MamaToMany

Definitely would. The food was some of the best I’ve had on a ship. Specialty and MDR, as well as other venues onboard. HOWEVER, I would be choosy about the itinerary and time of year. The ship is definitely better in warm weather. When folks can be outside and inside she handles crowds well. When everyone is crammed inside due to poor weather, it’s not as enjoyable. (My experience only, but had both experiences on my sailing earlier in the year.)

Fresh off Prima today. Maybe a different slant, maybe not totally speaking to the content of this discussion. BUT. I wandered into Syd’s every night they had shows this last week. I was always able to find a place to stand and enjoy the music. I stood at the bar for the Rumors show and loved it. Were sight lines perfect? No. But they were pretty damn good. The show was crazy fun. There was definitely some of the egregious line cutting happening- folks leaving one or two folks in line to save spots for 6-8 people. Because I don’t absolutely require a chair, I was able to ignore this and show up around 15 minutes before showtime. Just enough time to score a drink and be ready to enjoy. While the venue isn’t perfect, I walked into and listened to every show I wanted to, and at the times I chose. Ideal? No. Fun for a rocking good time? Absolutely yes.

If one is willing and able to stand, when would you recommend getting to Syd’s?Is it a situation where folks come and go a bit as the show goes on? I’ll be solo, so not sure I want to brave those lines for that long. But I am more than content to wedge myself into a corner and enjoy the music.

Thanks. I will see what I can find out. 

I think the answer to this is, “no way, dude.”  But I’ll ask anyway. Is there any way to make a change to the FAS bookings before sailing but after final payment? I specifically mean adding the drink package. Is that a doable thing?! If not, I’m not too worried. But maybe worth an ask?

28 minutes ago, myn said:

@MamaToMany Just curious, Did you end up staying in #7100?  How was it?

I ended up changing cabins, so I can’t speak to how quiet 7100 is, unfortunately. I’m sorry!

Oh, hooray! You are one of my fave trip report writers. I should probably call myself CheapoMom when it comes to booking our family cruises, so I appreciate your approach to the very serious business of (frugal) family fun and togetherness. Coming out of the lurker closet to say hello, and thanks in advance for a great report!

37 minutes ago, alexirina said:

Ah, rainy days can get tricky. Yet I would not put a lot of faith in the forecast: our weather was expected to be all overcast, storm and rain, yet we managed to do just fine weatherwise!

 

As far as finding a quiet place to hang out indoors, I would say your best bet in a very early morning is the Observation Lounge (front, deck 17). I loved it for my first cup of coffee, but it does get crowded once the sun is up.

 

We could usually find a seat in the 3-level atrium (which we loved!), but of course it gets busy as well. 

 

Best quiet spot I can think of is either the Metropolitan lounge (deck 7), when there is no entertainment there, or even better (probably the best) a Belvedere bar (deck 6) that is tucked away all the way at the back and seems to be fairly quiet most of the time (and the ambience and the service there is quite lovely).

 

If weather does cooperate, deck 18 left side at the front has quite a few loungers and a decent amount of shade, maybe because it is close to the smoking area and there is a kids park on the right side, but all and all we liked that part too. 

 

Cheers and wishing you a fantastic cruise!

Thank you for this! I’ll check all of these spaces out. Still crossing fingers and toes for better weather than is currently forecast. You’ve given me hope!

Thank you for your lovely review, @alexirina! I’ll be aboard next week, and it’s looking pretty rainy the entire week. I’m not a huge pool deck gal, so I’m not sad about that. But I am wondering if you found any little spots that are good for a little quiet and avoiding the worst of the crowds on a busy day? 

Following along, Sid! Love your lives. Always follow, but usually lurk. My cruise doesn’t leave until next Friday, so you and Megan are getting me through until then. Nothing like morning tea and cruise chat! 

Looking forward to reading this, Dana. Thank you for taking the time! I’ll be on the exact same sailing in May, so all your info will be both timely and helpful!

I’ll be in Costa Maya next week and am planning to try Maya Chan beach club for the first time. Looks mellow and lovely. Last spring break when we cruised with the entire family, we rented a golf cart with the Mahahual Red Shirt guys and drove around exploring. We ended up at a couple of nice beach clubs for drinks and food. The water isn’t great, but it was still plenty of fun!

26 minutes ago, hallux said:

I also make Platinum on my next cruise...

I’ll make platinum this next week on my solo cruise as well! Yay for all of us!

