Dawn Garden Villa cruise review from a Carnival point of view.

[bguppies]

Back to Wednesday, Belize day...

 

For DW and I, after one stop there with Carnival, this meant uncrowded ship day!!!! :D

 

To clarify, the pier area was the most run down, least modern pier facility that we have experienced in the Caribbean. (just old and never updated since the 70's it looked like)

So to us, not being shoppers, it was not worth the 20 minute tender in each way.

 

Would have loved to have done a Mayan excursion here, but just didn't have the cash this trip, as I wanted to ensure I had enough $$$ to adequately tip John and Caesar at the end. (Felt if we were going to stay in a GV, we should be able to tip for the services used, no matter how minimally it wound up.)

 

Got up and wandered down to the buffet and brought breakfast back to the room for DW and I to enjoy our view while achored.

(loved having that table in the room)

 

Went down to the kitchen and made a pitcher of BBC's and a pitcher of Miami Vices, since we would just be around the ship all day.

 

Everybody else was either tendering in to walk around a bit or heading down to the uncrowded pool with us.

It was about 8:45 by now (the sea day before, all of the loungers poolside were gone or "claimed" by this point.) and there was not one person poolside or one towel on a lounger.

 

So we decided to head down and take our towels and see how the water was.

 

Now at this point I'll speak to the pool area layout.

I'm not familiar with the differences between the rest of the NCL fleet and Dawn's pools.

 

Went with my 4 year old Niece and Nephew to the kiddie pool area once.

Nice area for smaller kids for sure. (they LOVED it)

Enough chairs around for the adults to watch the kids.

Small slides and pools were perfect for kids that age, so you didn't have to overly worry about them.

Liked the little caves for the kids to go through.

(like the little kids area in the buffet, NCL definitely takes care of the little cruisers very nicely)

 

Now the main pool area was very nice.

I thought the pool size was big enough, at least everytime we went down or were watching from the GV.

Never looked crowded.

Liked the shallow ledge you could sit on and dangle your legs in the pool.

Benches all around the ledge part, separating from the pool deck.

 

DW thought it could have been a little shallower at one end (since it went from 5'6" - 6'1" or 2" I think. (she's 5'2" - I'm 6'1")

Liked the short stairs at some entrances rather than exclusively ladders in and out.

 

OK the pool deck was scortchingly hot. (same on Carnival)

There has to be some sort of material that the cruiselines can use for pool decking, that doesn't leave people dancing like fools, hopping to their lounger. (I cheated, since the pool was so uncrowded and just kept our flip flops on a ledge by the stairs)

 

Now the hotubs were the exact opposite.

You would think 4 hottubs flanking the corners of the main pool would be plenty, but outside of the early morning hours this day, everytime we looked down from the GV, they were always packed.( Pool never was.)

I'm not a big hot tub fan, so I never understand the draw of the hot tubs.

 

Now the pool behind the bandstand was a huge waste.

For most afternoons, whenever they had any kind of event of cookout, the crew blocked that pool off, with decorative fruits, tables, etc..

 

My BIL nicknamed it "the well", as that is what it looked like.

A narrow, small round pool that looked like dropping Timmy down the well. (for the old folks reading this..;) )

 

OK, here is where I singlehandedly screwed up the rest of the cruise.

 

We started dipping in the pool and I realized that I had forgotten to bring down any suntan lotion.

 

OK, here I'll say that I grew up in the Balt/Wash area and moved to Charleston, SC (third exit from the sun) about 15 years ago.

So I am fully aquainted with the difference in the sun from the mid-Atlantic to a 9 hour drive south.

So galactically stupid me, should have known that a 3 day cruise south (or probably 48 or more hour drive south, almost to the equator, that the sun, even in early April, will be ridiculous.

 

In my infinite genius, I ran back to the cabin, with a choice of:

one bottle of 75 SPF (in case something went wrong), 3 bottles of 33 SPF, one bottle of 8 SPF and one bottle of 4 SPF.

 

So guess what I chose in my moment of genius?

The 8 SPF and 4 SPF bottles.

I figured it was 9:30ish and we were only staying for an hour or two at the most.

 

Stupid, stupid man...

 

So we apply the lotions all over and hang in the pool for a couple of hours, meeting some great people hanging there that morning.

 

We get out, grab our stuff and stop by the Scoops Ice Cream stand at the pool there.

 

Again, another great idea by NCL... (especially since the soft serve was worthless all week)

Great option to get actual real ice cream, for free. (Carnival has extra charge ice cream shop on most ships)

Just wished it was open more than noon until 5PM each day.

