trainnut

On 11/9/2023 at 7:40 PM, mcmarya said:

If you have data, Uber works really well in Rio.  Regular taxis are also reasonable.  The advantage of Uber is that you don't have to deal with language barriers and you know upfront what the cost will be.  Either way there is plenty of availability.

Thank you!

Can anyone tell me about cab availability, or other options, from the NCL pier in Rio de Janeiro?  We have a group of 12 that need to be at a meeting NLT 10:30 AM, docking at 8 AM.  Thanks, all!

You can also look into apartments, condos, and homes thru booking companies like AirBnB, etc.  I've seen small apartments overlooking the beach as low as $50 per night (not including various fees, of course).

Keep in mind on that classic package the beer limit is up to $5, NOT $8. The Spouse looked at the Michael's Pub list and noted that pretty much any brew he would drink was over that price point, so no reason to get the classic. But the premium package was sufficiently over pried for our purposes to make no sense either as he would only have one or two beers a day anyway.

 

He made the decision based on that info to go a la carte.

Just a consideration: If you're interested in the other parts of the classic package, consider simply paying the difference for the craft beers that are over the price limit. It MAY be worth it, then.

if your speed drive is about 80 kms per hour (sorry dont know in miles x hour), about an hour & 15 or 30 minutes, no more than that

80 KM is about 50 MPH. To get a rough estimate, multiply KM by .6 - that gets you pretty close.

After reading all these wonderful reviews, we hired through Edaurdo. Talk about timely. He got back with my email almost immediately. Made arrangements and sent deposit. Alberto was our driver. We were doing a back to back on the Carnival Elation therefore having two days in Cozumel. We hired ALberto for both days- three hours each. First of all, what a nice man. Well educated, very polite and spoke English quite well. More than I can say for me- I speak English and that's it. He did try to teach me some Spanish but I will need a few more lessons. I would not hesitate to hired him again when we visit Cozumel. He will take you where you want to go, or we let him take us on what he thought we should see. He explained so much to us. When we went shopping, he pushed the cart, lifted the heavy bags. What a jewel of a guy.

We totally agree! We also went with Eduardo on our trip last week, and had Alberto as our driver. The booking process was very simple - we did need to make an advance deposit ($50, through PayPal), but all communications were fast and accurate. They even warned us about the fact that Mexico hadn't changed to Daylight Savings Time yet, so there was an hour difference in ship's time and Cozumel time. They adjusted our meeting time to remain on the ship's time.

Alberto was waiting literally right outside the exit from the pier, with a sign with my name. He took us to see the Mayan ruins on the island, stop at the Tequila factory, and do some shopping. As stated above, he was polite, knowledgeable, and spoke good English. We had a great time, learned a lot, and would hire them it again tomorrow if we could.

The ONLY caveat I have is that they use Nissan station wagons if you have 4 or fewer folks. Hate to say it, but that back seat is VERY tight with 3 adults in it ! Other than that, though, I give them an A+!

I agree - tips are NOT included. I just ran a straw purchase - total cost is $284.70 for 7 bottles in the classic package, for an average of $40.67 per bottle. A $35 bottle of wine with 15% added is $40.25, so unless you want to drink Sauvignon Blanc every night, this is NOT a bargain!

This is a very small hint.......When we cruise I am always amazed at the people who wander around the Windjammer with a full plate of food searching for a table......The WJ is usually busy...that is the way it is...however.. find your table first.....put your stuff on it or have one of your party wait there while others get their food. It is so silly to walk around like a sad sack with a full plate looking for a table!:):):)

Hey, that "sad sack" is me, looking for the table we got when we walked in. I HATE short-term memory loss!

Deck - Sky Deck

Cabin # - 1180

Class – Concierge C1

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard (near the stern)

Bed near?(balcony or bath) – Bead near the balcony

Quiet Cabin (With comments on problems. Note if connecting. ) – Very quiet - never heard our neighbors, except when they entered or left cabin.

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – Straight, unobstructed view. The cabin is 5 decks above the lifeboats, so no issues.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - This is a normal-sized balcony. Enough room for 2 decent chairs, 2 foot stools and a small round table.

Was wind a problem? No problems with wind at all.

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? N/A

Any specific problems with this cabin? The only problem I noted that several times the "cold" water was lukewarm at best.

Any other comments? Decent cabin, very comfortable bed, small fridge in room (stocked by Celebrity, but attendant can/will empty for your use. LONG way from the elevator, though.

Going on the splendor on Sept13th. I thought I would give priceline a try and my bid of $55 was accepted for the Long Beach Hilton on the 12th.:)

Thanks for that information. Do you know if they have a shuttle to the cruise peirs?