Almost "LIVE" Jewel Feb 18; Late but Great! (the ship, not the review!)

[Familygoboston]

SO this was our first experience with an aft balcony...I've mentioned that I absolutely loved this cabin, and here are the list of pros and cons I came up with, through experience and some speculation. I came up with this because I see folks post questions about them all the time.

 

Skip along to the rest of the review if you don't care!

 

In this photo, the windowed area on deck 6 is the Safari lounge, the balconies above it on Deck 7. Then you can see decks 8, 9, and 10. Deck 10 is directly below the outdoor aft section of the WJ. If you look at the deck plans, any cabin that is not a suite is a D2 balcony.

 

(Jewel Aft Balconies)

 

Cons:

-Long walk back to your cabin; Obviously, this depends on your mobility. I don't find the entire length of the ship a "long walk", but my view may be skewed because a short dog walk is a mile, 10 miles on my bike is a short trip to the farm stand and a 5 mile run is a workout, 25 miles on my bike is a long way. I believe that this is overstated by lovers of Aft balconies, strictly to discourage others from booking them, ;)and it would probably be best for me to perpetuate the myth so that I will have a better chance to book one next time...but no...I am willing to sacrifice if it means, you, dear reader, will have a better cruise experience!

 

-They seem to attract smokers; (this could be a pro for you if you are a smoker!) RCL allows smoking on all ocean balconies, and it seemed many of our neighbors did. If you need an early morning smoke; these balconies are more private, so you can still be in your jammies and not be seen if someone sticks their head over the rail for a photo. Also, there are fewer cabins of people back there who "might complain", and the smoke does tend to go straight back off the aft, so its less bothersome. So I can see how these balconies will be attractive to smokers. I was not particularly bothered by my smoking neighbors, it was not enough to affect my use, but I'm starting to feel that as more ships ban smoking entirely, my favorite cruise line will become the only option for smokers and that I will need to move to a line that meets my needs as a non smoker.

-They attract larger groups; they are bigger, so people entertain their friends and family from other cabins on them, therefore there is the potential for the aft balconies to be noisier because its hard to get more than 3 people together and chat in a church whisper. We were not bothered by any late night partying or excessive noise, our neighbors did entertain their family there during regular hours, and this didn't bother us. But, boy you really can hear anything said above a stage whisper, so my advice is, don't use your balcony to hash out your divorce, call your stock broker, or discuss a personal health crisis.

-Noisy if the ship is backed into port; modern cruise ships use bow and aft thrusters (like giant jetskiis) to navigate into and out of port. I won't go through all the physics, (because I barely passed physics) but if you are backing into port you will hear the aft thrusters being used to maneuver the ship into the dock. It is loud enough to wake one from sleep unless you are a pretty heavy sleeper. It doesn't last long because it doesn't take long for the Captain to dock these giant ships (which is truly incredible, really!)

-You can't see where you are going, only where you've been. On a side balcony if you peer forward you get an idea of where you are going, and if you peer back, you can see what's behind you.

 

-more motion and noise than a midship cabin; we did notice this slightly, a little more vibration, but not annoyingly so. The motion we felt was actually side to side rather than forward to aft as I expected. This was very little, although we noticed the hangers started to sway to the rhythm and we needed to remove the empty ones from the closet to quiet them down. We had 3-6 foot seas during our cruise, and we were not bothered at all by the noise or motion.

Pros:

-The views are amazing; the panorama of the wake is just beautiful. you don't need to lean over the rail to see the sea, you can literally see nothing but ocean right from your cabin window.

 

-The balconies are huge; there is enough room for a lounger and there were at least 2 on every aft balcony I could see. This gives you room to do more than have breakfast, you can actually lounge out there. They are deep enough to provide some shade even when the sun is pretty directly aft because of the overhang. This provided more visual privacy if you want. But beware, it's an illusion- see above about the voices carrying!

-Greater privacy with only 6 or 7 balconies across the stern, on 4 decks. On my regular ocean balcony, if you jut your head over the rail you can often see dozens of people also on their balconies above, below and alongside you. Again, fewer cabins to hear and be heard from.

 

-Fewer people will travel past your cabin; at the end of the hall it's like a cul de sac, unless you live there, there is no reason to go down it. I think it's important to note that I have never been disturbed by people in the hall on a RCL ship no matter where my cabin was located and I'm a pretty light sleeper. The only noise I ever wake up to is when the folks is the cabin above me sit on the bed and drop their shoes on the floor before bed (bump, bump) Could we all make this pact together... say with me now: " I herby pledge to remove my shoes with my hands and place them in my closet rather than letting them drop like Newtons apple onto the heads of the people sleeping below".;)

[dln929]

Excellent post about the aft balconies, thank you! We had a Deck 7 corner aft on the Indy and I felt the same pros and cons about it as you did. Though you explained it far better than I could have. :) Good job!

