awtorrey

Hello. We are going to be in Cozumel in a few weeks and I would like to know if the All Inclusive reservation really necessary? We have been there several times and have always done a la carte.  Has something changed? We don't drink and sometimes only spend a few hours at the beach.  But I don't want to get turned away.  Any recent experiences and or thoughts are appreciated.  

sofietucker, Thank you so much for the information.  I'm really glad you told me this, and now that I read this, I do kind of remember a LONG ago science class.  I'm also really glad that I didn't walk into a jewelry store looking for this "stone".  I guess I can cross that off my list.  Thanks again.

Hi.  We are going to be on a snorkel excursion in Cozumel in January and have read that we are supposed to use REEF SAFE sunscreen.  I've been searching for this on Amazon for a while and just when I think I have a product I can use, the reviews say NOT reef safe.  Does anyone have one that they have used?  That you know works (to protect my skin) and won't harm the coral reefs?  Any advice on what to look for and/or what to stay away from would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

I think you can get a taxi to give you a tour of the island.  Or since you are new to cruising look for a tour through your cruise ship.  If you just want to take the family someplace fun, grab a cab and go to Coral World.  When you are done looking at the animals and sea life and birds, you can relax on Coki Beach.  They rent lockers at Coral World so you don't have to carry your beach stuff around with you.  

If you have I recommend going "downtown" to shop.  The prices are better and there is a better selection than Havensight.  Just ask your taxi driver to drop you off downtown.  It will cost a few dollars to get back to the pier from there.  

mitsugirly, I've done this itinerary twice.  Once on Carnival, once on Royal Caribbean.  Greatest itinerary ever.  It starts in San Juan, which is why you can get to so many islands in a few days.  I think Carnival dropped the stop in Dominica.  

Thank you for the information.  It's kind of what I was leaning towards anyway.  I'd like to see some of the island and still have time to hang out in the port pool.

Hi all,

   We will be cruising in February.  The last time we went to Amber Cove my husband and I took a snorkeling excursion that took at least 45 minutes to get to the beach (Sousua?).  This time I would rather spend more time doing something and less time sitting in a bus.  If I got a taxi, is there any place where we could do a little shopping (specifically I'd like to buy amber and chocolate) and a nice beach?  Or maybe the cable car?  Thanks for your input!

Anne

Thank you so much for the information.  We will be there in February.  My husband and have been there before... we did a snorkel excursions... but we don't want to do that again.  This time our daughter and granddaughter will be with us so I'd like to do something beside hang out at the pool.  The only thing I would really like to buy there is amber.  Did you see any at the beach?  Or maybe I should as the taxi driver where I would go for some? 

Hi, I just came back to say that my husband and I DID do this. It was great fun! The things I didn't like about it are: 1) there weren't enough signed up for the early excursion so they lumped us all into the later one, which meant hanging around the port for a while, which was ok, gave us time to see the port and and look around, but... 2) It's a LONG ride to Sousua Beach. It took about 45 minutes and traffic was kind of heavy and you go through a lot of construction. 3) I would have liked to have some time after the snorkeling to visit some of the vendors/shops on the beach there.

What I did like are: 1) the power snorkel machines were AWESOME!!! SO much fun and easier to use that I had expected. 2) the guys who ran this excursion were very nice, knowledgeable, friendly and funny. 3) we visited a couple of really cool snorkel sites. 4) the gave us the sweetest pineapple I've ever had and soda or water in between the snorkel stops.

One other comment... it was a good thing this was a Carnival excursion because we were late getting back to port and they were looking for us. If you love to snorkel and want to try something different/fun, this is the ticket. I would do it again if the ride to the actual excursion wasn't so long. But then, I did say that I wanted to see some of the island, right? You just don't see much in the bus.

In January we are going to Florida two nights early (a New England insurance policy) for a cruise out of Miami. Since I'm not at all familiar with Miami but have stayed in Fort Lauderdale a few times, we are renting a car (from Thrifty, haunt their website and watch for price reductions) and going up to Lauderdale By The Sea for those two nights. I booked The Plunge Hotel. Not cheap (about $200+ resort fees) but right on the beach and seems to be in walking distance to a lot of things, and definitely cheaper than Miami. I will let you know when I get back how I like it. I was going to book the Best Western Plus Oceanside I see someone mentioned, but they are sold out. I haven't stayed there before but have seen good reviews and it is near the beach. Last time we stayed at the Best Western Airport/Cruiseport, which was ok, but not much to do in the area. Luckily it was only one night and just my husband and I. We used Uber to get to/from the beach.

Considering the Courtyard by Marriott on Fort Lauderdale beach. Any opinions?

Also, Uber is GREAT in Fort Lauderdale. My husband and I used it a few times when we were there in June. Really convenient, much cheaper and had way better conversations with the drivers than I ever had with a taxi driver.

