Rinderoo

First world dilemma here! 

I've been to Cozumel many times, but never past 5pm. Just looked at the itinerary for my next trip (April 12, HAL NS) and our port time is 11am-11pm.

Been reading that Tulum and the other ruins on the mainland, and the parks, will close at 5-6pm. Not going to head that way. 

What is there to do, besides hang out at a bar, until 11pm? 

I'm game to find some shops, or a restaurant for dinner, close to the pier. 

But what pier will this ship be at this date? I've always gone to Puerta Maya (Carnival Pier.) 

Been browsing the various port boards and can't find the port.  

Thanks for any advice you can give for Cozumel after 5pm. 

Ten years after first post the scammer is alive and still banged up. Still from Wisconsin but tonight (Dec 4 2019) as we were walking in to CVS he needed $4 to get his dad out of the hospital via taxi. Said he was at the Sheraton and got lost and ended up in La Perla where they were robbed and he was beat up. Didn't fall for it because I know you can't get anywhere in OSJ for four bucks! 

I think I'm going to get this one for my group: 

2 minutes ago, awestover89 said:

 

That's a very good point. Not going to start a tipping debate, but I do feel it would be good form to tip bartenders a bit extra if you benefited from this deal. 

Yeah... someone, somewhere, is going to have to "pay" for that error. Might as well hand out some cash with those cheap drinks. I have friends who bought the package because it was less than the soda. I barely hit the breakeven point with a RCI beverage package, but I have to buy it because the person with whom I travel likes her cocktails, lol. 

I think I will be a really, really, good tipper that week.  😉 

Bought it for my May 2020 cruise. Still waiting for them to take it away, lol  

Done it many times and really enjoy it. Just booked it again for September on the Breeze. Would like a new menu but if they don't have one its fine with me. 

I have done many Chukka excursions and they are pretty good. If you are happy with the description of the tour, go for it!

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DCL will not grandfather old pricing. You get that days price on the new room. A solo passenger so pays a Single Supplement equal to 200% of cruise fare. so basically, two people sail for about the same price as one.

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Does anyone have a preferred method of private transportation from the Rotterdam cruise port to Amsterdam/AMS (Schiphol) airport? Doing an early debarkation from ship and no transfers available with HAL.

Sun Transfers doesn't seem to be an option for Rotterdam Cruise Port to AMS.

Thank you.

It is a USPH law that no swim diapers are permitted in cruise ship pools. Disney and Royal have kiddie splash play areas, as does Carnival.

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Happens a lot when you cruise a few times a year.

I have been "pulled over" and asked to provide documentation as solo parent of my own lid on Carnival, Princess, Royal and NCL. In San Juan the security staff refused to let me in to the,port without showing the notarized letter.

So get the letter. [emoji4]

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I was on this cruise too with my senior citizen mom.... MDR 5 nights, and five nights I had Indian Vegetarian. Desserts are 'weak'. I'm fine with fruit though. Did the Chef's Table and it was fantastic. Thought the Cucina was delicious but I can not remember what I ordered! Heading back in April with hubby. Got a few things at the Tandoor and had just 1 small piece of pizza. Both were good.

Spent most of my time in the casino--and left with a whole lot of money! Lucky me... the 1099 was in my mailbox for some of it when I opened my door the morning we returned to port. :D

Never had a problem with food in Lido and ran into one coffee machine that was inop. One Guy's Burger (eh, I'll skip it next time). DIdn't do the deli. Never made it to Red Frog or a show, because I've seen all those shows. We had a Spa Balcony and it is really quiet up there. Didn't spend a lot of time outside due to winds.... and the aforementioned lucky streak every day in the casino. I was drinking for free on Day 2 but don't really drink, lol. My entire alcohol consumption on that cruise was 1 beer in the lobby bar, my free glass of wine (which cost me $1.44 as i wanted the Pinot Grigio and I gave $2 for a tip) and the wine at the Chef's Table. In the casino I had just 3 diet Cokes.

I have not been thrilled with Carnival desserts in the Lido for a long time. On the plus side I don't find myself overindulging. The veggies were very fresh and what I had up there was good. Their french toast is delicious as is the oatmeal. They also know how to boil eggs.

Did a couple of excursions including Cozumel by Land and Sea, which was pretty good. In Belize we did Altun Ha and River Wallace, which I've previously done. The river was very high and we saw lots of gators but not much other wildlife. Didn't venture out of the port in Roatan or Costa Maya, despite having plans to go to Mahajual. It was too cold and windy.

Boarding was easy with the 1230pm arrival time, and we did a walk off at 715am. We were walking in the house by 745am (and I was in the bank parking lot with a wad of cash to deposit before I flew home! My mom is about 10 miles from the port while I am a 2 hour flight away.)

There were 4055 passengers on board (was the John Heald cruise.) Never saw John, unfortunately. Lots of things to do, and the SuperBowl on the big screen was awesome.

The ship was clean, but the floor in the Lido needs a good scrubbing as it is too slippery. Otherwise no complaints. Hope I get that lucky run in the casino again, but I probably won't. At least I am prepared to stop if I'm losing. lol

Had a Guy's burger on the Magic and was not impressed. The "Dive In Burger Bar" on the HAL Eurodam was far better. So I am "one and done" for Guy's. Its OK - there is plenty of food on a cruise ship and I sure won't starve!

