Podie

I had the RR package for my 5 days on Brilliance last week and liked it a lot, will probably get it on Vision this Saturday. Every morning I had 2 or 3 speciality coffee drinks (at least $12), tons of bottled water, and a few non-alcoholic frozen drinks throughout the day. I don't drink carbonated beverages usually, but when it was quite rough on our sea day, I went through several cans of ginger ale. Even with the package, though, I had to sign every single time! They said it was to protect me in case I was charged so I saved all the receipts.

My cabinmate and I used to live in Key West, so while there we just visited friends and ate at Hogfish Grill on Stock Island.

Went back to Nachi Cocum in Cozunel, love their all-inclusive!

I was also on the Nov. 22 Brilliance cruise and was impressed with everything except the casino. Everything is so old and the smoke smell is horrible. There were even ashes laying on things. I spend a lot on gambling on Celebrity because their casinos are quite modern and don't allow smoking.

The two times I was in the solarium, I enjoyed an impromptu "Phantom of the Opera" concert from one of the passengers who had an amazing voice. I didn't get a chance to ask him if he'd been in the show but he was certainly talented enough.

I was super impressed with the food. I'm going on Vision next Saturday and will be pleasantly surprised if the food is that good.

Key West snorkeling and scuba diving have deteriorated greatly in the last 10-20 years - so much so that I will never snorkel or dive there again. People new to snorkeling tell me they thought it was great, but much of the coral is dead and there are more fish in the Bahamas than you'll see on a boat trip to the reefs off Key West. So my vote goes to the Bahamas over Key West, but you will not have good beach snorkeling anywhere.

Does anyone know if these cabins have their sofabed next to the balcony or next to the bathroom or do they alternate the design every other cabin? Is there room to get by the sofa when it is pulled out and made up?

Just left Brilliance this morning and was very pleased with the cruise and the fact that I'll be on her again in January! The food in the dining room was very good, the staff was great, Giovanni's Table was excellent, and the 5 day Key West and Cozumel cruise was well done. We stood on deck 13 going under the Sunshine Skyway and I was sure something was going to hit - we were that close! It took us from 4 pm to 6:20 to get to the bridge so of course it was dark already but still a great experience.

I will be boarding her this Saturday and hope I have good news to report afterward!

Definitely take the ship's excursion in Belize. They use Hugh Parkey, a very professional operation with big boats. They will divide you into a group of 6 by experience. We dove with Daniel and had a great time! It's just so much easier than messing with the tendering because they do pick you up at the ship. We also carry our own gear and have used Hugh Parkey many times. The dives tend to be a bit shorter (40-45 min) but the sites are good. Last time our group was mostly very experienced so we squeezed 55 minutes out of each dive.

 

Roatan we really liked Barefoot divers -- 10 minutes from Mahogany Bay. We were the only two on the boat with two dive masters and the captain. Needless to say it was awesome! We used Subway last fall and weren't as impressed, mainly because the sites had very few fish and it took a while to get to their shop. Plus, they were quite expensive in our opinion. If you are arriving in Coxen Hole in Roatan then one of the West End dive shops are an option as well. We have used the ship's excursion here (Anthony Keys) but we much prefer our own operator at this port. The dives were short and unimpressive IMHO.

Subway is charging me $90 for two dives including transportation to and from the port. What does Barefoot charge?

Being an avid scuba diver, I spend a lot of time in Belize. Going to Caye Caulker on your own is doable but it would be easy to miss the ship on the way back if schedules aren't followed - which often happens. I think Island Marketing may have a Caye Caulker excursion where they handle the travel. That might be a better way to go. Otherwise, just remember you have to take a 25-30 minute tender from the ship to the port, the ferry (and I think you have to take a taxi to it), which is a 90 minute ride to Caye Caulker. So at the minimum you're looking at 5 hours of travel both ways. It makes for a long day.

Legally, no. But I have brought a bag with several bottles of water and a few bottles of soda and gotten it through as a carryon.

