CJDepew

Looking forward to the remainder of your report, if you are able. We are on the same itinerary next March. None of the ports are new to us, but the ship is. Our group is in club balcony suites, so the Haven info doesn't apply, but I loved the go-kart photo.

Was on the 2/24 sailing of the Adventure of the Seas. Previous cruise was same ship, 2/23/2020. The difference in food quality was obvious and the crowd control for the Windjammer was an issue on the cruise last month, although I will say that breakfast each day was very good and there were plenty of options.

I'm not a buffet snob. I can be quite happy at Golden Corral, if that gives you any idea of my highly developed culinary tastes. The lunch and dinner selections were pleasing to the eye but seemed to have little taste. I was really excited to dig into my chicken fajitas on Mexican night, but there was as much gristle as there was chicken. Most of my meals ended up with a few chicken tenders, which were very good, and a loaded baked potato. I will give props to the S'mores cookies and brownies on the last night of our cruise. They were delicious.

Lines were insane to get into the Windjammer each night for at least the first half hour, but not all sides of the buffet were open. I suspect it's a matter of staffing, and those who were there were always friendly and helpful, so I feel badly for them.

We ate in the MDR two nights. First time, our apps came quickly but it was a 50-minute wait for our meals. At that point the six of us were ready to just walk out. When the food came, it was tasty, I will admit. Meal delivery was much quicker the second time, but either I wasn't that hungry, or the lasagna was just meh.

No matter what, I'm not going to let dining ruin my cruise. Looking on the bright side, I only had a couple of extra pounds to lose when I came home.

Did a search but could not find anything. We've already booked the Joy for a March, 2025 cruise. I did not realize until after booking that they offer a military discount, which is my bad. Does anyone know if it can be applied once booked, or if it's necessary to call and rebook? Cruising with multiple friends who have rooms in the same area, so keeping our current stateroom is important.

Thanks!

15 hours ago, brillohead said:

Lime and Coconut is the "signature drink" on Oasis, but you can ask for it on other ships, too.  (You just might have to tell them how to make it.)

What is the Lime and Coconut? My favorite drink at home is Simply Limeade with a generous pour of coconut rum. Wondering if it's basically the same thing.

Not sure if 1624 is close enough to answer your question, but we had that cabin in Feb. 2020 and have it booked it again for Feb. 2024. Loved the location and experienced no noise issues at all.

We were there on February 26 and experienced no issues. Took a taxi to Almaplena.

27 minutes ago, Russ Lomas said:

You are aware of the fact that if an airline changes your departure or arrival time by more than 60 minutes, you are entitled to switch to any other flight they have departing on the same day using the same departure and arrival airports you originally booked right?  I would have been calling them to get that 8:25 flight moved later.  I have done this several times in the past when flight times changed by just more than an hour or they made our layover between flights too risky.  They usually are happy to accommodate you (they have to as well due to their rules)

 

No, I wasn't aware of that. My flying experience has been limited and this was the first time I've ever had a flight changed. Thank you for this information.

Sargassum conditions as of last week were good, at least at Almaplena. It's several miles south of Maya Chan. The beach there seems to be more wide open than at Maya Chan. Not sure if/how geography might affect water color as well.

11 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Amazing how many pictures of the food you got  in Windjammer and the displays hadn't even been picked through yet............You must have been there as soon as the doors opened or you were working on the ship setting up the displays ?........Desserts were impressive!

 

We will be onboard in September New England/ Canada, our first for us on that itinerary.

I got lucky on dessert day. Was just walking through as they'd finished putting things out. When I was finished eating and walked by again, it was still very neat, because passengers were served, rather than just going at it like marauding sugar fiends, but it was obvious that people were hungry.

In general, the buffets were very well kept. Containers were swapped out before being two thirds empty, and things were wiped down constantly. 

Enjoy your cruise. Both the ship and her crew were great.

3 hours ago, mook1525 said:

How was Almaplena? Do you have more pics? how long was the ride to get there?

 

Would kids enjoy Almaplena too?

Loved Almaplena. There were a handful of kids there who appeared to be somewhere between 8-12 years old. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. It is quiet, but the water is great and there's plenty of sand to dig in.

If you'd like more than what I've posted below I can see what I can dig up. Just let me know.

Here's a review I did on the Costa Maya port page.  

