CavePearl

I understand your concern. But, keep in mind that tourists are a small part of the pharmacy business in Cozumel. Local doctors send their own patients to the pharmacies for medications. This past December we took a land vacation to Cozumel for nine days, and I had to see a doctor while we were there. He told me what to get, and I just asked at the pharmacy counter.

 

If you know the dosage of the medication you need, just ask at the counter if they have it. We have used Mexican pharmacies many times. (We've never bought any medications from shops along the way, just at the actual Farmacias.) We've found the prices are quite reasonable.

 

You shouldn't worry about contamination. Reputable pharmacies sell factory sealed medications labeled in Spanish. It isn't at all the same as buying street drugs that come from who-knows-where. Farmacias don't want to kill off their customers - it's bad for business! 🙂

Thank you all for the input! You've been very helpful, and it sounds like the consensus is that with all the changes the last few years some things are still the same. We were wondering if the cutbacks might have changed more than just menus. Now we know!

52 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

I hear ya.  Just play around with it and discover.  I don't think you can break anything.  For me, the fun is finding out new features that I didn't know exists and there are a lot of helpful people in this forum.  

 

When you first login, at the bottom of the screen you will see the buttons for "Dining", "Excursions", "Beverages", and so on.  Tap the "Dining" button and pick the venue(s) you want.  If you scroll down to the bottom of the description of the venue, it MAY have the option to see the full and current menu.  It's been a while for me so I'm not too sure what if any has changed.  Good luck and most of all, ENJOY THE CRUISE!

 

Thank you! We are really looking forward to our return to cruising. Our last time was on the cute little Majesty of the Seas out of NOLA, Feb 2020. We got back home several days before the world locked down. It's been so long and there have been enough changes that we feel a bit like newbies!

5 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

When is your cruise?  It may, I say again may be too early to post detailed menus.  I don't cruise until Jan 2024 and it doesn't show any menu, even for the Specialty restaurants, just general descriptions.  

We leave this Saturday on the Adventure. We've cruised a lot in the past (we are D+), but this is our first time using the app, and our first cruise post-covid. So, we are in learning mode!

26 minutes ago, KyleDefends said:

The best way to plan in advance is to download the app.  The app has all of the menus for every day in the dining room.

 I checked the app before I posted this question, but only found dinner options. Perhaps I looked in the wrong place?

Next week we are on our first cruise since the lockdowns, and look forward to seeing what changes have been made.  In the past we enjoyed breakfast and lunch in the dining room. Do they still offer this an option?

In 2000, my parents mentioned that they were taking a 14-day transatlantic cruise on Splendor of the Seas. We’d never cruised before, but my husband and I invited ourselves anyway. It was love at first sight, and cruising became one of our favorite vacations.

 

(Side totally-random story follows... ☺️)

 

My parents cruised a lot after my dad retired in the late 80s. They were never really "loyal" to any specific cruise line, and their favorite size ships were “the-smaller-the-better” class, so you can imagine the size of the staterooms. And always interiors. Always. They really enjoyed Commodore, and I remember how surprised to find out they were something called “Diamond” on Royal Caribbean!  Anyway, which ship may not have been important, but they were always very clear about how they never saw any reason whatsoever to pay for anything but the cheapest cabin since after all, they were rarely in it. (I heard that speech more than once!)

 

After my aunt retired in the 90s she started cruising with them. And I mean with them… together in one interior cabin! They cruised and traveled the world as a “threesome,” which gave a lot of people a lot of laughs - and the three of them milked it for everything it was worth. Their joy in meeting new people and just living was something to behold, and we were blessed to join them on many occasions. My parents have gone on now, and my dear aunt is 96 years old. She still laughs when she reminisces about their adventures.

 

When I grow up, I want to be just like them.

 

On 8/27/2022 at 12:58 PM, davekathy said:

That's what you get when you cruise with Holland America. 😁

I can't tell you how many Holland America jokes we heard!

I never used to have an opinion one way or the other. I had followed threads about favorite CDs on here, and then several years ago on one of our transpacific cruises we had a CD who was considered to be one of the “best” by many cruisers. We were so excited to finally sail with this person to see why he was so popular.

 

Our excitement was short-lived however, when on the second or third night of the cruise immediately after the comedy show, the CD announced that he would not be bringing the comedian back for a late night adult performance because “most of the guests on the ship were older cruisers.” What???

 

Okay. We assumed maybe it was just a lame attempt at a joke and he's going to clear it up on his 'clever' (which he was noted for) morning show? Nope. The next morning he stated again that the late night comedy, as well as other late evening activities would not occur. He even acknowledged that he had received many questions about such activities and that he would not be offering them. Then every morning after that on his show, he confirmed that he did not like being on a cruise with so many older cruisers and his “jokes” mocked the very guests he was supposed to welcome. Basically, he expected all of us to be in bed by 9:00pm, and his entire daily agenda reflected it.

