Itchy&Scratchy

we just received OBC refund while on the cruise, even though our ports were not cancelled. Each person got $12 back.

12 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Pity food and drink have declined. I had heard the loungers were also in bad repair? How did they seem to you?

they looked about the same. Some had a matt on top, some didn't.

We picked the ones with matts and covered them with cruise beach towels, and all was good. I was surprised some people chose to sit directly on the wooden loungers...

12 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Were the outward taxis inside or outside the port gates now that the port facilities have been extended?

just outside. The taxis inside the port were for people who fell for the "I'll take you to a better beach club" trick.

@BamaVol

Blue Kay - good for swimming and lounging, but, perhaps, not for food or specialty drinks anymore.

right

middle

this is my kid swimming. It was shallow.

the man in the middle sleeping on the lounger is my dad. We had 5 of them in a row in a shady area.

our loungers are right behind these:

left:

the longest pier in our cruising history: you can see the trolly all the way back. It runs from that spot to the ships.

On 2/18/2024 at 1:07 PM, BamaVol said:

We will be there mid-June on Enchanted Princess and have the same questions. We arrive at 7 and depart at 4.  I’m not sure what that means in terms of getting off the ship.  I know we have to be back at least 30 minutes before the ship departs.  Is anyone familiar with Pitaya Beach Club?  Looks good on Yelp or TripAdvisor, but you never know. I’m not sure if it’s PAYG or AI.

 

We are a family of 6 and the kids will want to swim.  The adults will want shade, a drink and a snack, as will the kids.

 

I am apprehensive of taxis.  Will there be any van type taxis that will hold all 6 of us?  I do not care to separate.

As promised, here is the report on Blue Kay from last week:

They no longer charge $12 pp as a cover fee, they just want you to buy food and/or drinks. It would have cost us $60 for 5 people in the past, but would have included 10 drinks. 

This time food and drinks were $46 and I added $5 grats. They give you an arm band for bathroom use. The bathroom is still questionable, but usable.

Chicken tacos and chicken burrito were below average to average, but edible. Mango daiquiri was awful (it had powder consistency, as if the flavored powder didn't dissolve).  Pineapple juice was bad (unsweetened and powdery). I'd stick with canned/bottled drinks (beer and sodas) if I were you - they were standard.

We got there before 10 am, so we had pretty much any available chaise to choose from.  Some more people showed up later, but it didn't get awfully busy. Several large parties have arrived throughout the entire time we were there, but I am not sure what happened to all those people. It didn't look like they stayed long. Maybe, they had a separate area for themselves.

There was natural shade and shade from wooden roofs. The place didn't change much, except for adding many more chaises, tightly packed together in rows.

The water was clear but had some of that prickly seaweed in it. Easily ignored. Water entrance was rough - lots of broken shells and rocks, so I'd recommend water shoes if you have sensitive feet. I do. There were some rocks in the water, but once you are a couple of yards into the water, the floor is sandy. We spent most of our time in the water and that's exactly what we like.

There were a lot of boat tours "parking" very close to us, which was at times stinky and unnerving, since they passed very close to us. All in all, not too troublesome.

There were many vendors walking by and offering stuff, but I am sure it's like that everywhere.

BEWARE of some of the "taxi" drivers at the port. One of them asked if we needed a taxi, we said - yes, to Blue Kay. He started telling us that BK now charges $90/pp (!!!) and was all inclusive and belonged to the cruise line. What? None of that made sense. He said he'd take us to a different beach club for only $20 pp, which had bathrooms and shade. We insisted on BK, so he lost interest immediately and sent us towards real taxis. Most of them are large vans and hold 6+ people. It's $4 pp to Mahahual beaches. On the way back the staff called a taxi for us (5 people) and some other folks.

The pier walk was super long and very very hot and tiring. There was no trolly service in the morning.  Once you enter the port, you can use the shortcut through the gelato store. Take a photo with flamingos, and after the flamingos you will see the gelato store. The taxis are outside of the port entrance. We were all sweaty and miserable by the time we got to the taxi stand...

There was a trolly in the afternoon, running the length of the pier back to the ship for a tip.

There were 3 ships in port: Enchanted Princess, Harmony of the Seas and NCL Breakaway, so all three - quite sizable.

Let me know if you have any questions. We have the same itinerary next year and wouldn't mind going to Blue Kay again, but we'll stick to ready made drinks. Pre-pandemic the drinks were great, but not anymore. New management...

