LukeyC

10 hours ago, pacruise804 said:

@LukeyC was it a spray or lotion?  I know some boat operators won't allow any spray on the boat because it makes things too slippery, but no sunscreen at all for snorkeling would bother me.  I do wear a rash guard, but that still is putting many at risk for burns.

It was lotion that I was asking to reapply.  Their policy was across the board that nobody could put sunscreen on past the dock.  I had heard of companies insisting upon reef-safe sunscreen only, but I'd never expected that they would say they didn't care what kind.  It's a good thing I had a UPF zip up jacket and UPF swim pants (capris) on.  I had some exposed skin, but luckily, even though it was quite sunny, I did not burn.

My husband is about your weight and he was probably like 8 feet or more from the ground. Hope that helps! 🙂

Does anyone have any tips on how to not gain weight on a cruise?  

We just got back from our cruise (Independence going to Cozumel) and that was our EXACT experience.

We had the same dining option.  We chose to go on the website and reserve a specific time each night.  When we got to MDR, there was a long line for people who did not make reservations, so I'm glad we did!

I did a LOT of research about this to make sure that I got one that was truly reef safe.  When I went on my snorkeling excursion, the guy in charge told us (right before we got on the pier) that he didn't care what KIND of sunscreen we used and if we didn't apply it already we should then because we weren't allowed to put any on while on the excursion.  I asked if I could use the reef safe sunscreen still.  He said no--no sunscreen.  No reapplications allowed during the excursion-and it was quite a sunny day.  Just FYI for you.  Not sure if you will have a similar experience-just sharing mine.

Has anyone here ever done the Snuba excursion?  If so, where was it? Did you feel secure like the air hose wouldn't get pinched closed?  Did you feel as though you saw better/more things than if you had snorkeled?  Also--did you have to use a scuba regulator in your mouth and could you bring your own? (I have TMJ and would need a special regulator)

How long was the excursion and how long did you get to be underwater at each reef?

Thanks for the info!

I just got back from a Cozumel snorkeling excursion.  I was worried about the same thing.  The only thing we brought with us (besides the snorkel gear since we wanted to use our own) was our sea passes and copies of our passports, a towel from the ship, reef safe sunscreen (even though we were forbidden to use it!), a waterproof camera, and tip money for the tour people.  Nobody messed with our stuff.  The other people were snorkeling right along with us.  Of the crew members, one drove the boat, and 3 were in the water with us, so nobody would have had the chance to steal anything.  We adored our snorkeling excursion! It was amazing! I hope your excursion is wonderful as well!  Have a great holiday!

Hi!  We got back from our Cozumel cruise (Royal Caribbean) a few days ago.  We did the 3 Reef Snorkeling Excursion.  It was amazing!  I highly recommend it!  Here are some details so people might know what to expect if they want to go on it:

We got off the boat and reported to a man under a sign that said the name of the excursion.  He instructed us to wait by Margaritaville.  We stood there for about 25-30 minutes before we were able to go on the excursion. We walked a short distance (equivalent of a residential block or two) past many shops to the pier.  Before we got on the boat, the guy in charge told us that he didn't care what KIND of sunscreen we used, but if we hadn't already applied it, we had to do it then and there because we were not allowed to do any on the boat--even reef safe sunscreen.  I had gotten a lot of reef safe sunscreen in preparation for this outing, so I was disappointed not to be able to reapply as needed since it was a very sunny day.  So we got on the boat.  There was plenty of room for everyone.  We drove a very short way to the first reef.  (To be honest, the 3 reefs we visited were fairly close to one another, and we could see our ship the whole time we snorkeled!)  The first reef was shallow with tons of little fish.  It was so fun once I got the hang of it. (This was my first time snorkeling.  At first, I kept treading water, but then I just relaxed and then I enjoyed things so much more!)  The second was medium depth, and the third reef was the deepest.  There was a photographer there to take pics of us.  They were reasonably priced.  They sent a digital file that had 6-8 pictures plus bonus pictures, and the price was $30 for those.  The purchase was optional.  We chose to buy them because I had a waterproof camera and was unsure of the picture quality.  On the boat, the photographer had a laptop and showed us the ones he took.  The quality was excellent, so we went for it!  Anyhow--we saw so many different fish.  Angel fish, eels, a lobster, a starfish, little curious ones that would come right up to you, ones with yellow stripes, ones as big as a dinner plate that were flat and blue...oh-and at the third reef (the deepest) a freaking barracuda swam right underneath me! 10 feet under!  It was awesome!  A puffer fish swam 15 feet under me!  After the first reef, a man came by and put this milky looking stuff into everyone's snorkel masks then dumped water over that.  He did not do that to mine, because I declined it.  It's noteworthy that the other 2 people that were with me had a lot of fogging after this, but I did not, so maybe it's better to decline the milky concoction? Anyhow- This excursion was so amazing and wonderful!  We are looking forward to our next snorkeling adventure!

