CavePearl

I've really enjoyed this thread! We are going on our first B2B over the holidays, and many of our questions have been answered here.

We'll be in two different cabins. We're doing an inside the first week and will do our shore excursions then. The second week we have a corner aft. I probably won't leave the balcony. :D

We don't do the lying on the beach thing either and rain doesn't dampen our fun. We consider it part of the adventure. One of our all-time favorite trips was on the Yucatan to the ruins at Coba. It poured down rain the whole time and we had the place mostly to ourselves. We felt like Indiana Jones. :D

Coconuts is mostly enclosed, so rain won't affect you at all other that going up the stairs and inside. I imagine the view will still be awesome. Playa Bonita would be fine, too.

If it were me, I would ignore the forecast and just go with it!

Aww I was looking forward to a review comparing the two.

 

My BF and are currently trying to decide if we should do the bar hop or a private taxi tour and just pick out a couple of stops (Coconuts and Playa Bonita?). My main concern with the bar hop was that I also wanted to go to Mr. Sancho's to try out the fish foot spa thing. If the bus drops us back off at 3, would we have enough time to go, do it, and then make our boat at 6:30? The fish thing takes about 20-30 minutes. I worry it's too rushed.

Oops. I forgot my comparison review!!

We loved the private tour. Our driver was excellent, and the day was perfect. We ended up going to Coconuts for lunch and had a great time. The Bar Hop tour was there at the same time and were also having a great time - some of them having a really great time. :D

Our driver took us where we asked, offered some great suggestions and gave us a terrific overview of the island. He asked us up front about our time frame and was very reliable and sure we got back to the pier when we said we wanted to be back. He would have taken us to several bars/restaurants, but we decided to hang out a while at Coconuts.

As for a comparison, both experiences were awesome. They were just entirely different. One was a cultural day, the other a party. I would do either one again in a heartbeat.

That said, a driver for the day will make sure you have plenty of time for the fishie treatment, and he'll even wait for you while you have your toes nibbled.

On the other hand, the Bar Hop will make sure you have a fun time with the group and will make sure you safely get back to the pier in plenty of time to get to the ship. Once they drop you off you're on your own to make sure you can even see the ship to get on it. :eek:

So, I guess it comes down to what you really want to accomplish in your day. Does this help?

Might necessitate a phone call......

 

/runs from room and hides.....

LOL. I'd hide too!

I read a few months ago about a similar situation, unfortunately I only remember the resolution not the thread : trick is to unlink the consecutive cruises on-line. Once final has been made they can be linked up again....

I might try this. Now I just have to figure out how to do it. :p

Wrong. See #6 on my list. Up until 4 years ago we didn't know they existed.

 

 

 

Sorry you're having so much difficulty. Last time I had communication with my CVP was a year ago so perhaps their system changed since then. I'll be sorry if it does. At that time our CVP always had a back up name to reach if she was not available personally. Since we're still in temporary drydock I had no reason to be in touch since that time.

I would like to think the system hasn't changed, but I'm afraid it probably has. I used to have a great CVP too, and was sorry when I was told he was gone. I asked to speak with the rep who had taken his accounts, and that's when I was told they don't do that any more. (It's possible of course that if a different CSR answered I might have heard another story, but it's what I was told at the time.)

The person I talked to this time was very nice and helpful, so I have no complaints there at all. My complaint is with the fact that I can't call him back. I just have to settle for whomever answers the phone. And, I don't like it at all that I can't see my balance or make payments online!

I hope it changes back again by the time you are finished with drydock. :)

Why we use RCI Certified Vacation Planners:

 

1. Emails answered within 24 hours or less

 

2. Their own phone extensions make correspondence and payments easy

 

3. I still control my own booking online

 

4. When informed, RCI CVPs make all necessary changes regarding price drops and or upgrades after final payment

 

5. More secure than dealing with an IT Dept whose accuracy seems to be questionable.

 

6. Cause MerionMom told us to and we are grateful for that ;)

When I called "my" CVP this weekend I was told he had left. I asked who I would be working with in the future and the representative told me they were no longer assigning them so I would just work with whoever answered the phone!