I sail both with my family and solo. When I’m solo, I don’t attend meetups or anything of that sort. I’m chatty though, and will strike up a conversation at the bar or around the ship. I like that it can be on my terms and I can bow out when I’ve had enough company. I did make a very nice friend on one cruise, and have been casually absorbed by groups of nice women on a couple of occasions. Did have one fella end up being a Stage 5 clinger, which wore me the heck out. He couldn’t take a clue! 
For the most part, you’ll find me tucked away in quiet spaces with a Coke Zero in one hand and my Kindle in the other!  

On 1/2/2024 at 11:44 AM, petuniaflower said:

Anyone know the entrance fee for either..just to enter/seats/use ocean?  And can you just show up or need reservations?

Off the top of my head I don’t know prices. Taxi prices will be very close to the same, if not the same. I’d absolutely be sure to have reservations. Resorts definitely sell out in Coz. Check websites and you can get all the details as far as cost, reservation availability and cancellation. 

Hello all. I’ll be on NCL Prima in two weeks and am planning a day at Maya Chan. Our port time is short, unfortunately. (1:00pm-8:00pm)  I can’t remember how long it takes to walk to the exit of the port from the ship. I’ll be solo and am fit and a fast walker. How long should I plan from ship to exit to meet my ride? Thanks in advance!

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

The ports are ones I've visited several times.  I've seen the sloths, the dolphins, traversed in an ATV, seen a bunch of ruins, etc.

 

Not that it's not exciting and beautiful.  It is.  But, I think I'm relaxing this go round and doing what I want, when I want with no schedules or plans.  As such, looks like my no pre-planing vacation was a sign of things to come....

 

 

Minor changes, and none of it affects me, but noted.

"Dear Valued Guests, We are delighted you have chosen to sail with us on board Norwegian Prima and thank you for your loyalty. On behalf of our crew, we look forward to welcoming you aboard soon. We have important information regarding Norwegian Prima's sailings from January 12, 2024 through and including February 9, 2024. We are committed to providing the best vacations at sea and have been working tirelessly to continue to elevate the quality of our offerings and overall guest experience while driving a positive impact on society and the environment. As we optimize itineraries for fuel efficiencies, we have modified Norwegian Prima's itinerary as shown below.
Original Day Destination Arrive Depart   Fri GALVESTON, TEXAS, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA   4:00 pm   Sat AT SEA       Sun COSTA MAYA, MEXICO 12:00 pm 8:00 pm   Mon HARVEST CAYE, BELIZE 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Tue ROATAN, BAY ISLANDS, HONDURAS 7:00 am 4:00 pm   Wed COZUMEL, MEXICO 8:00 am 5:00 pm   Thu AT SEA       Fri GALVESTON, TEXAS, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 8:00 am	Revised Day Destination Arrive Depart   Fri GALVESTON, TEXAS, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA   4:00 pm   Sat AT SEA       Sun COSTA MAYA, MEXICO 1:00 pm 8:00 pm   Mon HARVEST CAYE, BELIZE 9:00 am 5:00 pm   Tue ROATAN, BAY ISLANDS, HONDURAS 7:00 am 4:00 pm   Wed COZUMEL, MEXICO 9:00 am 6:00 pm   Thu AT SEA       Fri GALVESTON, TEXAS, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 8:00 am
SHORE EXCURSIONS Shore excursions booked through NCL for Costa Maya, Mexico, Harvest Caye, Belize, and Cozumel, Mexico will be automatically adjusted to coincide with the new times in port; no further action is required. If you are interested in booking new excursions for your upcoming vacation, please contact your travel advisor. TRAVEL DOCUMENTS Depending on nationality, guests may require a passport and/or a visa to visit certain ports of call. All necessary documentation should be printed and available to present at check-in on embarkation day. Guests who fail to obtain these documents will be denied boarding. For more information on the necessary documentation to sail and for all ports of call, please visit www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/cruise-travel-documents. Requirements and policies are subject to change. YOUR HEALTH AND SAFETY While we welcome all guests to sail with us, regardless of vaccination status, and with no testing or masking requirements, it is the responsibility of the guest to be aware of, and to satisfy, any local protocols and/or travel restrictions in place at the visiting destinations at the time of sailing to avoid denial of boarding. For additional information on our health and safety protocols, please visit www.ncl.com/sail-safe. Please note that destination specific travel requirements supersede any NCL embarkation protocols. As such, we strongly encourage you to visit www.ncl.com/travel-requirements-by-country to ensure you are in compliance and avoid any chance of being denied boarding. We encourage you to check these sites often, as regulations change frequently and with very short notice. As always, we are at your service and look forward to providing you with a truly memorable onboard experience! Sincerely, Norwegian Cruise Line"

 

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us!

