socagirl1

Recently returned from Nov 16-28 sailing of the Caribbean.  Received our cabin number two weeks from sailing.  First time Seabourn sailors, we were assigned suite 529.  At first I was a little disappointed, however, we actually loved this cabin.  Close to the laundry, the Club and was closer to center of the ship (midship and a lower floor - for sailing stability).  Would get that cabin again in a heartbeat!  Thanks Seabourn for the perfect selection for us.

I recently returned from the Nov 16-28 Caribbean cruise.  No ship shuttles except for Jost Van Dyke, which takes you to Soggy Dollar bar (White Bay).  Better off taking taxis to where you want to go on Martinique or Antigua.  On Martinique we just walked the downtown area, visited the central market (best place to get local crafts) and other shops.. BRING EUROS (for Martinique and St. Barts).   We took a taxi on Antigua to English Harbour and to tour the rest of the island.  The cost was $60 for both of us for about 3 hours.

Makes me want to try out Celebrity in the Med!

Whenever I stay at the Hilton Marina FLL, I usually have breakfast at Fresh First http://www.freshfirst.com/ .  It is gluten free restaurant within walking distance from the hotel.  They have a great breakfast there with real french press coffee.  They also make smoothies and also offer lunch.  

In regards to restaurants that are on the water taxi line,  15th Street Fisheries https://www.15streetfisheries.com/ is right across the canal from the hotel and the water taxi stops there.  I've had dinner there twice and was very happy with their food.  They do have outdoor seating and you can watch the tarpon under the dock at night.

Wyoming 2010 -

My husband and I were on the Insignia Cuba cruise over Christmas last year and did all of the cuban ports on our own.   The first day in Santiago we just walked "up" to the center of town, stumbled on this bar with music -  "El Traguito"   https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/life-culture/deep-in-the-birthplace-of-cuban-rum-and-the-daiquiri   and hung out for the afternoon.  The second day we hired a taxi from inside the port who took us to see the changing of the guards at Fidel's gravesite along with various stops (including a cigar/rum shop stop).  Yes, the "accosting" was intense in Santiago, but only those first few streets outside of the port.  Once you got past those first couple of streets and with being persistent with "no thank you!" (and keep walking, act like you know where you are going), you will be able to navigate the town on your own.  Be prepared, town is "up hill"!

In Cienfuegos, our first day we hired a private tour to take us to Trinidad (a UNESCO World Heritage City).  Gio was our tour guide (#2 in Trip Advisor).  We hired him for the whole day which included a private car.  We went to Casa del Alfarero for pottery gifts, a new brewery in Trinidad for a couple of beers, a cafe for a nice cuban coffee (with ice cream) and did lots of walking with great photo opportunities within Trinidad.  The streets in Trinidad are cobblestone, so if you have mobility problems, it will be a challenge getting around.  Gio also gave us a quick tour of Cienfuegos on our way back to the ship so that we could have an idea on what to explore the next day (on our own). 

The second day in Cienfuegos, we started to walk into the center of town to "Parque Jose Marti" (not really far).  Along the way, we were approached by a bicycle rickshaw driver for a ride to the "Parque" and back to the ship for $20 for an hour.  Basically, he rode us into town, gave us a quick tour, showed us where to shop and where to find him in the "parque" after our "adventures".   We were able to walk into the main shopping district  which was quite lively for Christmas day, check out the Hotel La Union (for great photos from the rooftop) then walk back to the "Parque" to visit a store for last minute coffee and cigars for folks back home and caught part of Christmas mass at the Church.  Our rickshaw rider took us right back to the port.  

We did not go to any restaurants while we were on any tours in Cuba, only because we had excellent food on the ship and really needed to cut back a little during our land visits.  

Tess

https://www.flickr.com/gp/gtnorton/jt9Thx - photos from our cruise

Hi Akabourek -

I recently sailed on the Epic out of Port Canaveral (Dec 16-23). My sailmate and I ate at Shanghai and Noodle house twice for dinner on our cruise. We thought the food was really good. There was no extra charge to eat at either place. Noodle House is connected to Shanghai but has a limited menu and the dining seating is a "bar". Noodle House is first come, first served, no reservations, you wait in line for seating. Shanghai is more "sit down" at a table and an extended menu. If you want to eat at Shanghai I suggest you make reservations for seating. The chefs seem to be open to adjusting their menu items. They have chow fun noodles with beef on the menu. I asked if they could change it to just veggies (no beef) and use light soy sauce, they were very accommodating and made the dish this way for me, it was so good that my sailmate ordered this dish the second time we had dinner there. I also thought the calamari appetizer was very tasty too. Make sure you try the desserts on the menu. Chinese five spice chocolate cake was really good with lots of spices (tasted like Christmas!) and their fruit salad with coconut cream was delicious. Have lots of fun on the Epic!

Socagirl1

Elbodans -

Thanks for the great response from my review of Santo Tomas, Guatemala! In regards to your question on the other ports. Our sail did not visit Cozumel. We did visit Roatan and Costa Maya.

