Ron_L

Boarding starts at approximately 11:30 for most ships. We like to get to the port early so we can get on board as soon as possible. It feels like we are starting our vacation early :D

He sent me a similar reply. He went further to say you'll be refunded and/or given an option to receive a discount if this happens again. It sounds like he's a little peeved about this post, lol. I'm booking, just waiting for him to send the Paypal receipt.

 

I'm looking forward to visiting this place!

Mark and Jane are good people and they will take care of their customers. Even if there is another problem with water quality in the future the whole experience is very relaxing and the staff, food and drinks make it worth the cost! We can't wait to get back and we're planning on going again on our Jan 2017 cruise.

Also wanted to thank Ron L for the great thoughts on Maya Key since we've been considering it for our day with the 3 year old along this time. Thought she'd enjoy it and the snorkeling sounds great there! When you go this next time, would you come back and let us know what the latest tender time to shore was/is? I've read that you can make this excursion longer than the 4 hours stated. Thanks

I will. I think the latest that you can stay on the island will be dictated by when it gets dark this time of year.

I'm not worried. I received this from Mark at Maya Chan this morning...

Yesterday, we had floating guests, bar service in the water and kayaking all day long. Semernat, which is the Mexican Environmental Agency has not allowed anyone in Costa Maya to work in the water since its Turtle season. We are awaiting a guidebook on what they will allow all of us to do. But, we are managing better than most in our region.

Please post a review when you get back. Can't wait to be there in 2 months

I will! Pictures, too :D

We are going a month from today.Wondering if I should cancel.

I think it will be fine! Mark and his crew will do all that they can to get things cleaned up and the food and drinks will be great as always!

We'll be there on the 19th so I can give you an update when we get back.

Sargasso (sea grass) has been a huge problem throughout the Caribbean this year. The beaches along the Mayan Riviera are piled with it and the resorts have been doing their best to deal with it. Plus, Mark at Maya Chan e-mailed the other day to say that they had 20" of rain a little over a week ago, so I am sure that contributed to the water issues.

 

Either way we're going to be there in a couple of weeks and will have a great day!

Just an update..

I just exchanged e-mails with Mark and they are doing everything they can. Mother Nature is slowly cleaning the water up and they are not allowed to do anything until the authorities give all of them options on how to mitigate. As I mentioned, they had a tropical disturbance that dumped 20 inches of rain in 24 hours.

I just exchanged e-mails with Mark and they are doing everything they can. Mother Nature is slowly cleaning the water up and they are not allowed to do anything until the authorities give all of them options on how to mitigate. As I mentioned, they had a tropical disturbance that dumped 20 inches of rain in 24 hours.

I think I will try Maya Key or just head to Bananarama or use Victor Bodden instead. For almost $100 pp and only 3 hours there, that is some pretty expensive snorkelling and food. I don't even care much about the food since we can always eat lunch/late breakfast onboard with such a late arrival!!

We'll be at Maya Key in two weeks so I can give you a report, but we were there in 2009 and had a fantastic day! the snorkeling is amazing!

DH and I have been debating about whether or not to get off of the ship in Roatan.

Roatan is a beautiful island! It would be a shame to miss it. Places along the West End like Bananarama that gbp11 mentioned are safe and easy to get to. LFK normally gets great reviews so I am disappointed that coffeeaddiction had issues. We thought about going there for our upcoming cruise but because of the short time in port we opted to go to Maya Key instead.

Maya Key is a private island that is a 5 minute boat ride from the pier. The excursion is now through NCL and you pick up the shuttle boat to the island right at the pier so you don't have to leave the secured area if you don't want to. They have a nice pool, beach, animals and fantastic snorkeling.

 

I don't think even those in Costa Maya know exactly why the seagrass is so bad. We got LOTS of different answers from everyone we asked. Some say recent tropical storms, but others said it was an unnaturally terrible year for the sea grass in general. As we drove in the taxi, all the beaches just seemed totally trashed. Some blamed Patricia, others said Patricia had nothing to do with it. I'm sure it was a combination of many things.

 

Sargasso (sea grass) has been a huge problem throughout the Caribbean this year. The beaches along the Mayan Riviera are piled with it and the resorts have been doing their best to deal with it. Plus, Mark at Maya Chan e-mailed the other day to say that they had 20" of rain a little over a week ago, so I am sure that contributed to the water issues.

