Any info re Voyager cruise to Mexico?

[alexandra cruiser]

Have never been on Regent,but have hold on Nov.23 rd cruise from Ft.Lauderdale....anyone have experience in these ports or cruise in general in these locations....

Cozumel

Belize

Santo Tomas,Guatemala

Coata Maya

 

Have been on Oceania,and if nicer than that,,,would be great...since we like them...also, SeaDream...first and last,,,ship food and service great,,but rooms TOO small and no balconies...

 

Also, have Seabourn Sojourn booked for next May,,for Norway,,,but getting antsy and just got off cruise last month...

 

Any input would be appreciated...will make final decision very soon..

Thanks in advance,,,:)

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

We have also done SeaDream and Regent. We share your assessment of SeaDream. We would do it again if the itenerary and price were right. It's a very relaxing vacation.

 

We liked Regent Mariner a lot, it is a much more "active" vacation than SeaDream, a lot more things to do, restaurants to try, shows, etc. Plus the Regent cabins are much nicer than SD (and room service is excellent). And the balconey is great for hanging out wet stuff, etc. We didn't miss a balcony on SD as much as we would have thought, since the decks/pool area are so close to the cabins. Wine was better on Regent.

 

Very different experiences, but both good.

 

We actually almost disembarked SD on the second day as it was not what we were expecting (we were thinking Seabourn), but once we learned to slow down and relax and enjoy what the ship really excels at we found that the trip ended way too soon, desipte being a 9 dayer. A go-go atmosphere and over-wrought service is not what SD is about. I think Jimmy Buffet would love it :D Now where did my shaker of salt go....

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I've done this route, and am doing it again in December on Voyager. We missed Costa Maya because of a hurricane.

 

Cozumel wasn't great for us. We did a 4x4 trip with snorkel, lunch, exploration of their ruins, shopping. Not great. This time we're going to snorkel, at least that's the tentative booking, but we may just get off and walk around.

 

in Guatemala, we did the Rio Dulce trip to the indigenous community school, with a visit to Livingston. Great. We're doing that again this year.

 

And in Belize we visited Lamanai, the Mayan ruins and loved it. We're also going back there.

 

If you have any questions please ask.

[Sheltieluv]

We did this route a few years ago on the Navigator; however, at that time the Nav did not go to Guatemala but Key West. But, I can give you some info on the other ports of call:

 

Cozumel--We had been here before but on a land-based scuba vacation. The water is beautiful and if you choose to snorkel, (barring any more hurricane damage to the reefs) you will enjoy it. I found the shop owners to be extremely aggressive, and that got annoying after a while. We understood, of course, that they are in business to make $, but it was still bothersome. Just a firm "No, thank you" works, and keep walking. If you choose to stop and buy, be sure to barter.

 

Costa Maya--I believe this area had to be rebuilt due to hurricane damage, so it has probably changed since we were there. We didn't stay in the "village" area, where there is a pool, shops, bars, etc. (Lots of drunk people in the pool; not a pretty sight! :rolleyes: ) DH and I rented a golf cart and went to the fishing village of Majahual. We rode around for a while and then just found a table at one of the many little restaurants and had a few Coronas and snacks and just enjoyed looking at the water. Note that it's a long walk from the pier to the Costa Maya complex, but there is a free trolley for transportation. When we got back to the Nav, we sat on our balcony and watched the drunks running/staggering to get back on the other megaships docked across from us. (I know, it doesn't take much to entertain us!:D) I was astounded at some of the behaviors I saw. Costa Maya was ok, but not our favorite port of call.

 

Belize--We had signed up for the Lamanai excursion, but due to leaving Ft. Lauderdale late the day before (had to wait for arriving guests; their plane was delayed) we weren't able to do this. As an alternative, we went to Altun Ha, which was interesting and we enjoyed it. Be SURE to take bug repellent if you do any of the ruins excursions; the mosquitoes were pesky. There were some people on the excursion who were getting bit (even tho the information provided prior clearly stated to bring bug repellent) so we gladly shared our Off wipes w/ them. I think if we go again to this area, we will sign up for Lamanai again OR take a snorkeling excursion. From what I have read, the cave tour is fun as well, if Regent offers it during your cruise.

 

Can't comment on Guatamala, but we hope to do this itinerary someday. We are on the 10-night Bermuda cruise in April, 2011, so the Mexico trip will have to wait.

 

Hope the above info helps a bit.

[alexandra cruiser]

think I ll give it a try,,but can you tell me about excursions,,,says they re all inc. in price and see a list of those on website,,,but not specific if those will all be available,,or do I check these after booking and see??Do I have to reserve them early...

