jbrinkm

We're just off Allure, and while I have never liked the desserts in WJ before, I was pleasantly surprised this time! There seemed to be a lot of crossover or similarity between the desserts in MDR and WJ, more than I've ever seen. So perhaps the quality of MDR desserts has decreased slightly, but I thought it brought up the quality of the WJ desserts. There also seem to be fewer now in WJ. It feels like the kitchen is now just making a set of desserts, one form of that dessert is served in the MDR and another version is served all over the rest of the ship (there was a small chocolate cake that I saw in WJ, Park Cafe and Cafe Promenade all week - the exact same one, and it tasted fairly good). There was always a bread pudding in WJ that was pretty good with a different flavor every day. I saw them serving hard ice cream several times in WJ - the last night, there was a whole sunday bar with toppings. 

13 hours ago, bucky0926 said:

Use a safego (on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/SAFEGO-Portable-Indoor-Outdoor-Combination/dp/B017RR15YI/ref=sr_1_16?crid=2KNYRQNJLEFDP&keywords=plastic%2Bvacation%2Bvault&qid=1681271025&sprefix=plastic%2Bvacation%2Bvault%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-16&th=1).  We bought one for our son when he went to camp in 3rd grade (it was called a vacation vault then).  He is now 27 and my DH and I have commandeered it for the past15 years or so.  We attach it to both our chairs so they can't just take one chair.  It will hold your phones, cash/cc, sea pass, some smaller kindles.This way we don't even have to take it in the water with us.

The safego is also what I recommended above, but didn't name it. They are awesome, but I think OP wants something to take into the water with them. 

On 3/29/2023 at 6:43 PM, jbrinkm said:

We use this on almost every vacation where we do anything in the water. Might not be too secure for a long time if no one is popping back to the chair to check in on it, but works well as a pretty serious deterrent.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017RQUIC4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

On 3/29/2023 at 2:12 AM, Another_Critic said:

Check flight prices before booking the cruise.  They're not cheap.  $2K+ for non-stop LHR to PHL.  Ouch!

 

Currently GGG sale is $366 + taxes for XB (balcony guarantee) with D+ discount.

4 minutes ago, billslowsky said:

fly to newark and take the train

I cannot actually do this cruise with my schedule - I just said I WISH I could (for that price!!). We do fly in and out of Newark at times if the cost/benefit works out. 

Couple of pics of the place. You can see their main structure, a little bit of the pool in one background, the jungle conditions for ATV and a the base of one of the zipline platforms in another background.

It was the same taxi - when we said where we were going, the person at the port that directs you to a car said that we’d have to pay for a round trip because the same driver would have to come back for us, so we weren’t surprised that our driver said $30 on the way there. We figured $15 each way, and we planned on tipping him during the return ride back to the ship. However, after our excursion, he made us pay another $30 to get back. I hadn’t specifically looked at the board, but it seemed high, so I took a picture of his cab number.

When we got out, I went to the board to check, and it was supposed to be $16 each way. He didn’t wait for us at the park to charge extra for wait time - he left and came back in an hour and a half to take us back. We told the port police when we returned to the ship at lunchtime to change and eat, and also that we were going back out in the afternoon for another activity, and they said to stop back by on our way out again. When we left the ship the second time, they had gotten the overcharged amount back from him and gave it to us.

We loved it! Definitely wanting to get certified now, so looking into a few local places to figure that out. Once you do your training, can you do your 4 certification dives with any PADI certified site? Did anyone do this, and how did you work it out?

They do have a zipline and a pool, but I did not notice any food or drink. Apparently you can ride a horse as well but I didn't see the horses on the property - maybe they just bring them in when they have a ride scheduled?

We took a taxi but did not try to stop anywhere else. We went straight back to the ship, got changed for an afternoon Discover Scuba, and ate lunch, so we didn't have time to make any stops. We got overcharged from the taxi driver but through complaints at the port when we returned, were able to get our money back. It was supposed to be $16 each way according to the board but he charged us $30 each way.  

So yes, we were there last Friday and really enjoyed our ATV ride. The three names are all the same group but theoretically run different parts of the business. The place itself is named Ecoparque (Eco Park) Cuzam. Cozumel Fun Excursions (they said) is the company they use if they want to rent out the facilities to a group. There was a school group there using the pool while we were doing the other stuff, so I guess like that type of group, or like a business retreat, etc. They told us for what we did that we should do any reviews under Mayan Extreme Park which is the sports stuff, like the ATVs, or they also have Jeeps that they rent.

The paintball setup seemed fine, we had helmets and padded vests, but this is the first time that my family had ever done paintball and my daughter and I hated it. We both got hurt from the hard paintballs (no airsoft here) and bruised, so we quit within 5 minutes. I wouldn't mark that down as a negative against the company - it was just that the two of us have thin skin and turned out to not like paintball.  

The ATV ride was fun. It lasted about an hour. They gave us a few laps around the front part of the park to get used to it, then we went off into the jungle. It is not a sanitized experience and I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who has health/mobility issues or is not very adventurous. The trail was bumpy and rocky and it took a lot of skill to drive through the trails. My daughter ended up staying behind with the dog and the little kids at the facility because she didn't like it. My husband and son have done a lot of mountain biking so they were used to similar trails. My son did get stuck on trees a few times around corners before he got used to the width of the ATV. I do mounted archery so have learned to keep my weight in my legs/feet so that was really helpful on the ATV as well, or my spine might not have felt great afterwards. We had a few spots where it was just open and flat and we got to go fast and my son was drifting the 4 wheeler (on purpose) so it was pretty dusty. We brought covering for our mouths but wish we had had them for our eyes as well. I also wish I had worn long pants because the engine got pretty hot against my leg. 

