Craving A Cruise

On 10/21/2022 at 4:39 PM, donswife said:

We had dinner at Sabatini's the first night.  It was included as a perk when we booked, and I was able to reserve our table through the medallion app prior to the trip.  We enjoyed the meal, but it was really just too much food for us, and we would not have paid extra to eat there.  The servers seemed very busy, but pleasant.  

    We toddled off in our food coma to see the production show, "Do you want to Dance?". which is the only one this trip.  Seeing a lone stool on the stage gave me pause, and sure enough, the show had been rescheduled do too technical difficulties.  Carlos Oscar performed instead, and had me laughing until I cried.  I have seen him before, and have really enjoyed his style.  The production show is now supposed to be tonight.

LOVE LOVE LOVE Carlos Oscar!! such a great clean comedian. hoping he is on the 11/2/22 sailing 

Enjoying your very detailed review! We sail on Royal in a few weeks 😊. Is there a charge for the ship tour?

Bon Voyage! I will be following your adventures!!!

 We sail on the Emerald in November for our full transit thru the Panama Canal. 😀

Thanks for posting photos! Gives me a good overview of what to expect. 😎

Just onboard Caribbean today. NO medallion on this cruise. Was told possibly by August?? Having too many problems with the roll out.

thanks for posting! We sail on June 30 :cool:

Just got back yesterday, and I'm seeing a lot of questions about Lamanai, so posting here. Overall, it was one of the best excursions I've ever been on. The guides are with you from the time you step off the tender for the entire day, and are knowledgeable, humorous, informative and very entertaining. The combination of narrated bus ride with a boat ride to and from the ruins makes for a great experience. The new embarkation facility where you board the boat, the grounds and trails at the site, and the ruins themselves were all in excellent shape. This was a top-notch operation that exceeded my expectations.

 

Here's how your trip might go if you take the ship excursion:

Our group met in the forward lounge and all got on the tender together. At the port, they met us at the tender and walked us over to the other side of the #4 building while some used the rest room before the hour and fifteen minute bus ride.

*Tip 1: If you want a seat near the front, this is the time to hang back towards the parking lot, then be the first in line behind the guide as he leads you to the bus.

The bus ride passed quickly, as the three guides used that time for a very interesting presentation on wildlife and Maya and Belizean language, customs, etc. The ride takes you through some beautiful countryside where you could see some wildlife (we saw monkeys), over some primitive bridges, and at the very end a couple miles of dirt road. Overall, however, the roads are in pretty good shape.

At the boat dock, there is a newly-built bar, restaurant, and shop where you will have a very short time to use the restrooms before the half hour boat ride. You can grab a coke or water here.

* Tip 2: Buy a drink here if you don't already have a drink with you. This is your last opportunity to purchase a drink and you need to stay hydrated while walking the trails and climbing the ruins.

* Tip 3: The boat ride is about a half hour, and there are a limited number of seats with shade from the hot Belizean sun. If you want a spot in the shade, line up early after arriving at the boat dock.

The boat travels down a brand new man-made canal, then up a creek before joining the New River. From there you will head down the river at high speed.

* Tip 4: Be careful to hold onto your hats and loose items on the boat ride. Someone lost a backpack and was lucky it didn't sink before we could get turned around to retrieve it.

The boat ride ends at the dock near the ruins. The guided tour will take you in a loop of the 5 ruins, which I'd estimate is about a mile loop on mostly gravel-lined trails.

* Tip 5: There are fire ants everywhere. I was bitten up pretty badly. Be careful in the gravel as they will get in your shoes and bite the heck out of you.

* Tip 6: The tour is through mostly shaded but humid jungle, so you'll get pretty sweaty. Bring a hand towel from your stateroom to deal with that.

You will climb one of the ruins -- the tallest temple -- via a system of wooden stairs with hand rails that was built around the sides and back of the temple. The pinnacle is then reached via some very steep stone steps, and the very top is only about 20 feet across with no railings. It can get crowded up there so take your time for it to clear out. The guides will take your picture so bring your cameras.

* Tip 7: If you are not in reasonably good shape, you can skip the climb part, however it was the highlight of the day. I would estimate it's the equivalent of climbing four flights overall, so itake your time on the wooden stairs if you are not used to that level of physical activity.

* Tip 8: If you have a fear of heights or are anxious about the steep section of stone stairs at the end, at least try to make it to the landing before the steep steps. The view is incredible.

