HangryGrl

We did the full 27 waterfalls excursion in January through Iguana Mama and I can easily say it was one of the top 3 excursions we have done period!  I am not afraid of water but I am pretty afraid of heights and I didn't skip any of the waterfalls including the highest jump (though I was next to last to jump and my heart was pounding!!).  Iguana Mama offers options for the full 27 or just 12.  The hike was pretty good for the 27 but was definitely worth it if everyone is in relatively good shape.  You do wear life jackets and our specific excursion had 3 guides (1 from Iguana Mama and 2 from the park itself).  All of the guides were amazing at making sure everyone was safe and helping out wherever needed.  If you decide to do this make sure you take either old tennis shoes you don't mind getting wet or sturdy water shoes/sandals (like Tevas or Keens) as the hike up and some of the hiking between falls is really rocky.  There are lots of videos on YouTube that might give the timid person a better idea of what goes on.

We took a cab to Sapphire Beach this past January.  The beach was not very crowded at all and the snorkeling was great once you got a bit out from the beach.  My husband saw 2 octopus and a sting ray!  🐙 We just plunked our towels down a little way down the beach but there were chairs and umbrellas for rent up closer to the bar area.  I had a rum punch from the bar which was good/standard.  We didn't try any of the food but it looked like they had a variety of options.  I can't remember how much the cab ride was but it was a van so you all might fit in one ride.  I will say that the roads and driving were pretty terrifying!  😮

3 hours ago, vacationlover_mn said:

Thanks for the review!  DH loves shade, I love sun... think the attendant would bring over a lounger for me that I could put in the sun?

The bed actually comes with 2 loungers set up at the end of the bed in the sand. 😊

We used them for our December 2018 cruise and had a really good experience with them.  Some answers below but feel free to ask if you have other questions.

How are they at picking you up at the airport to take you to a hotel?  They do not pick you up at the hotel.  You will use the hotel's shuttle service for this.

What time do they pick up from the hotel to bring to the port?  Our pick up time was 9:30am but it might vary depending on what hotel you stay at and how many people they have to transport overall.  They use a "tour" type bus which was a nice change as the previousl shuttle servcies we have used have used large vans. 

Any recommendations for hotels included in the package close to the port?  We stayed at the Hampton Inn Gateway Village.  The hotel was standard and clean.  Breakfast was a decent variety and well replenished.  What we liked most was the close proximity of several restaurants.  Also the hotel shuttle service/driver was great.  They will take you anywhere in a 2 mile radius of the hotel which includes a liquor store and a Publix.  He also recommended several restaurants to us on the way back that they take people to frequently.

We saw them located by Guest Services and in the "patio" of the Red Frog Pub on Breeze in December.

On the Breeze in December it was the first day at sea and the evening we left San Juan.

brmaitred@Carnival.com

I emailed them a few weeks prior to our 12/8/18 Breeze cruise to request a table for 2.  They never responded but when we went to the dining room the first night we did indeed have a table for 2 and right next to the railing of the upper dining room.  🙂  So don't stress necessarily if they don't respond.

We just used Go Port Canaveral "Snooze and Cruise" in December and it was great.  The package includes hotel (your choice of a few different ones) and transportation both to the port for embarkation and transportation either back to the hotel or to the airport when you return.  We stayed at the Hampton Inn Gateway Village which was nice and near several restaurants.  They have a shuttle that will pick you up from the airport but they will also take you anywhere in a 2 mile radius of the hotel.  The shuttle to and from the port was one of the best we have had.  They use "tour" type buses so it wasn't as crowded as van tranfers and they were super easy to find and quick to leave once we were off the ship.  The cost was only $5 more total for the whole package than just the hotel would have been so it was a no brainer.  Would highly recommend!

https://www.goportcanaveral.com/fly-snooze-cruise/orlando-airport

10 hours ago, coolcruiser1999 said:

It appears Tandoor is no more on Breeze? One of the reasons we booked last year (when they said tandoor was available) to cruise in feb 2019 is tandoor...very disappointed....
 

Correct.  On our 12/8/18 sailing on the Breeze Tandoor had been replaced by Seafood Shack.  😞

Yes, it is Seafood Shack and it was a pay option.  

We didn't really see anything on the buffet either unfortunately.  We weren't there for every meal so they may have snuck some in but we hit most lunches and dinners on the formal nights.  They did have a vegetarian indian option in the dining room every evening I believe.

Yes they did.  We were very disappointed to find it gone on our 12/8/18 Breeze cruise.  😞  Replaced with a fish place.

I don't think they would put it back in the oven for you after you add the cheese but you could ask. The pizza was pretty hot so it might melt on its own. 

