katjoeus

Did you have any issues finding the Premium drinks? I've read elsewhere people saying that a lot of those weren't available....I'm about to book for October and am debating whether to upgrade from Classic to Premium Drinks package....

On 2/4/2023 at 4:32 AM, Gimpfacemctavish said:

We have the classic drinks package included in our fare but I can’t for the life of me see a way to upgrade??? It just shows me the full prices??? Any ideas would be appreciated.

I asked my TA about this and she said we can upgrade for $12 per person per day (plus gratuities); it's definitely cheaper to do it BEFORE you go. I know people are saying not all Premium drinks are actually available, but I think it'll be worth it for us anyway, considering Premium also includes freshly pressed orange juice (which we love), premium coffees (I always find the regular coffee on cruises pretty disgusting) and waters (which we drink by the gallon on cruises!), so I think it'll be worth it for us.

I'm about to book the Equinox for end of October and our rate includes the regular Standard Drinks Package; I would be able to upgrade to Premium for $12 per person per day (plus gratuities) but I'm not sure if it's worth the upgrade or not? Especially since I've read a few times now that not all of the Premium drinks were available....

Appreciate any input / insights into this! TIA

Oh thanks, jelayne!! Very helpful. I've only seen rates that included the Standard package, how does one go about booking the Premium one?

What are the differences - would anyone be able to give me more info on what beers, wines and cocktails are included in each package? Looking to book a cruise that includes the Classic Drinks package but would really like to know what's included!

Honestly, I think it's BS - I'd much rather have gone to the competitor's mother's house and eaten her home-cooked food as the food that was included in the Carnival excursion was absolutely pathetic! Tiny tiny portion - ONE small piece of plantain and a couple of bony pieces (like, one bite each!) of chicken and when i asked for another piece of plantain I was told no!! Ridiculous!! 

However, it does buy you peace of mind bc you get to get off the ship first etc. ifyou go through Carnival. 

Overall, nice excursion but in my opinion overpriced even with the discount

We've just been to GC, it was very nice! Took a bus to the public beach, which is right next to Calico Jack's, where we got two lounge chairs and an umbrella for $20 (they also had some less nice ones for 15), which we thought was reasonable. We were going to have lunch there but ended up getting food from nearby where some locals had set up - food was good and plentiful for $10 a plate. Got a bucket of local beers from Calico Jack's - I think it was 5 beers for $20, again very reasonable.

We took a shuttle back from there to the port, which was $5 per person, if I remember correctly - I'm sure we could have taken a bus back, too, but this just seemed easier.

Overall, we loved it there! It's a beautiful beach, and the entire place seems clean and more civilized than a lot of the other islands

Can you elaborate on Smith's Beach? is this a beach where you can do shore snorkeling?

We're in the same boat (haha) - not interested in the stingrays but seems hard to find a tour without!! If anyone knows of a good one that isn't too expensive, please do tell! Private is not an option for us since it's just hte two of us (would be too expensive).

I would, however, LOVE some beach time and certainly wouldn't turn down a rum punch or three :-)

Just found them and thinking of booking with them but would possibly like to do a slightly different tour - without the stingrays. Waiting to hear back from them.

I do realize that is the big attraction in this place, but we are not interested in it. All tours / excursions seem to revolve around that place!

We would like some nice beach time (somewhere on 7 Mile Beach, I guess) but ideally would like to do some snorkeling, too.

Does anyone have recommendations for companies / tours that include snorkeling or start from 7 Mile Beach?

Thanks!

PS: Is it easy to walk through Georgetown from the pier?

So I've been doing a bit more digging, and it sounds like Playa Uvas would be a good alternative to Nachi Cocom. I've read mostly good things about it. Uvas is a little cheaper - and a little closer to the ship (we will be in Puerta Maya)

Just wondering if anyone on here has been to both recently?

interesting - so it's obviously a Carnival thing, since my last three cruises were with RC and ship time never differed from local time, so they must have changed it.

I wish all ships did - and the itinerary given always showed local times so one can plan more easily!!

Thinking of going there on the 18th of this month.

