c-leg5

Never heard of it. google maps puts it at, or next door to, Yaya beach club. Maybe a change of owners? Maybe separate? It doesn’t seem to have a website.

I assume you were wanting anytime dining? Probably would have been easiest to have left well alone and added the couple on the ship since you were only moving from a party of 6 to 8. Have they offered you traditional dining now, or early/late anytime? You could still try to get a vacant slot “ on the ship” but not as easily as if you had had a placeholder.

Excursions are not really dependent on whether you are vacationing on a cruise ship or a land vacation. The difference on how you book depends on whether it is a cruise line contracted excursion or you book through an independent vendor, or third party broker. As others have said it can be the same exact tour. They can still be group tours just the same but not everyone will be from your ship perhaps. Obviously there are also beach breaks etc where you travel solo in a taxi to a location but that isn’t really the same thing. If you do your homework you can find perfectly reputable vendors. I understand the comfort level of meeting and being escorted to and from the ship as a solo but it doesn’t mean an independent excursions don’t include cruisers. Booking through cruise line does limit your options. Many cruisers book through brokers on group tours.

I have never had a problem ordering a glass of water at a bar on Royal, or as others have said you can fill your own cup and carry it from place to place.

OK, quince?

Good to know other cheeses are available. Still surprised at the limited choice of crackers. What is the red square?

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/lifestyle/2021/07/26/serve-cheese-before-after-meal-oklahoma-etiquette-team-dishes-advice/8017016002/

Correct and very much what I prefer. I dislike ordering as an appetizer on other lines and then having it sit there until the end of the meal. Sometimes they will hold it when it is plated and bring it out at the end but this is more difficult and disruptive when it is served from a cart. There is also a meager selection of crackers (cheese biscuits) served on American oriented cruise lines but I noticed this is also seems to be the case on P&O according to recent postings from cruise photos @grapau27. Obviously a high ticket item or may be they have a separate basket of crackers? This is my preference too.

I agree with your assessment to a degree but I do wonder if it is largely populated by land visitors that are avoiding the popular cruise ship locations? You only have to read a handful of posts on the TA Local forum to realize the disdain for cruisers by those who stay on the island. As useful and informative as it is, in many ways, there is a lot of speculation and misinformation regarding cruisers on that forum!

Thanks for the update, certainly more than we would want to pay for a few hours at the beach before snacks. Taxi fares seem to have really sky rocketed as well. I still wonder how official these fares are from the ports and what the charge would be on the official tarifa in the car ( if they can find it!).

It has been years since we went to Palancar- when it was further than the majority of cruisers wanted to travel routinely. I would guess our last visit was getting on for 10 years ago and they were certainly charging for loungers then reportedly. It is possible that perhaps you could strike a deal back then and perhaps the charge is now more mandatory? Is it charged as an entrance fee? Is there any food and beverage credit? $20pp (including children?) with no credit is excessive for Cozumel. As I recall it used to be $15 for two loungers and an umbrella but again that was a long time ago. We just had table and chairs for free, drink and snacks and moved on. I am surprised if land visitors are willing to pay that. We avoided Buccanos on cruise ship visits for several years because of their discriminatory pricing for cruisers but happy to report they have seen sense now and treat everybody equal.

So not a promenade cabin at all? your guarantee is an OV which could be any deck with OV cabins. It comes down to what is important to you- what you want to be close to and how far you are willing to walk; whether you suffer from motion sickness? There are different OV designations and you can only move to one that is the exact same category as assigned, without paying a surcharge.

Yes they have charged for loungers and umbrellas for many years ( I think it used to be $15) unless you hit a slow day but we just take tables and chairs. We have never stayed a whole day at Palancar always part of a drop-in. I think @blue_water and I have similar memories of Palancar of the past. Nice beach, reasonable food but unfortunately has become much busier, expensive and touristy - good for business but not the same ambience.

