Carnival Lover Tries Oasis - A Review and Comparison

[bucks724]

Food, food, food.

 

Our next venture into pay venues was Izumi. It was VERY difficult to get a reservation for the teppanyaki side, although you could just about walk into the sushi side any time without a reservation. I suggest that you get a reservation ahead of time, as there are only a few tables and the meal takes a while to get through, so there are limited spots available. The first time we tried to get a seating, we were told they had no openings for any meal time during the rest of the cruise, but to keep checking. I checked again as I was walking around on Thursday and there was a cancellation for Friday at lunch.

 

Izumi is $20 per person, or $25 for a combo meal, and there is PLENTY of food for that amount. You get steamed edamame, soup or salad, a protein (or two if you get the combo), fried rice, veggies and sauces.

 

 

Bonsai seemed to always be empty on the Breeze, and only had sushi, which was fine. We often shared a tempura or California roll as a little snack and sat around and chatted while watching everyone on the promenade.

 

The Breeze has Guy’s Burgers (I definitely missed these!), Blue Iguana (another thing I missed) and the Mongolian Wok. Let’s not forget Jimmy’s on sea days and the hot dog stand.

 

When it comes to specialty restaurants, I would be inclined to give Breeze and Oasis a tie. I don’t mind paying extra for good food (I would rather pay a little bit for good food than eat mediocre food that is included), so we weren’t shy about grabbing food at pay venues when the mood struck. We never went hungry on either ship for those reasons.

[bucks724]

Buffet (last post about food – promise!)

 

On the Breeze, the buffet is on the Lido Deck and is called the Lido Marketplace. On Oasis, it’s called the Windjammer.

 

Lido has cafeteria-like lines that cause a lot of butting in, etc., and they mirror one another. Lido feels crowded and not set up very well, in my opinion.

 

The windjammer, in contrast, has my heart. Upon entrance, there is a line during busy times where they will seat you at a table based on party size. Throughout the Windjammer, there are little islands, and everything is available in multiple places. There is a wide variety of cuisines to choose from. Everything we had was quite good, including the seafood night choices and the BBQ foods.

 

Organization is key here. Windjammer has pre-poured drinks, and there are servers to bring you drinks to the table, including wine! Need I go on?

 

 

On the Breeze, the buffet food was just – we chose pizza (which is excellent), salad and paninis most of the time. There are Purell stations set up at the ends of the buffets, but on Oasis, there is a person whose JOB it is to squirt your hands with Purell when you enter (an ongoing joke all week for us, because it doesn’t even feel optional).

 

As far as the buffet area goes, the Oasis wins ten times over.

 

The other places we frequented on the Oasis were the Café Promenade, Sorrento’s Pizza and the Park Café.

 

Café Promenade was good for a quick bite to eat – the curried chicken salad wrap and shrimp boat were frequently requested by both of us (Chaya eats NOTHING but chicken nuggets, cheese pizza, pasta, grilled cheese, plain cheeseburgers, and a few other choice finger foods).

 

Sorrento’s custom pizzas were pretty decent. Thicker crust than the ready-to-eat stuff. Not the best – one step up from frozen, unlike Carnival’s, which is fresh made and AWESOME.

 

Park Café is known for its Kummelweck sandwich – which is basically fatty, rare roast beef on a salted weck bun. I don’t like roast beef, and don’t like anything below medium rare, and only then on a steak, but I felt like I had to try it. I asked for a more “cooked” slice of beef, and got it. I got mustard on it. It was good. Not good enough that I craved more, but good enough that I ate the whole thing.

 

We also enjoyed egg sandwiches from Park Café each morning. Chaya enjoyed their bagels. We never had Windjammer breakfast since we were on the same level as Park Café, so I can’t speak to their breakfast selections. However, I would give Oasis an edge for breakfast, since Lido Marketplace and Blue Iguana are the only places to eat breakfast that we tried.

 

As far as the MDR goes, we only ate there once on Oasis. It was the first formal night, which Chaya likes to go to. The choices weren’t very good. I had seafood ravioli. I got 4 raviolis in a bowl with bland sauce. On Breeze (and other Carnival ships), you can get surf and turf, etc. Based on the limited experience in the MDR on Oasis, compared to a lot of meals in Carnivals MDR, I give Carnival’s MDR a thumbs up over Oasis. Service was faster, food was more plentiful and better tasting, and it was just better in general.

 

The other food venues on Oasis were not tried (Giovanni’s, etc.) so I can’t vote on those.

