Soundview77

Yes.

I wasn't looking at the bottom line, .......got distracted by the breakdown being different than I expected.

I spoke with the travel agent.

The wording and breakdown of the second invoice to make final payment was different

than the original invoice, similar but more confusing as to what was mentioned in post #9.

It's all good. No sales tax.

Thank you to everyone who replied.

It's not the Bahamas Tourist Tax.

It's labeled as sales tax and it's in the several hundred dollar range.

Sailing to Cococay and Cozumel.

I will ask the TA but I thought I'd poll the audience first since there are

many members here that use a TA, I'd like to know if it's common practice

or not.

For the first time in 20 years of cruising I used a travel agent to book a cruise as it is

a group cruise for special needs guests and I'm traveling with someone who will

benefit from that.

My initial invoice showed the price of the cruise + fees/port tax less my deposit,

no mention of sales tax.

My final invoice now shows sales tax on the cost of the cruise. I never had that

when I booked direct with the cruise line.

I am in New York, travel agent is in Florida, cruise line is Royal. Is the sales tax a legit charge?

In the past (a good several years ago) I was able to look at specific shore excursions offered by RCI by port of call, but can't seem to find that anymore on the website. Am I missing something?

I don't want to waste my time making a reservation and then finding out that the shore excursion(s) I was hoping to find isn't offered.

Is there still a way to do this without making a reservation first?

To the OP. I see your location is Florida.

Depending on where, you may find a location nearby that rents jet skis.

I would look into renting one and giving it a try at your own pace.

(...or make friends with someone that has one).

(Check requirements for FL boating safety course).

https://myfwc.com/boating/safety-education/faqs/

.....did this several years ago in Labadee.

The jet ski part was fun for all skill levels.

Just when I thought I could get away from vendors trying to sell useless trinkets,

the guides stopped the group on the water where some vendors in canoes came

over to us to do just that.  🤨

On 9/23/2020 at 9:18 PM, John&LaLa said:

Cortrans is popular as is Cocoa Beach Shuttle.

 

But best thing to do is rent a car at MCO and return in Cape Canaveral.  The do a shuttle to get back to MCO after cruise

I did exactly that back in February and used Cortrans for the shuttle back to MCO. This was with arriving the day before.

....worked out well.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=983

My daughter and I dove with Dreamtime a little over 2 years ago, booked through the ship (Royal Caribbean).

We were met at the pier and shuttled through town then down the bumpy coastal road, about a 3 mile ride.

.....took care of the paperwork, got fitted for gear, loaded it onto the dive boat that was anchored in shallow water and off we went. The 2 dive sites were not far from the shop, both were reef dives. The equipment was in decent shape and the Divemaster was competent.

The group I was with was a total of 8 (Boat operator, Divemaster, 6 divers).

I didn't take any pictures of the actual boat I was on but I clicked around and found this picture that gives

a good idea of the type of boat I dove from. I'm not sure what other dive boat(s) are in their fleet.

Would I dive with them again? Yes.

Would I look at other dive operations in Costa Maya? Yes, for variety.

I was on Independence OTS in early February,  cabin 9342 which is similar to your cabin location, but on the starboard side.

Prior to sailing I was concerned about noise from the elevator lobby and passenger traffic.

During sailing noise from the elevators was never an issue. Noise from passenger traffic was no better or worse than any other cabin I've been in.

Good location on the ship, nice view, I'd do it again.

I didn't see anything within walking distance that I thought was worth checking out during the taxi ride there.

I didn't ask if there was anything worth walking to beyond the resort.

It's roughly 4 miles from town.

23 hours ago, SRV FAN said:

 

Now...can you further expound on …..  "located and took the excursion exit shortcut (mentioned in an earlier post, saved a lot of unnecessary walking within the port)"...… ?

 

This is the port map Maya Chan sent me as the most recent way the port people want you to exit the port and this is the path I followed to exit when I did my recon (and noticed the "No Trespassing" shortcut exit and ultimately used that later when I was with my group).

If you stay in front  of the shops following the yellow line, somewhere just past that first 90 degree turn to left (near the performers swinging on the the pole) there is an exit with a large brown sign mounted on the wall saying "No Trespassing ......this exit is for pre-booked tours" or something to that effect........

......that's where my group ultimately exited and ended up behind the shops in the lot where the tour buses park.

This is a picture that Maya Chan sent me of the meeting spot.

This building is on your right as you walk down the road after exiting the

final port security gate. This pic does not show the rep or the Mexican flag.

She was sitting at a small outside table in the shade in close proximity to

those sign boards you see in the pic.

............visited Maya Chan in early February. I was part of a group of 4. I'm an early riser, the other 3 aren't.  Since I was up early, I decided to do some recon and walk to the spot outside of the port where you meet up with the Maya Chan representative to check in and get transportation.

