StCroixCruiser
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Posts posted by StCroixCruiser
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I dove with Mar Adentro in October. It was an awesome day of diving.
I arrived for my lion fish hunt 2 tank dive only to be asked if I wanted to cancel due to high seas. I said I was game if they were. A small open dive boat was quickly exchanged for a 45' cabin cruiser Searay. It was me, the captain, his deck hand, the dive shop owner, and a divemaster (retired American military). No extra divers... so an amazing private excursion.
First dive was quite a ways north from the cruise port on some pristine reef much further than the shops take normal 2 tank dives. There was a little chop bouncing the boat at anchor, but reboarding after the dive was just a matter of timing the swells. The 2nd dive was even further north. They said they'd never done that area of reef before and we were going to explore. The ocean completely laid down flat at that site. We had a longer kick to where the reef began with a little current to fight, but again arrived at a beautifully pristine reef full of life. The reef at both sites was a maze of coral head fingers, each running about 100-150 yards in length parallel with many others before a short break and another cluster of finger reefs beginning. The runnels between coral fingers were filled with sand. The fingers were close together, which had you swimming in coral lined alleys with no surge. The coral fingers ranged from 10-25 or so feet high from the sandy bottom. The cruise out from the port was full of waves. They kept watching me to see if I was ok or about to panic... but I'm a licensed captain with years of open ocean sailing experience and I was having a blast. It had been about 8 years since I had last gone spear fishing (used to live on St Croix), so killed fewer lionfish than I was used to but still put about 16 in the catch tube over 2 dives. Two of the littlest ones escaped.They offered fresh fruit between dives, bottled water, as well as beer after dives were done. I used their gear as I was visiting off a cruise ship and not diving in any other ports. The only drawback was the reg didn't have a computer and the air gauge was rudimentary. I trusted them to watch their computers and we had long dives and weren't cut short by an arbitrary dive time as happens on many excursion dives.The dive shop also does regular 2 tank dives on the reef just off the Majahual seawall and the divemaster said the sites are in good shape and full of fish. I hope it stays that way.The dive was booked through the ***** excursions email I received for my back to back cruises. They offered a 2 tank dive with equipment for $99 or a 2 tank lion fish hunt safari with equipment for $199. I opted for the latter knowing it was less likely to be a "cattle boat" experience (while wondering if it would really be worth the extra $$) and wasn't even vaguely disappointed. If we had taken the smaller open dive boat 20 miles up the coast in high seas, it wouldn't have been as pleasant.It was an excellent dive excursion and I wouldn't hesitate to dive with Mar Adentro again. I am a PADI Master SCUBA Diver Trainer (instructor) as well as a boat captain. This outing on a day when the ocean was topped with heavy surf wouldn't have been for everyone. The staff was attentive and professional and it looked like they were really enjoying getting to explore new reef areas, too. If you are a less experienced diver, their dive offerings along the malecon are likely better than many other Caribbean locations since Majahual hasn't been inundated with tourists for decades like other popular dive locations.
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On 12/6/2019 at 6:38 PM, Single_dreamer said:
Google maps shows Maya Chan about 30 minutes from the port. Others have reported that it is a long drive. I think I will try to get to the Malecon - maybe Jaime's at Blue Reef, Krazy Lobster or Tropicante. Jaime's says she has an all inclusive, but I'm re-thinking my plan since I don't drink. I may not want to over-pay for a day out - but don't want to simply stay at the port.
The Costa Maya port is different than most, as the receiving center at the end of the pier is built specifically for the cruise lines, it's not part of the town a few miles away. The port "village" has shops and bars and a swimming pool with a sand "beach" and lounge chairs. You can watch the dolphin show for free. I was there twice in October and went on excursions both times that were amazing, but if I hadn't booked something and spent the day at the port village, it wouldn't have been so bad and better than some ports I've visited through the years.
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It's $79 on the two Empress sailings I'm on in October... but the price says for the next two hours only.
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On 7/10/2019 at 4:06 PM, Hogbay said:
Once upon a time The little Fairy did cabin upgrade's for the lucky one's . Then one dark and stormy night ....POOF ! and she was gone . After sailing around and around The Little Fairy had a thought "These drinks are bloody expensive" So she snuck into the cruise planer and "POOF" the deluxe drink package was $18 for the lucky one's , We now prey that The Little Fairy will return one day 🧚♀️
I wish I'd caught that sale! I've never seen it that low on any cruise line. I had just booked a b2b on Empress and it would have made the vacay that much more perfect. So I guess I'll just bring a couple bottles of wine on board each cruise. C'est la vie.
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3 night on Empress on two October cruises I'm on is listed at $79 for the next 2 hours
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83 and 90 to b2b on Empress
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28 minutes ago, Notaworryintheworld said:
This might be a stupid question but do I need to alert royal if I booked (through two different TAs, long story) b2bs? They both show in my cruise planner so I assume they just figure it out that we are staying on? I’ve never done it before.
If you are in different cabins on the two cruises, let your cabin attendant know and he can help arrange a luggage cart to move your items to the new cabin on the swap-out day. Most cruise lines help with that process so you may not have to take clothes off hangars and put in suitcases, etc. You won't get to use the new cabin until it gets cleaned, but they usually let you put your stuff in the closet until the cabin is ready.