 

Well as we go to catch the elevator back to the room to change, I see in the indoor lighting how "colorful" DW was.:eek:

 

So I knew I was in trouble, very, very soon.

 

We went back, changed, and headed down to the buffet for some lunch.

 

Then we went down to deck 6/7 and hung out and participated in a few games, etc.. (lost my dailys for this day, so I forget exactly.)

 

By late afternoon, DW was feeling the pain, so we went back to the cabin to apply some of the 4 different strength aloes I had wisely packed.

 

Since she was feeling bad and didn't feel like wearing a bra anymore, I just ran down and picked up some dinner and some snacks, to have in the room that night and watch some movies and recouperate.

 

Now I will take a moment to sing the praises of the greatest food item on any cruise I have ever taken. (and 99% of snacks on land also.)

 

The NCL Pretzel Roll.

 

Luckily I had read about them on here and tried one the first sea day and fell in love with a perfect cruise snack.

 

The rest of the week, I'd go down once a day and bring a plate back up and put some in a ziploc bag and have a few on hand in the cabin at all times...

The pretzel sticks right next to them were OK, but the rolls were fantastic.

 

 

A note to spring our clocks ahead this night and our dailys and towel animal awaited us and an early morning in Costa Maya for me the next day.

 

Here endeth day 4...

[KweezyCruiser]

Ouch! Bra vs. Sunburn. BTDT.

[bguppies]

Ouch! Bra vs. Sunburn. BTDT.

 

Yeah I was her personal butler for the rest of the cruise, fetching whatever drink or snack she needed.

 

You would think, at pushing 50 and all those cruises, I would have known better..

[meatball_nyc]

Ahhhh sunburn + bra = pain :(

At least you had the pretzel rolls to save the day! Plus aloe. At least you were smart enough to pack that ;)

Still enjoying your review. Thank you.

 

 

 

Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

[DMH15]

I can totally relate. On my last Sun cruise I was laying out on the balcony listening to phantom of the opera when it must've lulled me to sleep. Oh no... When my mom came back from whatever she was doing it woke me up I knew I would be all colors of red. It could have been a lot worse.

[W5KAP]

BGUPPIES: I'm really enjoying your review and look forward to any additional info you'll be posting about the Dawn. I'll be sailing on Princess for the first time in 2015 and you can bet I'll be comparing Princess to NCL on all sorts things: cabins, food, crew, entertainment, etc.

 

And I do the same thing with NCL. On the Epic we were constantly discussing how it compared to the Sun (my favorite ship). In our case, we still prefer the Sun, while others love the Epic. I guess you could say we are biased in favor of the Sun and at this point in our cruising experience we are biased toward NCL.

 

While we have not yet tried NCL, thought I'd take a minute to sing the praises of PRincess. Short answer as I don't want to hijack the thread. We've done 3 CCL Cruises and plenty of Princess and love them to death. Hope you enjoy your trip. PRincess is fantastic.

 

Cheers, Kenn from down the road

[mitsugirly]

 

Now the pool behind the bandstand was a huge waste.

For most afternoons, whenever they had any kind of event of cookout, the crew blocked that pool off, with decorative fruits, tables, etc..

 

 

 

 

By late afternoon, DW was feeling the pain, so we went back to the cabin to apply some of the 4 different strength aloes I had wisely packed.

 

 

 

The NCL Pretzel Roll.

 

 

 

I just had to say...the pool behind the banstand was awkward because of the "way" you had to get down in it (using a ladder) and it was waaaayyy down in there. However, we actually liked that little pool after we made it down in there because it was a consistent size and something like only 3 o 4 foot??? It also had a place to sit all the way around it. So, it's actually the perfect place to hang out if you have little ones and you can just sit in the water on the built in "chairs" (if you want to call it that) and watch them play. :)

 

 

Just an FYI that we learned back when we were on our Carnival cruise...NOXEMA!!! It works wonders when you are burnt....I mean wonders. You feel absolutely amazing when you put it on a sunburn. I swear I will never buy aloe again. :p

 

Pretzel rolls=heaven! :D

[greatlakesgirl]

Just an FYI that we learned back when we were on our Carnival cruise...NOXEMA!!! It works wonders when you are burnt....I mean wonders. You feel absolutely amazing when you put it on a sunburn. I swear I will never buy aloe again. :p

 

Pretzel rolls=heaven! :D

Still following this thread with interest. :)

 

And I wanted to chime in and second the Noxema recommendation! Amazing stuff, cools the burn instantly.

[Cubechick]

Still following this thread with interest. :)

 

And I wanted to chime in and second the Noxema recommendation! Amazing stuff, cools the burn instantly.