Can we revive this thread, please? Can people who've been there recently share their experiences? It's between Nachi Cocom and Playa Uvas Uvas is closer to the port (Puerta Maya) and a little cheaper.

Would really like to get some recent impressions!!

So the prices for taxis are preset? That's a relief! Good to know. Does anyone know how much from Puerta Maya? To Nachi Cocom?

Has anyone found a company that offers this as an excursion? I always prefer having transportation pre-arranged (and paid for...)

Also, I am still really confused about the time thing - apparently, ship time is NOT local time in Cozumel? I've never had that before so am a bit stumped...

I'm looking to book the Fun and Sun tour ($30) for September 20. Our ship leaves early - at 3pm! I wonder if there is enough time for this tour; we'd also really want to spend at least some time on the beach. Maybe it would be possible to skip certain parts (for example, we have zero interest in shopping!)?

Quick update!

You guys here are THE BEST - you saved me $66!!! This is what I got:

Thank you for submitting a Shore Excursions Best Price Guarantee claim.

We are excited to inform you that your claim was accepted and your account will have an onboard credit of $32.99 per person. You may print out this email for your records and proof of this onboard credit which will only show once aboard the ship.

Although your claim was accepted it was approved under the $95.00 rate per guest. Our tour launches from an exclusive Ayinha property built solely for efficient access to Lamanai. Ayinha reduces down the overall travel time by motor coach & boat transfer by 2 hours to reach the Lamanai ruins. This provides the time for guests to actually climb the temples, providing the experience of a lifetime. Ayinha day admission is USD $20.00 per person, and includes a fusion of Belizean cultural along with Belizean Lunch Buffet. This $20 entrance fee has been included to make the tours comparable.

We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

Scott

The famous Scott :-) Still an expensive tour, but worth spending some extra for peace of mind to get back to the ship on time etc. AND getting off the ship first thing in the morning - that was actually my main concern with the tendering.

So I encourage anyone to do this!! Thanks again for pointing this out as I would otherwise NEVER have thought of doing this!!!

I'm interesting in this tour also but don't understand the time thing....

Viator is a Tripadvisor company - I'm pretty sure they are reliable! I know we've used them before (in Barbados, I think, and another place). If you're in doubt, contact the company directly since you know who it's with - email them and say you just wanted to double-check that all is good for your upcoming trip :-) Never hurts to get peace of mind...

Ok, thanks! Will look at tours and then try to find local operators - already found some interesting stuff for Cozumel (the other ports in question this time are Belize - already booked, Grand Cayman and Mahagony Bay, Roatan).

My line of thinking was that the "big" brokers would make sure they only work with reliable companies and would make sure that things go right (some of them actually have a back-to-ship-in-time guarantee) but I'll be happy with local operators, as long as there are plenty of reviews to be found!

This time round, Viator seems quite expensive, so i'll just be consulting them to get ideas :-)

If you had read the fine print, you would have found this: In order to be eligible to receive the Best Price Guarantee, you must (1) reserve the applicable shore excursion(s) prior to the commencement of your cruise; and (2) complete and submit an online Shore Excursion Best Price Guarantee claim form at least seven (7) days prior to the commencement of your cruise. Failure to meet any of the following conditions will result in your claim form being rejected.

Just because you didn't do your due diligence doesn't mean Carnival is at fault. I just got $33 x2 refunded for an excursion for an upcoming cruise. Reading always helps!!

Currently looking at The Shore Excursions Group, Shore Excursioneers, Viator and Shorefox.

Does anyone have any reservations / bad experiences with either of these companies? I think I've booked through Viator and Shorefox before and all went well, but things change..

Any input appreciated!!

I think I've used them before (can't quite remember) but all the excursions I've booked outside of the cruise lines have always been very good so far - - and much much cheaper! I'm looking again for my upcoming cruise right now - looking on The Shore Excursions Group, Shore Excursioneers, Viator, Shorefox....don't know if there is much difference between those

Wow, Guys - your answers are so helpful!! unfortunately, it all sounds good, so I am still not sure which one to do, but I really appreciate the info! This forum is really great :-)