Happy to answer any questions.

We did it on Friday - I'm in the airport but will share more about it tomorrow when I have my laptop to type!

Correction:

Apparently the bad winds brought in a big bunch to Costa Maya the night before. We're just back in Galveston now and I see an email message from Maya Chan saying that we were cancelled because they couldn't get it cleaned up in time. The message was from  before we were unable to dock 

I was still in the room, but my husband was out and about and said the sargassum was very light. It was also bright and sunny, just very windy.

Our Costa Maya port stop was just cancelled for high waves, so I'm sorry I won't be able to give a sargassum update.

My family likes ThinkSport sunscreen (reef safe but also zinc). I use Juice Beauty on my face because I have sensitive skin and that is the only brand that doesn't irritate it. Two of us in my family burn really easily, so I also like to use SPF protective swimwear (like Coolibar long-sleeved rash guards and/or swim leggings) while in the water and hats (my personal fav is from Sunday Afternoons) while on shore. I also have a small Coolibar umbrella and will use that if I'm going to be stationary in the sun for a while. It was a lifesaver at Disney in August!!

Caribbean sun is no joke. My oldest burned badly the first day of our cruise last year, after applying sunscreen and being out on the inflatables for 2 hours in the morning sun (10am-12pm). I tried to get the kids' attention after an hour to reapply but they didn't see me. My younger has olive skin and was just a bit pink, but my oldest was in pain. We had to buy aloe on our way back to the ship, they skipped out of dinner early to take a cool shower and apply the aloe, and then couldn't go back in the sun during the next two port stops. I felt terrible for them!

We use this on almost every vacation where we do anything in the water. Might not be too secure for a long time if no one is popping back to the chair to check in on it, but works well as a pretty serious deterrent.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017RQUIC4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

15 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Have you been to Maya Chan yet?

 

After numerous posts prior to visiting I haven’t seen any feedback from you regarding facilities, transport or sargassum? I am sure people are anxious to hear about the sargassum situation.
 

I don’t remember if you had long port hours because that has been our biggest problem recently.

We sail on Sunday and go to Maya Chan on Thursday of next week. Most of my roll calls (on both RC forums) are planning to also go to Maya Chan during that cruise, so hopefully there will be a lot of feedback when we return!

I did get mine also! I think maybe the same day - I remember thinking if I had just waited a few days, I wouldn't have felt the need to post this question. I did see the instructions in the confirmation email but it was a while ago (we booked Maya Chan early) and I wanted to make sure nothing had changed, plus I knew they sent another one closer to the visit.

18 hours ago, brevardcruiser said:

The steamers were lined up at the confiscated table last week.  Kinda comical 

And why were YOU at the confiscated table last week, hmmm 🤔 

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

The app may list that under Activities when set to the current sailing.

I don't see one (sailing Allure next week). My app is populated and there is a sail away party plus some other party/music events listed, but not specifically a Prohibition Party.

6 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Easy enough to go back and forth but quite a walk

We thought so too, especially when it is really hot out. The higher number cabanas are closer to the park - we were in Cabana 2, really far away (it is bigger than it appears on the map), and were hot and tired before we even got to the park!

2 hours ago, nelblu said:

My October was cancelled, but not my March ''24 package.  Wonder if the up to 14 days is from date of cancellation.

I would guess so... although I can't for the life of me understand what happens between my planner showing the package as cancelled (and getting the second letter in my email), and the actual refund on my card. I know some say that it is the credit card itself that has a delay, but 14 days?? When I do a return at a store, the credit shows up immediately on my card. I'm still not even showing a pending credit on my card for this cancellation. It's funny how a charge that is automated when you make a purchase becomes a manual refund when reversed. If I get close to the date I need to pay it, I'm also going to dispute it with the card. 

Some Hyperlink activities, below.

ETA: While still only 1-2/day, it does seem as though Royal is trying to meet a need for this age group. As opposed to the teen club, where the kids can't participate in all of the adult activities, this seems to be just a place where those who struggle with social anxiety might meet some others of their own age rather than fill a whole social schedule, and then they can still participate in all of the adult activities (except drinking, on USA based cruises). 

16 hours ago, HaveWeMetYet said:

I am now seeing 441 for the balcony on that sailing.

Huh... it came down for me as well, but to $529. I wonder if the pricing is changing that much, that quickly, or if we see different prices 🤔

Wow... I wish I could take advantage of the May 1 TA from Bayonne on Anthem! $679pp for a balcony (11 nights)! And you can fly back from London, which usually has decent flight prices. 

4 hours ago, Tatka said:

We are on Enchantment… and this cruise skewed toward older crowd (12 dayer, smaller ship), but daily program contains various events for 18-25 yo. 

I was surprised by how many "Hyperlink" activities there were in my upcoming Allure planner! I don't remember seeing any last year (also on Allure).

2 hours ago, Starry Eyes said:

A bit of progress. I received an email from RCI today notifying cancellation and refund to my credit card for my 4/8 cruise.  The key disappeared from that set sail pass.  The three packages purchased for later cruises have not yet been refunded.

Me too (although credit hasn't posted back to my card yet, and my email still has the "14 days" language)! Sailing 4/2. Planner shows it as cancelled now.