[Familygoboston]

Excellent post about the aft balconies, thank you! We had a Deck 7 corner aft on the Indy and I felt the same pros and cons about it as you did. Though you explained it far better than I could have. :) Good job!

 

Thanks! I do it because when I'm doing a search, this is the kind of stuff I love to find! I know there are lots of folks who don't spend their time analyzing cruising quite so deeply (and think I ought to get a life;)) but if I am investing considerable time and money into a vacation, I would like to make sure I do as much as I can to ensure I'm spending both wisely!

 

One of my favorite photos on CC is of Serenade with all the cabin numbers listed on the aft; not sure who posted it originally, but it was so helpful to me!

[Familygoboston]

Back to Cozumel!

We enjoy our breakfast on the balcony with just a few snafus (they forget the fruit, but I'm in my mothers cabin, so when I call from there they kindly run another one up to her cabin almost immediately! Then when I return to my cabin I see the original delivery person realized the extra plate belonged to us and came back with it. The plate with the hash brown and tomato Em wanted never materializes. My older daughter doesn't find the granola she ordered.

But we manage to have a nice breakfast out on the balcony anyway.

 

We salve up with sunscreen and head out to the pier. Our plan is to cab over to Paradise Beach. The cab stand is located outside the labyrinth of shops pier side. Like most ports, you have to wend your way through the entire shopping arcade to get to the taxi stand. Keep following the signs on the buildings with arrows that say "Taxi". You may hit a dead end, but the area is completely enclosed, so you won't get lost!

 

There is a queue for taxis, and sign with prices per person for almost every location on the island. The cab to Paradise Beach is $12 for 4. If they load you onto a larger van with others going to the same place, the price per person will go down.

 

We planned this excursion on our own. We chose PB after extensive research by CruiseEm who rejected one of my favorite places to visit with DH, Nachi CoCom because we don't need an all inclusive and although Chankannab also interests us, we are planning a Dolphin Encounter on Allure with the whole family and PB is a lot cheaper if you don't need the dolphins. The girls can get the "toys" bracelet for $12, and Mom can pay just $2 for the chair and umbrella. Em wanted to kayak and after her extensive research, this was one of the only beach clubs that let you use kayaks at no additional charge.

 

If you are new to Cozumel; all of these places are easily reached by cab, and can be done quite easily on your own. A short cab ride back to the ship and cabs readily available to return you make it easy not to miss your ship; as long as you watch the clock carefully. Make sure you keep your watch on ships time (which on Jewel is the same as Cozumel time, but that was not so on Navigator) and head back to the ship before the "All Aboard " time according to SHIPS time.

 

Upon alighting from the cab at PB, we were directed to the bar and pool area and we passed through to the beach. There is a wonderful sitting area with loads of loungers under shady palm trees (perfect for our fair skin) and more loungers on the beach under umbrellas.

 

(photo of Paradise Beach)

 

 

(photo of Pool area)

 

 

Most of the chairs are in the sun in the pool area, the pool is huge, new and beautiful!

 

(photos of beach)

 

 

There is a huge complex of water toys; slides, trampolines and climbers in the water. You can use a floating mat, snorkels, the kayak and paddle boards for a short time (about 10 minutes for snorkel gear, kayaks and paddle boards, just to keep things moving, but there is no limit on the number of times you can use these things.)

 

You return your floaty mat to the pile so generally there are always some available as opposed to people mat hogging; sitting in their chair sunning with a pile of 5 mats next to them and this again proved that if you just use the resource when you need it, there is usually plenty to go 'round!

 

Also included in the "toys" price was one of those trampolines where you are harnessed in and can bounce. There is an attendant insuring the harness is on safely and that everyone moves along, but the line for this got very long very quickly!

 

(photos of water toys)

 

 

(photo of kayak)

 

 

(photo of slide)

 

 

The entry to the water had quite a bit of coral on the bottom, and you could see that people without beach shoes, or with limited mobility were having some trouble navigating into the deeper waters. This whole area is the start of the Meso American Reef (I learned this in Costa Maya from Mario...more later!), and one of the reasons the snorkel and diving is so great in this area.