 

 

 

 

 

Kind Regards,

The Support Department
American Discount Cruises & Travel
Your Destination for Savings & Service
www.AmericanDiscountCruises.com

Toll Free: 1-866-214-7447 (US & Canada) | 0800 098 8041 (UK)
International: +001-732-970-9142

 

They made the same changes to my Prima sailing for next week. Not thrilled. CM was already a short day, so why shrink it further? Seems like it’s happening on other sailings as well, and with very little notice. 

16 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Assuming this is for your Prima sailing from Galveston it doesn’t look like you will have a problem missing your ship. Your departure is later than ours. Sunset is around 6.30 EST so it will be getting dark (5.30 ship time unless Norwegian changes time on board). 
 

Unfortunately it makes for a very short beach day after travel time taken out.

The very short day had me thinking that maybe I wanted to just cancel the beach day and maybe just explore the port area instead, as I’ve never really done that in CM. But even if it’s short, I think I want the beach time. And yes, this is for my Prima sailing from Galveston. 

44 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

As you say sargassum is entirely dependent on season you are traveling and the current weather conditions. Off shore baffles have been installed along the malecon which have been somewhat successful. Beach clubs outside the malecon do not have this protection. 

 

We have enjoyed Maya Chan several times. As I stated above, it could be a good choice solo provided you are comfortable walking outside port to the meeting place for transportation alone, or with others from your roll call. Although transport is “included in price”,  it is not from within the port area. Also, depending on mobility, it is a long walk within the port and then a short distance outside.

 

Certainly once you are there it is vendor and hassle free, compared to the malecon. Service, food and drinks are very good. Food is local-cooked Mayan-style taco buffet. Sea conditions and sargassum are variable and outside their control.

 

One word of caution. Our last visit we had late, short port hours. To try and make the most of our time we opted for their last recommended taxi back. Unfortunately the taxi was late arriving and we returned to port much too late for comfort considering the long walk back through the port from taxi drop off (which is at port entrance on return). I would not be comfortable taking their last taxi again especially considering the distance, road and weather conditions - there would have been no contingency for breakdowns. Therefore I would recommend that you are not be too complacent regarding them getting you back in “plenty of time”. Ultimately the decision of which taxi to take is your responsibility. They will come round half-way through the afternoon and offer you a choice of times to sign up for.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the extra wise words of warning. We also have the late arrival/late departure hours at CM. I’ll be extra sure to leave time to get to the port and walk through it. You are right- it’s a looooong schlep. Don’t want to miss the ship!

On 12/25/2023 at 7:54 AM, lag9122 said:

I am looking at Mr Sanchos has anybody done this ? How was it ? I will be solo . 

 

Lisa

My family and I did Mr Sanchos over spring break and it was a very nice time. I am sure they’d take good care of you solo too. That said, I’ll be in Cozumel solo  in a few weeks and will be trying Nachi Cocom instead. I think the much smaller and mellower vibe may work better for me as a solo traveler.

The seaweed situation looks ok currently, but no idea when you’re planning to travel. I’m a solo traveler as well (female) and have booked Maya Chan. I like that the transportation is included and that they make sure you get back to the ship in plenty of time to make all aboard. Sounds like food and drinks look good too? Fingers crossed.

Will be following. I’ve got a day booked at Maya Chan based of reviews of food and quality drinks. Hoping some folks will chime in with Costa Maya info! 

They definitely had Sprite Zero onboard in May. Hoping that’s still available when I sail again next month.

Is anyone else having difficulty with the app AND the website? I’ve got the app updated to the most current version, but am unable to book any dining, entertainment or shore excursions for my 1/19/24 cruise. Months ago, when dining first was available to book, I had no difficulty booking what I needed. Now the website tells me there was an error and to logout and try back later. The app refuses to let me select a party for dining or shorex. It lets me select a dining or excursion time, then just gives me the little spinning widget instead of allowing me to select a party. SO frustrating! Anyone else? Or any help you can offer? I’m worried I won’t be able to check in for my cruise when that opens next week. 

Definitely go to the waterfront on deck 8! On our cruises on the Bliss and sister ships, it seemed like folks didn’t really discover it until a couple of days into the cruise. It’s a wonderful spot!