I was looking for snorkels for my daughter and granddaughter for a cruise this past January and my sister recommended these. I got them for them and my daughter loved it, my granddaughter preferred the regular kind so I would use her face mask and she would use my goggles. I borrowed it for my next cruise. You don't feel claustrophobic... in fact, they are much more comfortable then regular goggles.

Or you can look at the website that has tons of cruise ship cabin photos. Just do a yahoo search for them. I'm not sure if they will let me give you the site name, but in case it will go through, it's shipcabins.com

Or you can look at the website that has tons of cruise ship cabin photos.

Our first 3 or 4 cruises we had windows. The next cruise the upsell fairy called and we got into a balcony room. LOVED it. Had a balcony the next year too. Then we took a break from cruising for a couple of years. It seems that Carnival missed us and sent me a post card offering a free cabin on any cruise, as long as it was interior. So we took it and I know I could have upgraded, but figured we'd try the interior. It was on the Lido deck, which was very convenient. I really didn't mind it. At night I would turn the tv to the channel that showed the front of the boat... it gave us a bit of a night light and when the sun came up in the morning our room gradually brightened. And we could tell what the weather was like. We've been in interiors since then. We have a cruise in June and just for haha's I check cabin prices off and on and discovered a deal on a balcony room, so I upgraded. Actually went from an interior on the Riveria deck to a balcony on the Veranda deck for about $350. Now I'm very much looking forward to sitting on my balcony as we cruise along, especially since it's in June and it will be warmer than when we usually go (January). I agree with all the reasons to book a balcony, but I really don't mind the interior. A cruise is what you make of it. My husband tends to nap in the afternoon and this way I will be content to sit on the balcony and read my book. Happy sailing everyone.

Thank you so much for your review. I'm on the Splendor in June out of Fort Lauderdale with a slightly different itinerary. I really enjoyed your pictures and am very much looking forward to Grand Turk (we have a golf cart reserved for the day as I don't think I'd enjoy the crazy drinking party at Margaritaville) and AmberCove (we are going power snorkeling). I thought about the 27 waterfalls, but I love to snorkel. I'm hoping that our excursion makes a stop or two so we can visit local vendors. And I loved your comments about the aphrodesiac drink. So funny. Who in their right mind would buy that for their FATHER!!! Thanks again. Happy cruising. Enjoy the Vista. That's another ship I'd like to go on. So many ships, so little money.

Glad you enjoyed Vigie Beach and came back to post about it. If I ever make it to St. Lucia again, I will definite argue with the taxi dude that talked me into a different beach...

Hi

We are cruising on Carnival in June and will be in AmberCove. Since I'd like to see at least a little bit of the island and I love to snorkel I booked Carnival's shore excursion Power Snorkeling. Has anyone taken the excursion? Was it fun? Is it worth the money? Was there a lot of traffic? How was Sousa Beach? We are doing the morning tour so I'm thinking the beach and the traffic should be quiet/light. If you wouldn't do this excursion again, what would you do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Anne

Geri, The biggest things were: 1) the sea was very rough so we couldn't go in the water. 2) there was NO natural shade. 3) the only bathroom there was at the resort, which is I guess it's ok to use... it just felt wrong. 4) the only food was at the expensive resort restaurant. 5) the vendors are relentless!!! Would not go away until I got rude. Especially the guy selling pot. 6) when you get a taxi you have to purchase round trip tickets. We were in a cab of about 10-12 people. A woman passenger sitting in the front seat thought she was going to tell our driver what time EVERYONE wanted to be picked up... and it was late in the afternoon. 8 of us didn't want to stay that late and told our driver that... and in fact we ended up leaving about an hour and a half earlier than we had told him, so they had to call him and tell him to come get us.

We were at Carambola last Friday, January 13 and absolutely loved it. My husband, my adult daughter, 9 year old granddaughter and I. It's a bit pricey for the beach chairs and umbrellas, but if you want, you can just put a towel on the sand. NOTE to Carambola Beach Club: It would be GREAT if you could make the towel people go a little ways down the beach, instead of just dropping their stuff right in front of the lounge chairs! We arrived early in the day so we had front row lounge chairs. The only thing I would recommend with young children is to bring snacks. We had lunch their and the food was really good, but a little pricey. We got a cab for the 4 of us, just us 4, so we didn't have to wait for other people. The driver's name is Nigel and he was awesome. We stopped at the top of the hill to take pictures. He asked us what time we wanted to go back to ship. We told him 1, but if we had known how beautiful and relaxing it was there we would have given him a later time. But it was ok, it gave us time to shop before we got back on ship. All in all, one of our best days and one of my favorite beaches.