Re; ports,,,most sound like really just small port towns and almost makes it necessary to book excursion,,,most sound quite strenuous,,,but guess I could go on one and hubby on other,,,he wants to zipline in Belize ???then read some ports are little dangerous,,,police esc.tour bus in Guatemala??

Can always stay on boat....never have been to this area..would like to see ruins,,,but looks like all day trip ....

Ragnar,,,agree about SeaDream,,,we almost left too,,,then we had a fire and no ac for a nite.,,or dinner,just barb q at 10pm...a mess...room was SO hot,,,no balcony or window did us in...so now looking for another cruiseline...

Wendy,,,do you feel safe wandering around these ports?

Have to make decision by Sat...have a hold on rooms,,booked H level,since all suite s same,,just deck difference....hope its not too bad ...

Thanks for info,,,;)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

think I ll give it a try,,but can you tell me about excursions,,,says they re all inc. in price and see a list of those on website,,,but not specific if those will all be available,,or do I check these after booking and see??Do I have to reserve them early...

Re; ports,,,most sound like really just small port towns and almost makes it necessary to book excursion,,,most sound quite strenuous,,,but guess I could go on one and hubby on other,,,he wants to zipline in Belize ???then read some ports are little dangerous,,,police esc.tour bus in Guatemala??

Can always stay on boat....never have been to this area..would like to see ruins,,,but looks like all day trip ....

...

Wendy,,,do you feel safe wandering around these ports?

Have to make decision by Sat...have a hold on rooms,,booked H level,since all suite s same,,just deck difference....hope its not too bad ...

Thanks for info,,,;)

 

I would ask the specific location of the H--some are aft and may be susceptible to the aft vibration that Voyager suffers from. I'm sure most H's are fine, and yes, they are the same as any of the standard cabins. We have chosen G mostly for Voyager.

 

Yes most excursions are included in the price and available now. So as soon as you book and have a booking number you can go online to rssc.com and create yourself an account and select your excursions. Some may be sold out by now, but probably not bad. And you can change your mind once on board.

 

Yes, doing two diffferent excursions is an option--I was considering cave tubing in Belize and David would never do that. But for now we're both doing the Lamanai Mayan site. It's really impressive, but bring a scarf or hat with a chin strap, the boat trip is very windy.

 

Both Santo Tomas and Belize City invite an arranged excursion. Neither were particularly salubrious areas right by the port. But not particularly dangerous either, although we didn't wander on our own. There's a little area right by the port in Santo Tomas, a pavilion, where they sell Guatemala crafts, that's as far as we went--those people are very poor so I intend to buy more this time.

 

The boat trips we took aren't particularly strenuous. Oh, and our Guatemala trip, up the Rio Dulce, with lunch etc., does carry a charge. In my experience it's worth it. No police in sight, but we left by boat, didn't go into the town at all.

[Sheltieluv]

Alexandra--

When we were on Regent the excursions were not included at that time and we had to purchase them. I just looked at your itinerary and some of the excursions that are included.

 

In Key West, if you've never been there, you might want to take the tour and see highlights. Otherwise, it's an easy walk to the "action" of Duval Street--lots of shops and of course, Sloppy Joe's was always a mandatory stop for DH!

 

As far as Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Belize, if you like Mayan ruins (as we do), then I would opt for those excursions. For DH and I, we basically had to choose between "water"--snorkeling activities, and the ruins. The Mayan ruins won out. Even tho it may involve a long bus ride, we found them to be worth the trip and time. Awesome experience. If you want to be more relaxed and do less traveling, then you could opt for the beach excursions.

 

I can't comment on the Guatamala/police escort as our particular cruise did not go there. However, I too am interested in information about this because we'd like to do this itinerary next fall. Hope someone can chime in on this one!

 

It's been a few years since we've been on a Regent cruise, so someone else who has more recently cruised w/ them can give you advice on booking the excursions. Sorry I can't help w/ this one!

 

I do think you will find that Regent delivers an excellent cruise experience! Enjoy!

[RachelG]

Thanks for the info on excursions. We have booked this itinerary as we had to cancel our Antarctica trip due to heavy work schedule. So we have a 7 day consolation prize on Navigator Feb 2.