[bucks724]

Entertainment:

 

This is where Royal Caribbean definitely shines. As I said before, I am a planner. I also don’t like waiting for things – I hate lines! So how happy was I when I saw that on RCCL cruises, there are RESERVATIONS! You can RESERVE your showtimes. This means no standing in hot hallways, rushing through meals in the MDR that can run over, no getting in late and seeing more of the pole than the show… Just reserve online, remember where you need to be and when, and show up about 15-20 minutes early with a drink in your hand, get your card scanned and find a seat you like. Then wait for the people who don’t reserve to file in and for the show to start!

 

When we booked our cruise, Chicago was the Broadway show offered onboard. Funny enough, it was the reason I chose Oasis over Allure – I had visited some of the ports on the Eastern itinerary so it really came down to the “differences”, and Chicago won out over Mamma Mia. As plans sometimes do, this one backfired, because following the dry dock, Cats was the new show. We had Chicago reservations, which were canceled when it changed to Cats, and we did not rebook.

 

We had reservations for the Headliner show (Abba-based musical), Comedy show, and Aqua Theatre show. Our reserved Aqua Theatre show was canceled due to high winds, and we were rebooked automatically, but our rebooked time interfered with the comedy show (which is harder to get into), so we decided to do the standy-by line for the Aqua Theatre.

 

 

 

First, let me say. The Aqua Theatre in itself is AMAZING – the back of the ship is open – fresh air, sunshine (and rain, too!), just amazing! The whole Boardwalk area is just awesome. But the Aqua Theatre show – OMGoodness! The show takes place all around you – behind you, above you, in front of you, etc. Since we were in the standby line, the first place we found 3 seats together were – you guessed it – in the front row. Yes, I realize that most people would covet a front row seat. BUT – the first three or so rows are considered the “splash zone”. We didn’t get TOO wet, but we got some water splashed on us – sometimes intentionally by the performers.

 

Our next show was Come Fly With Me. It was an awesome sing and dance production. LOVED it. Real singing and dancing.

 

Frozen in Time, however, was second only to the Aqua Theatre show. A-maz-ing! The performers were perfectly timed, the sets were adorable, and the sand art intermission was so cool. I wish I could have taken a ton of pictures, but it was dark and difficult without using flash since we were sitting in a darker area.

 

If I were basing entertainment solely on these the above shows, I would say Royal wins hands down. BUT there was the comedy show.

 

It was funny. We laughed. We giggled. But we found it to be a little generic. The routine of the first performer consisted of picking out people in the front rows and making crude jokes about them. The next performer’s routine mainly consisted of jokes about himself and being black. They both seemed to have gone on stage and just winged it, with a lot of curse words thrown in for good measure.

 

On Carnival, our performer had a larger venue (although neither was extremely large) and he was funnier.

 

In the end, the fact that we had RESERVATIONS to the shows and three out of four were excellent stands out to me. So Royal wins again.

[rtw68]

GREAT review so far! We have only cruised Carnival but have been curious about RCCL (Oasis/Allure) as well as NCL (Epic).

 

It is great to get a comparison between the two. Thanks!

[Tapi]

Enjoying your review! Just a few comments. I agree about Chop's. While I like the restaurant's ambiance more than on Carnival's steakhouses, that's where it ended. The steaks were poorly seasoned, and while my wife and I ordered the same exact filet, one arrived overcooked and the other one bloody raw :confused:. Also, the service was not as good. Our waiter, while friendly, was rushing between tables, something that you don't see at the Carnival's steakhouse, with multiple waiters per table standing by, and unhurried service.

 

You missed Giovanni's, which IMHO was the absolutely highlight of all pay venues. Absolutely wonderful! It just beat to a pulp the other restaurants on this ship!

 

Ok, keep going! :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[petesweet]

Very interesting and (apparently) fair comparison. I haven't been on the Dream, but your comments help me to decide in the future.

 

I cruise mostly for the ship, and I have to say the Oasis and Allure are magnificent experiences.

 

Happy sails.:)

 

Kathy

[MadManOfBethesda]

At the end, I’ll give an assessment over which I think is better between the two ships (I don’t want to compare Carnival and Royal as a whole because I’ve only been on one Royal ship and only 3 Carnival ships).

