Thoughts on CTI

[Calm]

We were at CTI for one week Mar 1 to 8 and thought I would post a brief review. This was our 3rd Couples vacation (been to CSA and CSS previously). My college aged son and his girlfriend joined us this year and they choose CTI. We had a wonderful trip. The weather was a little cool, but we did not let it ruin our vacation.

Before our trip, I read quite a few of the reviews posted for CTI. There were some comments about this resort being too hotel like. For any of you considering CTI do not let these comments sway your decision. The resort is beautiful, it is not hotel like. It has wonderful ocean front close to all the rooms and lush vegetation behind, near the wonderful spa. You should not compare CTI to the other Couples resorts, they are all so different and unique.

Here is what we loved:

*the views!
*leaving our french doors open all night and sleeping with the sound of the ocean!
*the food, especially Bayside!
*staff, so pleasant. great people. thanks for remembering our names!
*the nights are so quiet and peaceful!
*the spa. it is open to all guests, whether you have an appointment or not. the hot tubs were an awesome retreat during the few rainy days.


Here are some suggestions:

to the resort:

*the cat cruise was filled up and we couldn't go. kind of disappointing. why not increase the # of nights it runs so that everyone gets a chance to go.

*we were repeaters and did not recieve an invitation to the dinner, or our departure package. No big deal, just thought i'd mention this.

to the guests:

*why oh why do some people play that silly reserve the chair thing. this is the first time i have seen this at a couples resort. if people only used the chairs while they were at the beach there would be no shortage of chairs or floaties. As it was, we did find the floaties hard to find some afternoons. Kind of frustrating when you see chairs empty all day with a few belongings left on them to "hold" them.

*please remember to be polite to the servers/staff. i'm sure most of you on this board are not the guilty ones. But we did see some rather rude guests (for example, I was embarrassed at breakfast one morning when a woman next to us snipped at a passing server: "could I not get some sugar here".) Please and thank you go a long way. Everybody deserves respect.

*please pay attention to the dress codes for dinners. We went to the Saturday night gala, dressed and all excited for the evening. when we were at CSS and CSA, it seems everyone dressed for the occasion and it really adds to the festive atmosphere. This year, at CTI, there were some guests dressed really very casual (jean shorts, tank tops, flip flops). I dont mean to sound stuck up, but it really adds to the romantic atmosphere when dress codes are followed.

Go to CTI, you'll have a great time. Happy travels to all!

[Coloradojuli]

We also found that guests at CTI didn't dress quite as nice as at the other resorts in the evenings. We saw lots of shorts/tank tops/flip flops during the dinner hours.

[Ron & Rosa 25]

Good stuff, Calm. And I assure you here are two people who will not regard the beautifully remodeled CTI as too 'hotel like'. Just viewing the pictures of this gorgeous resort in all its South Beach/Post Modern/Art Deco splendor is sheer pleasure in and of itself. I can only imagine how we'll feel when we see it for ourselves in person. A few responses to some of your key comments:


*the cat cruise was filled up and we couldn't go. kind of disappointing. why not increase the # of nights it runs so that everyone gets a chance to go.

I think this is an excellent suggestion, altho my guess is it's been brought up a number of times before. All I know is so many people rave about the CC, I'm sure they'd have no problem filling the seats. Perhaps it's a logistical or cost-effective issue. But it's a good idea nonetheless.


*why oh why do some people play that silly reserve the chair thing. this is the first time i have seen this at a couples resort.

Now this one's surprising because based on all the threads I've read on this subject, there have been fewer complaints about chair reservations taking place at CTI than the other resorts, especially CSA. This really won't affect us, being we're not planning to hang around the beach all that much. But I'm with you in spirit anyway.


*please remember to be polite to the servers/staff.....Please and thank you go a long way. Everybody deserves respect.

Nuff said.


*please pay attention to the dress codes for dinners. We went to the Saturday night gala, dressed and all excited for the evening. when we were at CSS and CSA, it seems everyone dressed for the occasion and it really adds to the festive atmosphere. This year, at CTI, there were some guests dressed really very casual (jean shorts, tank tops, flip flops).

This is more of a question than anything. Are you saying there is a dress code for the Saturday night pool gala? I'm only asking because I thought the only situation for a dress code was when dining at 8 Rivers, so I honestly don't know. Or are you simply suggesting that for an event such as this one, we should at least be dressed up a bit more? Which is fine by me. We don't plan on being under-dressed (not to be confused with undressed ) for any event, so it's no biggie on our end. But we certainly would prefer to know when & where we should be dressed a little nicer.

[Wally]

*the cat cruise was filled up and we couldn't go. kind of disappointing. why not increase the # of nights it runs so that everyone gets a chance to go.

I think this is an excellent suggestion, altho my guess is it's been brought up a number of times before. All I know is so many people rave about the CC, I'm sure they'd have no problem filling the seats. Perhaps it's a logistical or cost-effective issue. But it's a good idea nonetheless.