 

Fortunately, that's not why we cruise. We book long cruises for the experience of ocean voyages, so activities aren't that important to us anyway. But in this case - yes, it affected (but we didn't allow it the opportunity to ruin) our cruise. The CDs attitude was terrible, and it's no wonder he hid for the entire trip.

 

Insulting old people who pay your salary probably isn't the best of ideas.

 

1 hour ago, gammite said:

 

This doctors opinion is very inadequate and uninformed in light of the facts that have been presented by what is actually going on right now that we can literally see with our own eyes around the world.  

 

I can appreciate the doctor's attempt to be optimistic in light of this current situation.  But we can literally see what is happening around the world.  His educated "opinion" does not coincide with the facts that we can see.

 

Covid-19 is very infectious and it is irresponsible to pretend that everything should proceed as normal.

 

Do you want someone that has been exposed to Covid-19 to come in contact with your elderly parents or loved ones considering that the elderly population is more susceptible to complications from the virus?  Even doctors of young age have succumbed from Covid-19

 

There should be no run on masks, hand sanitizer, bleach, bath tissue, etc.  That is ridiculous.  But to pretend that this is business as usual is purely irresponsible. 

 

It will be interesting to see how people who have a cavalier attitude regarding this pandemic will respond once it hits their neighborhood.

 

 

Are you an infectious disease specialist Gammite? You sound like you have information other than what we read in the media. We would all appreciate it if will provide us with actual data rather than speculation. 

FYI
We booked a last minute cruise for March, and Maya Chan was full. Since we have been there multiple times, they said they would fit us in to "best available." While we love Maya Chan, we are familiar with the resort and know where the overflow area is, so we were afraid we wouldn't get a great spot.
So, we just booked Almaplena for three people on April 2 for $177 USD.  They responded to my inquiry almost immediately, and are highly rated in reviews. The photos show a quaint resort, so I imagine if you are looking for luxury this might not be your choice. But as for us... We are quite ready for another adventure!
After we get back I'll come on here to give our review. 🙂

We are just off the Majesty (January 11th sailing), and Tornado Tanya announced it was her last night on the ship. She said she is moving to Ovation.

On 4/3/2019 at 5:39 AM, marylizcat said:

We have booked this excursion with RCI and it includes a buffet lunch. I wondered whether anybody else had done this tour and could comment on the lunch? It would probably be the same whichever cruise line you were with, as they use the same operators.

We took this tour a while back with Royal, and our buffet was local cuisine featuring Paella as the main course. Spanish wines were abundant. The biggest thing for us was how long it was. We were the last ones back - they had to hold the ship for us!

Two years ago we drove the entire road to Hana in a rental car. (Shhhh. It will be our little secret) It was fabulous! Yes, a little scary when we headed around "the other side," but just check the weather, go slow, and you will probably be all right. We absolutely loved the drive, and did it in one (long) day. I say go for it!

Anyway, to each his own. I do find it amusing that many of the same people who get irate if someone says they don't like the casual dress these days, remarking with "it's my cruise, why do you care?" Are the same people here who watch the "parade of diamonds" laughing and degrading people for taking a glass or two of wine to dinner. It's "their cruise, why do you care?"

 

No "laughing and degrading" going on here. We are also diamonds, one cruise away from D+, and we have been in the parade ourselves. We have taken a glass of wine or two or three with us to dinner. It is actually possible to smile at others like us and be amused without being insulting.

We were on the Jewel TA as well. We only went into the Safari/Diamond cocktail hour once, but that's because we had a drink package and had no need of the "free" drinks. One of our favorite evening activities was sitting in the Schooner after dinner and watching what we fondly call "The Diamond Parade." :D You know... all the passengers with two glasses of wine moving from the lounge to the dining room? It's wonderfully entertaining! To us everyone looked quite happy leaving the lounge.

 

Anyway, we didn't find a thing lacking, and were very impressed with the way all guests were treated on this ship. My thinking on this thread is that the OP has DYKWIA Syndrome. It happens.

Question for those of you who've done it... how much cash do you recommend we bring? I paid our $27 per person deposit and I know we must bring $30 per person cash to pay the remainder. But then how much should we bring for drinks and food? And should we plan to tip the driver?

 

We've done the Bar Hop twice, and will absolutely do it again! How much money you need depends on how much you eat and drink. Beer wasn't much, mixed drinks were higher. We took about $100 USD for 2, plus tipped $20 to our host and $10 for the driver.

 

My recommendation is to just take more than you think you'll need, and take it home if you don't use it.