 

I always try to have a lot of tolerance for the natural state of a place and just prepare accordingly. Because otherwise we risk obliterating what makes that place unique to make it more comfortable and then the whole world has no natural distinguishing features anymore. And I just don't want to believe this is what we really want to have happen when we travel. The second biggest reef in the world (Again, learned this from Mario) is bound to have some coral, just like the Costa Rican rainforest is bound to have a little rain; So my advice for Paradise Beach... enjoy the natural experience and pack water shoes!

[Familygoboston]

After much play and too much sun, the girls decide it's time for lunch. I planned to buy lunch at PB because they encourage this. It's where they make their money to subsidize the very cheap entry fees. The menu is priced like an American resort; so it's expensive, and only more so when you think about the idea that you are in Mexico where a cervesa should be 2 bucks and a plate of nachos $3. But we were willing to support the concept and order some nachos.

 

Unfortunately, we could not locate a waiter. There were dozens of them, and they were hustling (actually running during peak lunch time- very unusual for the islands!), but none of those efficient waiters was assigned to our "area" and we unfortunately had the one really bad waiter (owners nephew, perhaps?). One of the other waiters took pity on us, took our order and delivered it to our waiter. An hour and a half later, still no nachos.

 

The nice waiter agreed to check and it had not been placed, so he actually had to order it for us. 15 minutes later we are packing up to leave to go back to the ship for a now very late lunch, when the nice waiter arrives with our food. He apologizes and comps us with free chips and salsa. He gives us the bill and tells us any tip we leave will go to the unseen bad waiter. We don't go for that, we pay only the tab, and hand the cash tip to the only guy willing to help us out!

 

Sadly, it was an annoying experience in an otherwise wonderful day. We saw people bringing their own snacks, and they were not hassled about this, though they were purchasing drinks and we were not. Also, be prepared with cash, even though their website says they gladly accept credit cards; there is a 20% surcharge for using them, and our (nice) waiter made an excuse that the "machine was broken"; probably because he didn't want to be bothered running again for the bad waiter.

 

We decide to head back to the ship at about 2:30PM, even though our all aboard time is 5:30PM so we would have time for some craft shopping. We'd had about as much sun as we can stand. At the entrance the cabs are waiting, this time a large van with another family of 4 already in it. I figure this means my cab fare will be less than $12 going back, so I am surprised when the cabbie asks for $15, and this is all I give him.

 

On way back we see that our sister Mariner is heading out to sea.

 

(photo of Mariner leaving Cozumel)

 

 

We go back to the cabin to get some cash so we can do some souvenir shopping in the port area. DD 1 wants a purse made of recycled candy wrappers. I bought her a small one during one of my cruises and she wants a larger one. She finds one made with all the recycle signs on the wrapper showing and is thrilled. Priced $15, we offer $12 and they take that offer.

 

(photo of purse)

 

 

Em wants another Mexican blanket, like one I brought home for her after another cruise. She wants purple to match her room in our summer home. After much comparison shopping, we find the color she wants. We try to negotiate, but the lady has the lowest prices we've seen and she won't budge, (which is unusual!) we could have walked, but Em really wanted purple.

 

In the market there is a more permanent craft store where prices are fairly fixed and it's obvious the goods are higher quality. We've shopped here for fine crafts before and got some lovely decorative things. Em finds an Oxacaian sculpture of an elephant, which she knows they don't have in Mexico, because she's seen them in the flesh in Botswana; but these are her favorite animals! She's admired these sculptures for years, first from an artist who visited her school and later in a US shop where they were priced at $50 dollars. This little fella was $14.95 and even non negotiable; that was a good enough deal for Em to part with her allowance money.

 

(photo of the elephant)

 

 

So everyone has spent their allowance except for me! I'm seeking silver earrings to match the silver necklace my DH bought me for my birthday. I'm wearing it in my formal night photo. Luckily, one silver vendor has EXACTLY the style I need, it's a near perfect match! He starts at $140...I balk...ships leaving soon and I'd have to run back for more cash, Nahh, I say. He goes down to $110...I hem and haw some more. I have to go back to the cabin for more cash,but if I come back, "will you take $90?" I ask. He weighs it, he considers, he agrees but wants me to promise I'll come back. I don't promise, but I tell him I'm going to hustle back for the cash.

 

Em and I do the security circuit one more time. I think the officers think we might be smuggling drugs or something; this is 3 on and offs in 30 minutes! As we approach the now nearly empty market (it's 4:30ish and All Aboard is 5:30) the vendor looks thrilled to see us return. He polishes up the earrings and I am happy with my price and he still probably got plenty for them! Everyone is happy!