1 hour ago, Julieb5 said:

We set sail this Sunday March 8th.  Thank you so much for your trip report.  This got me so excited for our week on AOS 🙂

Enjoy!

51 minutes ago, Luke gs Daddy said:

How was disembarking?

We sail April 5th

 

 

Thanks.

Sadly, it was almost a giant disaster. We always self disembark. That morning I found out our flight had been bumped up from 10:10am to 8:25am. We were in line by 6:20. The Compass stated self-debarkation started at 6:30. We were held until 7:40. I suspect it was Customs, taking their time getting in place, because the ship's staff was lined up and waiting with the passengers from foreign ports and those needing physical assistance. 

I can tell you that the airport is only 2.2 miles away and if you have a cab driver who is aware of your flight plight, he'll do his best to get you there. Ours did and we ran through the airport like a couple of wheezing geezers and did make our flight.

Going to wind things up with a few shots from the Windjammer. Food is a very subjective subject. Loved breakfasts and lunch there, but have to say that I found the dinners to be very bland, even though there was a great variety.

Our day at Cozumel wasn't quite what we had hoped for. The weather was overcast, cool and winds were up to 25 mph. They even had the giant inflatables lashed down to keep them from blowing away. Didn't keep us from enjoying Mr. Sancho's, but it wasn't a typical visit. This was our third visit there and we'll continue to go each time we're in Cozumel.

Some random shots around the port area. It's very clean, but the vendors get a bit aggressive. A polite "no thanks" generally takes care of it.

Wednesday's port was Costa Maya. We'd hoped to book at Maya Chan, but I was told ten months ago that the entire place was already reserved by a group. Found a hidden gem in Almaplena. It's further than MC, and the bar service isn't quite at the same level, but the atmosphere more than makes up for it. I'd highly recommend spending a day there.

The first two shots were taken walking the pier, the remainder at Almaplena.

57 minutes ago, mitsugirly said:

 

 

I one of the many few on these boards that agree with the water at Maya Chan and that was always a put off for me. When I go to the Caribbean, I want beautiful crystal clear blue water, not the dark brownish water. The service, food and people at Maya Chan is terrific, but that doesn't change the fact that I go to places to swim and see the beauty of the ocean. 

 

As far as the ship crowds finding the quiet wonderful beaches (which is true), Almaplena will not be one of them for the fact that they limit their cruise guests there (same as Maya Chan) but it was something very very small like 10 people or something (which could have increased since I was there). 

My guess is that there were twenty five people there. Still plenty of room for everyone to spread out.

3 hours ago, twtudor said:

Are the little palapa all the shade there is? No umbrellas or covers?

There are beds with cover and palapas over chairs. Add in the palm trees and it's plenty shady. You have to move forward and get on the beach to get sun.  I've had melanoma in the past and shade is always a big concern for me. I had no worries there whatsoever.

28 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Almaplena has been there many years. Distance from the port puts many cruisers off.I dont know uf they still do but they used to take a different route than the one to Maya Chan.

 The driver did take a different route, but the road was actually much better. It was no more than twenty minutes. 

Maya Chan's service is fantastic for sure, but that water reminded me of the Monongahela River (Pittsburgh native here). Yuck!

Thank you! That's our ship/itinerary for March, 2021.

13 hours ago, suesnake2002 said:

Awsome pics. Was excited to see my room for my april b2b. Unless of course my very min bid on an owners suite is accepted. Lol

This was our favorite stateroom by far. Plenty of space, great location. Not sure if you'll still have Sheree for a room attendant but she was fantastic. Enjoy your b2b!

Our Adventure cruise wasn't quite booked to capacity last week, but there were sure plenty of people on the ship. The hand-washing and sanitizing before entering the Windjammer appeared to be total cooperation, from what I could see.

That photo was taken from the deck, when we were waiting for our ride. I should have specified in my first post about the pool, it's on the right side of the deck, if your back is to the ocean. It sure does appear that seven years makes a huge difference. 

It may be a few years, since we have 2021 booked already and only do one cruise per year, but I can't wait to return there.

We did the tour via Viatour in 2016 and it was great. Looks like they still offer it.

https://www.viator.com/tours/Cayman-Islands/Cayman-Islands-Rum-Distillery-and-Brewery-Tour-plus-Seven-Mile-Beach/d31-8717P10

Love the statues outside of the Tortuga Rum stores. This was the one at the port.