3 hours ago, ducklite said:

I think you need to make a list of the cities most important to see, and then based on that we can suggest itneraries.

 

Does your budget also need to include airfare, gratuities, bar tabs, shore excursions, pre and post hotels?  If so, I'm not sure you'll find anything in that price point.

No--I was just meaning for the base price for the tickets.  I assumed the rest would be added on that. 🙂

We have only been to a cruise in Mexico (Pacific side), a Bahama and nearby island cruise,  and will be in a Caribbean (with Coz) one this December.  Other than that, we've only done the USA.  We have not been to Europe before.  We want memorable and pretty things to look at that we can't find anywhere else in the world.  We would love lots of stops so we can see a lot!  A weeklong cruise would be good (give or take a day).  What port we leave from is not important to us, nor is the ship size.  We would only arrive at the port the day before our cruise (unless it was a really great place that had a lot to see).  Most importantly, we would love to EXPERIENCE the destinations and not just run from one photo op to the next or do excursions that we could do in the USA.  We'd like to keep the budget (for 2) probably around the $2000 mark each (or less).  Not sure if I'm dreaming there.  Any feedback is so appreciated! 🙂

We're tentatively planning out our next cruise which we think will be Europe.  There are so many cruise lines from which to pick and so many ports.  It's hard to decide!  What lines and which ports were your favorite and why? TIA! 🙂

2 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

If that is actually what your travel agent said, do you know what time it is?  Time for a new travel agent.

What part is untrue?  I just want to make sure I understand the policy completely. 🙂

So--I just paid the balance for my cruise.  My travel agent said that from the time of booking (deposit) until the time of the cruise, if it's at a lower price, I can get the difference back.  I understand that now that the balance is paid, it would only be available in an onboard credit.

Anyhow--the agent already got $200 knocked off from a sale a few months ago....but what about Black Friday?  Does RC run any Black Friday deals that may get me some onboard credit?  If so, do you know where I would watch out for this at so I could let the agent know to take advantage? THANKS! :)

Does anyone have any pictures of snorkeling or diving they've done in Cozumel?  I'd love to see the gear, the fun, and of course the marine life!  THANKS! :)

17 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Kinda hard to avoid the photographer who shows up at the Flowrider. 

To get especially embarrassing pictures, of course!

On 6/5/2019 at 6:15 PM, wwcruisers said:

Don't know if this is fleet-wide, but when we were on Indy, earlier this year, the racks of photos were gone! In their place, are multiple photo viewing kiosks, where you can view your photos (and only yours), using your SeaPass card. And, of course, if you are just objecting to having your activities interrupted by the ship photographers, a simple 'No thank you' works every time!

We're going on Indy, so this makes me feel better!  I love that the privacy is maintained with the kiosk! 🙂

Hey---I'm not new to cruising, but I my first cruise with Royal Caribbean is around the corner.  I have a question.  One of my pet peeves on cruises is when there are photographers everywhere wanting to take pics.  It makes me feel like they're paparazzi or something.  Also, well, I'm sort of a private person, and I don't enjoy pictures of me being displayed for everyone to see-especially if they don't look flattering.  Does RC do the paparazzi thing?  How and where did you notice the photographers?  How/where/when were their photos displayed?  Were you able to decline having them taken, or were the employees pushy about it?  (I've had before where I politely declined and they were rude and pushy! I know they just want to make money, but they don't realize that I won't buy a picture I dislike.)  I just sort of wanted to know what to expect.  Thanks! 🙂

Hey--Do all cabins have blow dryers? Or maybe no cabins have them?  Just curious if I need to haul mine along or not.  I would like to save as much room in my suit case as possible.  Thanks!