 

Don't forget good old ibuprofen. ;)

[rajones007]

Just an FYI that we learned back when we were on our Carnival cruise...NOXEMA!!! It works wonders when you are burnt....I mean wonders. You feel absolutely amazing when you put it on a sunburn. I swear I will never buy aloe again. :p

 

Still following this thread with interest. :)

 

And I wanted to chime in and second the Noxema recommendation! Amazing stuff, cools the burn instantly.

Yup. That's all my mother ever gave her boys as we were growing up without sunscreen in the 60s and 70s. In all my life I've never had anything else that worked so quickly and so well on a sunburn.

 

Todays useless trivia: First sold in 1914, Noxzema was originally intended for *TA-DA* sunburn relief. It wasn't until post-WW2 that it became more popular as a facial cleanser.

Edited April 22, 2014 by rajones007

[mitsugirly]

Yup. That's all my mother ever gave her boys as we were growing up without sunscreen in the 60s and 70s. In all my life I've never had anything else that worked so quickly and so well on a sunburn.

 

Todays useless trivia: First sold in 1914, Noxzema was originally intended for *TA-DA* sunburn relief. It wasn't until post-WW2 that it became more popular as a facial cleanser.

 

 

Awesome. I love to hear new (for me) facts. :D I guess they got it right the first time around. :)

[PorkChopKid]

I just had to say...the pool behind the banstand was awkward because of the "way" you had to get down in it (using a ladder) and it was waaaayyy down in there. However, we actually liked that little pool after we made it down in there because it was a consistent size and something like only 3 o 4 foot??? It also had a place to sit all the way around it. So, it's actually the perfect place to hang out if you have little ones and you can just sit in the water on the built in "chairs" (if you want to call it that) and watch them play. :)

We kind of liked that pool to. No kids when we were in it, just a few adults. The high sides also provided a little shade which was nice. I just had to get my camera in there for a picture of the reflection off those GV floor to ceiling mirrored windows....

[bguppies]

I just had to say...the pool behind the banstand was awkward because of the "way" you had to get down in it (using a ladder) and it was waaaayyy down in there.

 

 

Thus why BIL dubbed it "the well".

 

Wish I could have tried it out myself now.

 

Should have climbed down in that morning.

 

But like I said, anytime, there was anything extra going on by the pool, they blocked that pool off with tables, or something. Even though, from the view in the GV, it never really seemed neccesary.

 

But would probably be awkward to have soaking wet people, cutting through the food preperation area during a cookout.:)

 

Big thanks on the Noxema tip..

Totally forgot that still existed. (note to any ad execs out there. ;) )

 

Bill

[TrumpyNor]

Back to Wednesday, Belize day...

 

1. For DW and I, after one stop there with Carnival, this meant uncrowded ship day!!!! :D

It was about 8:45 by now (the sea day before, all of the loungers poolside were gone or "claimed" by this point.) and there was not one person poolside or one towel on a lounger.

 

2. Liked the shallow ledge you could sit on and dangle your legs in the pool.

Benches all around the ledge part, separating from the pool deck.

 

3. OK the pool deck was scortchingly hot. (same on Carnival)

There has to be some sort of material that the cruiselines can use for pool decking, that doesn't leave people dancing like fools, hopping to their lounger. (I cheated, since the pool was so uncrowded and just kept our flip flops on a ledge by the stairs)

 

 

1. To stay on board the ship when "everybody else" is ashore - is just fantastic! Usually if I want to lay in the sun on board, I try to find "secret" places around the ship, a couple of times actually ended up on the helicopter deck (where there were a few sunbeds) all alone! :) On our upcoming cruise in June one of the stops will be Piraeus (Athens), and since we a few years ago did an excursion in Athens where we got to see all the sights that we found interesting (and because in my opinion Athens is not the nicest of cities to just stroll around in - plus the long busride to get there), this time we plan to stay on board and enjoy a quiet day by the pool when everybody else is touring Athens. :)

 

2. The benched area around the pool I have found on many NCL ships (it might be on all of them ?) - and I find it superb to be able to sit there and dingle my feet in the pool and cool off a little without actually having to go for a swim.