 

I like to show my girls that this is how business is done in certain parts of the world, and not to be afraid of it. In the end you shouldn't spend what you can't afford and don't spend heavily on things you don't know, but enjoy the process. Be happy with your price even if you haven't squeezed out the last nickel you could possibly get, you've probably helped grease the local economy a bit. As long as it's money you can afford, pay it for the experience and the memories and for something you love!

 

We are not even close to the last people going back onboard, we have time for a dip in the pool on our way in, and then back to the cabin to get ready for dinner.

[Familygoboston]

After another seafood fest dinner, we decide to skip the show. It's 3 Tenors and we don't have a lot of interest in that. The girls head up to the teen center to hang out for a while. Emily agrees to meet me at 10:15 PM in the theater because she wants to see the Love and Marriage Game at 10:30 PM. Mom heads for the casino and then bed.

 

I head out to wander around and take more pictures because I feel like this pathetic person wandering around the ship by myself. This is when I most miss DH, normally we would take in some live entertainment and have a drink at one of the lounges, but I feel funny sitting and drinking by myself. So I arm myself with my little camera and pretend I am some kind of intrepid journalist...not seeking any action, mind you, but just getting the facts, M'aam! I'm wandering around watching the action without really participating, I feel just like I'm in college again, when I was too studious to hang out with the really wild kids, but not studious enough to actually want to sit in the library all night.

 

So here are photos from my wanderings, so that they had some actual purpose other than to camouflage my obvious social failings!

 

This area seemed to be where most of the action was on Deck 6

 

 

(Schooner)

 

 

(self leveling pool table)

 

I felt having pool tables was a real flow killer in this area that was largely bars and lounges; it felt out of place to me. But I saw lots of people playing!

 

 

(this is a peek into the safari lounge)

 

 

(this band was playing for the private party, but as you can see not many there??)

 

 

I didn't get as many shots as I would have liked. It didn't help that every area I went to explore had a velvet rope up. I have never been on a ship that felt so "classified" and inaccessible in the evenings to the average cruiser. Every evening while on my photo tour, I would attempt to get photos of the various lounges.

 

In the Safari Lounge; I didn't get in to take photos because every night its hosting some event that I may or may not have been invited to; suite guests- no, Upper tier repeaters party-yes, but I would have to go by myself because the rest of my party didn't have "status", Captains party- yes, but I didn't have much interest in standing in line and it seemed rude to bypass it just to take photos, I didn't get in there till the last night for Quest.

 

So, I tried my luck on Deck 12; My favorite lounge on any RCL ship, the Viking Crown Lounge-closed Diamond + Lounge (even though there was often not a soul in it, I thought maybe they forgot to take the sign down after cocktail hour??), Vortex Dance Club- closed private party.

 

At least on the ships with a Royal Promenade you feel like you are invited to the party. The private parties are held in lounges that aren't out in the open to make you feel like the only girl not asked to the prom. I've never experienced so much being turned away at the door before. What are the new cruisers feeling like I wonder? Or maybe they just never knew any different and don't experience it as different? My experience at nightclubs has always been that they usually let the blondes in; but these parties seemed to be for the grays! Ok, that was a joke...please don't flame me for that one...but I was just surprised at how little of the public areas were available to the regular cruiser.

 

Peeks at Deck 13...

 

(Vortex- note the sign)

 

 

I never did get to take my girls up to the Viking Crown at night time for a mocktail, (and get a photo) which was one of things I hoped to do. Whenever we went up it had a sign up. Maybe those of you sailing soon will have better luck. I just struck out all over the ship!

[Ocean Boy]

I just do not like this private party stuff. Everybody paid to be on the ship and public areas should be available to everybody. If they want to host private events then it should be in a space designed for that purpose and not close down a, normally, public space.

[Familygoboston]

The only places I found consistently open were 1) the Schooner Bar- which was very lively most evenings with a piano man and because it was often the only game in town. 2) The sports bar which was quite smoky due to it's proximity to the Casino Royale. The entertainment consisted of sports programming on satellite. I also thought it was the least "elegant" of all the venues around the ship. 3) The Champagne Bar off the Centrum and 4) the Lobby Bar on 4 in the Centrum

 

(photos of the Pit Stop)

 

 

 

Having finished taking whatever photos I could get, I head down to the Coral Theater to our regular balcony seats and meet Em for the Love and Marriage show. Dennis did a good job with this show. The older couple was very cute, both describing her bra size as 38 Long! But the others didn't have as much personality as other couples we have seen in these shows. One woman said the wildest place she's gotten romantic is the bed...well, that's not really compelling, but maybe since I'm watching with my teen it's not so bad!