When the tour of the ruins is completed, you will again board the boat headed back to the dock where you originated. This time, you'll get about 45 minutes to spend there. This is a brand new facility, and in fact they were still doing some construction while I was there. They served a free Belizean lunch consisting of delicious rice and beans, flavorful marinated chicken, and fried plantains. They have fruit punch for free, or at the bar you can purchase soft drinks, Belikin lager and stout or coconuts filled with rum.

* Tip 9: The guides do not present on the bus ride back. Stock up on beers for the return trip, or kick back and get a nap in.

The route back is the same as the one to get there, so there is not much new to see. Back in Belize City, they'll drop you off inside the port area, just outside building 4. We didn't get back until about 3:45 and last tender was 4:15, so there was really not much time to shop or grab a drink. If you are willing to commit an entire day in port to this excursion, I would highly recommend it.

Thank you OP for the tips! Even though this was written originally a few years ago, I'm sure some of the info still applies. Thanks again!

Hello Cookingmom,

Thank you for the recent review. We are considering doing a post-cruise excursion with Princess that will visit the Everglades (airboat ride) followed by a brief visit to Flamingo Gardens. It sounds like you really enjoyed both activities . How long did you spend at each location? It seems the Princess tour is very rushed, but I can understand why, since they plan to drop off everyone at FLL airport at the conclusion of it by 1pm.

So my question for you is , What area of Flamingo Gardens did you most enjoy? And what is a definite do not miss? Wish we had more time to explore, but we will just need to make the most of it. Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

Was the pub lunch offered on both sea days? Thanks!

Those items look yummy!! Thanks for sharing.

I loved the Creme Brûlée and the chocolate pistachio dessert was pure heaven :hearteyes:

~Craving a Cruise

I hope so, but my friend just got off the Caribbean Princess a few days ago and they were unhappy with the food too.:eek:

Crown Princess had decent food last November, but not as good as our previous cruises on her.

Sadly, our recent Star Princess cruise was very disappointing!! The food was just barely edible at times! :( ....just seemed to be many cutbacks all around.

Nevertheless, we are willing to give the Ruby a try at some point!

I'm sitting at my resort in Kep, Cambodia after disembarking the Diamond yesterday (10-day, RT Singapore to Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Phuket).

 

In the inexorable series of cutbacks, it seems cream has gone the way of the dodo. The choices are now: milk and skim milk. Perhaps Princess is trying to stem the tide of morbid obesity swamping the world?

Bill B -

Now that you mentioned it, I had a similar situation on Star Princess last week.

After finishing dinner in the main dining room, I asked for a coffee. When I added cream to my coffee I noticed that it was actually skim milk in the little milk jug on the table! :eek: So, I immediately asked my server for creamer. He acted like he didn't know how to respond or what to say! LOL... He quickly disappeared and came back several minutes later with creamer. Yaaa!!!:D

I thought it was just an isolated incident. But maybe it wasn't? :rolleyes:

~Karen

Yes!!!

it was excellent. we ate so many different types of shrimp. everything was delicious and so reasonably priced. don't miss it!!! :D My family still raves about it years later. LOL.

The daily tips you pay on your account cover your waitstaff....no need to "tip as you go"...if they are fantastic and you think they deserve extra, you tip them on the last evening as is customary on cruises!

true. but in an envelope?

No.

 

Not following the tip policy can result in the employee being sent home at his/her own expense.

ok. so then if I want to give an auto tip and an additional tip to my room steward or waitstaff, you folks are saying that I can't just give "a padded palm" handshake when I leave, as I usully do? Instead I should place the $$ in an envelope first?

I don't want to put any employee in an awkward position yet I DO want to reward exceptional service personally when they deserve it......

As others have moaned, this is a never ending topic. sorry to continue beating the dead horse. LoL. .:rolleyes:....

I'm going to ask staff myself on my upcoming cruise!! that way I will know for sure one way or another. hahaha :)

Bon Voyage Everyone!

~Craving A Cruise

Talked to a Hotel Manager onboard in detail about this.

 

Yes, all tips must be turned in. However, once accounting has completed (usually about 3-4 days after cruise end), any tips where the auto-tip / Hotel Charge for that cabin was left in place are returned to the server/steward/crew member.

 

e.g. If the passenger used the auto tip and handed a crew member a sealed envelope with their cabin number which contained a tip for outstanding service, the envelope is RETURNED TO THE CREW MEMBER, UNOPENED after the accounting is closed.

 

Only if a passenger has revoked payment of the auto-tip does the individual tip go into a pool.

