oucher-dine-during-off-hours-save-30-percent/

Terri,
I was just coming to post this! What a deal for those going to the parks!

Sharron

 

[darrenwatson66]

That is very cool!!! What a great way to start the year!!! Not long now till we are all on the Wonder!

 

[sdchickie]

I know only 3 weeks till we're on the Wonder, I'm so excited!!!!

 

[2gr8DisneyKids]

I know only 3 weeks till we're on the Wonder, I'm so excited!!!!

MUCH better than seeing a foot and a half of snow outside with another storm this weekend!

Picking up magnetic sheets and iron-on transfers today!

Kids FE's done and waiting on supplies for the last 5 adult ones!

 

[niklynn1]

Nikki - I know you said you just got a trader Joe's in your area. I just looked in our freeze and there was some Candy Cane Jo-jo ice cream. DH must have bought that last time he was there.... But think of it as oreo cookie ice cream with peppermint.
Trader Joes can be a good thing and sometimes a bad thing.
Laura[/QUOTE]

Laura--We haven't tried to ice cream, but we did buy some of the Peppermint Jo-Jo cookies. Yum! Today is actually my birthday, and as luck would have it I'm home sick! But, we bought some of the chocolate lava cakes from TJ's that we planned to bake after dinner as my "birthday cake". Don't know if I'm going to feel up to eating them though...

 

[lucky1]

Laura--We haven't tried to ice cream, but we did buy some of the Peppermint Jo-Jo cookies. Yum! Today is actually my birthday, and as luck would have it I'm home sick! But, we bought some of the chocolate lava cakes from TJ's that we planned to bake after dinner as my "birthday cake". Don't know if I'm going to feel up to eating them though...

Happy Birthday! Sorry you are I guess the good thing to look at is that you are sick now, vs right before going on vacation.

 

[twokats]

Today is actually my birthday, and as luck would have it I'm home sick! But, we bought some of the chocolate lava cakes from TJ's that we planned to bake after dinner as my "birthday cake". Don't know if I'm going to feel up to eating them though...

Happy Birthday!!!

Hope you get to feeling better. I went to the doctor last week for a little allergy flairup. Hope that is the only one I have and that the medicine holds me until the trip!