1 hour ago, wish_I_was_a_mermaid said:

I won't be doing any driving, just using it to go ashore in Puerto Rico and 2 other ports. But from reading the replies my passport is the important thing and that's valid for a few more years. 

Definitely bring DL with you when going off the ship in PR

I booked E409 for us, which is on the opposite side from E410.

I think 409 and 410 are better than 407 balcony wise, but choosing between 407 and 410 also involves choosing which side is better for your particular cruise (starboard or port).

1 hour ago, bassmk said:

I need to carry my own bags off.

we tried that once, many years ago, and unfortunately, I hurt my knee badly in the process. So, no, somebody else can get the bags to the terminal.

There are 5 of us, with 4 suitcases and 5 backpacks, we are not lugging them around to the buffet and then to the terminal ourselves, no, thank you. Especially, if we don't need to leave the ship that early. Considering your 3 hour wait at the airport, you didn't have an early flight out, so no need to get off the ship among the first wave, especially in Port Everglades.

18 hours ago, ecs66 said:

How do I drill down to the Board area where ports are discussed?

I provided a direct link 3 posts above yours.

1 hour ago, Lady Arwen said:

I know!  People are worried because of the “obstructed” aspect.  Not a problem for us!  L101 and 102 have balconies even wider than the cabin because of the fire equipment closet between them.

I am not worried about the obstruction, but I don't like strong winds in my face.

1 hour ago, Lady Arwen said:

Three in one cabin?  Kudos to you!  We find it’s too tight for the two of us, but that’s just us.

our friends travel with 4 (2 adults, 2 teens) in a cabin and they are fine.

Oh, both our last cruise and the cruise coming up in a couple of days on Enchanted were/will be in an inside room.

11 hours ago, nwcruiselover said:

Regular balconies with just the desk chair are great for solo travelers, but a bit tight for two people.

and yet the 3 of us love standard balcony cabins and fit just fine. Go figure, right?

54 minutes ago, MkeCruzn said:

Thanks for posting all of this. We have our first trip on Celebrity coming in January 2025, also going to the ABC islands. We got a good deal on a C2 cabin on deck 10. It will be interesting to compare to NCL and Royal cruises we've had in the past. We are also considering South America/Antarctica in January 2026 and maybe the Greek islands in May 2025.

I hope (by now) you're all feeling better!

thank you, we do! Getting ready for our next cruise next week, and hoping we won't get covid on this one. 🙂

On 4/15/2024 at 3:37 PM, wcook said:

On 4/13/2024 at 2:36 PM, Essiesmom said:

 With kids that young I certainly wouldn’t do balcony cabins.  Just my opinion.  EM

The great thing about balcony cabins with young kids is you can usually fit a pacnplay on the balcony. 

I doubt that the 7 and the 8 year old would fit into a pack and play...

Not sure why elementary school aged kids would be too young for a balcony cabin. I guess if one leaves them unattended - probably.

On 5/24/2024 at 10:29 PM, Mum2Mercury said:

Again, thinking of budget ... balconies are nice, but (in your situation) I'd rather have two connecting interior rooms instead of a fancier (smaller) room.

with the way cruise prices are lately, I wouldn't want to book a separate cabin for kids.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/456-caribbean/

18 hours ago, Kat915 said:

Not a silly question.  I wanted to know the latest I could board so I could do an excursion. Sailing is June 15 and I still don't know. My plans have changed so it no longer matters but it is  weird that I couldn't have that information by now.

we've had an all aboard time for embarkation day available in the app for months now.

Great review, thank you! We'll be on Enchanted this Saturday. 🙂

I wouldn't leave the ship by 7 am just to sit at the airport for 3 hours. 🙂 We'd have a leisurely breakfast on the ship and then disembark. And we wouldn't bother with self carrying the luggage either. 3 hours is plenty of time not to be in an awful hurry.

1 minute ago, latebloomer56 said:

Thanks we originally had 2 inside and one mini in the plan but for Alaska the connecting balcony would have been better. We did look at the family suite but doesn't look like this package thing would work either. Lots of checking to do before I book this week for 2025.

if you end up with 2 cabins, consider allocating 6 people between 2 cabins differently if you only need 2-3 plus packages.

On 5/25/2024 at 1:41 AM, cr8tiv1 said:

I’ve never been offered a Welcome Home offer.  

me neither.

