scott2165

We used the ferry last summer. We stayed at an all inclusive for a week in Cozumel but had to fly home out of Cancun. The ferry was on time, clean, and fast. 
 

Upon arrival in Playa there are ample taxis. It’s chaos actually but can be done easily. 

It seems like it was around 3 1/2 hours. Short cruise through harbor to reef. An hour or so to snorkel then an hour or so cruise back the opposite side of the island. 

I snorkel there every time and don’t wear a vest. I use my gear. I don’t go to their designated area. I just go around the rocks and grass beds. I’ve seen tons of colorful fish, stingrays, needlefish, and small sharks. 

Tiki bikini has gone up in price but is still a cheapish place to drink on a beach. 

3/$10 Sands beers with 3 shots. They also had some domestic beers but they were pricey. 

Food there is very good. Beach service is bait and switch. They sell you a package then disappear once you need bar service. 

If you sit at at the bar you will get good prices and some  free shots. 

We did the seahorse sail and snorkel 2 years ago. It was a mix of rccl, carnival, and ncl passengers. We were picked up on the same dock the ship was on. 

It was my wife, daughter, and I. 

Overall it was enjoyable. 

We sailed through the port and the guides pointed out interesting things along the way. We anchored on a small reef with 3-4 other boats. Each boat carried around 100 people I’d say. 

We were able to spread out so it never felt crowded. We say lots of colorful fish, stingrays, and one huge barracuda. 

After an hour of snorkeling we boarded the sailboat and toured the islands. The water was so clear and the scenery was nice. 

They had free drinks on board that were simple rum punch’s and whatnot. 

The sail back to port took about an hour. 

They drop you outside the cruise port area forcing you to make your way down bay street to the straw market to return to the ship. 

This was in July so it was really hot out. 

For the price I think it was worth it. 

We sailed Navigator July 1-5 with a party of 6. 

This was our third cruise all on Royal.  We’ve also sailed Enchantment and Mariner. 

The other two two couples have sailed Carnival and Disney. One person has never sailed and gets motion sickness easily. 

All our flights went smooth to Miami. 

We met up at the Holiday Inn by the port. This was very clean and not over crowded. We got a free upgrade to a king suite looking over the port. We used the shuttle at $6 per person and it was seamless. 

The new terminal is very nice. We used the Royal App. 

We were here at the port by 10:30 and on board by 10:50. 

The ship was spotless yesterday beside and out. The crew and staff were great except our wait staff and steward. 

The wait staff was slow, forgot our drinks several times requiring us to ask multiple times, let our waters go dry, let us run out of butter, and never brought our dessert the last night. The waiter ran us down once we left our table. Too late. Our complaints to the head waiter fell on deaf ears day one. No extra tip this trip. 

Our room steward was just ok. Nothing special. He did not turn bed down but did make it up once per day. We got one towel animal on the second day. My biggest complaint was he left my leftover half full drinks in the room two days. I left them there to see how long he’d let it go. Turns out from Wednesday to Friday was the answer. 

The buffet was ok. The taco bar was great. The coffee shop at park cafe was great. Playmakers was great. 

The shows were were above average to average. The ice show was really good with all the drones. Very cool. Comedy was pretty good too.

Coco cay was so nice and never felt crowded even with two ships in port. 

Nassau was not good. It’s getting more expensive there and service is way down. I’ll avoid Nassau in future bookings. 

Disembarking was fast and easy. 

We lovedd the ship despite a couple setbacks. 

Sorry for lack of detail but the ship has been reviewed a lot lately and I’m tired. 

We just got off Navigator. We prepaid 6 months ago at $47 per day. Our friend paid $57 a day a couple months back. 

Either way it was worth it. 

We drink specialty coffees as well as alcohol and had a Coco Cay day and sea day. 

My my wife and I saved about 50% of paying as we go. 