The CVP booked the second cruise for my b2b, linked the two together and now I can pay for the new one he booked online but not for the first reservation. The first reservation was booked onboard with a loyalty ambassador and using a NCC, and I could make payments online. After the two were linked I can no longer make online payments for the first reservation, and I can't see how much I still owe.

This is crazy.

Our recent port stop on RCCL's Liberty of the Seas was in Cozumel. On a previous cruise we enjoyed the "Cozumel Bar Hop" (which we heartily recommend) but this time decided to book a driver for the day through Tours Plaza. We chose Tours Plaza after reading the great reviews on Cruise Critic and Trip Advisor, and we were not disappointed! Leo was our driver, and gave us a wonderful tour of the island. We told him we were interested in the history of the island, and he gave us a rich account and then told us about everyday life in Cozumel today. We only had a couple of activities on our "must do" list, and he made sure we did those things and then filled our day with other great suggestions. He had us back at our ship at exactly the time we requested. I can absolutely recommend the company and especially Leo!

We are thinking about booking the Bar Hop on our next Cruise. We will be on the Triumph and will be in Cozumel from 9 am to 4 pm. Has anybody done this excursion in this time frame? I was hoping to have a little shopping time before or after, is there time for that? I don't want to be one of those people that has to run for the ship at last moment. Thank you for your help.

Yes, there is time for shopping if you can still function afterwards. :D

The bus will drop you off at the pier which has a shopping area, or you can ask to be dropped off downtown. If you choose downtown you'll have to take a cab back to the pier. The Bar Hop people are very aware of your ships schedule and will keep their bus on schedule. Since you are not in Cozumel very long you might want to go straight to the pier to shop so you don't end up worrying about getting back in time. Plus, it helps you avoid the last minute "Running of the Drunks."

FYI - We loved the bar hop, and we're not kids. ;-) We would absolutely do it again.

On our April cruise, we've decided to hire a cab for the day and do our own version of the bar hop. I'll come back and post a review of it after I compare the two!

I also sent RC a note about this, but thought I would add here for other's benefit, and maybe someone from RC will notice this message here as well.

 

The final show on every other ship we have been on, they do the usual bit where the CD pumps the cruise video and tells some jokes. The singers and dancers and sing that "until we meet again" song and representatives of the various departmenets come up on stage.

 

On our 12/26 cruise on Brilliance, the final night show was more like a talent variety show. The orchestra was set up like something from Larwence Welk :eek:. With other entertainers added from the bands that perform in the centrum and the pub guitarist. They did lots of different kinds of music, including a tribute to John Williams (one of my favourite modern composers). The singers and dancers did join the show further on (the only time I had seen them on stage for the whole cruise). Overall much more entertaining.

 

Has anyone else seen this kind of show? I was kind of wondering if it was CD Clodagh O'Connor's idea, since she seems to do things a little diferent.

We were on the same cruise as you (I was with Santa Claus :D,) and liked the closing show more than on any other ship. We almost didn't go because we expected the same ol' same ol'. Surprised us! ... We really enjoyed Hello Clo, too!

I just got back from a 5-night cruise, so I thought I might jump in here. Well, after two knee replacements I'm actually not jumping - but walking is sure a lot less painful :p

Recently I had both knees replaced. (FYI - I'm 59 years old.) My right knee was Sept. 23rd, and my left was Nov. 18th. My right knee seemed so easy and pain free (I went back to work at 4 weeks) that I was really anxious to get the second one done.

Then I actually had the left one done. Oh my goodness. What an entirely different experience!! The pain was far worse. Range of motion was half that of the first. Only yesterday was I able to sleep without pain meds for the first time. I think I am doing really well, but I also still have a ways to go. I will go back to work next week and even though I've had more time off with this second knee, I am anxious about how well I will do.

Anyway, one month and two days after the second surgery we were on the Brilliance of the Seas. I enjoyed the cruise very much! But - I also used the cruise as part of my therapy. I walked slowly and used my cane. I took full advantage of the recumbent bike in the fitness center and did my exercises in the room.