Either way we're going to be there in a couple of weeks and will have a great day!

Thanks! Some additional comments inline below...

Hi Ron!

 

1. The comedian was part of the first night welcome aboard show, he had his own show at 7 & 9 one night, and then he had a show at 8:15 in spinnaker on the last night. That was a 'clean' show (we usually found that the ones in spinnaker were adults only, but this was kid friendly).

 

Thanks! We'll make sure we catch him at least once!

2. I heard others say Versailles was open, but I'm not sure because we went to O'Sheehan's and had a delicious burger (their burgers were truly top notch! the black and bleu was absolutely incredible! A must try if you're into that kind of thing)

 

We haven't decided where to eat yet, but I know we will avoid the buffet on the first day. O'Sheehan's is a possibility.

 

3. No info on the water package, we bring water bottles and a cooler so no need for us. Sorry!

 

No worries! I was curious. I was planning on bringing some water but if this package is a geed deal I may skip bringing it. I hate lugging it around before we can get into our cabin.

4. You will board on deck 7 :)

 

ps: We loved the typo too, someone forgot to change the day! But you'll see the activities are different and the fronts of the dailies are too.

We were there in 2009 when it was called Fins and Flippers and loved it! The snorkeling is amazing! We're be there two weeks from now :D :D :D

Sargasso (sea grass) has been a huge problem through the Caribbean this year. The beaches along the Mayan Riviera are piled with it and the resorts have been doing their best to deal with it. Plus, Mark at Maya Chan e-mailed the other day to say that they had 20" of rain a little over a week ago, so I am sure that contributed to the water issues.

Either way we're going to be there in a couple of weeks and will have a great day!

Thanks for the heads-up!

Got back last week, did not use either company so cannot help sorry.

 

However, Goffs Caye is tiny, really tiny. And crowded, really crowded. If you are going there thinking you are having an idyllic peaceful tour, think again.

Who did you go with? A friend went in December with Island Marketing and had the opposite experience. She said there were only about 30 people on the island. We were there a few years ago and loved it.

We are on the Jan. 3rd sailing and are getting a little worried as well. Since the move to Tampa the Star reviews have been awful. I think Del Rio should get his head out of his porthole and do something about the on board service issues. Let us know what your experience was when you get back if you have time. Have a great cruise.

I will. It seems that the cruise that ended on Sunday was better than the week before, but still not up to the usual NCL standard, so hopefully things will improve weekly.

The pricing depends a little on which ship, but all of the info is on the NCL web site.

http://www.ncl.com/onboard-packages/internet-packages

Yes, there is wifi so you can use your own device.

Happy November, Everyone!

 

My husband (gee, it is going to take practice to get used to calling him that) and I are celebrating our honeymoon on the STAR in 2 weeks!

Are you in the Nov. 15 sailing? Have you joined our roll call? I took a look at the list and didn't see you but if I missed you I apologize. If you haven't joined, please do! We have a fun group and several activities planned. We're going to have s great cruise!

Thanks!

So Thursday and Friday were both Day 5? :D

I have some questions when you have time...

1. Was the comedian only on the one night?
   
2. Which dining room was open for lunch when you boarded?
   
3. Do you have any info on the water package that is mentioned on the dailies?
   
4. What deck to you board on in Tampa?
   

Thanks! I may have more questions later :D

We'll be staying at the Embassy Suites by the Convention Center in Downtown Tampa before our cruise in a couple of weeks. Is there anyplace nearby to buy bottled water?

We used John's Car service to go from FLL airport to our Miami hotel before our cruise and then to go from POM to our FLL hotel after the cruise. Great service!

was able to book this morning online. All but teppanyaki. Thanks for the help!!

Cool! Enjoy your cruise!

At my age, I'm starting to forget things that happened even a few days ago.:)

I understand, fully :D

Writing that down. Thanks Ron!

You're welcome! Several friends have gone there since we were there and loved it.

When we were there in 2014 we bought 3 for $10 at the market as Grand Anse Beach.

BTW, don't be surprised if you can't reserve Teppanyaki online. It's not available for our cruise (and hasn't been since we hit the 90 day mark) and lots of folks are seeing the same thing. You may be able to call to book it or just do it as soon as you get on the ship.