 

3. I always (and I mean always, no matter how crowded) walk up to the pool wearing my flip-flops, and leave them next to the ladder/stairs when I get into the pool. Both to protect my feet from the hot deck - and to protect them (my feet) from "catching" something "contagious"..... And I find it very practical to do that.... :p

 

Finally I would just like to mention that unlike many of the other readers of your detailed review, I am NOT reading it because I have a cruise booked and would like to know more about NCL cruises. After 15 NCL cruises that I have done, I feel like I know all the "important" stoff. But your review is so detailed and vividly described - so I actually find it very entertaining to read, it makes me remember all the little "cruise stuff" that I love, and reading it kind of "shortens" my 7 weeks of countdown to our cruise - and makes me even more excited about our upcoming cruise. So thank you! :D

Edited April 22, 2014 by TrumpyNOR

[newmexicoNita]

1. To stay on board the ship when "everybody else" is ashore - is just fantastic! Usually if I want to lay in the sun on board, I try to find "secret" places around the ship, a couple of times actually ended up on the helicopter deck (where there were a few sunbeds) all alone! :) On our upcoming cruise in June one of the stops will be Piraeus (Athens), and since we a few years ago did an excursion in Athens where we got to see all the sights that we found interesting (and because in my opinion Athens is not the nicest of cities to just stroll around in - plus the long busride to get there), this time we plan to stay on board and enjoy a quiet day by the pool when everybody else is touring Athens. :)

 

2. The benched area around the pool I have found on many NCL ships (it might be on all of them ?) - and I find it superb to be able to sit there and dingle my feet in the pool and cool off a little without actually having to go for a swim.

 

3. I always (and I mean always, no matter how crowded) walk up to the pool wearing my flip-flops, and leave them next to the ladder/stairs when I get into the pool. Both to protect my feet from the hot deck - and to protect them (my feet) from "catching" something "contagious"..... And I find it very practical to do that.... :p

 

Finally I would just like to mention that unlike many of the other readers of your detailed review, I am NOT reading it because I have a cruise booked and would like to know more about NCL cruises. After 15 NCL cruises that I have done, I feel like I know all the "important" stoff. But your review is so detailed and vividly described - so I actually find it very entertaining to read, it makes me remember all the little "cruise stuff" that I love, and reading it kind of "shortens" my 7 weeks of countdown to our cruise - and makes me even more excited about our upcoming cruise. So thank you! :D

 

I too have been on 15 NCL cruises, but this will be our first on the Dawn. I am reading the review for enjoyment and am learning something about the ship at the same time.

 

Like your idea about wearing flip flops, I think I might take my water shoes this time, Not to wear in the water, but for walking on that hot cement.

[bguppies]

Back to the review....

 

Costa Maya day....

 

We were supposed to experience Costa Maya and Mahahual back in 2007 on our Glory cruise.

But Hurricane Dean arrived a week or two before our cruise.

 

Hurricane Dean strengthened right up until it made landfall near Mahahual on the Quintana Roo coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on August 21, 2007 as a Category 5 hurricane.

The town of Mahahual, which had a population of 200, was totally destroyed by the storm.

The waves tore away portions of the concrete docks at Costa Maya's popular cruise port and the harbor was closed to cruise ships for almost a year.

 

I was very excited to experience Mahahual back then, when it was reportedly a bit more primitive. Undeveloped.

Try legendary beach spots like the Black Cat, etc...

 

That cruise wound up switching from Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize, and Grand Cayman, to Key West, Progresso, Cozumel and Grand Cayman.

 

Worked out nice, as we probably would have yet, never made it to Progresso (and the ruins at Uxmal from there were UNBELIEVABLE) and that was our first time in Key West. (which we LOVE as a cruise stop)

 

Just did not think it would be 7 years before we made it back to Costa Maya/Mahahual.

 

Obviously today, DW was begging off a trip into the pier or Mahahual like we originally planned.

 

Most of the group was just planning on heading into the pier area and checking it out for a few hours.

Now the Costa Maya pier area is very nice, one of the nicest I have experienced throughout the Caribbean. (versus the run down one in Belize)

 

Going to step up on my soapbox for a minute here.

 

It always saddens me, when I read reviews on the Ports of Call boards, when people take a cruise, only make it to the pier area at any stop and think they've seen the area. (and sadly my Parents fall into this category)

 

Like the folks in Roatan, who stay at Carnival's Mahogany Bay, at the fake beach there by the ship, and never get out to see the beauty of the island or the gorgeousness of West Bay beach. (a very nice pier area to be sure, but NOT the island)

 

Or in Cozumel, folks who stay at the bars and shopping at International Pier or Puerto Maya, without venturing out at all.

 

Or in Nassau, the folks who just walk one block into Bay Street and the overpacked shopping area, but don't walk the couple of extra blocks to see the grandeur of the Queen's Staircase, the incredible view from inside Fort Fincastle, the general beauty of the quaint town. (even the weeds in Nassau are beautiful flowers)

 

Or in Costa Maya, even though again, a great pier area, it is still a carbon copy of all the other pier areas and NOT the local region, like Mahahual.