1 hour ago, latebloomer56 said:

Wow didn't know that, thanks. Booking 2 minis for family next year and it will be 3 & 3.  Like the package even though hubby doesn't drink it works for us.

you may want to spread these 6 people differently. One cabin - put 3 people with the package in it (also works if you only need the package for the first 2 people), and then another cabin with 3 non-drinkers (no package). Assuming that the third passenger in each cabin is a kid, once onboard you could have them sleep in the correct cabin. GS could even maybe add the other cabin's access to the card.

1 hour ago, bassmk said:

I had the goat cheese souffle, which was about the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten.

I wonder if the goat cheese souffle (which is my favorite thing about Princess) is for Reserve dining only, or whether it's available to mere mortals. I always get two if we are lucky enough to have it on a cruise.

1 hour ago, Mark_K said:

Could you post a link to that information?  

he's already recognized his error in the subsequent posts.

2 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

What's that all about?

Is the medallion something physical? 

you've been on this forum for so long, surely, you can't be the first person asking this....

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3004645-medallions-what-are-they/

13 minutes ago, Boiler Cruiser said:

Ultimately, of course, it's depends on how comfortable you are leaving the ship and setting foot on foreign soil without proof of citizenship with you

why would you need to prove your US citizenship in a foreign port?

14 minutes ago, Boiler Cruiser said:

If you, god forbid, get into a situation where the local authorities want to see your identification and papers, and all you have is your birth certificate or DL, then you have no proof of citizenship, and it will complicate getting back to the ship or, in a worst case scenario, getting ahold of the US Consulate.

once again, the authorities in the other country would not be interested in your proving your US citizenship (which many cruisers don't even have). They would be interested in the legality of your presence in their country.

A US birth certificate is definitely a great proof of US citizenship, by the way. 

How would not having your US passport on a beach in some other country prevent you from getting back on the ship? I think you are trying to invent some scary scenarios in order to justify bringing your passport with you to the beach or other excursion. You are free to do so, but you don't need to make other cruisers think that they must as well.

11 hours ago, capriccio said:

That's changed in the last 38 years then. 

10 hours ago, Kay S said:

Nobody told our photographer that. 

Too bad. 🙂 It's right there on the US Dept of State website in the U.S. Passport Photos section:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/photos.html

Do you have more tips to take a photo of a baby or toddler?

The site even has examples of acceptable and unacceptable photos. 

9 hours ago, Boiler Cruiser said:

This is what I have found on line about passport requirements in Mexico and Canada.

 

For entry into Canada, you need a passport, NEXUS card or enhanced driver's license.

but that's not what you said before. This is what I am asking for a link to:

17 hours ago, Boiler Cruiser said:

The reason I mention this is that if the Police, Customs, or any other law enforcement stop you on the streets of Mexico or Canada away from the ship (on your own), or your ship's tour group, you will need a passport to show them (no carbon copies or cell phone pictures).

10 hours ago, Not So Little Mermaid said:

Did you have any issues with the room 8149 being interior? Anything bad or complaints about this room and the 8th floor or whatever? Claustrophobia ? Motion sickness, etc?

absolutely no concerns and would book again 100%! We liked both the location and the cabin itself.

It was quiet and quite spacious for an interior room. I was afraid that we'd have motion sickness because it's a somewhat smaller ship and the cabin is forward, so I brought a ton of meclizine and dramamine with us, but never needed to use it.

The only thing that was a little confusing to us at first since this was our first time on this ship, was disembarkation in the ports of call. We had to cross over to the midship elevators first and then go down to the gangway.  At the beginning we kept taking elevators closest to us down first and were unable to cross over to the middle part of the ship. We had to go back, then up a little, cross over, and then go down to the gangway. So, remember - go to the midship elevators first and then down. 🙂

We didn't bid on a balcony because it was our first time on this ship and I didn't want to end up in a location I didn't like. While I am fine with having an interior cabin either forward, middle or aft, I do not want a balcony behind the "exhaust pipes." It's just me. I am particular. When it was time to bid, only deck 6 balconies were open to 3 people, and I didn't see anything I liked available, so I didn't bid.

10 hours ago, Not So Little Mermaid said:

i googled room 8149 and came across this thread because this is gonna be my exact room

and that's exactly why I include the cabin number in my reviews. 🙂 I want people to find the information they are looking for when they are researching cabins.

I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did!