 

That alone makes you smarter than 97% of the people who comment here on that subject. I've been cruising on both lines (as well as others) for 30+ years and I still wouldn't say one line was definitely better than the other. (My first CCL cruise was on Mardi Gras in 1984 and my first RCL cruise was on Sovereign of the Seas in 1989 when she was the world's largest cruise ship. My last CCL cruise was one week ago on Conquest and my next RCL will be next month in Australia on Rhapsody.)

 

I haven't as yet sailed any of the mega-liners on either line so I am really enjoying your review and comparison so far.

[bucks724]

Enjoying your review! Just a few comments. I agree about Chop's. While I like the restaurant's ambiance more than on Carnival's steakhouses, that's where it ended. The steaks were poorly seasoned, and while my wife and I ordered the same exact filet, one arrived overcooked and the other one bloody raw :confused:. Also, the service was not as good. Our waiter, while friendly, was rushing between tables, something that you don't see at the Carnival's steakhouse, with multiple waiters per table standing by, and unhurried service.

 

You missed Giovanni's, which IMHO was the absolutely highlight of all pay venues. Absolutely wonderful! It just beat to a pulp the other restaurants on this ship!

 

Ok, keep going! :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

After looking at the Giovanni's menu, we figured the best time to go would be lunch - Darren and I are a little more "adventurous" about food than Chaya, who thinks Olive Garden is good Italian food. We just didn't want to spend the money on it since it was "fancier" - I hope that makes sense? Besides, I mentioned more than one trip to Sabor - I think we sat and ate 3 times and did take out a fourth. Some days we didn't even eat dinner because we got up late and had a late breakfast/lunch and weren't really hungry until late at night when all that was open was Promenade and Sorrento's.

 

Very interesting and (apparently) fair comparison. I haven't been on the Dream, but your comments help me to decide in the future.

 

I cruise mostly for the ship, and I have to say the Oasis and Allure are magnificent experiences.

 

Happy sails.:)

 

Kathy

 

Thanks! I would definitely love to sail Allure as well. It was certainly an experience!

[bucks724]

That alone makes you smarter than 97% of the people who comment here on that subject. I've been cruising on both lines (as well as others) for 30+ years and I still wouldn't say one line was definitely better than the other. (My first CCL cruise was on Mardi Gras in 1984 and my first RCL cruise was on Sovereign of the Seas in 1989 when she was the world's largest cruise ship. My last CCL cruise was one week ago on Conquest and my next RCL will be next month in Australia on Rhapsody.)

 

I haven't as yet sailed any of the mega-liners on either line so I am really enjoying your review and comparison so far.

 

Why thank you, kind sir! I was a late bloomer as far as cruising is concerned, but I am far from finished. I just find it difficult to do a blanket apples to apples comparison since they are so different. It's easier to compare "things" for me. I'll spoil it for you - I love them BOTH and will sail either one again in a second. Even the negatives on each won't keep me from rebooking! :)

[bucks724]

Ship Amenities:

 

Breeze is a beautiful ship, and like most others, has the obligatory casino, buffet, reading room, bars, promenade, atrium, etc.

 

Oasis is billed as having “seven distinct neighborhoods”. I didn’t really “get” what that meant when I first started looking into this ship. For anyone who doesn’t know, here’s the explanation:

 

1. Entertainment Place. This is where you will find Jazz on 4, the Comedy Club, ice skating rink, Blaze (teenager club), Opal Theatre, etc. I don’t really have interesting pictures of these places since I took pictures while they were closed, so all you can see are the doors!

 

 

 

 

Breeze definitely had cool areas like this – piano bar, comedy club, theatre, live entertainment along the promenade, etc. The thing that sold me about Entertainment Place was the ice rink alone. Something struck me as just cool about being in the middle of the Caribbean and going ice skating – on a ship. It’s obviously the little things for me!

[cruiser2053]

Thanks for taking the time to write this review I always love to read about other peoples cruise experience! I also appreciate the comparison and agree that all ships have their good and bad points. We are cruising on the Breeze in June doing a B2B and can't wait. Our last cruise was a 15 day on the Miracle so we are going from one extreme to the other (small ship vs large ship) but anytime I'm on a cruise all is great .

Thanks again for the review looking forward to the rest

Jeff

[bucks724]

Thanks for taking the time to write this review I always love to read about other peoples cruise experience! I also appreciate the comparison and agree that all ships have their good and bad points. We are cruising on the Breeze in June doing a B2B and can't wait. Our last cruise was a 15 day on the Miracle so we are going from one extreme to the other (small ship vs large ship) but anytime I'm on a cruise all is great .