This is so vague. If you expect people to help you at least try to be more specific. You have posted several vague posts expecting help. People can only help if you provide some DETAILS. Is it even a PROMENADE cabin, or just on that deck? If you can SEE the cabin on a deck plan you can see the number; you can see the location and what is above and below, by the side of it. Why not post these details? I fail to see if it is aft how it can be a promenade cabin unless you mean aft end of the promenade? which deck could make a big difference. You presently have a guarantee cabin so you were presumably satisfied to be assigned any deck, - forward, aft or middle when you chose that? +1 Exactly.

Have you looked at a deck plan or a site that details the different categories? Even you tube video walkthroughs? Deck and location on ship mean different things to different people depending on what is important TO YOU to be close to.

I agree I would be a lot more comfort while staying. Chen Rio isn’t one of my favorites but I wasn’t aware the collective even went that far? I thought it turned round at the end of the transversal. Does it do a complete circular tour? Does it stop anywhere else?

Many reviews and comments if you use the search engine for this forum and several detailed you tube reports. We have taken the “original” bar hop several times and enjoyed. It is well run. Ambience varies depending on fellow guests.

Good to know perhaps the OP will be lucky with the day they are in port? It isn’t an option I would choose on a cruise ship day (maybe on a land visit) but everyone has their own comfort levels. @kad56As an aside, visits to east side for a beach visit are very dependent on season and sargassum. We have cut short visits to some of our favorite places on visits during the summer due to heat and smell. Punta Sur is probably better in that respect but expensive as a solo.

You are absolutely correct there are mini van (bus) routes (colectivos) which run predominantly on set routes around town, and one even out on the transversal, mostly for locals. I am not sure how useful the routes are for most tourists and certainly not something I would want to rely on for a visit to the east side on a cruise ship day. YMMV.

There is no group transport other than a cruise ship, or third party excursion. You could contact people on your roll call and see if anyone wants to form a private group and hire a private driver for the day to take you where you want to go on a customized tour of the east side. The easiest transport and sightseeing on the east side for a single is via the Bar Hop. It is a private tour which meets within walking distance of Punta Langosta which is a popular, well-run tour which, despite its name, is not usually a party bus (although always dependent on who signs up and all bets are off if it is Spring Break!). Unfortunately you are limited to a schedule, you will only have about 45 mins at each location, and you will not visit Punta Sur.

Thanks @Huck Finn Interesting that the official tarifa in pesos is still the one from 2016 when taxi fares were last officially increased as far as I know. Pity that that is only a very small section of it. It would also be interesting to know where he got these from. I notice there is no exchange rate for the port boards despite saying you can pay in pesos.

Is this for January 22 on Sun Princess? Has your schedule changed? I see sun Princess scheduled for 9-7?

+1 From FAQ Q What electrical plug sockets are there on Royal Caribbean ships? A All of our Royal Caribbean ships are equipped with North American standard, 110 volts AC and standard European 220/230 volts AC plug outlets.

Unfortunately that is often the case these days as there often seems to be a problem attaining replacement parts. However there is generally an agreement made with the on board coffee shop under these circumstances. Also for high volume sailings like TA’s and holiday cruises.

@39august Probably a realization that the tiers on both lines have evolved over the years since the initial tier matching, with many cruisers now attaining Pinnacle and a smaller number, Zenith due in part to the much smaller cruise line,with less opportunities regarding ships and itineraries. The disparity between the benefits offered previously on both lines due the previous cap was so large it presented little incentive for top tier cruisers to try the other cruise line. It was similar to choosing to sail on another cruise line which was not “in-house”. Now there is more incentive for those who may have looked elsewhere to stay within the group. You had already changed over regardless of the lack of reciprocal benefits so whilst you will benefit now I don’t think you were the target audience. Whilst the extra benefits are obviously welcome, I don’t share the enthusiasm with regards to “savings”, which are only attained IF you would have purchased those items anyway For the most part, we wouldn’t have purchased them so I just see them as a bonus. Pinnacles seem to be particularly pleased with the new offerings “on paper”. I don’t see the same enthusiasm amongst other Royal tiers, the Celebrity boards in general and certainly not the Silversea cruisers. Glad you are happy with the changes. Who knows what the ulterior motive, or plans are down the road? This may just be a honeymoon phase - no one really knows and perhaps best to just enjoy it while it lasts. . +1