acpalmer

On 2/10/2024 at 4:22 PM, cruisinlawn said:

bumping up??

On 2/2/2024 at 12:06 AM, cruisinlawn said:

Which area would one recommend for a quieter, relaxed beach day?

I think South Beach if you are looking for one of the free areas. Beach Club if you are willing to pay, but it can be very pricy. If it’s your first time, use the free (included) beaches and pool. Really no need to spend any money there. 

I’ve been able to do it on the app every time. The key is that you have to be on ship WiFi, though, not your phone data plan. But yes, you can do it on the app. 
 

The first couple of times I got in line at one of the restaurants in case, but finished on the app while still waiting, so was able to ditch the line. The second time I showed others in line around me how to do it. That cut the length of the line down quite a bit once we all finished and left. 😊

19 hours ago, njsmom said:

I'm not rich but obviously comfortable by any definition and we definitely give to a range of charities every month.

If your household is at $400,000 a year, which is what you said, you are in the top 1.8% of households in America per IRS statistics.  You are rich.  You are wealthier than 98.2% of folks in the US--there is no way you can tell us you aren't rich with that income.

We have had cabins on both Oasis and Allure on Deck 3 midship.  I choose those on purpose because I get motion sickness and I do better if I can be lower and midship.  That said, I didn't feel much motion on either Oasis class ship in the Caribbean, so very well may have been fine anywhere on the ship.  On our Navigator cruise last Thanksgiving out of LA, the seas were rougher (always true of the Mexican Riviera, I think) and I was feeling sick on the upper decks regardless of the meds I took (which do work for me if I start them a couple days before sailing and take one every morning and one every night).  Izumi way up high was the worst on the Navigator.

Anyway, I love Deck 3 midship on the Oasis class--it's great for those who are sensitive to motion.  And we never heard any noise from either the casino or Studio B above us.

You can also make your reservations on the app.  It will tell you that you will be charged, but you won't because the restaurant will see that you have Specialty Dining.  I found it much more pleasant to make the reservations on the app while I was sitting with a drink and eating lunch at Playmakers than standing waiting in line.

1 hour ago, Joseph2017China said:

So, I'm thinking that this might be in Miami, a strong spanish workforce, and that that it is mistaken for India.....

 

No, that isn't it at all.  The proctors tell you their names, so it is pretty apparent that they are folks in India.  Plus, the accents of the two different groups are completely different.

1 hour ago, 14Terry said:

I booked this today. I hope to return here and post how it went. 

Please do--we are looking at this excursion, as well.  When do you go?

We did a tour through Captain Marvin's when we were in Grand Cayman a few years ago.  Based on their website and recent TripAdvisor reviews, they are still open and running.  They do private tours, although I don't know the cost--we went on one of the group ones.  Our experience with them was just amazing--I would highly recommend them.  I had injured my knee the day before (I was struggling to walk, do stairs, etc.--it felt so much better every time I was in the salt water, though) and they were great to help me out so my kids could still do everything.  Their website:  https://captainmarvins.com/

You would actually book dining, drink packages, excursions, etc. through the cruise planner on the website, not the app.  You'll have full access to both, though, even when using a travel agent.

10 minutes ago, momneedsvacation said:

How did they make this?  I had 2 bartenders on Symphony last week said they couldn't make it since it would only be milk

I don't know how they make it, but my two teens got a whole lot of them with the Refreshment package on the Oasis in December.  They could only get them at the pool bar, though, since that was the only bar that had the ice cream mix.  Maybe that was what they meant when they told you it would only be milk--that they didn't have the ice cream mix to put in it?

3 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

 

So we don't know?

 

And, if the decision on whether "ship time" changes as time zones are crossed is up to the captain(?), how can they publish the time so far in advance? 

And consider that none of what we've talked about so far figures in DST, which some countries don't observe.  And not all countries make the Standard/Daylight switch at the same time, so there are sometimes a few weeks in there that are different.  It's a PIA to figure all of it out sometimes.  If you go to the port schedule for the port you are going to, published by those local port authorities, it will tell you in their local time when they anticipate your ship arriving and departing--that can help.

26 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

Makes sense.  But still doesn't answer my question.  The itinerary (published on RCI's website) says you dock at 8:30.  Is that 8:30 local time? Departure Port time?  Miami time?  

That's ship time.  Which may or may not be local time.

31 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Same price for the May 23rd sailing...we booked it at $72.99 a couple of weeks ago..it's a 5 night cruise..so I suppose cancelling and rebooking would/will save us $40 bucks.  Big money. 