We didn't get off the ship at Grand Cayman but did in Cozumel. I was able to walk an estimated mile and a half, but came back to the ship absolutely exhausted. (However, a foo-foo drink made the exhaustion more tolerable. ;))

My advice is to simply listen to your own body. I did what I was capable of doing, and didn't try to push myself any farther. Yes, it made my cruise different than in the past, but it didn't diminish my experience at all.

OP, with four months ahead of you I think you will have a wonderful goal to work towards! Just don't overdo it. Your knee will let you know what you need to do to help yourself on your trip.

Just back from Cozumel. Nothing anywhere close to the International Pier...

I typically research where the ship will dock or tender, get the GPS coordinates and then run a pocket query of 100 caches near those coordinates filtering out puzzle, mystery & multi-caches. Load the query into my Garmin 60CSx and take it on the trip. Usually find 1-5 caches per port depending on excursions I take. Virtual caches are great on cruises if you can find them...

That's exactly how we do it, except we leave in the multi-caches. Once on a transAtlantic cruise we found a wonderful multi-cache that took us on a walking tour of Funchal, Portugal. It turned out to be one of the highlights of our entire trip.

As for the OP's question about Cozumel, last time we went on a tour to the east side of the island and found several caches. This time we will look for some closer to port. When do you leave? We can report back if we have any luck.

(Duh, just saw on your counter that you leave in January. If we come across any close to port next week we'll check back in.)

Nope, I just googled it. The fact that he had the necklace and the porthole was serendipity. :)

That's funny. So pink boa Andy belongs to a geocacher from afar!

Actually, Andy was the original Pink Boa Cruiser, He is quite the travel bug! Here he is enjoying his first porthole.

 

 

So can I "discover" your travel bug since you posted the picture? :)

I don't think it's just booking with rewards points/certificate that is the problem. I think it may be any certificate or discount.

My cruise is fully paid and still shows on the summary page that I owe $80.00. When I called to ask about it I was told that I show in their records as paid in full. The CSR said it was probably my senior discount not showing up. I asked to have a copy of their document emailed to me which they did. I hope that's enough when time to sail. Since I still have a while to go I'll check back with them a couple of days before just to make sure.

Good for you, that is the spirit!! I hope to sail with you someday! :)

Well you can. Just fit the Liberty in your list for April! You have most of the other ships listed. What's one more? ;)

Yes!! That is a great cabin location! You will love it!

Congratulations on snagging that one.

 

And congratulations also on your brand new knees! Will all be worth it.

Enjoy that Bloody Mary...you deserve it! ;)

Okay, now I'm really excited! It sounds like we got a real Christmas present with this aft. I'm traveling with Santa Claus, so both of us shall prop our feet up... sip Bloody Marys and watch the world sail away! :D

Which one did you get? My favorite is 9256, which is an end wrap with huge balcony!

JS cabin #1100 is even bigger.

 

I really like the aft cabins on the Radiance series the best. They have great

views! :)

 

Enjoy your first aft experience! :D

We're in 8170. I can't imagine getting so lucky as to get an end wrap!

We've never been on Radiance class. We've been on everything else though. (Except the "sailing city" ships - we have no interest in that size.)

Off topic... this cruise is to celebrate my Christmas present of two brand-new knees. I'll be five weeks out. My biggest concern is that I have to walk a little further to get my morning bloody-Mary! :p

We had a balcony booked for our upcoming Christmas cruise and when I went back to look again - an aft balcony had opened up. We've never had an aft before, so I can't wait to see what the "hooplah" is all about! :D

The explanation we've been given when we asked crew members why there's not an RCI ship sailing out of Galveston year-round is that on-board spending is significantly lower on Texas cruises than on those departing from other ports.

 

Let's face it, we all know cruiselines make their biggest profit from bars & casinos...so no matter how many cabins we fill, RCI says we just ain't drinkin" & gamblin' enough! Come on, Texans, we don't want to be in second place. We gotta show RCI we can lose just as much money in their smoky casinos as Floridians can!

You didn't mention a need to keep up with the Floridians in the drinkin' category. Does this mean us Texicans can stand proud as doin' plenty of that? :D