 

These places are a great option to end your port day, but not to be the entire day.

 

I always feel bad for folks who never get out to experience a region for themselves and get to meet the locals.

 

Steps down from his soapbox...

 

Went down and again brought breakfast back to the room early.

Got DW settled in for the morning and headed down to the Star Bar to meet my Aunt and Uncle and hook up with John, for priority debarkation.

 

Since we stayed on the ship in Belize and skipped Roatan, this was the first chance to experience priority debarkation.

 

John was there already and his usual chipper self.

Asked us to have a seat for just a minute and he would verify the gangway was open.

 

It was, he stepped into a door behind the bar and came back a few seconds later and waved us in with him.

 

Behind the bar was a little room with a couple of service elevators.

We jumped on one and John took us down to where the elevator let us off, directly across from the gangway.

 

John waved over a crew member and handed us off to her and wished us a good day and was back off to the Star Bar.

 

By far and away, the easiest debarkation, EVER.

 

Much better than any we've had on Carnival with our Platinum early debarkation.

Definitely a GREAT suite perk.

 

In Costa Maya and in Cozumel, the Dawn docked across from the Epic.

 

Now Costa Maya is a very long pier to walk down, but they have a tram that runs up and down the pier every few minutes. (basically a large golf cart with like ten rows of bench seats, maybe 6 people wide.)

I put my Aunt and Uncle on there (both have knee problems) and I proceeded to walk down the pier, to meet them at the other end.

 

Was very cool, looking down and seeing the schools of fish right off the pier, in the crystal clear Caribbean water.

 

I wanted to be able to check out the ruins of the old Cha-Chi resort, just off to the right of the pier, thus why I walked the pier.

Sad to see the remnants of the little day resort, occupied only by a trio of Pelicans.

(Cha-Chi was a legendary little day resort on the Costa Maya boards, where the pier developer tried to buy the owner out, but he refused, so the developers built the large concrete wall to cut the guy off from the cruise passengers.

People desperately wanted to still patronize this resort, which, without the wall, was a 10 foot walk.

When the wall was erected, it became a 15-20 minute, incredibly bad road, through the jungle ride, to go the 10 feet to that beach.

 

Somehow :D a hole in the chain link fence back a bit from the pier, had developed and die hard CC'ers wore a path through the woods to walk over there, defying the pier developers.

They even had t-shirts for the "hole in the fence" club.

After Dean hit and wiped Mahahual off the map, the guy who owned the beach area, was never able to rebuild and recover.)

 

Back to our review.

 

I wound up arriving at the same time as the tram did.

Met my Aunt and Uncle and took the obligatory tourist pictures in front of the various backdrops.

 

We walked through the pier area, checking it out a bit while it was still almost empty.

 

Loved the swim up pool at Senor Frogs.

The sandy areas with loungers surrounding the pool.

Nice wide walkways thoughout.

And of course the obligatory shops and bars that are at every pier area throughout the Caribbean.

 

Towards the back of the pier area is a shuttle bus pickup spot.

They had very nice maps of Mahahual there, with the 5 shuttle bus stops listed on there, along with the map's sponsors, on the map.

For $3 USD you could ride a shuttle (some were vans that held about 10 people, others were mid sized busses that held maybe 35-40) into any of 5 stops in town.

The shuttle only ran one way into town and for your return trip you just had to catch a cab back into the pier area, for a set, $2 from anywhere in the small town. (cabs easily found in bunches at the end of every block)

 

So simply put a $5 round trip, per person, to check out the town.

 

Seemed somewhat wasteful to not use the shuttles for return trips, but I'd imagine the one way deal was some sort of concession to a taxi union or something.

 

1st stop was just past the lighthouse, near a couple of beach clubs there.

The last stop was at the furthest end of town. (we went to the 4th stop)

 

Now in Mahahual, you have the Malecon, a paved, boardwalk type walkway that runs the length of town, just off the beach.

 

A short block over from the Malecon is the main road (really a one way alley ;) ), which is where the cabs were waiting on every corner when you were ready to head back.

 

The entire town was basically a neverending stream of hotels, bars and restaurants on one side of the Malecon and the beautiful beach on the other side.

 

For the half of the town we walked, I did not see many brick and mortar shops in town.

Just alot of tables set up on the sidewalk in front of the hotels and bars or locals walking around with their wares with them.

Now there was quite a few locals selling their items, but none was pushy at all, after a polite no thank you.

