bowbiter

I am a beach snob since I grew up in NJ. Almaplena had one of the nicest beaches I have seen in the Western Caribbean. (I prefer Southern Caribbean for beaches.)

But you should look for recent visits since storms can change the beach landscape a lot.

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Yes I'm talking Costa Maya. Last year I went to Maya Chan. It was nice but the beach at Almaplena was better. Faster drinks at Maya Chan. Fresh handmade but slow drinks at Almaplena. More shade at Maya Chan and massages. Less people at Almaplena. Food was good at both. Food was available linger at Maya Chan. Homemade meal feel at Almaplena.

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We were there 2 years ago? Most if us hung out at the sand bar the majority if the day. Maybe waist deep. Fairly far out. Probably further than what you would let your kids wander to on their own. The water didn't really get that deep though. But maybe we were there at the right tide? It did have a sudden drop off at the end. Waist to neck at the back. I'm 5'4"

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Not an actual bar. Sand bar as in nice flat area w soft sand you can hang out on. You had to go get your own drinks

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http://www.islandconnections.eu/1000003/1000043/0/44158/daily-news-article.html

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Ah I see two different ship tracker sites showing the diversion to Tangier. Wonder if that is why most of the new sailings head there instead of Casablanca.

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Any idea how that affected the scheduling? I am on that itinerary next week

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You can use your free drinks for water at Little French Key. Seems like a waste but if you don't drink alcohol at least it isn't a complete loss. And I also suggest the monkey lalas or whatever they are. My group went a few years ago and they did allow you to run a tab and pay by credit card. It isn't like you can run away and not pay since you are on a little island.

Oh and IMO there was a lot of food for lunch. If you don't eat much or have kids sharing is an option assuming they allow that.

Also, Almeplana was great too. They had an awesome sand bar a ways out :-)

We played Frisbee??? and had drinks out there. I may be mixing up trips.

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We did a dune buggy adventure last year. Drove through mud pits and got incredibly muddy. It was awesome :) the mud doesn't really come out though so either wear non cotton clothing or bring old stuff you can toss later. I did the latter. More room in my suitcase for stuff that I bought that I didn't need :)

I believe it was called Roatan Sandblasters.

We also went to Little French Key the year before. That was also very nice.

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I've seen Baked Alaska on NCL but not sure how recently I've seen it. Flames kinda draw your attention when it is nearby :)

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I didn't think traveller's checks existed anymore :)

Actually I've found using my ATM and extracting local currency is usually more convenient. I find the bank fee is usually less or at most then same as an airport exchange terminal so no real loss. And this way I carry less around at one time.

I do usually carry some extra cash just in case ATM doesn't work or something. I don't bother with traveler checks anymore because there were 2 times people wouldn't accept them because the amount was too high (not enough change). Have had fewer issues with cash. And not that I recommend this but with cash you can always exchange at a sketchy place of you really need to for an emergency.

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So I looked into this because I was told we would see the blue hole on the way over. It seems you see "a" blue hole but not "the" blue hole. Belize has several smaller blue holes off the coast so that must have been what the pilot pointed out to me. What I saw definitely was a blue hole but after googling the big one it definitely wasn't that one.

Either way it is a beautiful short flight!

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Photocopy works just as well when you need to go to an embassy

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Vegetarian wise they always have at least one dish but you could mix and match your meal by requestin tge various sides from the main dishes. I've ordered a main dish plus the side from other menu items without a problem so don't see why you couldn't order all sides. You can also order from the kids menu if you are brave enough to ask the waiter for the menu. I love cheese and tend to go through withdrawal on cruises so I usually order Mac and cheese from the kids menu at least once :) It is probably velveta plus some real cheese. I think they also have pizza and jello which usually are not on the main menu.

Also....not sure which ship you are going on but at least the "older" ships (jewel class or sun/sky/spirit class) have two sockets per wooden stand. There are usually 2 in each room so 4 sockets in the main room plus the one in the bathroom. I also have a small power strip similar to the one posted earlier. But if you have a device that can take a range of voltages (most adapters do these days) they also have 2 European ports in addition to the north american ones. You could bring an adapter if you don't want to buy a power strip. The ship might have extras too - just ask at guest services desk.

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Most ports only need the cruise card but some want ID too. I'm not really sure why anyone would (purposely) travel without ID (adults) so it isn't an issue for most. I usually bring my passport or passport card with me when I leave the ship but a paper photocopy of it is just as good. You would really only need that if you get stranded or have to fly back to the states before the cruise ends.

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Probably depends on the ship. The longest wait we have ever had is about a half hour. The last 2 cruises on the Jewel they gave out coupons for free cheap sparkling wine or soda if you had to wait. We only had to wait if we went to eat during peak times 630 - 730ish.

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FYI - The cruise ship provides 'Cruise Critic name tags". They also provide the markers for everyone to write their name on them. And.....I agree. The planning, researching, etc. helps with the anticipation and really adds to the cruise experience!

 

Harriet

Does NCL really do this? Since when? I coordinated a meet and greet for my upcoming cruise but we are a small group. Guessing not alot of English speakers on board? The ones who are active seem great though :)

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You can see the Blue Hole on the flyover from Municipal to San Pedro? Or are you flying somewhere else and Aqua Scuba is meeting you?

You can see the Blue Hole on the flyover from Belize Municipal to San Pedro. You can probably see it on the way back too but I don't think I specifically looked for it. Aqua Scuba will meet you at the San Pedro airport when you arrive. The shop is only a 5 min walk from the airport.

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No suit needed at all on ncl

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We went to Little French Key a few years ago. Has some beach area and also has a great sand bar with a table out there for drinks. The pricing has changed since we went so I don't think it is as good of a deal anymore but it was a really nice place. They also had a mini zoo ish area with monkeys and some other wildlife. There was also a hut on the second floor with a 12 foot? Drop where you can jump into the water. Food was not unlimited (meal at a specific time) but there was plenty of food and it was yummy. There is also a reef nearby but I wasn't motivated enough to swim out there to see it.

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Big blue hole is too far for a cruise. I've dived with Aqua Scuba in San Pedro two cruises in a row. Last dive was Nov 14. Great company.

They book your flight there for you and you can at least seen the blue hole on the way there. They usually do one reef dive and one nurse shark dive but you can always request something different.

I think we took a 1030 flight over and 230 or 3 flight back. Plenty of time for 2 dives and a quick lunch.

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I want to say it is 3 days in and then 7. I am pretty sure I remember thinking the first one was too early and last one too late. But platinum can do it anytime I think.

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Last time I did a mock booking promo codes went on the page you entered the number of people and if you've sailed before. Not checking now so no idea if that is still the case.

But unfortunately this issue is a larger industry issue (not just cruise industry). It is annoying that you have to figure out the fine print to get advertised specials for any site. Like free shipping codes on orders over $50 you usually have to enter a code. It should be automatic.

IMO.... even though I know you have to put a promo code in.... NCL does a poor job of explaining that. (But like I said, most sites do.)

OP did you try posting to a public site for a response yet?

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OP have you tried posting to the FB page? I know you have to type "LATITUDES" as the promo when booking to get credit but I'm sure you aren't the only one who has made that mistake. Maybe whoever responds will be more understanding about your situation.

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Just wondering if you took this tour. I'm doing NCL's exclusive Marrakech in December. We paid more but it is still with NCL and smaller group

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