Starting from Deck 9 (Indy) used the stairs to Deck 1, exited the ship, took the long way out of the port, and located the rep sitting outside a little shop opposite the taxi stand flying the Mexican flag just like they said. This walk took almost 30 minutes and I was walking with purpose. The walk time should have been less but I was constantly dodging moving roadblocks made up of other cruisers walking slower than me. (I didn't see the pier shuttle/tram that I've seen during prior visits to this port, not sure what's up with that).

I checked in with the rep letting her know that my group of 4 was getting a late start and would hopefully be back to meet her at 10:30am. She said she might still be there but if she wasn't, we should go to the nearby taxi stand and take one to Maya Chan. She also said I should bring my reservation paperwork to show the taxi driver that we had a paid reservation as the taxis will hesitate to take you there without you being able to prove you have a reservation.

My group left the ship at 10:10am, located and took the excursion exit shortcut (mentioned in an earlier post, saved a lot of unnecessary walking within the port) without being challenged and went to the Maya Chan meeting spot. The rep was gone, so was the Mexican flag, but I knew what to do. Went to the taxi stand, had to show proof of the reservation and the 4 of us taxied to Maya Chan. Upon arrival, Maya Chan paid for the taxi. The have a fixed rate they worked out with the taxis, but they don't tip the drivers, so we tipped him ourselves.

........just sharing my experience with the walk, exiting the port and getting the transportation without the rep.

On the return trip, the taxi will drive onto port property and drop you off within the port. For us, this was a multi passenger taxi van, I think there were 12 of us on that trip back to port. Maya Chan paid (and we tipped the driver).

Does anyone know of a local liquor store within walking distance outside of the International Pier?

I think maybe, possibly, perhaps, the sea creature is a monkfish.

We need the fishermen and/or marine biologists to weigh in on that.

My best guess is.....there is a part of this excursion that takes place in shallow water where your feet will be touching the bottom and your feet will require protection from potential hazards.

I bought inexpensive (not so pretty but functional) water shoes from Walmart for such excursions.

As a side note, closed heel fins provided by vendors that I've used on past SCUBA or snorkeling excursions have caused blisters on my feet. Now, I always bring and use water socks to mitigate that.

16 hours ago, JohninDC said:

What time is your ship in port?

Arrival time for my ship is 8am at the International Pier.

The other ships in Cozumel that day have earlier/same/later arrival times.

It should be easy enough for me to get to PB shortly after opening. I'm not picky about the location of the chairs, I just want to keep the group together.

I will be in Cozumel on 7 FEB 2019. Does anyone have personal experience with arrival time to help me decide when to arrive at PB and still be able to get 4 beach chairs next to each other?

There are 8 ships scheduled to be in Cozumel on that day, so I know there will be competition for all popular tourist venues.

My daughter doesn't drink cow milk and is very allergic to anything with soy in it. Food with soy as an ingredient was the primary concern and having almond milk available was secondary.

A few weeks before our last cruise (Jan 2018) I contacted special_needs@rccl.com (as was suggested in Post #2) about her allergy. This was their reply;

Hello, Thank you for contacting the Access Department. Allergies are handled on a daily basis on all sailings of our ships.

Our galley has a separate galley area from the main production area to prepare meals for guests with allergies and to avoid cross-contamination of the meals. Our Food and Beverage Staff attend recurring training programs regarding allergy protocols. During the booking process, we ask that the guest choose a set dining time versus My Time Dining. This will provide the guests with a dedicated serving staff for the cruise.

Once the guest is on board, we ask them to visit the dining room, introduce themselves and speak with the dining staff to advise of the Soy allergy and the dining staff for their table will be advised.

When the guests eat in the Windjammer, please ask for a manager so they can arrange to get a meal from the galley. This will avoid any cross contamination that may occur at the buffet.

When eating in specialty restaurants or other food venues, it is important to advise our staff of the allergies. If you have any other questions, please contact me.

Best regards, Tracy Cabrera Senior Access Advocate

We did My Time Dining but stayed with the same servers at the same dining time the entire cruise.

We didn't specifically ask to have Almond Milk available for her prior to the cruise, but it was on board and available in the Windjammer during the day and dining room every night when she asked for it.

For lunch the Windjammer staff were helpful in discussing the ingredients used to prepare what she was considering to eat and at night the Head Waiter/Waiter kept on top of her allergy and were very helpful with food choices.

...............just got my cancellation e-mail for Comfort Inn Condado.

Had a one night reservation (pre-cruise) for 5 JAN 2018.

Does anyone know if there are any restrictions on which venues you can use the drink card at?

(specifically the MDR and theater and in general anywhere else on the ship)

the change fee is $160.00 for each ticket for our return flight

The question I would be asking myself now would be; if I don't change the flight and I miss it, how much extra will it cost to get home?

Do the math and see which is cheaper (and add the stress factor if you decide not to change to a later flight).

https://www.padi.com/padi-courses/scuba-diver/

That is the course you're looking for. It is offered by

shops that do PADI certifications.

I went to the Aquatic Adventures Ohio web site and

at face value, it doesn't look like they offer that.

They may not be a PADI dive shop.

You should give them a call or e-mail them just to

make sure they do or don't.