letsgocruz1

I was in 2456 on the Dream and it does vibrate a lot (mostly coming into and out of ports) and is noisy. The a/c hardly worked either. If I were in that cabin again, I wouldn't freak out about it but would bring a fan for white noise and air circulation.

We have used Janet twice and plan to again in Oct. She is very sweet, her English is fluent. She has lived on the island all of her life and is very knowledgeable about it.

Last night on Hotwire I won the "Staybridge Suites by Holiday Inn." It is 6 miles from the port, located in SE Jacksonville.

Amenities:

Suites

complimentary breakfast

fitness center

pool(s)

business center

laundry

Internet access

spa

$47 a night plus tax/fees.

This is a brand new hotel. Each room is a suite w/full kitchen, flat screen TV, granite counters. Looks like there are several restaurants along with a Publix nearby.

Just wanted to throw that out there in case anyone is interested.

We were there Tues as well and booked thru Victor. Our drivers name was Janet. She was born and raised in Roatan, and is of English descent (she said the English were the first on the Island). So of course her English was perfect!

We had her drive us to the Mayan Princess, where we paid $10 pp for use of their resort. The pool and grounds there are breathtaking. The beach and water are unbelievably beautiful.

Janet waited for us along w/what I assume to be some other drivers. She came around occasionally and asked us if everything was okay and if we needed anything.

After we left the beach, we took a short tour and went into town (was it called West side maybe?) This was a great place w/the small shops on a dirt road. She drove us around and showed us different areas, from the poorest to a big fancy mansion that they mayor lives in. Janet even stopped and bought us some freshly picked bananas from a local.

We asked to be back by 5pm and she had us there on the dot. She was very professional and friendly, informative and drove very safely. I would highly recommend her.

Roatan is definitely a place to return to and I would go back in a second. I recommend booking w/Victor just for the piece of mind that you will be taken care of for the day. It was well worth the $100 + tip for the 4 of us.

After doing a little research, I braved it and went for a 3* on Priceline. I won the Sheraton Riverwalk hotel for $79. The price on the Sheraton's website is $189 so I did pretty well. I probably should have bid a bit lower, but I don't think I would have gotten it much cheaper.

Cracker Ken, is something going on the first week of April, or is it just because of spring break? Some of those rates (over $400 for the Embassy Suites for example) are just crazy high. Is there a convention or something?

I Got the 3.5 star downtown on hotwire for $76 and it was the Sheraton.

What are your dates? I'm kicking myself because I just went to Hotwire to book that 3.5* downtown hotel, and the price has jumped from $89 to $179! Do you think it will go back down? I'm surprised the price went up so much in less than 24hrs.

I can't answer your question on the rate packages. One thing for sure - If I relied on Trip Advisor ratings to find places to stay, I'd end up sleeping in a car. I think the only people that go there for reviews are people who have been made mad for some reason and decide to trash the places. Sheraton Hotels doesn't operated rat holes. Sheraton and Hyatt downtown are popular hotels. Sheraton is along the Hillsborough River in the downtown core. The Riverwalk and Convention Center is just S of there. You may need a cab to get somewhere for dining.

 

Ken

Thanks Cracker Ken! That really helps. About the taxi..we are getting lucky there. The girl I am traveling with (CaribbeanTina here at CC) uses a TA who lives in Tampa. She has used her as a TA for years (but have never met personally), and this lady is going to pick us up at the airport. We will then go to dinner and she will drop us at our hotel.

I think I'll just go on and book w/Hotwire, as I don't believe I'll find a better deal for the date I need.

Thank you again; you are such a wealth of knowledge for CC.

Hi, we are needing a hotel room for one night on April 3. We stayed at the Embassy Suites in Dec, and I wanted to stay there again, but the rate is over $400. I only paid $124 taxes included for our Dec stay.

So back to the drawing board. I checked the Marriott Waterside and their rates are expensive as well. I hate to shell out a lot of money as we won't even get out of the airport until after 7pm and we are going to out to dinner, so we won't be in the room that long.

Hotwire shows a 3.5 star downtown hotel for $89 plus tax/fees. This matches up with either the Hyatt or the Sheraton. I am thinking it's the Sheraton as hotwire states that trip advisor gave it a 2.5* rating (Sheraton shows 2.5 at tripadvisor, and the Hyatt shows 3.5 stars) and also, the price shows $89, and save $80. The Sheraton is priced for $169 on Expedia so w/both of these factors I'm leaning towards it being the Sheraton. The photos of the Sheraton on their website look great, but it gets some poor reviews on tripadvisor. Has anyone recently purchased this 3.5* hotel from Hotwire? Better bidding shows no recent wins.

Anyhoo...I also found a Hampton Inn in Ybor/Downtown (says they are 1 mile from channelside). When I go to book, the rate is over $200, but if you scroll on down, it shows a rate of $99 w/the promo "Tampa Lightning" and says for home games only. There isn't a home game there that night, but the website will allow me to reserve the room for that price. So, does anyone know if this is a rate this is available to anyone to use? I don't want to book something and then show up and have them up the price on me.

Thanks for any help you might offer as to which I should book. I'm just stumped since my Plan A went out the window.

Are the monkeys at Victor's home safe? I mean, I worry about getting scratched by one and getting sick. Is this possible? I don't mean for that to sound bad, its just something that would worry me. We *MAY* take a cruise there in June instead of doing the 4 nighter we have planned right now, and our kids (age 10 and 7) would be with us, so I'm checking out possible ports to visit. Wanting something they would enjoy. Thanks

Thank you so much for answering my questions! I really look forward to checking it out and it just seems so cool!

 

I will post a review of my visit at Bohio when I get back!

 

Thanks again!

Yes, please post a review. I am interested in Bohio as well. Have a great time on your cruise!!

I purchased the box mix at Wal Mart...the brand is "Delightful Desserts". It's a small black box labeled Chocolate Volcano Cake Mix. It makes 4 servings, and only takes about 5 minutes prep time...it tastes just like what Carnival serves. Its wonderful!

Wonder if the cake is the same as Chocolate Lava Cake??? The Lava cake when cut is filled with soft/liquid chocolate ... one of my hubby's favorites.

 

I found a recipe with lots of photos of the Chocolate Lava Cake. Hope this helps:

http://www.pastrychef.com/htmlpages/recipes/chocolate_lava_cakes.html

Yes, that does sound like what the OP is after. Also, Walmart now has a mix out called Chocolate volcano cake. It is not w/the regular cake mixes at my store, but rather out in "action alley" along w/other boxed mixes for fudge, magic bars, etc.

That melting chocolate cake was by far my favorite food that I ate while on the Fantasty. My dh didn't order one, and he wound up eating all of mine (minus one bite that I managed to get) So our headwaiter fixed us up with one to-go and we took it back to our stateroom and gobbled it up in a minute. I also asked for mine to be served with vanilla ice cream on the side. YUMMY! I am so happy to hear that it's now on the alternative menu. Guess what I'll be having for dessert every night on the Liberty!

Anyone been in 6383? It's right beside the elevator bank.