Thanks again for the review looking forward to the rest

Jeff

 

Thanks, Jeff! Enjoy your B2B. That is certainly on our bucket list. And if we really get fancy, a B2B2B like Mike and Tracey did!

[bucks724]

2. Royal Promenade. There is SO much happening here. There is an irish pub called Globe & Atlas, the Champagne bar, Bolero’s, shopping (including Regalia, and the new Michael Kors and Kate Spade stores), the lower level of the Rising Tide Bar (with a fountain that is on when the bar is moving up), among other cool things.

 

 

Globe & Atlas:

 

Champagne bar:

 

My favorite “artwork” on the Promenade (Genesis was the unofficial name of Oasis before it was… Oasis):

 

 

Kate Spade store:

 

Since we usually sail this very week, I’ve never seen a decorated ship. I thought it was super cool that we would see some Christmas decorations on our cruise. We heard before leaving that decorations would start appearing on Black Friday, but they started appearing before then – a few snowflakes here and there, and then this:

 

The tree made for a beautiful backdrop for pictures (which were always being taken, but seemingly never clogged up the flow of traffic, with the exception of formal night, and even then, it was easily avoided).

 

The Promenade is also where they hold parades with the Dreamworks characters, which seems like a really fun time, especially for children (we didn’t attend).

 

I really enjoyed the setup of the Royal Promenade, and the big selling point for me – there is a Starbucks! I am a Starbucks-a-holic, but surprisingly only visited ONCE (I am still shocked by this!). It was comforting just knowing it was there!

[bucks724]

3. Boardwalk and Aqua Theatre. So cool. I love the beach, I love a good boardwalk. The liveliness, the activity, the people. It’s just a cool atmosphere. I think it was a GENIUS move to incorporate this into a neighborhood on a ship. The boardwalk isn’t huge, but it’s not crowded.

 

When you go through the doors from the inside of the ship, you are greeted with stages of a hand-carved carousel horse being made. This leads you to a carousel with hand-carved horses. Rides are free and the carousel runs pretty much all day.

 

What is a boardwalk without a hot dog stand? It is a new, but great addition. It gives a little “authenticity” to the boardwalk atmosphere. The worker there was super adorable and very friendly. He looked like a doppelganger for Bruno Mars, so we lovingly called him Bruno all week.

 

On the other side, you’ll see Cups & Scoops. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and cupcakes. I’ve heard some say the cupcakes aren’t good and that the cupcake shop was removed because it wasn’t popular, etc. Well, this week in particular, the place was hoppin’. We asked for a few cupcakes that were sold out, and they weren’t half bad. They weren’t gourmet, but they weren’t grocery store quality either (take that with a grain of salt – this is coming from the person who took 2 bites of a Sprinkles cupcake and threw it out – and I love cupcakes!).

 

There is a candy shop, Pinwheels, an arcade, the Britto shop, and then Johnny Rockets and Sabor on the sides. In the center, there is the Sabor bar (where you can get any tequila drink you want, including one of the $12 (!!!) margaritas from Sabor!

 

Then you finally arrive at the Aqua Theatre.

 

 

 

The Boardwalk area was always live with activity. Johnny Rocket’s was always busy, the Boardwalk Dog House was as well (two that I didn’t mention before, but both are excellent!).

 

 

 

I found the Boardwalk so cool because you’re in the middle of a ship, but you can feel rain and wind, and see the sunshine and the ocean. We spent a lot of time just hanging out on the Boardwalk and watching things on the big screens in the Aqua Theatre.

[kabux]

Loving this review - we are on the Breeze next month and then the Oasis Feb 2016!! Getting me excited for both!!

[bucks724]

4. Vitality Spa and Fitness Center

 

Breeze and Oasis (and just about every other ship known to man) have a spa and a fitness center. I can’t speak to how nice they are, as I never used either.

 

On Breeze, the Spa Deck is an area all its own. Deck 11 (I believe), with Spa cabins that give you exclusive amenities.

 

On Oasis, I found it difficult to find Vitality. It could be because I have a bad sense of direction (no, really, that’s it), but it is a very nice and well-equipped area:

 

 

 

When we walked through, there were people using the machines, listening to fitness presentations, and doing yoga on their own. The walking/jogging/running track is also accessed through Vitality (there are other entrances, but there was one here as well). Had it not been so late in the week when we finally made it down, we may have even used it!