$40 in base price plus the 18% gratuity on that $40, so more like $47.  Not the price of a cruise or anything, but I'm not one to turn down that money for the two minutes it would take me to cancel and rebook.  It's a pretty good return on your time.

I can't compare the two, but we went cave tubing and zip lining with .bz a few years ago and they were great.  That lunch was really, really good.  We did the zip lining first and then went tubing.  I don't know how long a typical tubing trip would be, but we had a long time in the water and didn't feel shorted at all.  My teen boys loved both parts of the excursion (my super picky eater struggled with the lunch, but he survived--he ate once we got back on the ship).  My husband, the other teen, and I LOVED the lunch.

You can also look at Galveston Express.  We plan to use them from Hobby, but they also operate out of IAH.  You can just take your hotel shuttle back to the airport and pick up Galveston Express from there.

It's clearly ship dependent because I just got a 3 night package for our Liberty cruise for $76 a person.  So for me, $89 would be a no go.  But it all depends on which ship you are on and what that ship typically charges.

2 hours ago, HBE4 said:

Wipeout Cafe was great to grab something hot, really quick. Never a line and you could be in and out in a few minutes. Granted, the selection was very limited, definitely geared towards kids and teens but sometime you just want a little something to tide you over & don't feel like trudging off to WJ or Cafe Promenade. 

 

It does seem that the Wipeout Cafe is being phased out with each ship remodel. Too bad, one less free food option. Even though Liberty hasn't been  Amp'ed yet, it lost its Wipeout Cafe when they added the trio of water slides back in 2015/2016.  I guess Allure is the last hold out, thanks to the pandemic.

 

I think a few Oasis-class ships still have The Wipeout Bar but that's drinks only.

On Oasis, Wipeout Cafe was replaced with El Loco Fresh, so it's the same amount of included food options--just a different type of food.  We really enjoyed El Loco Fresh and found it to be very fast.

On 1/16/2022 at 6:13 PM, c-leg5 said:

OK, you need to walk the length of the pier and through the port to the exit.
 

Taxi dispatch used to be outside the port gates and drop off inside but recent reports have been that you can pick  up a taxi just before the port exit gates.  Should be $8 for a taxi for up to 4 people,  about  5 - 10 minute ride.

 

when you get out of taxi walk towards the ocean and be sure you end up where you want to be, Costa Maya is renowned for hawkers trying to take you to “their” location.

All recent reports, and our experience on December 31st, is that taxi rates are $4 per person each way.  So it would be $16 for a group of four.  Every driver was quoting the same and when I saw someone try to negotiate it was a firm $4 per person.  

We were there on December 31st and paid the same--$4 per person each way.  We were in a taxi van, so with some other parties and one guy tried to talk them down to $3 per person and the driver was having none of it.  No negotiating.  I think that's just the rate now.

4 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

Yes there is a pool.  It's on top of the building/hotel.   Small. No one was there  when I went up but fantastic views.

Interesting.  I've never seen a pool mentioned in any reviews and it wasn't mentioned to us at all that day.  No problem, we were happy on the beach (I can go to pools at home), I've just never seen this talked about.

On 1/10/2022 at 10:39 AM, Jeni99 said:

Is that menu posted all included in the all inclusive or is it just certain drinks and food included? Anyone have pictures of the pool?

There is no pool at Jaime's; just the beach.

1 hour ago, smplybcause said:

... Saw enough of the frigging commercials for it while watching all the other bowl games. 

OMG--Right?!?! We were on the Oasis last week and watching the same 5-6 commercials rotate through every single commercial break.  We could recite them all by the end of the week.

You are much less likely to show still positive on a rapid test than on a PCR.  If you had Covid in November, you don't need to stress about a rapid test now, I don't think.  I agree with a previous poster--take a rapid at home before you leave and you'll have a better idea of whether you should make the trip to TX.  Your stops are mainly Mexico and they haven't turned any ships away.  As far as onboard activities--we had a great time on our Oasis December 26th cruise, even though a few things were cancelled.  The cruise director substituted and put in other things as much as he could.  Be willing to be flexible and you'll be fine.

Cancelling is a personal decision, of course, but I think you are overthinking and over-worrying on some things.

19 hours ago, Painter4me said:

Ar people actually bringing infants, that don’t have much of n immune system, on. Ship right now? 

Yes.  We saw several on our December 26th Oasis sailing.  I wouldn't have felt comfortable bringing an infant, but each parent makes their own parenting decisions.

On 12/31/2021 at 4:03 PM, april_4_us said:

Since all the beds are sold out for our cruise, is there just chairs we can get and lay out?

april

Yes, tons of them.  We found four chairs together for our group with no problem.  Sun or shade--whichever you prefer!