 

As you walked, each bar had a bunch of tables and chairs set up on the beach under palapas or umbrellas or trees.

Usually they had loungers in the sun right by the water also.

 

All seemed to have very cheap prices for beer and drinks. (especially after 4 days on the ship. $2 for a beer, $8 for a margarita the size of a fishbowl.)

Basically just stroll until you found a beach set up that looked the most to your taste or with a view that looked best to you and sit yourself down.

 

The beaches there were absolutely beautiful.

 

Every bar you passed would have a guy selling their place.

Beer prices, free wi-fi, etc. (everybody seemed to have free wi-fi. I was walking with my I-Pad mini, using it to take pictures and everybody kept telling me, free wi-fi.. LOL)

 

I would have liked to explore much more, but My Uncle's knee was bothering him from the walking, so we walked up to the street and caught a cab super easily.

 

When we got back to the pier, the cab drove us right up to the area where we caught the shuttle.

A couple jumped out and wanted to jump in our cab, but the driver told them they HAD to walk down the street and out of the facility, to catch a cab, as the cabbies could NOT accept fares inside the cruise facility, just return passengers. (same deal as at Mahogany Bay pier in Roatan)

 

Now when we got back, we got to experience the pier facility with everybody out and about.

Suprisingly with two ships docked, it did not feel overly crowded.

 

Went back onboard, picked up some lunch to take back to the cabin and checked in on DW.

 

Spent the rest of the day trying to get her ready for Cozumel and nachi Cocum. (because if I couldn't get her to Nachi, I was a dead man)

 

Hit a trivia game, and a Wii bowling tournament, which nobody showed up for.

About 10 minutes after the host left to get ready for something else, an elderly couple showed up.

The guy jumped in to play me.

 

Turned out he was a ringer.

Told me, after he destroyed me, that he and his Wife play an hour of Wii sports each night.:eek:

 

He got a strike or spare every frame, threw 6 strikes in a row, spared the 9th and then 3 strikes to finish the 10th... LOL....

 

So I left he and his wife to play, so he could get a better game than I could give...:D

 

Basically the rest of the day was just runs for food and snacks and back to the room to take care of DW.

 

Now here I have to give a shout out to our room steward Uzel, who from the Belize day on, we were almost constantly in the cabin, due to the sunburns.

He was always extremely helpful and always trying to still get the cabin done, but work around us being in the cabin.

Took excellent care of us for those days.

 

That evening he dropped off the Dailys and made a towel animal and left us for the evening.

 

Got to sleep early for as early as possible debark to get to Nachi Cocum.

 

End of Costa Maya day...

Edited April 22, 2014 by bguppies

[bguppies]

PS

 

Just re-read that portion. (always like to spell check and look for typos)

 

Sorry for the ramble.

 

Did not realize Costa Maya would turn into the War and Peace of review days.

[cadien]

PS

 

Just re-read that portion. (always like to spell check and look for typos)

 

Sorry for the ramble.

 

Did not realize Costa Maya would turn into the War and Peace of review days.

 

I liked it.

[Barb Nahoumi]

The price of staying in the garden villa is quite reasonable when you split the cost between 6-8 people. The downside is sharing your cabin with 4-6 people.

 

Does each of the three bedrooms have its own bathroom?

[rajones007]

Nice to hear that more cruisers visiting Costa Maya are beginning to 'spread out' and go beyond the cruise port area. When we were there on the NCL Star in 2011 (2010?), the only other ship in port was the Carnival Dream and the port area was PACKED.

 

At about 10am every store, every bar, every restaurant, every place you went was PACKED. Anywhere you turned there was people. Even the pool with the swim-up bar was packed full of people.

 

We shuffled around for about an hour then went back to the ship. It was a planned 'rest' day for us. We had a long hot day in Belize prior to arriving at Costa Maya, so we just wanted a quick-look-around-and-do-nothing-day anyways.

 

We liked what we saw, but were a little bewildered at how packed it was with only two ships in port. It's nice to see it's gotten better with people not hesitating to venture beyond the gates.

 

Anyways...Please carry on, OP. I'm very much enjoying your review.

[New2cruise1483]

PS

 

Just re-read that portion. (always like to spell check and look for typos)

 

Sorry for the ramble.

 

Did not realize Costa Maya would turn into the War and Peace of review days.

 

Thanks for the detailed review of Costa Maya,we were there in January and did a ship excursion. Next time however, I think we'll try to explore the way you did. Had no idea the little town was so interesting until reading your review here! Thanks again :D

[bguppies]

Does each of the three bedrooms have its own bathroom?

 

Yes.