[MadManOfBethesda]

Since we usually sail this very week, I’ve never seen a decorated ship. I thought it was super cool that we would see some Christmas decorations on our cruise. We heard before leaving that decorations would start appearing on Black Friday, but they started appearing before then – a few snowflakes here and there, and then this:

 

The tree made for a beautiful backdrop for pictures (which were always being taken, but seemingly never clogged up the flow of traffic, with the exception of formal night, and even then, it was easily avoided).

 

I really love that tree! We were on Conquest during Christmas and it was our first Christmas Week cruise so I wasn't sure what to expect. Be that as it may, my wife and I were both disappointed in the minimal decorations and the relatively tiny Christmas tree in the atrium lobby and other areas. The tree in your picture is sort of what we were expecting or at least hoping for. I guess I know where we'll be next time we decide to take a Christmas cruise!

[bucks724]

5. Central Park. If you were to ask me my favorite neighborhood on Oasis, I would have a hard time choosing between the Boardwalk and Central Park. I mean, take an already impressive ship, add in the sun shining down on your head on the EIGHTH deck (okay, a ship that has more than 8 decks) with a real, live park – with winding paths with bridges, birds chirping (fake, but still!), and all that gorgeous greenery! I have been on a ship and not felt like I was on a ship before, but this REALLY transports you to another place all together!

 

My favorite part about Central Park is the living wall. But who doesn’t love a good gnome or two?

 

Central Park definitely had a WOW factor for me too. It’s one of those things you can read about and see pictures of, but until you’ve actually walked through it, you don’t really know just how cool it is. It’s even cooler at night!

 

Central Park is where Chops Grille and Giovanni’s Table are located, but you will also find the Park Café, Trellis Bar, the Coach store and a photography studio here. It is also a really nice place to have family pictures taken, and there are photographers waiting to do this for you!

[bucks724]

6. Youth Zone.

 

As I mentioned before, we usually travel with a large group of family and friends (think – t-shirts, big group picture, etc.). Traveling like that (especially when you don’t live near them anymore) means you have plenty of “friends” to hang out with. Chaya’s “friend-cousin Sean” (that’s how she referred to him when they were about 4) is 6 months younger than her, in the same grade, and usually on all family vacations with us, so she has never had to think about kid’s clubs or meeting anyone new.

 

This time was very different. Darren and I told her before leaving that she HAD to go to the teen club and meet some friends because we didn’t want her regretting hanging out with our old hineys all week. I mean, I am an awesomely fun mom, but Darren can be quiet, introverted and boring. But at the same time, two’s company, three’s a crowd. Especially where there are casinos involved.

 

Before we went to muster, I told her she needed to find the teen club and see when the meet & greet was taking place. As with most teen clubs on ships, the meet & greet is where you meet your life(week)long friends. So it wasn’t an option for her to skip this time – Sean was back home in DC!

 

I don’t have any pictures of the club and you’ll soon know why. All I can say is that I wasn’t quite used to the way the doors opened and closed, and as we were exiting the one door to enter into another room in the Youth Zone, I walked SQUARE into a glass door.

 

Go ahead and laugh, it’s okay. It’s also my first reaction when I do something stupid. And it wasn’t the last time laughed on this cruise. I hit the glass door so hard that it knocked my soda mug right out of my hand! I also had quite the conversation piece to remember this venture by – a big old know on my noggin!

Edited January 5, 2015 by bucks724

[pbxtech]

Great Review and Go Buckeyes!

[bucks724]

7. Pool & Sports Zone. Carnival has Lido on Deck 10 with a couple of pools and hot tubs, the SportsSquare and WaterWorks on Deck 12 and the adults-only Serenity area on Deck 15.

 

On Oasis, there are regular pools

 

 

A kiddie area

 

 

Mini golf

 

 

The Breeze has a huge water slide and a really cool ropes course.

 

BUT Oasis has this:

 

 

And this

 

[bucks724]

I feel that both ships do a great job of putting some adventurous things onboard that kids of all ages can enjoy. You can find endless fun just walking around each ship. And for people who don’t want to be around children, both ships offer a getaway – Solarium on Oasis, and Serenity on Breeze.

 

One thing I loved about the Solarium, though, is the fact that it never seemed full. I’ve heard lots of complaints about not getting a seat on the Serenity deck, but every time we walked through the Solarium (which feels like a nice little greenhouse with a GORGEOUS forward view), it seemed like we were the only ones around. The Solarium also has cantilevered hot tubs and regular hot tubs, and even its own bistro!