A side note: we walked down to the Shipwreck, but it was about 11:45 and they don't serve lunch until noon and since we had an early pick up time we went back for lunch at Carambola. Shipwreck seemed to be much more of a bar than a restaurant and since we don't drink, unless I was going to be on the beach until 3 or so, I don't think I'd walk down there again.

And a further note: The people on St. Kitts are very friendly and accommodating. After we got settled on the beach a woman asked if anyone wanted their hair braided or a massage. We had been wanting to get my granddaughters hair done all week and this seemed to be the day. Her name is Laverne and she quoted me a very reasonable price and did a beautiful job. When she was done with my granddaughter's hair I saw her giving quite a few massages.

Hi. I was on St. Lucia last Wednesday, January 11. My party of 4 and 2 friends wanted to go to Vigie beach. I asked the cab dispatcher guy how much it would be and he said $5 each way per person, but was I SURE that was the beach I wanted to go to? That I could go to a much better beach for $7 per person each way. He assured me that it was a very nice beach, calm water, natural shade... and against my better judgement, we went. It was Reduit Beach on Rodney Bay... and I HATED IT! There was no natural shade... or very little... the vendors are relentless (and I have read this before, and now believe it) and the cost for 4 chairs and 2 umbrellas was $40 (though I was able to talk him down to $30). The sea was so rough there were red flags up and we were told not to go in the water. You have to buy your return taxi fare when at the cruise port and I told the driver we wanted to leave at 1:30 but by 11 we had had enough and ended up leaving about noon. We could not relax with people constantly trying to sell us stuff... they would interrupt conversations! I finally told the pot dealer to get the F away from me and my husband and 9 year old granddaughter... that if he came by me again I was calling the cops. It was hot and we couldn't go in the water. The facilities we were told were there are the bathrooms of the resort that's there, which I felt funny using, but you do what you have to. Also, there was no food there, except for the expensive restaurant attached to the resort but there were people selling sodas and beers.

So fair warning people that want to go to Vigie... don't let the dispatcher talk you into a different beach. And WHY do they do that???

Even my daughter said if we have a stop on this island again, we are STAYING ON THE SHIP!

I've gotten some good ideas from these posts, things that I think of, but forget to pack. Like binoculars. I know hubby will appreciate having them. I do bring an extension cord to keep my phone, tablet and camera charged. I have a small travel alarm clock. I have a few strings of battery powered christmas lights that I use in the bathroom and our room, since we are in an interior cabin. I also make trail mix for the holidays and bring a bag of that to have for snacks when we are in port... sometimes it's enough to keep us going so we don't have to buy lunch. And I bring a can or two of Pringles... hubby is a chipaholic. I bring a 12-pack of diet coke and my travel mug for coffee and a cold travel cup for ice, and a soft sided cooler. I also always bring my own snorkel gear. I always say I'm going to pack light, but I never do and end up bringing home half of the clothes I brought unworn and wear the same beach cover up dress and/or shorts day after day. I do spend a lot of time in the pool or ocean so I bring at least 2, usually 3, bathing suits. And LOTS of sunscreen and a hat. I don't bring towels, but I do have sarongs that I bring to sit on on the beach or lounge chairs. Take up less room and weigh less to lug around. I usually have at least a day or two in the port city before the cruise so I buy my shampoo and condition and soda there so it's not weighing down my suitcase on the airplane. After reading these posts I think I will add tea bags to my list. I don't drink a lot of it but when you need/want it, you do, and it doesn't take up much space or weight. And this year, for the first time, I'm bringing an over the door shoe holder for the bathroom. We are cruising out of San Juan two weeks from Sunday. So psyched!!!

Hi. The condo we stayed in was great. It was near the pool/bar & restaurant and our balcony looked out over the docks where the fishing and leisure boats came in and out. Beautiful. The guy we rented it from was very easy to work with and accommodating. This was 3 years ago. It was an easy walk to the beach. I'm surprised at the condition of the complex. They were so nice I thought about looking into buying one when I retire. It's such a shame. The dive shop was there when we were there and you could get burgers and drinks right there too.

Thanks everyone for all the information. If it was just me and my husband I would definitely go to Little Bay or spend the day on Orient, but I know my daughter would be really disappointed if we didn't visit Maho Beach, it seems to be a "bucket list" type of thing. So now I'm looking at a Shoreexcusioneer trip that's $33 per person, brings us to Orient Beach for a couple of hours, then to Maho Beach and then back to the ship. Does a total of $132 (plus tip) seem like too much money for the assurance that you will get to where you need to be and see what you want to see? I think I saw cab fares posted where it would be about $120 for 4 people to get to Orient beach, Maho beach, then back to ship.

And, by the way, I misspoke about being the only ship in port that day, I was looking at the wrong day, there will be 2 ships.

Again, thanks everyone, and when I get back I will report in.