On Roatan, we walked through the port facilities, grabbed a taxi (agreed on a price with the taxi driver) to take us over to West Bay Beach. We went to Bananarama for drinks and lunch. They will try to sell you either a lounge chair or a drink for $10 US dollars each. Just tell them you are having lunch at the bar with cocktails. If you want a lounger, then you may have to pay. Their loungers are not in the best condition so we really never laid in the one we "paid" for. We just sat at the main bar, talked to the bartenders, ate a great lunch (fresh sushi) and tried a Monkey Lala drink. Our taxi driver took us back to the ship when we were ready. It was about 30-45 minute drive to the West Bay beach so if you go, keep that in mind. We paid $60 cash for both of us for our taxi driver for the day. It allowed us to see some of Roatan instead of just looking at a Port facility. I never felt unsafe walking around on West Bay beach or at any of the shops nearby the beach. There are other facilities on West Bay beach that you can hang out for the day. Just google West Bay Beach Roatan and see what strikes your fancy.

On Costa Maya, again, we walked through the huge port facility (all the way through it and past the main gates!) and grabbed a taxi to take us to the "Tropicante" at Mahahual - which was $2 per person, one way. You can't miss the taxis, they are all yellow vehicles. When we arrived at Mahahual and got out of the taxi all I said was "Tropicante?".. "Tropicante"? and my hubby and I were taken to the Tropicante. I didn't have to look for it or wander around. I requested table in the shade with chairs at the Tropicante, with Steve, the owner of Tropicante. Within my email to Steve, I told him what ship I was arriving on and what time to expect me. This way they can keep an eye out for you when you arrive at Mahahual. Google Tropicante Costa Maya (website is "sandals and skis") to find the email for Steve. They only take cash, so bring it with you for taxi and lunch/drinks/shopping at Mahahual. My hubby and I spent the next few hours enjoying the beach, eating some fantastic food and drinking wonderful margaritas and local Mexican beer. I did a little shopping along the malecon. Yes, there were beach vendors but a simple "No thank you" moved them along. They were not as aggressive as Negril Jamaica beach vendors. I had guacamole and nachos. My husband had a huge plate of fresh fish ceviche. He had beer and I had Margaritas. Steve stopped by for a chat and to pour us a shot of Tequila. Our server was excellent. We did not get sick or ill from any of the food or drinks from the Tropicante. There are lots of other places to hang out in Mahahual but I read the Steve works at making sure his ice and food are sanitary, that's why I chose to visit his restaurant. If you don't want to commit to Tropicante, you can decide where to hang out when you get there since there are lots of places to eat and drink on the beach. When we were ready to go back to the ship, it was a very short walk to the taxi stand to grab one of numerous taxis to take you back to the port. The taxi will drop you off inside the port facility. The port facility was crazy busy when we got back.. Three ships were in port and it was so crowded you could barely walk around. We were so glad that we got out of the port and ventured out.

Teressa

I was on a 7 day Oosterdam cruise out of Tampa in December 2016 and indeed, on the second gala night they had lobster and prime rib at the Lido. I remember this because I can't eat lobster (it makes my gout flare up). But my husband has no problems with eating it. He came back with a nice slice of prime rib and three lobster tails. I guess the lady behind the counter thought he needed more than one! I like that Holland tries to mimic the MDR dinner menu in the Lido. Everything on the MDR menu may not be available in the Lido but darn close. Sometimes you just don't want all of the "pomp and circumstance" that goes with the MDR.

I visited Tropicante on Dec 21, 2016 from the Oosterdam. I emailed Steve at Tropicante before I took off for my cruise and requested a table on the beach in the shade. He had our names on a list and we got our table in the shade. To me it was perfect. We ordered food and drinks (very good nachos, guacamole and chevice, Margaritas were excellent too! Steve has a large selection of Mexican Microbrews). There were couples there along with families with kids on the Tropicante beach. There are lots of spots for lounging. I decided to go with Tropicante because Steve prides himself in making sure all of his food and ice in drinks are clean and safe. I have an especially sensitive stomach and I had no problems after eating Tropicante food or drinks. Yes, there are a few vendors that will walk up to you to show your their wares but a simple "no thank you" will work. We grabbed a taxi for $2 pp one-way outside of the Costa Maya port and just said "Tropicante"! They dropped us off right outside the Malecon by the Tropicante, no problems. Please note: CASH only, no credit cards at the Tropicante!

Have fun in Costa Maya!

Teressa

I cruised on the Oosterdam from Dec 16, 2016 - Dec 23, 2016. This was my first Holland cruise and I was impressed. The ship is kept very clean. I felt the service was very good, everyone smiling. There are lots of spaces to read a book (outdoors and inside). My bed was very comfortable (and I'm picky about sleeping) and I slept very good on this cruise (I was mid-ships). My hubby and I were in a balcony room - not a suite and it was fine for both of us. I felt the food on the ship was good - not stellar - but good. I did have dinner in the Pinnacle Grill one night and it was probably one the best steaks I've ever had. Everything else I ordered for dinner that night was really good too (salad, sides and desert - if you like coffee, get the French Pressed coffee for dessert.. WOW!) Service was very good at the Pinnacle. We enjoyed the BBK Blues band and dueling pianos. Never made it into the big production shows. I'm not a casino person but it seemed rather small to me. One night we decided to call it an early night and watched a movie on TV in our room. I bought the week spa access for myself at $149. I think it was well worth it for unlimited use of steam rooms, dry sauna, heated loungers and big whirlpool. Sometimes it was difficult to get one of the heated loungers but just ask the desk personnel when the slowest times are for the thermalsuites, they will let you know.