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One of the best excursions in PV is the Marigalante pirate ship cruise with breakfast, bbq lunch, open bar, pirate show, beach time, snorkel time for those who want it, etc. My sons loved it when I took them years ago. It's popular with all ages for different reasons.
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I've traveled solo often since my husband died in 2009. We lived in the Caribbean at that time and traveled constantly; so with all the other changes in life finding myself suddenly single, I didn't want to give up travel, too. Solo cruises work well, both for the safety factor and because you have so many chances to have companionship for various things if you wish it or do your own thing when that's what feels right. Sometimes I travel with a friend or a family member, but with my work schedule I tend to get sudden opportunities to take some time off. I booked a 10-night trip today for 18 days from now, for example. That makes it hard to find a travel companion. Staying home alone or traveling alone?... hmmm... I'll take the traveling alone every time!
I dine solo some nights, but also enjoy joining a group for dinner to talk about our day in port or plans for the next day. Often, there are quite a few solo travelers on board looking for that same loose connection. I usually find a few people to group up for trivia or just for drinking wine and watching the ocean roll by. The Roll Call and Meet & Greet are a good way to start. For a Mediterranean cruise, the Roll Call was instrumental in arranging great tours with some fun people.
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NCL's "free" packages aren't anywhere near free considering what you have to pay additionally to qualify... and then pay more in tips on top of that.
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On 1/23/2019 at 7:23 AM, Capt_Carbuncle said:
Hi, I'm new to Cruise Critic. What exactly "roll call"?
CCOn your Roll Call question... click here:
https://www.cruisecritic.com/rollcalls/?cruise_line_id=24
That takes you to a list of upcoming sailings on Norwegian. Find the one for your ship name and date of departure. That roll call is for your specific cruise and you can connect with people who will be onboard with you prior to departure. On Western Caribbean cruises, it's common for there to be a lot of SCUBA divers onboard hoping to dive in Caymans, Cozumel, Roatan, Belize, etc. They can assist your research and maybe together you can find a great deal on a dive excursion.
If you don't find your specific ship/sailing date in the main list at this link, click where it says "if you don't find your roll call Click Here" and you can see more.
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On 1/23/2019 at 7:23 AM, Capt_Carbuncle said:
Hi, I'm new to Cruise Critic. What exactly "roll call"? I'm an advanced diver going on a Norwegian cruise to Roatan, Harvest Caye, & Cozumel & would like to do some diving, but am just aimlessly emailing dive shops in each area. If there is a better way to go about finding a good dive shop, I'm all ears.
Thanks!
CCYou can check PADI's website for dive operators at various locations. Sometimes you can find specials that way or links to reviews from past customers. Emailing a dive shop to outline your diving experience level and what you are looking for can sometimes improve the product they sell you. I've been an instructor for 20 years and I let dive shops know I'm looking for more extreme diving and not a cattle boat on a damaged reef. 90% of the time I get great rates and personalized dives in the best areas.
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49-1/2 days to go. 42 of which I will spend helping hurricane recovery in Houston; so I'll really need a vacation by time I hit the ship in Rome.
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I was on the NCL Jade last winter for a 12 night Caribbean cruise, traveling solo in an inside cabin as I was able to get time off from work unexpectedly and booked what they had left available. Eight different evenings, I had between 3-8 crew members show up in my cabin following my shower before dinner. Before I could dry off. Before I could get dressed.
Apparently the inside cabins get steamed up during a shower and it sets off the smoke alarm. The first time it happened, they called my stateroom phone and I answered and told them there wasn't a fire, just some steam from the shower. Didn't matter that I was there and reassured them. NCL sends crew into the cabins no matter what. I quit even bothering to grab a towel after about the 4th time.
The last night of the cruise the comedian doing the final show included this special Jade experience in his monologue. He thought it was awesome that the Jade sent geishas to dry him off after every shower.
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I booked a solo cruise on NCL Spirit to the Greek Islands - 11 nights for $1099 with a $50 cabin credit plus your choice of one of their bonus offers. This is for the October 22, 2017 sailing in an inside cabin.
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I've cruised solo a number of times, most recently on the NCL Jade in January-February. The Jade wasn't great at getting singles together, but I'll try again.
Just booked my next solo trip on NCL Spirit for the Greek Islands Oct. 22 - Nov. 2, 2017
Anyone else going Greek this fall?
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I bought a dozen one trip to Grenada and keep them in lingerie drawers, hanging in closets, bathroom, anywhere there may not be as much airflow as you'd like and things can get stale or musty. A little spice helps. I refresh them every so often with the dip in boiling water and they're almost like new. They've worked for years! I'll be back on Grenada in February and probably will buy a few more as I have some storage closets I wouldn't mind spicing up, too.
Any experiences with the local Scuba shops?
in Costa Maya
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ok, it didn't want me to post the name of the cruise booking site I had used that provided the excursion info where I found this dive operation, which is odd since it's related to cruise critic. It starts with Vacations and then ToGo.