And this is precisely why I always book ONLY cruise line sponsored excursions. I tell people time and time again how risky it is and then I’m attacked by their righteous indignation that I’m so wrong and how perfectly safe it is and oh how they guarantee you’ll get back in time to catch the ship. They’ve just been lucky enough so far to not have an issue. Just wait till they are waving the ship good bye one time.

The $10 extra per person it will cost me to do a ship sponsored tour, and the ability to at least have some recourse should things go wrong and a possible refund, is totally worth it. Far less costly than figuring out how to catch up with the ship later on. I've been on way too many tours where things went wrong. If we miss a port (happens a lot) there is no hassle in getting a refund with a ship tour. The peace of mind for the ship waiting is well worth it. I did forget to add the boat with a broken engine in Barbados and being dropped on a beach for about 90 minutes while he got a part. That one wasn't so terrible because we could at least see the ship a few miles up and all of us were healthy and fit enough to walk. Then there's the guy who offered a tour on his own (he had been drinking and doing gawd knows what else at the port bar) for my friend and me--and he had already propositioned her and offered her drugs. (This was in St Lucia on another cruise--there were a few of us friends traveling.)

I also feel there are reasons why ship tours don't go to certain places. As tourists we just can't get in a car and be driving and expect everything to be good.

Three cruises scheduled this year--and I won't do an independent tour on any of them. Closest I'll come to an independent is the bus from Costa Maya to Mahajual--and then I'll have to rent a chair and buy a couple of cervezas from a proprietor, but that will be fine. Now if I was doing Europe, it would be a different story. There are many reputable tour providers there who do a better job than the ships, but for the Caribbean and Bahamas, its ship tours only for me.

Oh, I have had many! Worst idea ever was to do private excursions with a group I met here on CC. Most people did not show and there were last minute changes. Entrance fees not paid to sites (St Kitts) and the driver on that one pointed to things while going 40 mph. My worst independently booked excursion was a tour of St Lucia. We were packed 10 people in a bus, it was hot (A/C was working) and I was slightly woozy from all the switchbacks in the road. We were provided a snack of bread and cheese--which didn't taste right to me but it had been 6 hours and I needed something. Ended up terribly ill that night but it only lasted 12 hours. (Could have been the deli sandwich too--who knows.) That particular cruise was just filled with things that didn't go well. When we got to St Maarten we ditched everything and just took a taxi to Maho and sat there for a few hours.

I've been on tours where boats lost an engine (Belize--thankfully it was ship sponsored and they waited.) Broken down busses (Belize again.) Driver in Roatan (private tour) spent time at a bar while we did our zipline... You know, normal stuff for the Caribbean.

Because I've been on tours where things went awry I always do ship sponsored tours. They don't seem to differ too much from what is offered by independents in the Caribbean and even if I pay a few dollars more the peace of mind knowing they hold the ship is worth it.

Quite possibly, there was a problem with connecting rooms when you booked and this might have been the best available. No way to know now but at least you have the connecting door.

As for the motion sickness, Dramamine does nothing for me--it is too much like Benadryl. I have to take Bonine, which is prescription Meclizine, and I do pretty well with it. My doc won't prescribe the scopolamine patches for various reasons. So pick up some Bonine and see if that helps. GinGin candies also soothe my stomach as well.

Its a holiday cruise and you're going to have a great time.

Only been really sick once, and I swear it was something from the deli on the Valor and it lasted about 24 hours. Otherwise I get rest, drink lots of water (usually bottled) and I never, ever, drink out of unwrapped glasses/cups in a hotel or on a cruise ship. Handwashing and lots of soap helps and one of the things I bring on all cruises is a container of liquid hand soap for my ship bathroom. I'm also one of "those people" who uses Clorox wipes on surfaces in my hotel/cruise cabin and I also usually bring a small canister of Lysol spray. Takes about 10 minutes to wipe down door handles, TV remote, dresser knobs. I know they clean, but not every surface gets wiped down in the room.

Again no comparison... book Princess.

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Thanks everyone. This is my senior citizen mom, and she just discovered she can no longer tolerate many dairy products, and is totally miserable after she eats them. As much as I want to do this. I will be discussing it when we board the ship. I did the CT on the Oasis and the cream-based sauces, and the soup which was pretty much cream in a bowl (I had two spoonfuls of it) would be too much for her. I looked at the menu and they would have to do some accommodating. I'll do 'dairy free' with her if they can do it.

I took a kid. It's fine. She restrictions apply in the facilities though.

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My travel companion for my upcoming cruise on the Magic is lactose intolerant. Anyone know how accommodating they may be with the menu? Most soups are cream based as are desserts.

Think this may be something we need to cancel. The cruise line says to discuss with the dining room at boarding. It is easy to avoid lactose in MDR but probably not with the Chefs Table.

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Done Spa balconies on the Valor and a 12th floor Spa Balcony on the Magic. I like them, and didn't notice any voyeurs from above on the Magic--this is the Serenity area. Booked another one on the Magic for Feb (same room actually) and I'm looking forward to it. Love Spa staterooms on the Magic because of the access to the thermal suites, which comes with the room.