Hi!

Do all cabins have safes? (We're doing Royal Caribbean)  If so, does the combo change every time or can you pick the combo? Or maybe it's a key instead of a combo?

Thanks! 🙂

18 hours ago, brillohead said:

As a redhead with far too many sunburns in my history, as well as too many times where the person putting sunscreen on my back "missed a spot" (did a crappy job of applying), I've taken to wearing both swim leggings and a long-sleeved swim shirt.
 

Where would I find swim leggings?

Hi!  Where can I get those lanyards that people wear on cruises (the ones with their key card and ID etc on them).  I figured maybe I'd get something cheaper and better quality now than if I buy it on the ship.  I saw the actual neck lanyard things even at Party City for a buck, but they don't have those plastic holding things on them. Any advice would be great!  Thanks! 🙂

On 2/12/2019 at 5:05 PM, cruising cockroach said:

 

FYI, you can save yourself a lot by buying from the manufacturer/marketer direct.  They're made for a French-based sports equipment retailer called Decathlon (Tribord is one of their brands).  You can mail order the stuff or buy from the sole store in the U.S. (outside San Francisco).  Price in the U.S. market is USD 28.90

 

https://www.decathlon.com/products/surface-snorkeling-mask-easybreath?adept-product=surface-snorkeling-mask-easybreath&adept_product_id=surface-snorkeling-mask-easybreath&source=search

 

Disclaimer: I have not even tried/trial fitted the above.

DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!! You saved me a bunch of money!  The exact one I was going to buy on Amazon was over $50 and on the link you sent, it was just about $30.  I can't thank you enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Guys!  What's a good "reef safe" sunscreen that you have used and would recommend?  (I am pale and burn quite easily, so I want something reliable!)

Thanks in advance! 🙂

Hi!  My husband, 16 year old daughter, and I will be cruising to Cozumel and want to do a snorkeling excursion that goes to 3 reefs.  Being a noob to snorkeling, I have many questions!

1.  My husband will do a traditional snorkeling set with the kind of tube that won't let water inside of your mouth.  My daughter and I will be getting full face masks.  I have to due to TMJ and the fact that plankton creeps me out. If I got it in my mouth, I would throw up.  Are there any brands you guys would recommend that are decent yet won't break the bank?

2.  I want to get a rashguard for us to prevent sunburns.  The rest of our bodies need sunscreen, but I think you're supposed to use the environmentally friendly stuff, right?  Could you recommend a decent one?

3.  I also want to get a swim belt--one of those sort of floatation devices because I want to spend my energy looking for cool fish etc and not treading water or swimming.  I can swim though--just not the strongest swimmer for long distances etc. I have also seen pictures and video of people snorkeling, and a lot of times it looks like they're treading water with their necks craned downward.  I am not that floaty, so I could see that being me-and I don't want a neck ache after 3 hours of that--so I thought the foam belts that go around your waist would be good.   Do you think the snorkeling tour place will allow those belts?  I know we might look totally dorky, but I figured as long as it helps our experience, all is cool. 🙂

4.  OK--so a few years back when we went on a Disney cruise, we waded along the shore looking for shells. When we returned to the boat, we removed our swim shoes, rinsed them, and sat them in the tub to dry.  The next day, those shoes reeked so bad we had to throw them away.  I sort of figured that little creatures like plankton may have gotten caught in the crevices of the shoes and died making it smelly???? What can we do to prevent that from happening this time? And will it happen with our swim suits and snorkel stuff too? (This would be the first time I would be submerged in the ocean, so forgive my ignorance!)

5.  Should we get ear plugs so the sea water won't go in our ears? Is there a benefit to doing this?

6.  We plan to practice in some pools with the snorkel gear before the cruise.  Having never done it for real before, I'm a little nervous but excited to stretch out of my comfort zone.  Are there any snorkeling tips you could offer to us noobs? 

7.  Could you recommend some decent disposable underwater cameras?  Also---let's say we purchase those disposable cameras...where do we get the pics developed? I didn't even know places developed film anymore.

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