[alexandra cruiser]

some of the excursions I wanted were "wait listed",,,wow,,,3 mos prior...anyone have experience with this,,,good chance?? they are free but now not available,,,,didnt find out till I booked,,,had to have the number to get to it....its very upsetting....whole point was to have them free,,now may have to book on own and pay,,boo hoo

As far as H deck,,,have to go to F deck to get specific cabin,,,now just GTY,,,funny have always picked cabin ahead of time,,,maybe always more expensive ,,eh??:confused: I see you can book special rest..75 days in advance,,,better mark my calendar:eek:

[Wendy The Wanderer]

some of the excursions I wanted were "wait listed",,,wow,,,3 mos prior...anyone have experience with this,,,good chance?? they are free but now not available,,,,didnt find out till I booked,,,had to have the number to get to it....its very upsetting....whole point was to have them free,,now may have to book on own and pay,,boo hoo

As far as H deck,,,have to go to F deck to get specific cabin,,,now just GTY,,,funny have always picked cabin ahead of time,,,maybe always more expensive ,,eh??:confused: I see you can book special rest..75 days in advance,,,better mark my calendar:eek:

 

Experience with included excursions is sparse yet, but so far they seem to hold back some of their inventory for people who do not book in advance online. And there's plenty of movement, people switching excursions. So don't worry too much, and waitlist the ones you really want. Some are paid excursions, but with a reduced cost.

 

An H guarantee is probably good, you'll perhaps do better than an H.

[rallydave]

some of the excursions I wanted were "wait listed",,,wow,,,3 mos prior...anyone have experience with this,,,good chance?? they are free but now not available,,,,didnt find out till I booked,,,had to have the number to get to it....its very upsetting....whole point was to have them free,,now may have to book on own and pay,,boo hoo

As far as H deck,,,have to go to F deck to get specific cabin,,,now just GTY,,,funny have always picked cabin ahead of time,,,maybe always more expensive ,,eh??:confused: I see you can book special rest..75 days in advance,,,better mark my calendar:eek:

 

Just FYI, three months prior is just plain late with reservations as excursions are available 180 days prior to your cruise. Never know, a short story to put things in perspective. We tried to book an excursion with a $50pp on the day bookings opened. Due to Regent computer issues, we weren't able to get to the booking page until 2 PM the day bookings opened and the entire excursion was already waitlisted. Was finally able to get booked on an added time for this excursion.

 

So, even an extra cost excursion can be fully booked 180 days prior to the cruise. Free excursions to Alaska book up very quickly.

[alexandra cruiser]

pay private excursion cost if same thing that was offered,but unavailable,,,found same or similar tours offered in some ports,,,ever heard of this?? can always pay,but just thinking???

Have read on port section,,,Belize ,,not very safe for woman on own,,,hubby going on zipline,,,and no way,,,so have to get one for me only,,,,also ,,,Guatamala,,,,so trying to find reliable tours online,,,,having mixed reviews in that section..

Also,realize 3 mos prior not early,,,but,,just made reservation,,,got brochure in mail,,, and spur of moment,,,have one on Seabourn for next May,,,better check that..hahaha...

Tried roll call section,,but very little activity so far....;)

[MarilynA]

so have to get one for me only,,,,also ,,,Guatamala,,,

Tried roll call section,,but very little activity so far....;)

 

Alexandra, did you see my message in the roll call for the Nov. 23 sailing? I just last night cancelled out of the Quirigua Archaelological Park excursion and signed up for the new Tikal by Air excursion, so there is at least 1 space that's opened up for Quirigua. Incidentally, I am a solo female cruiser and am not at all concerned about traveling to any of the ports where we're headed. I've traveled to some of these countries before, and Regent isn't going to dock anywhere that's not safe.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

pay private excursion cost if same thing that was offered,but unavailable,,,found same or similar tours offered in some ports,,,ever heard of this?? can always pay,but just thinking???

Have read on port section,,,Belize ,,not very safe for woman on own,,,hubby going on zipline,,,and no way,,,so have to get one for me only,,,,also ,,,Guatamala,,,,so trying to find reliable tours online,,,,having mixed reviews in that section..

Also,realize 3 mos prior not early,,,but,,just made reservation,,,got brochure in mail,,, and spur of moment,,,have one on Seabourn for next May,,,better check that..hahaha...

Tried roll call section,,but very little activity so far....;)

 

What excursions do you want that are booked up? Are many waitlisted?