In Guatemala, make sure you do the Rio Dulce cruise as someone mentioned earlier. 40 US dollars is a good price, I think I paid 60 for the same excursion with no included lunch. You may get wet on the boat ride to the river so dress accordingly (see my post under Caribbean-Guatemala). And if you have a bad back you may not want to do this excursion - rough boat ride. Also, check out the Yellow Port building when you dock in Guatemala. They have vendors in there and you can barter with them. The same purse I saw in Roatan for $35 was $20 in Guatemala. My husband picked up a bulls hair belt for $14.. one of kind!

In Costa Maya we walked out of the extensive/expensive port facilities and took a cab ($2 US per person) to Mahahual. I emailed Steve at Tropicante in Mahuhual before I left for vacation and told him what day I was arriving and what time to expect me. When I arrived I had a table in the shade on the beach and had really good nachos, ceviche and Margaritas for lunch. Lots of touristy shopping in Mahahual on the Malecon (Tropicante is along the Malecon). Then I took the $2 taxi back to the crowded port to the ship. I never felt in danger or anything. We got there rather quickly off the ship and by the time the other ships came into port, you could tell it was a popular place to be. Just watch your time, Holland doesn't spend much time in port here.

On Roatan I again walked through the "homogenized" port to the taxi stand and got a taxi to the West Bay Beach (about 30 pp round trip). I wanted to see Roatan. We went to Bananarama on the beach. Once you arrive at Bananarama, tell them you're going to have lunch and drinks at the bar - they will try to sell you either a beach chair for $10 or a "free drink" at $10. You don't need either if you are doing lunch. They had really fresh sushi there for cheap and try a Monkey LaLa drink (like a mudslide). The bartenders at the main bar at Bananarama were really nice and you can walk up and down the beach there. There are beach vendors but they aren't as pushy as the vendors in Negril Jamaica. If you are really adventurous you can take a $3 water taxi to West End (the town). Back on the beach, some of the best snorkeling is just "left" of Bananarama all the way down to the end of the beach. Bananarama will rent you snorkel and fins if you need them. You can also email them before you leave to set up a taxi and a snorkel package..check out their website. There are also other hotels that offer "day packages" at West Bay Beach, check out Trip Advisor for more info.

I really enjoyed my cruise on the Oosterdam and the ports we visited. I am looking forward to my next cruise either on Holland or Princess.

Teressa

Canuck Gal -

I just got back from a HAL cruise (12/16- 12/23) that visited Santo Tomas, Guatemala. We did not have a "prebooked" tour with Go with Gus. Basically when we arrived in the port, it was raining off and on. We decided to visit the yellow port building for some shopping and then decided to see if we could book a Rio Dulce tour. Most of the folks hell bent on getting on a tour first were already gone (this was around 9:30 am or so). We walked up to Happy Fish and got their tour info and then right next door is Go with Gus (both are in the yellow port building). We went with Go with Gus and they put us in a boat with Happy Fish tour folks.. not a problem. We did the tour of the Rio Dulce. To me this was so beautiful - lush, green, off the beaten path with lots of birds flying and hanging out. We toured a typical river house, sampled a just made corn tortilla and used their bathroom. We then visited the hot springs (you could take a dip) or you could visit the bathroom and have a beer. Last stop was Livingston. Just a walk around the town and then a stop for a quick lunch at Happy Fish's restaurant. Those that booked with Happy Fish got lunch.. us with the Go with Gus tour just sat there.. waiting for those folks to finish lunch. We could have ordered food but it would have cost us. I really wasn't hungry (listen, I needed to skip a meal after all of the ship food I was eating!) I bought some organic Guatemala coffee beans there while I waited. If lunch is really important to you on this tour, make sure it's included in your tour deal. I think I paid just as much as the folks that got lunch but I wasn't concerned with missing beans/rice with fish. As far as the boat ride to the Rio Dulce. It was about 30-45 minutes long. VERY ROUGH in parts. I think this is due to the designs of the boats, the open water and chop of that area. If you have a bad back or have mobility problems I suggest you DO NOT do this tour. Once you get into the Rio Dulce the ride smooths out and it is very calm (but fast). You WILL get WET if you are sitting on either side of the boat on the way to and back from the Rio Dulce. Keep this in mind and pack your electronics in zip lock bags within your travel bag. The seats along the sides are the best seats for filming the Rio Dulce. Once we were done with the tour, it was VERY ROUGH getting out of the boat and back on the dock. Someone with bad knees would have a hard time. All in all I really enjoyed touring the Rio Dulce, it was one of the highlights of my trip.

Teressa