It is basically 3 cruise cabins inside the main, shared parts of the suite.

 

The front room, "the master" has a king size bed, but that is about it in that space. (I think a couple of small chairs also)

But the bathroom is enormous.

Large double sink area overlooking the pool.

Larger jacuzzi tub than the 3rd room.

Plus very large shower stall with various shower heads.

The first room and 3rd room also have huge walk in closets, that are very similar.

 

The middle room has a queen bed , but also a large chair, an ottoman and a table for four in one corner.

No walk in closet (but PLENTY of closet and drawer space for anybody.) but a vanity area that leads into the bathroom, with a toilet in a closet, sink and tub/shower.

 

The 3rd room was very similar to the 1st room, but the tub was smaller and the bedroom had a sliding glass door that leads to the outdoor space.

Edited April 22, 2014 by bguppies

[bguppies]

Cozumel day....

 

This is always the day of least planning.

 

Within 5 minutes of booking any cruise to Cozumel, we are online, locking up our 2 spots out of 100 at Nachi Cocum beach club.

 

Ironically, I probably know more about Cozumel, than I do about my hometown, with all the research I've done over the years.

 

Yet I know I will never go anywhere but to Nachi Cocum, until we have a bad day there.

Which obviously, has yet to happen yet. (6 for 6 times now)

 

The beauty of Cozumel is there is literally something for everyone there.

If you can't find a great day in Cozumel, it is NOT Cozumel's fault.

 

Cozumel's taxis are regulated, with the exact rates to anywhere on the island posted on placards at the taxi stands at each of the 3 piers in Cozumel.

So it is extremely simple, even for the most inexperienced traveler.

 

The island can handle heavy ship loads with no problems.

(4-5 ships a day is average)

 

DW was feeling a bit better.

(She would have to be dying to miss a trip to nachi)

 

Ran down to the buffet and got us some breakfast.

 

Went up on the deck and scanned the area.

Both RCCL ships were already docked, we were docked and the Epic was pulling in.

The Carnival Magic was passing by on her way to Puerto Maya Pier.

 

Now today, DW and I and both my Aunts and Uncles were booked at Nachi. (6 total)

 

Now due to Roatan getting cancelled, the Dolphin experience and Beach day excursion we had, got cancelled.

 

Don't remember if I told this story yet, but I will digress for a minute here.

 

On the Monday that the Captain announced the Roatan news, we were down at the Pearly Kings Pub playing trivia. (I think it was like 8 out of 14 of us, including the Boss, my Mom.)

While we were playing, John the Concierge enters the pub and finds our group.

Said he was tracking us down, as he noticed all 14 of us had booked the Dolphin/Beach excursion and wanted to see if we needed any help with trying to rebook Dolphins in Costa Maya or Cozumel where they were also available.

 

We started discussing the options, which I immediately poo-pooed the Costa Maya option, due to the cruel, tiny pens they used there. (that I found from my research)

Told the group that either Chankanaab or Dolphinarus, whichever Dolphin excursion was offered, both get really good reviews on the Cozumel board.

 

Now DW and I had done Dolphins before and really were only wanting to do them this time, to see the 4 year old twins with them.

But neither of us was willing to sacrifice one second of our available time at Nachi Cocum, so we begged out and let the other 12 book a Dolphin push at Dolphinarus for 8:45 AM in Cozumel.

 

Really appreciated John's effort to come hunt us down on deck 7.

He excused himself for a minute, ran out of the pub, to the room behind the shore excursion desk (Which was swamped with others trying to adjust excursions after the announcement a couple hours earlier. Long line around the atrium right then.) and he came back out with 12 tickets for Dolphins at Cozumel.

We never had to move from our seats at trivia and John had us all set for Cozumel.

 

Back to Cozumel day...

 

DW and I were getting off the ship as soon as possible, to get in a cab and down to Nachi at opening. (or hopefully before)

The other 12 were meeting their excursion group at 8:30 and after the Dolphins my Aunts and Uncles would catch a cab from Dolphinarus and meet us at Nachi, for the rest of their day.

The other 8 in our group had no plans after the Dolphins.

 

DW and I headed down to the Star Bar, met John and he made a quick call and said we could get off the ship immediately. (wasn't quite 8 yet)

He went and called the freight elevator and off we went.

 

Now we had docked at Punta Langosta pier in town, once many years ago, when Carnival's Puerto Maya pier was being repaired after a hurricane.

 

I don't remember the over the road, walking path, from the pier to the Punta Langosta Mall, where you could catch your cabs.

That took about 10 minutes to get to the cabs.