 

One of the things I loved about Jewel was the intimacy. I felt like we saw people over and over again, which helps with socializing. You get to know the "characters" on the ship because you see them around and so does the CD. By the end of the week Dennis really knew many of the passengers, referring to them by name. I liked that he was a very traditional CD, as host of the ship.

 

After the show I go back to the cabin to pack up for our Costa Maya excursion and wait for my DD to make curfew. When I get back, I wrote this:

 

 

But it wasn't actually true, I stayed awake for them! This white board was really handy. My DH won it at our Oasis M & M. DD 1 later crossed out Oasis and wrote Jewel. It was very useful for communicating plans between the cabins. Also, we had extra keys made (and in my DM's case, made and made and made) so we could access both cabins anytime. That was another handy tip I learned about on CC and saved us constantly knocking like we were at some speakeasy whenever we wanted to come in the other cabin.

 

At the stroke of midnight, my princesses reappeared in their rags and headed off to bed!

Costa Maya Tomorrow!

 

Day 3 Cruise Compass https://citrix.sharefile.com/d-s938d9a1992e4ad1a

[Familygoboston]

Oops, sorry folks, missed this one!

 

Day 2 https://citrix.sharefile.com/d-sa63d47edad34db2b

[bionicman97]

Looks like you had a good day in Cozumel.

 

My wife and I like to walk around at night and we definitely feel the same way about Jewel vs ships with promenade. If nothing else, we just people watch at the cafe ;)

[Familygoboston]

I just do not like this private party stuff. Everybody paid to be on the ship and public areas should be available to everybody. If they want to host private events then it should be in a space designed for that purpose and not close down a, normally, public space.

 

I didn't want to be a complainer, but this was the first cruise where I experienced this in multiple venues, and it was noticeable on a ship with fewer venues. I think the newer ships are designed to accommodate those events better. Now that I'm getting all sparkly myself, I'll be getting included in more of these exclusive events and honestly, I'm conflicted about it.

 

I heard several people on this cruise make a crack about "diamonds", "titanic" etc. I would hate for this program to back fire on Royal Caribbean, because some parts of it I love (Balcony discounts!) but some of the more overt "class" distinctions did not go unnoticed by the people I heard or talked to (I didn't volunteer that I had cruised RCL so many times unless someone asked "is this your first cruise?" so I think what I was hearing was pretty unfiltered.

 

Looks like you had a good day in Cozumel.

 

My wife and I like to walk around at night and we definitely feel the same way about Jewel vs ships with promenade. If nothing else, we just people watch at the cafe ;)

 

We really like Cozumel, and I agree the Royal Promenade makes things easy for people like me who aren't the life of the party;)

[emilygrace]

I am loving your review! The Jewel is still my absolute favorite ship, even after 19 cruises on 12 different ships on 6 different cruise lines (and we're including the QM2).

 

Your photos are great and I am pleased to see that the Jewel is still in beautiful condition. I just love all the little places where you can sit and people watch for hours.

 

We are also "theater balcony people" for the very reasons that you mentioned, including the ability to leave mid-show without being called out by the entertainer. I remember one show (on the Jewel in fact) where Judy Canova jumped off the stage and ran up the aisle after two young women that were leaving her show!

 

Can't wait for the rest of your review.

[Familygoboston]

How could I forget (deny) that Em and I went up to the pool buffet tonight after Love and Marriage to check out the food artistry?

 

Em decides she and I should go up to the pool deck where the pool buffet was being laid out earlier. She wants to have the whole "midnight buffet" experience, even though we will not eat a bite, and just take photos (that's what they ALL say!) There is quite a crowd there but the food artistry is incredible! I have a few pieces of fruit, but honestly at this point if I miss the next 6 meals I'll still be in the plus column calorically.

 

(pool buffet)

 

 

 

 

[Familygoboston]

(more pool buffet)

 

 

 

I should have got a close up of that dragon sculpture..amazing!

 

 

(view of the pool party)

 

[Familygoboston]

I am loving your review! The Jewel is still my absolute favorite ship, even after 19 cruises on 12 different ships on 6 different cruise lines (and we're including the QM2).

 

Your photos are great and I am pleased to see that the Jewel is still in beautiful condition. I just love all the little places where you can sit and people watch for hours.

 

We are also "theater balcony people" for the very reasons that you mentioned, including the ability to leave mid-show without being called out by the entertainer. I remember one show (on the Jewel in fact) where Judy Canova jumped off the stage and ran up the aisle after two young women that were leaving her show!