While I can't speak about the Oasis, we were on the Mariner last summer.  My daughter had just turned 12 is she is pretty shy until she gets to know someone.

We took her to the teen club the first night for the meet and greet.  We met the workers there left our daughter with a prearranged time and place to meet.  They did several ice breakers and she made a few friends easily.

She left dinner after the main course each night, skipping desert, so she could go to the teen club.  She was usually there until closing which was between 12-1.  

They did scavenger hunts, movie night, prom night, dance parties, etc.  The workers there spoke great english and were very active in the activities. 

Some nights, I picked her up at the club and some nights she met us back at the room.  That would depend on each child and their maturity level.

On Coco cay, we got her the excursion with the water trampoline and whatnot and she did that with the teen club workers and participants.  

She wants to go back so that's a good sign.  I recommend giving it a try, but you REALLY need to attend the icebreaker night 1.

My only experience is buying through the cruise line and it was really cheap.  We are late 30's/early 40's with a 12 year old so not sure if that was the reason for low rate.  

I was unaware of third party providers until I read this thread and will certainly check them out for our upcoming cruise/flight.  

I have a CPAP.  I did not fill out a form, nor did I bring an extension cord.  I placed my machine on the nightstand and there was a plug beside it.  My room steward provided me with distilled water each day.  None issue.  

We were there week before last and were on the island at 9:15. We easily found chairs in the shade right by one of the bars and food areas. By 10:30 most were taken in the shade but there were plenty available in the sun. Umbrellas were for rent at a reasonable rate.

Miami is not a terrible place to visit but it is very expensive. Especially considering you will miss out on the private beach where food and drinks are included.

Miami does have excellent beaches that will set you back about $10-15 each way for an Uber or cab. Very clear water and not too rough. There are chairs for rent and what not. Miami Beach PD is always roaming to deter crime, but beware, there are some questionable people in south beach.

The food is amazing in Miami but again, pretty expensive. Beers run $5-9 and mixed drinks run $9 and up. Food can get expensive fast but certainly worth it. One beer, one cocktail, one coke, and three entrees (one from the kids menu) was $130 for dinner last week.

People watching is top notch.

We enjoyed people watching and listening to music on the waterfront near the port pre-cruise.

At least you know ahead of time.

We sailed last week and loved it. Ship is clean and everything in the public spaces looks new. Cabins not updated but very clean.

Food in the windjammer was pretty bad in my opinion. Especially breakfast.

Food in MDR was great as was the service.

Room attendant was also great.

The cruise director was pretty good but his assistant was not compared to our last cruise.

Shows were good as were comedians. Bands were decent. I would like to see a cover band on board that’s a little more frequent. I can only handle so much island music by the pool.

Kids club was pretty good for our 12 year old but be warned, it’s 12-17 so we randomly went inside and observed the first two nights. No issues really but that’s a bad mix in my opinion. They did offer to keep kids busy from 8 pm to 1 am at no cost if that’s your needs.

I enjoyed the cruise but look forward to a longer itenerery in a different ship.

I wish this ship was a seven day cruise.

We did Enchantment last summer. We arrived by taxi from airport to port at 10:30. We stood in line for 15 minutes, then through security. It took about 10 more minutes to get sea passes, then about 5 minutes in a holding area then on board right at 11. Most of the bars were up and going and a band started around 12. Our room was ready about 1pm. It's a fun ship despite its age. I recommend Don Don in the main dining room if he's available.

I'm interested to know the details as well. We are booked for July2nd.

I've read online that a meeting space will be turned into a Japanese restaurant. I've also read the golf course will be scraped for a kids water park and 2-3 adult water slides.

None of that is confirmed.

100 million is a lot but if you consider things like new carpet, wall coverings, etc, that money goes fast.

I tried to get a travel agent on an upcoming cruise was unable to get anyone to beat the price posted on the RCCL website. OBC was the same as well.