Ron, don't skip the Cat Cruise at CN just because you did it at CTI. The Cat Cruise at CN is completely different than the one at CTI. If you're going to skip one, skip the one at CTI.

[Ron & Rosa 25]

Ron, don't skip the Cat Cruise at CN just because you did it at CTI. The Cat Cruise at CN is completely different than the one at CTI. If you're going to skip one, skip the one at CTI.

OMG, no way would we pass on the CC at CN over CTI (weather permitting of course). There have been a number of people, not just you, who have said that the CN CC is better than the one at CTI. If I had to pick only one, just based on what I've read in here, it would be the CN version. Preferrably, we'll be able to do both.

The bigger question for us will be the water condition. Rosa unfortunately is a bit sensitive to excessive motion in the water, so if the seas are a bit choppy, she may have to bag on the cruise, even if it goes out anyway. And here again from what I understand CN has the edge, as in general the waters tend to be a bit calmer in general around Negril vs Ochi.

[Wally]

Ron,

I would recommend BOTH Cat Cruses. Like I said they are very different.

The CTI Cat Cruise is exciting. The CN Cat Cruise is relaxing.

The CTI Cat Cruise is a little boat that you sit on top of. It has a very energetic crew that tries to get you involved in dancing on the boat. It goes out into the ocean and plays in the big waves for a while (Rosa may have a problem with this…it’s kind of like a roller coaster) and then back to the Ochi harbor for some swimming. Since the waves were too big at CTI for the boat when we were there, they bused us into Ochi. We had no shoes, because you don’t need shoes for the CN Cat Cruise, and we had to walk across a gravel parking lot to get to the boat. If you take a nice camera, take along a plastic baggie to lock it in, because you well get splashed with a lot of water. I’d take a waterproof camera.

The CN Cat Cruise is a big boat that you get down and sit inside of. The sides a probably about 2 ½ feet off the floor, so you are still sitting outside. It has a real bar and bartender who dances and walks on his hands and is very entertaining. The cruise goes along the beautiful Negril coastline, almost to Rick’s Café, but in the 3 cruises we’ve taken, it has never gone all, the way to Rick’s. It stops at some beautiful cliffs that you used to be able to dive off, but that has since ceased. You can swim into the caves and they even have a slide on the boat that you can slide off of into the water. Take no shoes. They will just get in the way. You have to wade out to the boat (and back) in water almost waist high. All you really need is a swim suit and a camera. No problem taking a nice camera on this one. I would recommend a shirt and a towel also. Even if you aren’t planning on going into the water, the towel will give you something to sit on and wrap around you on the trip back to the resort. It gets chilly on the water as the sun goes down

Since Rosa may have problems with motion sickness in the water, you may want to skip the CTI cruise. Since the CN cruise is in a much bigger boat and stays in the calm waters next to the coastline, she will be fine on that trip. Oh, and take some cash. You can tip the crew and (at least on the CN cruise) there will be CDs, scarves, cover-ups, crafts and/or shells for sale.

I really envy you guys. We have been back for two months and I’m ready to no back now! Have a great trip and I’m looking forward to your reviews.

[Ron & Rosa 25]

Thanks amigo, as I said I really don't want to miss the cruise out of CN. The only potential problem I see here is the possible lack of opportunity. Remember, we're only at CN for four nites, Sat thru Tues. According to the schedule of activities, that only leaves Sat and Mon as chances to do the CC. All things being equal, I'd prefer to go the same day we arrive - on Sat - as it's our intention to visit CSA on Monday via the TP program, and unfortunately, Monday is our only shot at visiting there.

It's quite possible that the Sat cruise will already have been booked up by the time we make it over to CN. So we may have no choice but to book it for that Mon. And if that's the case, if worse comes to worse, we'll likely depart from CSA early enough (ie, catch a taxi) to make sure we return in time to make the CC.

Geez, the more I think about it, the more I think we'll be busier at Couples than at home & work! What's all these rumors I hear about relaxing on vacation!!

[spice505]

Calm,

Nice stuff! I don't understand y u have to say to adults to be polite. I feel that people should treat others as u want to b treated. If u don't want people being rude and talking down to u, then y would u do it to someone else. That should just be a given. I too guess I am confused about the dress code. I was not aware. I am not a fip flop person so, that wouldn't be me but can u please go into more detail about the dress codes at the different restaurants?

[Calm]

Hi guys,

sorry for the delay in responding, have not been on the board recently. I cant remember whether the dress code was posted on this web site, or at the resort with the information package. I think it may have been at the resort. But the suggested dress code was similar to the fancier restaurants (e.g. 8 rivers). For example, it called for collared shirts and long pants for men, etc. I remember specfically becuase my son wasn't sure if he brought enought clean shirts and his girl friend and I made kind of a big deal about dressing up.