 

Can't wait for the rest of your review.

Thanks! I see why Jewel has so many fans, I am one now too! That must have been so funny when the entertainer chased them! I certainly wouldn't want to get heckled, but I don't want to disturb the other folks either. Of course the RCL entertainment has been so good I haven't "left" a show in years...scratch that, actually Gino Vanelli did a fan cruise during our Oasis cruise and we only stayed for one song of his "public" concert he offered for pax on the last night. But That wasn't officially someone RCL would have booked as entertainment.;)

[proudpatriot07]

I've only done one Royal cruise, but I loved the promenade! I could see why you would miss it- one the Freedom, I sat in the coffee shop and people watched for hours. It's definitely a place to go to feel sorta journalistic and study people (I am a professional writer by trade so I get this).

 

Sorry about the shoddy food service in Coz. But, it looks like you got some great souvenirs! I don't regret anything I've purchased on a cruise ship or in another country, it's all been things I wanted. Well, there is that one picture from a Carnival ship that we've never been able to find a frame for... guess that was Carnival's way of trying to sucker us into buying one of theirs, but anyway...

 

Thanks for the balcony tips. Husband wants to get one on our next cruise, so I'll be sure to show that to him. I'm honestly fine with a regular room, since that's all I've ever had and I tend to stay at a table somewhere watching people anyway or laying by a pool.

[bionicman97]

The fruit ship was really neat, haven't seen that one before.

[Familygoboston]

I've only done one Royal cruise, but I loved the promenade! I could see why you would miss it- one the Freedom, I sat in the coffee shop and people watched for hours. It's definitely a place to go to feel sorta journalistic and study people (I am a professional writer by trade so I get this).

 

Sorry about the shoddy food service in Coz. But, it looks like you got some great souvenirs! I don't regret anything I've purchased on a cruise ship or in another country, it's all been things I wanted. Well, there is that one picture from a Carnival ship that we've never been able to find a frame for... guess that was Carnival's way of trying to sucker us into buying one of theirs, but anyway...

 

Thanks for the balcony tips. Husband wants to get one on our next cruise, so I'll be sure to show that to him. I'm honestly fine with a regular room, since that's all I've ever had and I tend to stay at a table somewhere watching people anyway or laying by a pool.

 

Oh no, you are a writer? Now I'm completely intimidated, just like when I meet a Phsycologist at a cocktail party and I'm sure she will think I'm nuts!;)

I wanted to let people know about Paradise food service, but honestly everyone else seemed to be being treated ok...and it's weird because I'm a very heavy handed tipper, so it would have been lucrative for him. Oh well!

We always did interior cabins too, until we started getting the balcony discount, which makes it almost the same price as an ocean view on most of the cruises weve booked, now I'm spoiled rotten! But there are so many nice places to relax on Jewel, you don't have to have a balcony!

[Familygoboston]

The fruit ship was really neat, haven't seen that one before.

 

Try making one of those at your next party!:p

I took the one with the dragon ice sculpture just as an " atmospheric " shot. It wasn't till I got home and saw it on the big screen that I realized how cool that dragon was and I was sorry I didn't go through that buffet line to see it up close:(

[Familygoboston]

Sorry, she was just slammed with homework! She has to presentation about propaganda tomorrow in English ( reading Animal Farm!)

 

Hopefully, she will be done with propaganda tomorrow and onto factual reviews tomorrow!

 

Everyone's all a twitter here. dd1 just learned she's going to the prom and now the hunt for a dress is on.

 

Luckily, Day 4 Costa Maya is written and ready to go tomorrow ( at least someone is getting soemthing done here;)) Lots and Lots of photos tomorrow!

[Familygoboston]

But not for middle aged men. At least on Allure this was the only time I got less than great service on that ship.

 

Bill- I didn't get to reply to this earlier. I found the service across the board on jewel to be top notch. Some of the best trained and most accomodating on any ship. I was prepared for mayhem and surliness after our embarkation problems. After all they were the ones who suffered the most. But everyone was professional and accomodating, and barely missed a beat!

Generally, I avoid GS like the plague because I've had experiences in the old days with them being un helpful, but this bunch was helpful and it was never crowded!( probably because rather than getting into line clogging protracted arguments they dispatched everyones needs quickly and happily!)