We didn't do Guys at all this time, the line was always really long and they were only open for lunch or early dinner so the timing didn't work out. I did do one last time we were on carnival about 2 years ago and I think it was ok if I remember correctly. You have to ask them not to "float" your bun though also to make it vegan. 

From what I have been told both the rice and beans at Blue Iguana are fine. There is also an option at the pasta bar, Cucina Del Capitano, which is free during lunch. I'm sure you could probably take vegan cheese with you as long as it lasts out of the fridge until you get to your room. We personally don't like any of the vegan cheeses very much so we just did the pizza without any cheese. We did take a bottle of vegan ranch dressing with us which ended up being great for pizza, salads and potatoes. The buffet was somewhat difficult. Mostly salad offerings with maybe one random other option each day. I will say that Royal Caribbean was much better as far as buffet options overall. 

We are vegans just off the Breeze a few weeks ago. Having done a few cruises now as vegans we have found that doing a set dining time vs anytime dining worked out better for us as we had the same waitstaff every night (avoids confusion and having to explain things each night) . You could also probably do anytime, go at a set time each night and request the same waitstaff for the whole trip. On previous cruises we have picked our meals for the next night before leaving the dining room each night. The maitre'd would go through the regular menu and tell us what could be adjusted to meet our needs. This past cruise however they just told us our dinner (appetizer, entree and dessert) would be a surprise each night.  The food was good for the most part but we probably preferred choosing more. I also am not really a dessert person but I felt bad not eating at least a little each night. Our waitstaff was great though, the best we have had yet. Let me know if you have other questions. 😊

We are just off the Breeze last week and when we asked about single day passes (on the first sea day) none of the staff seemed to think that was an option. They told us we could buy passes for the full cruise at a discounted rate ($219 for a couple if I remember correctly).   We decided against it since we had 4 port days and had plans for all of them.  We did go back on our third to last day in the afternoon as we were tired and considering not going ashore in Grand Turk.  They told us for the rest of the cruise (2.5 days) it would be $99 per person.  😞 We should have just picked them up the first day, lesson learned. 

2 hours ago, serene56 said:

what is a price for a cab to Coki beach?

Might depend on which dock you are at?  We were just went to Sapphire Beach last week from Havensight and it was $10 per person, per way.  I don't think Coki is too much further.

It was first come, first serve but there were plenty of open beds when we arrived.  Only 3 or 4 of the roughly 16 beds were in use that day.

They may have signed you up for Any Time due to both early and late seatings being fully booked.  Call your TA and ask them to change it if possible or put you on the wait list for early.  If the TA cannot put you on the wait list you can go to the dining room on the day you board during the Maitre'd hours (generally early afternoon) and ask to be switched to the early seating.  They will most likely place you on a wait list and let you know the next day if you can move.  We have had good experience being able to switch but the first night you will most likely have to do Any Time.

9 hours ago, Jennlo13 said:

Can people without wristbands be there on the beach where the beds are. The reason I am asking is because there is a we have a group of 8 people (one 4 year old and one 8 year old). Three of them will be gone most of the time to do excursions and such. But from time to time they will come back to join us for a bit. Don't want to get another bed if it's not going to be used most of the time. I wanted a bungalow but it looks like there's none available when I try to book it.

Yes people can be on the beach in front of the beach beds but there weren't any chairs there that I remember.  I am guessing that they probably wouldn't hassle you about the kids being on and off the beach bed but if you have 6 adults they might?  You will only get wristbands for 4 people so the 2 adults without bands may be asked not to use the bed.  It could also depend on the attendants that day.  I did see them kick one woman out who just came over and made herself comfortable on one of the empty beds.  How far out is your cruise?  The bungalows may open up closer to sailing?

There was this one in Roatan also.  Sorry the pic isn't great, we were driving by in a bus.  😉

I was wondering if anyone knew if this was an excursion that could be booked at the port through one of the independent guides (like Mama Iguana) or if it has to be booked in advance?  It is our first port stop and we aren't sure if we want to do something this active right off the bat.  :)  I know some ports have the ability to book some excursions right near where the ship is docked but hadn't seen anyone mention anything about Amber Cove.  TIA!

How is the water here?

I suppose it depends on what you are looking for? We were there in January and while it was warm/hot on the beach the water was too cold for me but my husband snorkeled for a bit. Kind of a reversal for us since I am usually braver with cold water being a swimmer. This was our second time in Labadee, we were at Adrenaline Beach this time and Columbus Cove the time before. Both places the water was cloudy due to the sand being churned up by people so snorkeling was not great. There were some fish at both locations and jelly fish at Columbus Cove. Let me know if you are looking for something more specific?

Another vote for Sushi Go and Phase 10! We also love Farkle and the travel size fits in a pocket so super easy to pack!

Did your TA contact you or Carnival directly?

 

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Our TA contacted us directly.