I always rent an apt overlooking Campo dei Fiori and am also a Bank of America customer. The closest one to the Campo is at Largo Argentina, across from the enormous bookstore that I of course can't remember the name of! But be aware they DO charge foreign transaction fees now! It used to be a great savings but now all you save is the ATM fee of about $5. I switched to a USAA debit card right before my June 2014 trip when I learned this.

If traveling from Rome to Siena, the bus is much easier than the train as the bus station is right in downtown Siena and the train station is quite a hike. Also, you have to switch trains but the bus is a direct 3, 3.5 hours.

Siena and Lucca are my two favorite towns in Italy. Pisa was a waste of time. San Gimignano is also very nice. I have rented many cars in Italy and the only bad experience (make that terrible experience) I've had is with Hertz.

This is all very helpful, but when I was on Equinox in March, they allowed several men wearing shorts into the MDR on formal night. I'm not big on dressing up, but I find that to be a real shame.

Has anyone done the Catamaran and snorkeling excursion thru Island Marketing? Or anything through Island Marketing? I'm trying to find a snorkeling excursion for my son and his girlfriend while I'm scuba diving, and Island Marketing's seems very good..

I have already reserved Subway after my daughter and son-in-law had a great experience with them.

I agree, it depends on the maturity of the child. When my son was almost 13, I brought him with me on two weeks of Navy duty in Hawaii (where he was born). I left him at the military hotel on the beach each day while I went to work. I let several people in the hotel know he was there alone. He did just fine. He was a late sleeper and a tennis player, so he got up in time for lunch each day, played tennis (he became a valued doubles partner!), rented movies and watched them in the room, and was ready to hang out with me when I returned at 5 pm each day. I think a cruise ship is safer than a hotel on the beach.

I suggest you try out a Freedom Class (Independence, Freedom, or Liberty), or the Oasis/Allure. These are much newer/bigger ships with a lot more to do on board. Sounds like lounging about on sea days is not your thing... those larger ships have a lot more to offer.

 

I have smelled that sewer smell on every ship we've ever sailed on, except for the Liberty of the Seas. I've never considered it overpowering, or affecting my cruise.

 

One suggestion that has already been made - when you book your next cruise (on any line), check the deck plans and see what is both above, and below the staterooms. Stay away from the late night noise makers like bars, lounges etc. I've also read people mention that if they are below the pool deck, or the Windjammer - there is some noise in the middle of the night as crews clean up and move chairs around.

I have just started trying out RCCL from Celebrity and have to comment I have never smelled a sewer odor or any other offensive odor on any of the Celebrity ships. So it is not something a cruise ship HAS to have and it will be a BIG turnoff for me if I encounter it.

Thanks Podie. We won't be doing any scuba, in fact it's probably going to be just beach for us that day. How would you rate the beach and are there any facitilites (ie washrooms, food etc) at Water Caye? If we wanted to do some snorkelling, do you know if they provided equipment or if there was equipment available?

There were restrooms which were fine, and a couple of different food items available. There wasn't any decent snorkeling off the beach but I think you could get equipment.

Holly at Subway said West Bay Beach has the nicest water and it's about 15 minutes by taxi from Coxen Hole - does that sound correct? I would rather store my stuff on the ship and then meet my son and his girlfriend on a beach afterward.

First of all, the ride to the tourist village at the port is about 25 minutes on a large, fast boat. Then there is a level sidewalk providing access to lots of shops and The Wet Lizard, a bar/restaurant owned by people from Georgia. A few opportunities to buy local stuff.

I can only tell you that the Celebrity snorkeling excursion where they picked us up at the ship was horrible, we were packed in like the proverbial sardines. I go to Belize for scuba diving regularly and the reef on the Water Caye excursion was not that good. Goff's Key is supposed to be better.

I am a scuba diver and will be diving in the morning with Subway Watersports. After I'm done and I've put my gear back on the ship, any recommendations for a beach not too far from the Coxen dock?

Best way I have found is to leave the dress clothes at home :)

I retired from the Navy Reserve in 2003 - so maybe that's why you and I think exactly alike!

When I tubed in Belize last year, they had us keep our stuff on the bus. We were in a very remote area and the bus driver stayed with the bus so no one had a problem.