Hopefully , I won't need GS on Allure;)

[Familygoboston]

Day 4 Tues, Feb 21 Costa Maya

 

 

We have an early wake up call, when around 6 AM Jewel backs into the dock. This is where the aft balcony cabin is far noisier than any other cabin we have had, but it's short and we drift back to sleep. Even after we are docked the wind is really whipping this morning, we can hear the ship straining against her lines and the waves crashing into her hull all morning.

 

We decided to have breakfast in the WJ today, so we don't have to suffer through the missing items again and because we have a little extra time today. Our tour, 2 Stop Snorkel, is a Royal Caribbean Explorations! excursion, and it doesn't meet on the pier till 9:45, so we have plenty of time. I wonder if the tour operator will think its safe to operate given the wind and activity of the ocean this morning. A similar day in the Bahamas in December, the operators felt the tour was safe to operate but allowed anyone nervous about it to opt out.

 

(Arriving in CM)

 

 

The WJ is busy this morning but we find a nice table in the shade in the outdoor aft area. CruiseEm does not do herself any favors by having a light breakfast. I know we will be on a small boat, and I know that Em has a tendency to get physically ill when she travels. Although she didn't suffer any motion sickness on the ship; she often gets sick if she is hungry, tired and "off her regular feed". We have a family joke that she has tossed her cookies in all the best places. (in the Okavango Delta, in a hotel above Times Square etc, etc)

 

Unfortunately, it always scares people that she is infectious (NORO!) but it is just her response to the stress of travel and motion. She is old enough to know what she needs to do to avoid this, but like most teens, does she listen? No! This morning I make the suggestion that having lean protein (think nuts, eggs) in you stomach will help mitigate the effect of motion sickness on your stomach. She picks on a teeny tiny box of cereal, and a few pieces of fruit. I know we are in for treat today!

 

We head out to the pier and have to wait a few moments while the Norwegian Spirit is docking. Once she is secure, we hop on the tram provided. Did we mention DM tore her knee (the one that hasn't been replaced yet) a week before we left, a week after I changed our "handy to the elevators" hump cabins to the "long walk" aft cabins? Refusing to accept any limitations, DM bullied her way into a quickie appointment for a cortisone shot and was good to go. She was game to walk anywhere we asked her to, but I was trying to save her knee, because I knew she would never complain (she's not old, remember!).

 

The tram was fun to watch from our balcony, it never turns around; there is not enough room on the pier, so the driver disconnects the little tractor and drives to the other side re attaches it and off he goes back down the pier in the other direction!

 

(Norwegian Spirit)

 

 

(tram on the pier)

 

 

Once we were at the Terminal, we met our tour guide, Mario. There were 11 of us in our tour, our 4, another family of 4, including another teen girl and her little brother, a newlywed couple and a solo lady.

 

This is why I often take RCL excursions for active tours...its rare I have ever been in a large group for one of these types of tours. The only exception was 25 people on a bike tour on Oasis. But otherwise, it always low teens or even just 5 once for a bike tour in Grand Cayman. I have got into some real CC debates with people who insist on taking private tours always because they are cheaper (true!) and less crowded ( not true for the active excursions I like to take). We do private excursions too, but I prefer to take an RCL active excursion because even though it costs more, it also usually also involves more moving parts that could go wrong and leave you behind if the ship is scheduled to leave. (think boat motors conking out, bikes breaking down, getting lost on a hike etc). If I am on an RCL tour these are their problems, not mine, as they would be on a private excursion. I should also note none of those things have ever happened on either my ship sponsored or private excursions! Until today! More on that later.

 

(Photo of Flag- welcome to Mexico!)

 

 

(2 stop snorkel tour pier meeting area)

 

[Familygoboston]

After meeting Mario, he leads us to a minivan, which then takes us to the village of Malahual. This is delightful; Mario is a native, and his English is excellent and he is funny in a very organic way!

 

" I say Playa, because the lady guests think I am insulting them when I say Beach" - Mario (try it with the accent....you'll get it!)

 

He gave us a historical perspective on the area, shared stories about living there (including waving to his sons at their school till he remembered, "no school...Carnivale today" (also know as Mardi Gras in New Orleans).

 

He explained that Malahual is a traditional Mexican fishing village of about 800 souls positioned on the Meso American reef (remember its #2 after the Great Barrier reef). In 2007 Hurricane Dean nearly wiped it out, and it is obvious looking at the village. Still lots of destruction and construction, no palm trees and the mangroves are just starting to come back. But it is fascinating to see how these weather events so completely change a place. One of the changes was the agreement to build the "Puerto Costa Maya" or Port of Costa Maya with the cruise industry. I have more about that later and photos!

I get this nice shot from the pier.

