first cruise excursions

[pandarider123]

I am going on my first cruise and spent a year saving for cruise as I'm low income and want the vacation close to perfect. Going be on carnival magic on my birthday the may 4th cruise to belize, cozumel, roatan. My excursions are victor bodden tours, ruins in belize and nachi cocom in cozumel. Got lots of questions.

 

Is magic a good ship I've heard a lot of bad things about that ship?

 

Which one those ports has the best unique sovinir shopping?

 

On Victor bodden tour he said can take me snorkeling at blue channel. Anyone

Been there is it good snorkeling?

 

Has anyone been to nachi cocom? I'm active person do they have more to do then just laying on beach?

 

Is the cruise casino slots stiffer then the land slots? Should I see it as expensive fun or do people actually win ?

 

How is the food in main dining room buffet. Is it comparable to golden corral (lots and lots of average food) ?

 

Is there any special vaccine s you need? Never been out of country?.

[kitty9]

You will get better responses if you post this on Carnival's board. The folks there are Carnival experts.

 

But generally speaking, casinos on ships aren't regulated like those on land, where they regulate how slot machines pay out. So just look at ship casinos as entertainment and don't expect to win.

 

There's no such thing as a main dining room buffet. Those are separate entities---the main dining room is a sit down restaurant with waiters and menus that change daily, and the buffet is an ordinary buffet. I don't go to Golden Corral, but it's probably similar.

[Keith1010]

I too would recommend posting on the Carnival Board where you can get all of your Carnival related questions answered.

 

I wish you a wonderful cruise.

 

Keith

[Scrapnana]

I am going on my first cruise and spent a year saving for cruise as I'm low income and want the vacation close to perfect. Going be on carnival magic on my birthday the may 4th cruise to belize, cozumel, roatan. My excursions are victor bodden tours, ruins in belize and nachi cocom in cozumel. Got lots of questions.

 

Is magic a good ship I've heard a lot of bad things about that ship?

 

Which one those ports has the best unique sovinir shopping?

 

On Victor bodden tour he said can take me snorkeling at blue channel. Anyone

Been there is it good snorkeling?

 

Has anyone been to nachi cocom? I'm active person do they have more to do then just laying on beach?

 

Is the cruise casino slots stiffer then the land slots? Should I see it as expensive fun or do people actually win ?

 

How is the food in main dining room buffet. Is it comparable to golden corral (lots and lots of average food) ?

 

Is there any special vaccine s you need? Never been out of country?.

 

You should not need any vaccines.

 

I have read that the odds against you in the ship's casino are greater than in a casino on land. Yes, some people do win but if you are on a strict budget I wouldn't waste much of it in the casino.

[cruiserking]

Here's a link to the Caribbean cruise boards at Cruise Critic where you will find answers to your cruise port questions:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

 

Jonathan

[cb at sea]

ANY gambling ANYWHERE should be looked at as "entertainment"....the liklihood of winning is slim, and on ships, slimmer still! The "house" ALWAYS has the edge!

 

As far as excursions, get a guidebook and see what each place has to offer....then you can decide what you want to do and HOW to do it! Most things don't need an excursion!! But, you need the info on each place!

[Lerin]

The buffets in my opinion are not as nice as Golden Corral, but are fine. There is a lot of variety. You'll find plenty to eat.

[michelle1836]

we did the same itinerary this past summer and loved it. which ruins are you doing in Belize? we did Xunantunich and it was great

we also did Nachi Cocum. you can swim in the pool or ocean. they do have some other things to do but cost some extra. our first time there we did an extra snorkel excursion. this time we just hung out and relaxed

[panoramaofthepast]

Is magic a good ship I've heard a lot of bad things about that ship? Magic is one of my most favorite ships! Good service, good food -

Which one those ports has the best unique sovinir shopping? Each port has the standard places [Diamonds International, for one], but if you look you can find unique things in each port. In the Roatan port area, off to the left, I think, there is a large structure with local vendors that we enjoyed. In Cozumel, if you get into the main area of town, away from the cruise ship terminal shops, you might be able to find something special. However, it is in the opposite direction from Nachi.

 

On Victor bodden tour he said can take me snorkeling at blue channel. Anyone

Been there is it good snorkeling? Can't help you here!

 

Has anyone been to nachi cocom? I'm active person do they have more to do then just laying on beach? Nachi is very laid back; things like parasailing, ski-dos, and snorkeling tours are extra. If you want more activities, you might consider Mr. Sanchos or one of the other AIs

 

Is the cruise casino slots stiffer then the land slots? Should I see it as expensive fun or do people actually win ? If I break even on slots, I consider it a good cruise.

 

How is the food in main dining room buffet. Is it comparable to golden corral (lots and lots of average food) ? The food in the Lido buffet is far superior to Golden Corral, but then, I don't like GC!! As mentioned before, dinner in the MDR is a sit down/be served by waiters affair, not a buffet. The food in the MDR is generally pretty good. The MDR is open for a sit down breakfast and lunch on sea days; the Lido is open for all meals every day.

 

Is there any special vaccine s you need? Never been out of country?. No shots for these countries!

BTW - if you like chocolate, there is a chocolate factory in the port area in Belize where you can personalize your own chocolate bars for a nominal fee [$20 for the tour and 3 large candy bars, I think - takes 1/2 hour or so]

[Colorado Kat]

No vaccines needed. Have you gotten your passport yet? You can get by with just a birth certificate, but I prefer passport.

 

Tough to win in Casino. Tighter than on land. No free drinks. Expensive Fun.

 

Very good snorkeling on Roatan.

 

I like the Carnival food. I'm a vegetarian, and find lots of food I can eat. Definitely try the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake. (Oh, by the way, the Main Dining Room is free. I've run into people who thought there was a charge. The Steakhouse is an extra charge, but people say it's worth it.)

 

Have a great cruise.

[hinkster]

NO vaccines? Not so fast. Consider getting Twinrix for Hepatitus A&B. It's a one time vacination consisting of 3 shots taken at intervals. Check with your MD. They may also sugest others based on your specific medical needs.

Check this out for more info on the vaccine: http://www.twinrix.ca/en/

Only you can make this decision based on advise from your doctor

[cashier]

NO vaccines? Not so fast. Consider getting Twinrix for Hepatitus A&B. It's a one time vacination consisting of 3 shots taken at intervals. Check with your MD. They may also sugest others based on your specific medical needs.

Check this out for more info on the vaccine: http://www.twinrix.ca/en/

Only you can make this decision based on advise from your doctor

 

You need 3 shots and the 2nd shot is 1 month after the 1st. The 3rd shot is 5 or 6 months after the 2nd. I don't think she has enough time to get these shots.

[hinkster]

You need 3 shots and the 2nd shot is 1 month after the 1st. The 3rd shot is 5 or 6 months after the 2nd. I don't think she has enough time to get these shots.

 

There is a fast track version can be done in a couple of weeks with a final booster @ 12 months. We did it a couple of years ago with a last minute Mexico vacation