MomSwag

I Googled it. If I'm not mistaken, it's almost an hour long ride to Caye Caulker by water taxi.

I hear you can fly there in about 15 minutes, but I haven't figured out all the logistics on that yet.

Probably depends on your port times and time of year, we had a nice day there using the water taxi but would check both options. You can also fly back if the schedules work for you.

Do you have more information on this flying option? Is it a small plane? A helicopter? Do you have a name or number? Cost? 😁😁

We just did a sharks and reef snorkel in Belize. It is harder to get to as mentioned. It was a 45 minute boat journey to Cay Caulker. It was AMAZING! The reef was beautiful and the sharks, oh wow!

 

We did also snorkel in Cozumel. It was really rough so not as good this time. However, we did it about 8 years ago, and it was a beautiful day and beautiful snorkeling.

Did you go to Caye Caulker from the cruise ship or as a separate vacation? If it WAS from the cruise ship, was it an excursion or something you arranged privately?

I Googled it. :o It's gorgeous and sounds like a great time, but I wasn't sure how it fit into a cruise day time wise with an almost hour long boat ride.

I hope I'm not highjacking a post here, but I have a couple of questions about snorkeling.

Can anyone snorkel? I mean, how difficult is it or do you literally just stick your face in the water? Lol

Can you snorkel without having to pay for an expensive excursion?

Is there an age limit? (Minimum age?)

Balconies are decks 5 or 6 thru 10 ( 9 on the Freedom)...Breeze is much nicer, BTW...Balconies on Carnival are small..35-45 SF..I can tell you on those ships you will have only 2 sitting chairs and a small coffee table..there are some "extended balconies" on both ships, usually cat 9 or 9A...they are bigger and sometimes are wrap around , too..BUT they cost about 25-35% more than regular balconies...also balconies on the "bump" tend to be a bit deeper, but not enough to have lounge chairs...

I was leaning towards the Breeze! The balcony will honestly mostly be for my husband and I anyway. I like to get up early and have some quiet time and listen to my worship music before everyone else wakes up. I think a balcony will be perfect for that. :) (Even if I need to use headphones!)

I can't think of a more peaceful setting for some quiet time in the mornings! Thank you for all of this information. :)

There's no way a cruise line is going to make it "easy" for a child (or anyone else) to "slip/fall off a cruise ship". That would be a huge liability for them and a billion lawsuits waiting to happen.

I'm taking my 4 yr old granddaughter on a cruise soon and I am not the least bit concerned. I've been once already and I'm confident that she will be fine.

Have a great time!

MomSwag- Great questions! OK, here we go..PRIVACY is different on different ships..Princess has little privacy because their balconies are on a slant..on most balconies, you could lean over & peak at who's there, but that would be quite offensive..size of the balcony is also related to size of the cabin...

..I.E., a regular standard cabin & balcony may be between 175 Sq. ft and balcony 45 SF..they are bigger on Royal Caribbean's larger ships ( Oasis, Freedom class, etc..)..But a JUNIOR SUITE can give you up to 80 SF or more..that large balcony may have a lounger chair & smaller seats & coffee table...If you have a specific ship & cabin you are looking at, let me know & I can tell you the sizes..also, AFT balconies ( in the back) are usually 50-75 % bigger than balconies on the side, BUT they cost more, too...most regular size balconies have 2 chairs & small coffee table..seating for 4 would require a larger cabin & balcony, OR an aft balcony...hope this helps..NOTHING like smelling the salt air, seeing the waves, sun, birds, fish, islands, other ships, etc...

 

Big Al

We will be sailing with Carnival. Either the Breeze or Freedom. We haven't booked yet(obviously!), so I'm not sure about which room yet. Are the balconies only available on certain decks?

I have not read every thread on this topic, so I apologize in advance if I'm being repetitive.

When it comes to booking a room, I have a few questions:

I've cruised once with my hubby. We just had a regular interior room on deck 7. This time, we'll have 2 teens with us.

Motion wise, do you feel it more the higher or lower you go on the ship?

Is the inside of a balcony room larger than the inside of a regular interior room?

Is there any particular advantage to booking one section over another? (Forward, middle, aft)

Noise wise, which areas do we absolutely want to avoid? (Least noise possible at bedtime)

Also, can you bring a fan on board?

We will be sailing with Carnival for this cruise.

So, y'all almost have me SOLD on booking a balcony room. I didn't read every single page of responses, so I have a few questions.

How much privacy do you actually have on a balcony? I've heard stories about seeing other people who were less than dressed or engaging in inappropriate behavior for a kid to witness on a balcony. Lol. How true is that?? (We'll have our 2 teens with us)

Is there seating and a table out there? Is it crowded? How many people will fit out there at one time?

Are there better balconies than others?

Carnival will dock at Purta Maya. If you leave the port, head across the street and to the right. Up just a little ways is a street market with lots of little tents selling merchandise. Very safe. We had a group in our family of 3 adults and 4 kids age 16, 15, 14, and 13.

Thank you!

Thank you for all the responses.

We aren't necessarily interested in a nursery. We don't mind having her with us at all times. She's an excellent baby.

She'll have both parents and a set of grandparents with her.

We were more concerned with what it would be like taking her off the ship at each port.