I've had no issue booking directly each time I've cruised. It's nice to be able to log on and see your balance and purchased extras as well as shop for what you want to add at any hour of the day.

I just can't seem to find the benefit for us to use an agent on a cruise. I could see using one for a land vacation, but a cruise is so easy to set up yourself.

Just a simple case of "You get what you pay for" - there are obviously much better day pass options in Nassau that are spectacular, but if you want to wander over to the Junk beach near the ships, that's what you get, as you confirmed. I don't blame you for not wanting to go back to Junkanoo. We bought a room at Baha Mar for next year, well worth the $215 + food/drinks in my opinion.

That's my point I guess. If you just want cheap and easy and don't mind the downside then it will be fine. You're on a cruise on an island in the Bahamas. It could be worse right?

I'll look at the Baha Mar. We're exploring options for our trip in July.

We did not like this beach all that much.

Pros: 10 minute walk from ship, free, can see ships anchored in port

Cons: a little rocky, views include rock wall, shipyard

The tiki bikini people are pushy. We paid $40 for 2 chairs and an umbrella along with 16 drinks. The chairs were wore out and the umbrella had a huge hole in it. They took it away as soon as the wind picked up.

We struggled to get them to bring drinks to us like promised. I had to go to bar each time. Drinks were weak and sugary. I drank 12 of our 16 myself and didn’t get a buzz. They are 8oz cups with heavy ice. The beer is local and rough but better than the watered down drinks.

If you want easy and free then try it out. Just don’t expect anything fancy.

Don’t get me wrong, we had fun and made the best of something disappointing but we won’t return this summer. We’re looking at something different.

We got off pretty early and rented 2 chairs and an umbrella, which also included a swim mat. It was about $25. My chair was 5 steps from the water and shared the same little cove as the expensive bungalo things. Those looked awesome btw. The chairs were first come first serve though.

Enchantment. 1st cruise ever. Great staff and constant activities. Never felt crowded. Going on second cruise this year on Mariner.

We stayed in the Essex Place. It’s right behind the Clevelander and is their sister hotel. It’s a boutique hotel but spacious and included a decent breakfast.

It also included a bracelet for free admission to the Clevelander property and events which is nice. Their cover was steep.

The beach is a 2-3 minute walk and their are several places to eat and drink close by. There is a beer, wine, and liquor store close by as well.

You should be fine, though you should probably to self-assist disembarkation to give yourself max time.

We did self assist last time and were off early but I couldn’t remember how early. We were on Enchantment which was less people than Mariner.

I assume we will make it or air to sea wouldn’t suggest it.

Thanks.

Air to sea shows a flight departing Miami to Atlanta at 11:10 was n the day we disembark Mariner on July 6th.

Can we make it to the airport on time? They also offer a 1:25 but I don’t want to sit around any longer than needed.

Last cruise we flew out of Miami and it was seamless but very busy.

We did this last summer. We got a beach chair and unbrella with 12 drinks and 12 shots.

The beach is okay. It a little rocky, but not terrible. The view is not great. You can see a light house, but to the left looking out is some industrial junk and to the right you can see the ships, but it's obstructed by a concrete wall and buildings.

Our chairs were comfortable. Our umbrella was junk. It had lots of holes and they took it away during a rain storm and never gave it back.

Service was SLOOOOOW.

The drinks were watered down and sugary. I switched to beer because of that. The beer isn't my favorite but it was okay.

I traded the shots for some beer, but had to hagle and fuss some.

The food was really good and plentiful.

It was an easy walk and we got a beach day with drinks for not much money, but I will not do it next summer when we return.

I can't remember what time we arrived at the port, but it was around 10:45 I think. Our cab took us close to the front door where the porter took our bags. We walked right in and got in line. We waited about 30 minutes then they opened security up and with in 10 minutes we had our set sail cards. We then got herded to a little holding area and waited about 10 more minutes. Then we were allowed to board. This was our first cruise and total wait was less than an hour.