 

But we found our cab and were on our way to Nachi Cocum....

Edited April 22, 2014 by bguppies

[rajones007]

Ran down to the buffet and got us some breakfast...

I notice you have done ^this^ on more than one occasion. Is there a reason you won't use the butler?

 

I totally understand if it just isn't your thing and you'd much rather do it yourself. Seriously, I can relate. But you sure are missing out on one of the perks you paid for when you can just phone a guy and say "hey, bring me this-this-this & this, lots of that, a couple of that, some of those, and a pot of this and that" and have it here and set up at x:xx AM, please and thank you!" It certainly makes the morning much more relaxed when you have an early excursion.

Edited April 22, 2014 by rajones007
edit. post is not preview.

[biker@sea]

Cozumel day....

 

This is always the day of least planning.

 

Within 5 minutes of booking any cruise to Cozumel, we are online, locking up our 2 spots out of 100 at Nachi Cocum beach club.

 

Ironically, I probably know more about Cozumel, than I do about my hometown, with all the research I've done over the years.

 

Yet I know I will never go anywhere but to Nachi Cocum, until we have a bad day there.

Which obviously, has yet to happen yet. (6 for 6 times now)

 

The beauty of Cozumel is there is literally something for everyone there.

If you can't find a great day in Cozumel, it is NOT Cozumel's fault.

 

Cozumel's taxis are regulated, with the exact rates to anywhere on the island posted on placards at the taxi stands at each of the 3 piers in Cozumel.

So it is extremely simple, even for the most inexperienced traveler.

 

The island can handle heavy ship loads with no problems.

(4-5 ships a day is average)

 

DW was feeling a bit better.

(She would have to be dying to miss a trip to nachi)

 

Ran down to the buffet and got us some breakfast.

 

Went up on the deck and scanned the area.

Both RCCL ships were already docked, we were docked and the Epic was pulling in.

The Carnival Magic was passing by on her way to Puerto Maya Pier.

 

Now today, DW and I and both my Aunts and Uncles were booked at Nachi. (6 total)

 

Now due to Roatan getting cancelled, the Dolphin experience and Beach day excursion we had, got cancelled.

 

Don't remember if I told this story yet, but I will digress for a minute here.

 

On the Monday that the Captain announced the Roatan news, we were down at the Pearly Kings Pub playing trivia. (I think it was like 8 out of 14 of us, including the Boss, my Mom.)

While we were playing, John the Concierge enters the pub and finds our group.

Said he was tracking us down, as he noticed all 14 of us had booked the Dolphin/Beach excursion and wanted to see if we needed any help with trying to rebook Dolphins in Costa Maya or Cozumel where they were also available.

 

We started discussing the options, which I immediately poo-pooed the Costa Maya option, due to the cruel, tiny pens they used there. (that I found from my research)

Told the group that either Chankanaab or Dolphinarus, whichever Dolphin excursion was offered, both get really good reviews on the Cozumel board.

 

Now DW and I had done Dolphins before and really were only wanting to do them this time, to see the 4 year old twins with them.

But neither of us was willing to sacrifice one second of our available time at Nachi Cocum, so we begged out and let the other 12 book a Dolphin push at Dolphinarus for 8:45 AM in Cozumel.

 

Really appreciated John's effort to come hunt us down on deck 7.

He excused himself for a minute, ran out of the pub, to the room behind the shore excursion desk (Which was swamped with others trying to adjust excursions after the announcement a couple hours earlier. Long line around the atrium right then.) and he came back out with 12 tickets for Dolphins at Cozumel.

We never had to move from our seats at trivia and John had us all set for Cozumel.

 

Back to Cozumel day...

 

DW and I were getting off the ship as soon as possible, to get in a cab and down to Nachi at opening. (or hopefully before)

The other 12 were meeting their excursion group at 8:30 and after the Dolphins my Aunts and Uncles would catch a cab from Dolphinarus and meet us at Nachi, for the rest of their day.

The other 8 in our group had no plans after the Dolphins.

 

DW and I headed down to the Star Bar, met John and he made a quick call and said we could get off the ship immediately. (wasn't quite 8 yet)

He went and called the freight elevator and off we went.

 

Now we had docked at Punta Langosta pier in town, once many years ago, when Carnival's Puerto Maya pier was being repaired after a hurricane.

 

I don't remember the over the road, walking path, from the pier to the Punta Langosta Mall, where you could catch your cabs.

That took about 10 minutes to get to the cabs.

 

But we found our cab and were on our way to Nachi Cocum....

 

Great review ! !

We loved Nachi .

The food and drink have been real good for us .:)