I've heard the ship's orchestra many years ago used to be bigger -- 11 or more pieces instead of 9. (I think the oasis class still has 11 pieces, right?)

 

RCI is cutting out a some of the fun for me. My last 2 Navigator cruises have not had:

* Singing waiters. I always enjoyed O Sole Mio, and for Texas cruises "Deep in the Heart of Texas".

* Final song "Until We Meet Again" and curtain call for the crew the last night in the theater. I don't know why this has been cut out.

 

But kudos to RCI for keeping most of the live music. Carnival has cut this way back. It is the live music mostly that keeps me loyal to Royal.

 

A couple of weeks ago on the Nav we were all singing along with our waiters as they serenaded us with Deep in the Heart of Texas. Some of us more loudly than others. :D

We were on a recent private snorkeling excursion and we used floating "noodles." The boat captain said they would be easier to use than the vests, and after trying them I agree completely. My husband is a big guy and it worked great for him, too. Maybe you can find out if they offer them instead of vests?

It's fascinating to read about your experience "back in the day." Do you recall having a "formal" night? If so, what did the passengers wear?

 

We dressed up every night. Men always wore suits and women wore dresses or evening pants. In the early 70's women were just beginning to "find" ourselves, so it was fashionable for young liberated women like us to wear pants for formal attire. (Some of the older women found it quite inappropriate, which made me love it all the more.) On formal night most men wore tuxes. Ruffled shirts were just starting to be popular with the younger men. Women went all out, many wore long formals. And, we stayed dressed the whole evening.

 

I am going to go find my old cruise photo albums! I know I have some pictures from that first cruise.

This has been a fun thread, and I would love to share my memories of the “good old days.” But to do so I shall seriously date myself.

 

The year was 1972, and it was my first cruise. I honestly can’t remember the cruise line. I didn’t even know there was more than one at the time. We sailed from Ft. Lauderdale and there were at least two ports of call, San Juan and St. Thomas.

 

A girlfriend and I worked as waitresses all year to save enough money to pay for a bunk in the women’s “dorm” room on the ship. The small room housed 8 women, and all shared a bathroom. It was the only way we could afford to go, so we were okay with it. Then, we thought we had won the lottery when we got on the ship! We were told that there we the only two single women on board so they would put us in a private room. The room was the size of a small walk-in closet, but we loved it. (I actually have photos of this cruise somewhere. If I ever find them I’ll scan them and post them here.)

 

The dining room. Oh, the beautiful dining room. There were 6 of us at our table, and the sommelier was there every night, suggesting wines for each course. There were at least six courses. I had never seen such beautiful food. Dessert was served from a tray to our plate. I tried my first (and last) caviar.

 

One day the passengers made costumes from items found on the ship. That night there was a passenger fashion show, and my friend draped a bedspread over her shoulder and used cocktail stirrers to create a crown. She won a bottle of champagne for her Statue of Liberty costume.

 

The hot spot on the ship was the small lounge where the British Band played Girl From Ipanema at least 10 times each night. I don’t remember any other entertainment except guest singers and one comedian.

 

The ship had one very small swimming pool, and spent a lot of time broiling myself. There weren’t very many young people on the ship, and I loved it that the older ladies frowned at my friend and I because we were wearing (very modest) bikinis. Ah, the pleasures of youth.

 

Probably the most interesting part of the cruise was our stop in San Juan. I can’t remember if we stayed the night or just until very late in port, but we were in port long enough that my friend and I went to a nightclub in town with cruise staff as our dates. My date was the sommelier. We had dinner then danced the night away to Latin Music. While we were in town at the nightclub, the San Juan locals were on the ship dancing to Girl From Ipanema.

I am so glad I clicked on this thread! Until I read it I would never have even considered taking extra corks for a tablemate's whine. I am [I]so [/I]going to start this tradition on my next cruise. But I would never ask the waiter to put a cork in their whine... I would much rather do it myself! :D

Is it true RCI no longer provides Shampoo (not even a dispenser in the shower?)

HOW CHEAP!

I use a small fan and use an extension cord for it to sit om my bedside table to blow on my face to sleep. I read they confiscate extension cords.

 

True? False? :eek:

 

We have taken the same extension cord on every cruise we have ever been on, but when we were on the Vision in December it was confiscated. I heard that fans were also taken away, but I don't know that from personal experience.

 

There was no shampoo dispenser in the shower, bar soap was provided. Since I prefer my own hair products, it was no big deal to me. :)

Maybe I could buy a new phone, but I would NEVER switch to Coke. :)

 

Come on. All the cool kids are doing it... :cool:

Buy a new phone and switch to Coke,

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Made me LOL :D

 

My suggestion is to enjoy being disconnected for a while. It's good for the soul!