 

(Jewel at the pier)

 

 

We met our Captain and underwater guide at the fishing pier in Malahual. In no time we were headed out to the first reef, while Mario got us all geared up.

 

The other family and my girls had never snorkeled before and my mom had not been out in years! The equipment was in excellent condition, much of it looked very new. It was in a sani bath when we arrived and went back in after we were done.

 

After reaching our first stop, out into the water we went, following our guide and Mario spotting from behind. The snorkeling was amazing. This is some of the most diverse and extensive coral I have seen on a cruise ship snorkel tour. The water was pretty rough with some good size swells, but once we all relaxed prone in the water, the waves wash right over you, but not over our snorkels thank goodness!

 

The guide was excellent about pointing out wildlife underwater and showing us the little hidey holes where the fish were. There is always a fine line with wildlife guides; clearly they wish to provide a great experience for their clients, but they also have a responsibility to respect the animals they are tracking. Often I have found cruise line tour guides trip over this line for tips; harassing or feeding wildlife to guarantee sightings. I find this upsetting and always complain about it because I want to take responsible tours. This guide walked that line beautifully; he would coax an animal out, but not harass it. He would bring a broken piece of coral to us for closer examination, but never break or damage a live coral. I felt given how rough the weather was we saw a good variety of animals on the first stop.

 

(2 Stop Snorkel tour)

 

This is Mario teaching the "I'm OK" sign to use when in the water...you can't say "Im ok" with a snorkel or regulator in your mouth because it sounds like this..."Mgmmmppm " and that leaves a lot to the imagination of the tour operator who wants to assure you are safely returned to the ship. They wonder, are you saying "that's a really neal piece of basket coral" or "I'm drowning"? They know the cruise line doesn't like it when passengers don't return to the ship to spend more money in the bars and casinos, so the tour operators work really hard to ensure your safety. You are the little economic engine that makes the whole thing go...this makes your safety very important...thus, the "Im ok" check in at regular intervals. Luckily on our trip we were all "ok" at all times,thanks to our guides. We were even "ok" several times as we greeted the other family on our tour with the head fist bump any time we ran into them on the ship. I'm sure our fellow passengers thought we were crazy, but we were having fun!

 

 

(view of the village from the boat)

 

 

(pre snorkel)

 

 

(fish charts on the boat)

 

 

(and into the water)

 

[Familygoboston]

Mom stayed out snorkeling for a little while, but got tired and went back to the boat. I was proud of her...I think she wanted to test herself. We are taking a trip to the Galapagos this August and I know she wanted to make sure she could still do it, as there will be beach snorkels almost every day there. I told her if she could do a boat (deepwater snorkel) in these conditions, she would be fine in the Galapagos doing snorkeling from the beach.

 

We got back on the boat to make the second stop. It was getting rougher and when the boat is not on plane (going over the water), it is really rolling. Em is looking green around the gills and she lets go over board. The mom and young son from the other family are also not looking good, but everyone gets back in the water at the second stop, except Mom who didn't want to struggle with the ladder again.

 

This stop was a huge coral garden and the diversity is amazing, even though there were not as many fish here. It becomes so rough in the water that I couldn't see my girls over the swells, which made me nervous. Also, I started feeling queasy while being tossed around in the water! Our guide recognizes it's rough, and time is getting short, so we make our way back to the boat.

 

Most everyone is feeling it now. I offer my chewable Dramamine, and almonds all around. Em doesn't want to take the Dramamine and be tired, but several of the others take the offer of the almonds, and it does help. Everyone is feeling better when we get back to the village pier.

 

(underwater Photos)

 

Here's mom... she is literally willing to do anything!

 

 

The girls enjoying their first snorkel

 

 

Our guide with a small Caribbean lobster

 

 

I think this shows the incredible diversity of coral in this area

 

 

I love these spiky black sea urchins...it's hard to imagine they are related in anyway to the small green half domes we have in New England!

 

 

I have to look up this coral (or maybe a sea plant?) in the fore ground, it's like it's studded with tiny pearls (can you see the lion fish peeking out? More of him later!)

 

[Familygoboston]

(More Underwater photos)

 

Lion fish

 

a close up of those sea urchins

 

 

a huge brain coral surrounded by fan coral

 

 

There are 2 fish here; the colorful one on the left, but check out that long one on the right...I have to look them up too!

 

 

Our guide brings up a piece of broken fan coral found on the bottom. Our guide was an amazing "free diver" he could take off his snorkel and dive and stay under up to a couple of minutes to point out wildlife!