[alexandra cruiser]

the santo one is waitlisted and is city tour,,,Belize one is waitlisted,for airboat,,but really want tour and zoo,,,so now have checked online and they have area for custom exc.arrangements,,,,said they ll get back to me in 30 days,,so will just have to see...contacted 2 tour agencies in country and both need 2 persons,min....so have put on roll call section to see if anyone wants to join me.Also,,re,,safety ,,in my guidebook Belize city listed as not safe,exp.nite,,for single women,,and port section here said same thing ....also,,said police escort tour buses in Guatemala,,,,just makes me leary on own...no problem in Cozumel, and others to go on own,,,just these 2 ....PS...called Regent and they said if waitlisted dont open,,,and similar one can be found,,,it will be free...we ll see....but thanks for all the help and ideas....:)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

All I can say is that the trip to Lamanai is great. It's a full day, with a bus ride thru the city which is not exciting, but then a boat ride up the New River which is very pleasant (albeit windy), with wildlife spotting opportunities, then arrival at the ruins, which are very impressive. There's a lunch provided, which is local fare of chicken, rice, etc., but it's quite adequate and served by cute Mayan girls. And then the boat ride back, etc. It's so good that we're doing it again this December.

 

Isn't there anything else offered in Guatemala that strikes your fancy? As I said, we're taking the paid tour to the Q’eqchi indigenous community, which also has a (fast and windy) boat ride, a truly wonderful boat trip up the Rio Dulce, visit to the school, lunch back in Livingston (very interesting community) with a dance performance. At $99 it is very reasonably priced.

[bev'sid]

All I can say is that the trip to Lamanai is great. It's a full day, with a bus ride thru the city which is not exciting, but then a boat ride up the New River which is very pleasant (albeit windy), with wildlife spotting opportunities, then arrival at the ruins, which are very impressive. There's a lunch provided, which is local fare of chicken, rice, etc., but it's quite adequate and served by cute Mayan girls. And then the boat ride back, etc. It's so good that we're doing it again this December...

 

 

IA..we loved Lamanai... we went back to stay a few days at the lodge there a few years back. Canoe rides at dawn & night rides w/ alligators lol

 

But as for booking/changing on board, we've had good success - things previously closed were open when we boarded. We did check early, right when they opened & got the "last 2" of a couple things we wanted earlier.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

IA..we loved Lamanai... we went back to stay a few days at the lodge there a few years back. Canoe rides at dawn & night rides w/ alligators lol

 

But as for booking/changing on board, we've had good success - things previously closed were open when we boarded. We did check early, right when they opened & got the "last 2" of a couple things we wanted earlier.

 

Wow, did not know there was a lodge there, sounds great. Yes, our experience has been that people shuffle their excursions quite a lot. Check early, get on waiting lists, and check back as well.

[alexandra cruiser]

we live in Florida,,,with a boat,,,near a river,,,and can take this sort of excursion in our back yard,,,even with the alligators..hahaha,,,,

so really not for me,,,hubby will be scuba diving,,,and ziplinging,etc...so I d like a little more laid back trip...but will be patient and wait and see what opens up...all day trips not my thing either,,like 4 or so hours,,,so makes them limited....will be going to Costa Maya ruins,,,but dragging hubby on it,,,you can see we each have different tastes,,Thanks for being so helpful.....:)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Well then, how about cave tubing? :p

[RachelG]

Or you could take different tours. My husband and I have done this, rarely, but sometimes what we like is so divergent. In Tahiti, he did a lot of scuba diving, and I really had no interest in that. So I did a dolphin tour one day and a jeep tour another. It was actually a nice way to meet people.

[alexandra cruiser]

problem is ones I like need group,,or at least 2 people to go on...have put in requests with private groups online to be part of group....or with Regent special requests...will just have to see....

Cave tubing,,,don t think so,, looked at it online on youtube,,,,have to walk over an hour with inner tube in jungle to get to river,,,,am a senior citizen,,,and really not up to that,,,

But thanks for thinking of me...hope to hook up with someone on ship that has same ideas....:)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Try the Guatemala board. There's an operator, "Gus" who runs tours and others who organize private tours. You never know, there may be other ships in port that day with pax who would like to share. Here's a site where you can find out. A bit tricky, you have to choose the port name, then click left on the calendar months until you get to November, then click on the day you will be there. This link should be the right calendar:

 

http://www.cruisereport.com/PortsOfCall.aspx?port=1655

[Wendy The Wanderer]

As for Belize, are all the "easy" excursions filled? I.e., Airboat and city tour or Absolute Paradise? That latter if you enjoy snorkellng at all. Of course, on a snorkel trip you don't have to go in the water, my husband frequently does not, he just enjoys the boat ride. Just a thought.

[alexandra cruiser]

I received email that Santo tomas excursion waitlist now cleared,,,and both on that one,,,but did see the go with gus website,,and read reviews in port section...a good option...Belize,,,waitlist cleared for airboat,,,but still prefer tour and zoo...as I mentioned....airboats very common in Fl..and think sights pretty similar to here, looks like a jungle with creatures about 20 min.from here.hahaha

So will still try private tour there....Thanks all:)