 

A few pictures of the Solarium:

 

 

 

 

 

[bucks724]

Destinations/Ports:

 

Our Breeze trip had an AWESOME itinerary. We went to Grand Turk, La Romana (DR), Curacao, and Aruba. GREAT stops on an 8 day southern route. When the family club (don’t ask) plans cruises, they choose the cruise based on the itinerary. When Carnival started sailing to Aruba again, this route was in their sights!

 

As I mentioned before, I knew I would be booking this trip for the ship itself, not the ports. Oasis and Allure go every other week on the same itineraries (at least they did on the cruises we looked at). They also depart on different days. Because I prefer to sail out on Saturdays, and the Western route had ports 2 ports we had never visited, we chose this cruise. Our stops were Labadee (Haiti), Falmouth (Jamaica), and Cozumel.

 

For this trip, we decided that Labadee would be a beach day – pretty much by default, since there aren’t many excursions available anyway. Our MDR server told us to get off the ship and follow the path to the right until we got to Columbus Cove. We followed his instructions and ended up with front row seats near the water.

 

 

After swimming and drying off a couple of times, Chaya and I decided to head to the artisan market. We walked around for a bit but the heckling got to be too much. I wanted two things – a wooden bowl and a turtle figurine. We ended up finding the most AMAZING papier mache bowls made by some school kids in the indoor market area, and a nice (not handmade) wooden bowl, and our turtle. Then we grabbed lunch and headed back to Columbus Cove.

 

We called it a day after a few hours and headed to Adrenaline Beach to watch the zip liners come down a few times, then headed back to the ship.

 

Just because I love it so much, here is my favorite “beach day” picture from our Breeze trip (taken in the Dominican Republic):

 

[bucks724]

Our second stop was the next day, in Falmouth. Up until Monday night, we had no plans to do anything in Jamaica, except walk in the port area for a bit and get some Blue Mountain coffee. Chaya is a complete daredevil and thought it would be fun to climb Dunn’s River Falls. I said no up until about 5 pm on Monday, then I broke down and headed to Guest Services and booked the excursion. I don’t have pictures from the day, but it was AWESOME. We did Dunn’s River Falls Express – which was simply a bus trip to the falls, the walk up, and a bus trip back with a quick stop at a “park” (aka bar and jerk chicken stand) for lunch and back to the ship. We had a BLAST. My sister said the falls are difficult, but I’m not in shape at all and found them to be fairly easy – you just have to watch your step and TEST your step before putting your weight down!

 

Next we had a sea day, which I decided was going to be a lazy day. We slept in, watched some TV (by this time, they were rioting in Ferguson, MO and we watched a little coverage on that), then we headed out for some entertainment. I decided to take some shots around the ship. These are in no certain order, but some shots I found interesting:

 

American Icon entrance:

 

 

Carousel Horse:

 

 

Cantilevered Hot Tubs:

 

 

Rising Tide Bar (going up):

 

 

Christmas on the Promenade:

 

[bucks724]

Our final stop was on Thanksgiving day in Cozumel. We decided as a group before the cruise that we would do the “Jungle” ATV excursion. We had never been on ATVs before, and Chaya was just recovering from a concussion (which is why I was leery about the falls), but we signed up for this excursion.

 

The bus picked us up at the pier and took us to a strip mall area, where we also picked up some Princess passengers. We headed off (wobbily down the road) to the ATV “jungle” area, where we were given a safety presentation, bandana, helmet and some basic operating instructions.

 

Next we separated into groups and started riding. Let me say this – it is fun, but you can’t expect to go fast or do crazy things. There is a guide in the front, and you can only go as fast as he does.

 

Halfway through the excursion, you stop for a bit of Mayan history, a little snack of “authentic” Mayan salsa (made with pumpkin seeds instead of tomatoes) and chips, and bottled water. Then you finish your ride.

 

Finally, you have a “beach stop” at a beach club. This club is not very fancy. It is a bar area with some chairs out on the sand, a dirty little bathroom with a man expecting tips for you to use it, and a bunch of vendors who interrupt you the whole time you’re eating or drinking.

 

 

Talk about sitting back and just being thankful!

 

Prices were reasonable(ish), but the food wasn’t very good. We had chips and salsa – something you think will be great in Mexico, but it was basically diced tomatoes and stale chips. We asked for jalapenos to spice it up even the jalapenos had no flavor!

 

Our wobbly bus finally came back to get us and took us back to the pier where we did a little shopping – mainly for vanilla and a magnet – and got back on the ship.