Thanks for this info. Can you please clarify something for me?

E.g. I always leave the auto-tip on my account and sometimes I will offer an additional cash tip in person to a crew member. If it is not in an envelope, does that mean they have to surrender the cash to the pool? So if I understand correctly, then every time I tip "above and beyond" it should be placed in a sealed envelope? That seems so strange...what happens to the tip I add at IC or the bar if 15% is already added but I want to give my bartender a little extra, are you saying he won't get to keep it? Or, if it is written on the receipt then it is considered their own tip and not added to the pool? So Confusing at times.....

Thanks in advance for your help!

~ Craving A Cruise

Hello kbset,

If you want to avoid the Horizon Court buffet on embarkation day head straight to the casual International Cafe (IC) on deck 5 at The Piazza, center of ship. You can get a quick bite to eat there. They usually have an assortment of salads, panini sandwiches, cookies, desserts, etc.

Or another option is to head to the Neptune's Pool area, forward on Lido Deck. There you will find Trident Grill ( chicken, burgers, fries,) and the Pizzeria, for pizza. Hope this helps!

Enjoy your cruise!

~Karen is Craving A Cruise

Pub lunch was free on the Star a week ago.

That is good to hear! Hope it is still the case next week, as the Pub Lunch was not offered on the Crown in November and we missed it!

Don't forget the "Los Brillantes" Mariachi trio who play in the Atrium most nights.

Formal night tonight,

 

Comedian Carlos Oscar in Explorers

 

Colours of the Wind in the theatre

We really enjoyed Carlos! Hilarious, clean, fun comedian. :D Both of his shows were standing room only on the Crown Princess. Also enjoyed "Los Brillantes", liked their music so much I purchased their CD. (And I don't even speak Spanish! LOL.) Just listening to it takes me back to my cruise days :)

~Karen~ is Craving A Cruise

Just checked, Free pub lunch has gone, now salty dog $12. Wheelhouse was empty.

Antsp, thanks for the verification! as I mentioned on the other thread, we did not have free pub lunch on the Crown last November. So, I'm Not holding my breath that it will be offered on the Star Princess next week either.....

...oh well, at least they still had Afternoon Tea in one of the MDR. but even that was quiet and not promoted by the staff. I think only regular cruisers even knew about it.....also according to the Patter, the Wheelhouse Bar didn't even open up until 3pm so I don't think the Salty Dog was offering Lunch there either. The place was eerily dead quiet!

~Karen

great report Harry! Loving every minute of it!

~Karen

Aka Craving A Cruise

Has anyone visited this place in Cabo? It looks like it is on the marina, which I assume is doable from the cruise pier? Food looks good and the margarita's look amazing.

Loved Captain Tony's!! They had the freshest fish tacos! And great buckets of beer & margaritas. Highly recommended. Like others mentioned it's a good place to people watch.

Have fun!

~Karen

Had turn-down service & chocolates this week on the Crown Princess :) No towel animals though. :confused:

we had them last week on CB

We actually will be taking our coffee card on our 3rd cruise. A little worn, but still a couple of punches left!

A few left on my card also. Decided to put it away with my passport until my next cruise. Spent far too long looking for it last week. Lol. Luckily, I found it just in time :D

Reused my coffee card.....Just off the Crown Princess today. I was able to reuse my coffee card that I purchased on a previous cruise. On the first cruise, they punched the card with a regular 'circle' hole punch, but on this cruise they used a 'martini glass' shaped hole punch.

So, it was obvious that my card had been on a previous sailing. Not sure if all cards on this sailing got the same hole punch or if mine was considered 'special'? Was unable to get free brewed coffee at IC (international Cafe). I usually ordered a cold blended tiramisu frappe anyway. Lol.

My husband purchased the soda & more card again on this cruise. He was only able to get Hot Chocolate at IC, but not fresh brewed coffee either. Could get soda everywhere. Didn't know he could have asked for a milkshake. He will be bummed when he finds out that he missed out!! :(

When I saw the SB years ago on the Coral it was the ESPN International broadcast with different announcers & instead of the network commercials it was the same ESPN promotions over, and over again.

 

I've read that having live programming such as sports shown in cabins cost additional for the licensing fee. On the Crown last October during the World Series sometimes it was shown on the cabin TVs in additional to MUTS & public rooms...sometimes it was not shown on the cabin TVs.

Thanks for the timely info...... We will be on the Crown Princess this year for Super Bowl. :)