We will be sailing Carnival and have 3 stops.

I will check the family boards as suggested. Thank you so much for your help!

We had a cruise planned last year. About 6 months before the cruise date, I had a dream that I walked out onto the deck and it was covered in water. I then realized we were sinking.

Oddly enough, it was a very calm, peaceful dream. I wasn't scared or anything.

We ended up not going on that cruise because my mom's health began to decline and we had to postpone it.

Oh well!:confused::confused::confused::confused:

How difficult is it to cruise with toddlers and infants?

Specifically, a 4 yr old and an 8-9 month old.

Carnival Valor. April 14. 2 adults, a 13 and 17 year old.

Thank you for the suggestions.

Due to a work conflict for our daughter, we just found out that the cruise we are planning in April will have to be shortened.

:(

Now, we will only be going to Cozumel. We aren't interested in excursions, and would like to explore on our own instead.

What's the best way to fit in shopping, sightseeing AND beach time for our family? We probably wouldn't spend more than an hour (maybe two) on the beach.

I need suggestions for the cheapest way to visit a beach, a nice shopping area, restaurants and at least one landmark/physical place we need to see/visit! (If possible!)

Is it even possible to fit all of that in?

(We'll be sailing with Carnival in April)

We have been to Cozumel many times and have done it all from horse back riding to chillin at Mr. Sanchos (our favorite)...but we just got back 2 weeks ago and had the most fabulous tour in Cozumel!

 

We did TrikesCozumel

http://www.trikes-tours.com/

 

We have done the trikes in St. Maarten (6 days before it was blown away) and Aruba; but Cozumel was the absolute best.

 

We rode along the beach around the whole island.We stopped several places for photos. Stopped by the ocean and had THE best mojito you could ever imagine (all hand done, no blenders) $6.

 

Included was a Tequila distillery "tour" and tasting. Then they served us an amazing fajita lunch. Drinks were on your own; but reasonable.

 

I think they would have kept touring us had we not told them it was time to get back to the ship!

 

 

They furnish bandanas and helmets. All new equipment. They take time to get you introduced and comfortable riding the trike.

 

Trikes are automatic (car engines) and brand new. My husband (we are in our 60's) drove and I rode on the double wide back seat. (2 can ride). There were only 2 couples on our tour and we had NO complaints. We had 2 guides who led us in a VW Beetle; 1 hanging out the window taking pictures! They post all these pictures on their FB page and you can download any of them for free.

 

So glad we did the 3rd island with them. I have recommended them so many times that there won't be many more months of "just 1 or 2" on the tour!;)

 

Check it out!

btw...I am just enthusiastic because this is something new and unique for us that we totally enjoyed...I am in no way affiliated with them! :)

.

These look like fun! Thanks for the info. I think this is exactly what I was looking for!! Are any of the trikes big enough for 4 people? And is the lunch included in the fee or did you pay extra for that?

There's shopping on the piers - there are 3 cruise ship piers on Cozumel, so for details we'd need to know what ship and what date. There's also lots of shopping downtown. Cozumel in general is very safe and easy to do on your own. Have a great cruise! :D

Carnival Breeze/April 22

Since we're going to 3 ports of call, I don't want to spend all 3 of them at the beach/on the water.

Are there SAFE places to go shopping in Cozumel? We'll have 2 teens with us (13 and 17).

A nice, leisurely day shopping/sightseeing/eating would be nice!

We will be sailing to Cozumel, Belize and Roatan in April.

We will have my 13 yr old son and 17 yr old daughter with us. We aren't looking to book a lot of excursions, but I have a few questions.

1.) How safe is it cruising into Mexico? I hear conflicting reports. Should we consider staying on the ship?

2.) If we don't do any excursions, what exactly is there for us to do in ANY of the ports of call?

3.)If you had to recommend ONE excursion in each port, what would it be and why?

Seasoned cruisers....how does Pack n Go work? How soon before a cruise sets sail do they usually offer this? Are the price differences drastic or just slight? Is it pretty common that they offer these last minute deals? Just wondering! I've always been curious about this.

For those of you who have been to Mr Sanchos in Mexico, what's the difference between the free side and the all inclusive? Is the free side beach more rocky or crowded? Just trying to decide which way to go for our party of 14

 

 

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I keep hearing about "Mr. Sanchos", but I don't know what it is????

We're going to Cozumel in February. Someone tell me what it is :)

As a newbie, thank you for all the replies. I appreciate your honesty and I understand what you are saying.

I will take a look around at what the different ships have to offer and go from there!

I am interested in knowing everyone's opinion on the different cruise lines.

I've only sailed with Carnival so far (only been on one cruise). I keep hearing that they are declining in their service, etc...

If you have been on several of the different cruise lines, how do they compare? Why should I consider a cruise line other than Carnival?

Thank you!

I've seen several people mention B2B cruises.

I was wondering exactly what that means.

Robyn

I've been seasick before, going on a 7 day cruise tomorrow Dr. prescribed the patch and said to put it on the night before I cruise but I've read about side effects. Can I wait to see how I do on the ship or by then is it too late.

I can give you the recipe to make your own or you can also buy something called "Motion Eaze". It's all natural and has oils in it.