kwbound

Current pricing seems to be converging to $20 per day for one device and $30 per day for two devices. This is for unlimited access when a package is purchased for multiple days. Royal is moving away from "per minute" pricing.

Thanks clarea. That is quite a lot. :( And they probably won't let you purchase it for sea days only. We may just have to check in while in ports. That expense is something I'm going to take into consideration and add to my comparisons before I book our next trip.

Anyone know if there is free WiFi at Maya Key? I'm thinking not, but I've never been there.

I would like to know about WiFi at Maya Key also. Does anyone know?

There's a bar area that is right up from the beach and between that and the pool area. It's also the place you go to get your free lunch and they have tables and chairs (with umbrellas).

 

Thanks for the photo!

Does anyone know what a lowly gold member can expect to pay for internet access on the Navigator? Last year we were able to pay for so many minutes and then spread them out over the length of the cruise. Sounds like that is not going to be an option this year. I do agree that forcing you to pay for 24 hours and use it or lose it in one 24 hour period is very bad form.

Yes, either way is fine. You can also get one from a bar or have your stateroom attendant get one for you.

Thanks!

So I guess you are allowed to bring aboard a corkscrew? In your carry-on or checked bags?

 

My mother in law tried the Coral de fuego and enjoyed, but said it was a little watered down tasting. Don’t mind the fact that we had already eaten the cherry. It’s just habit to take it right away and then try to tie the stem in a knot with your tongue- tell me I’m not the only one that does this?

 

No, you are not the only one who does this! And if you do it successfully on a first date, you might just wind up married for going on 30 years...or so I've heard. ;)

Loving your review. We are thinking doing this itinerary next year.

We snorkeled once at Eden Rock, and it was ok. There were some jelly fish although we didn't get stung. Water was a little rough the day we were there. We got out, caught a taxi and had him take us to Cemetery Beach, which I think is at the far end of Seven Mile Beach. It was BEAUTIFUL. There was no one else at the beach and the water was super calm. You walk in a sandy entry and fish start swimming around you. You swim out a little ways to find the reef. Visibility was great, water was calm, there was lots of sea life and no crowds. When we were finished snorkeling, we walked down the beach until we came to a bar/restaurant (it was a pretty good hike in the sand!). There we had a drink and then went to the road and caught a van back to town. If we go back to Grand Cayman, we'll probably go back to that beach.

We have been to the Money Bar and Chankanaab and we prefer Chankanaab. I feel like the snorkeling is better, and if you want to take a break and get out of the water for a while, the beach is beautiful and relaxing. There really is no beach at Money Bar and it can get quite crowded. People are more spread out at Chankanaab. It's not that expensive if your party is not too large and you can get a coupon online. If you do decide to go to Money Bar, just be careful getting in and out of the water. We once saw a teenage boy slip trying to enter. He fell back and busted open the back of his head on the rock. There was quite a bit of blood. An ambulance was called and it arrived very quickly. Some of the family members had ordered drinks, but the accident happened before they could even drink them. As they were gathering up their things and trying to hurry to a taxi to follow the ambulance, a waiter was trying to make sure they paid for their drinks. There were only 2 or 3 drinks sitting there, basically untouched. I thought that was kind of tacky.

Triumph is our least favorite ship of the seven we've sailed across 3 lines. I wish Carnival had left the Ecstasy in Galveston. That said, we are going on a family Christmas cruise on the Triumph this December. The Navigator is our favorite of the ships we've sailed and we are sailing on her again at the end of August. Navigator is a prettier ship and we found it to be easier to get around on than the Triumph. There is a current thread on the RCCL boards now with a ton of recent Navigator photos.

Triumph will not have the dining options that Navigator does. It doesn't even have the steak house that a lot of Carnival ships have. However, overall I think the complementary dining options on Carnival are generally better than Royal's. Guy's Burger on Triumph is better than Johnny Rocket's on Navigator, and you pay for Johnny Rockets. Entertainment options will be fewer and not quite as good on the Triumph, but if karaoke is your thing, we find it better on Carnival. The Navigator definitely has more activities available with the Flowrider, rock climbing wall, basketball/dodgeball tourneys, ice skating, etc.

To us it is a tie between Progreso and Belize as our least favorite ports, but then again we've never had a terrible time at either port either. Progreso just doesn't have the excursion options that many other ports do. The doubledecker bus tour through town is interesting. You catch it right where the ship's shuttle drops you off in town. We enjoyed the market that is right there. At the beach, the vendors are pretty constant. I never found any of them to be pushy or aggressive if you just said "No gracias". There were just so many of them. My husband just drinks beer, so he was ok at every bar/restaurant we tried. I like margaritas and never found one that was decent. The tequila was horrible. There's really no snorkeling in Progreso.

If price and time were not considerations, we would always choose Navigator over Triumph. But with possible budget and time considerations, the Triumph is a nice option.

Yes, you can book cruises for other people so they get the perks.

 

See post #5 for OBC amounts.

Thanks clarea! I didn't catch that the OBC and deposit are the same. We may consider doing this.

Would we be able to book two staterooms on a future sailing, and get the OBC and reduced deposit on both cabins, even if the people sailing in the second room are not on this sailing? How much is the OBC for a 7 night?

Just got back a couple of weeks ago from our cruise and we went to Maya Key. There is a full service bar with lots of fun drink combinations. The ones listed on the special board were $6 with others at $7 or $8. I'm not sure how much beer was. The drinks were very tasty. One of our group got a long island iced tea and it was strong enough that she only needed one.

Thanks for the info Pands!! That's the kind of personal experience I like reading. :D

Here is the response from Royal's excursion desk:

Greetings,

Thank you for contacting Global Tour Operations with your inquiry.

BEF1 provides 1 hour in the water.

The Island Getaway may depend on the weather that day.. It may be at Bare Foot Caribe Pier..

Thank you and have a great day.

So....I guess that is more than I knew before. I still don't know if the excursion departs directly from the ship or if you tender in and then go out in another boat. It sounds like it is really just an encounter with the sharks and rays, and we'd rather have more of a snorkeling excursion with coral and tropical fish. I think we will keep looking at options.

Has no one done this tour? Still no response from RCCL.

Thanks for any help!

Can anyone offer an opinion on this tour? How much snorkel time did you get? Were there other fish besides sharks and rays? How was the coral? What the the island?? Is it Caye Caulker? Does the excursion leave directly from the ship, or do you have to tender in and then take another boat out? About how many people were on the excursion? The description on RCCL's website doesn't give much information. I posted the questions on the Belize board a couple of days ago, and also emailed RCCL's excursion department, but haven't received any responses so far.

Thanks for any info you can provide.

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Has anyone done this excursion through Royal Caribbean recently? How much snorkel time did you get? What was the island and how much time did you have there? The Royal description is lacking in details. I'm hoping that the island is Caye Caulker. And we are more interested in seeing tropical fish and beautiful coral than sharks and rays, but those will be ok too. Would love to read any recent reviews. Thanks!

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From the Maya key Website

 

 

 

Things To Do

 

Swim in warm Caribbean waters or swimming pool.

Snorkel pristine coral reefs.

Lounge on the beach or poolside.

Shop in a fully stocked and reasonably priced gift shop.

Drink cool tropical cocktails.

Eat tasty local treats.

Learn of Mayan history at the Interpretation Center.

See the finest in ethnic Honduran art in the Exhibit Center.

See exotic animals such as: Jaguar, Ocelots, Monkeys, Toucans, Macaws and Parrots.

Sting Ray, Nurse Shark and Sea Lion Interactions.

 

Wow and a bar menu. :0)

Guest 2000 - Thank you for the information. Since Maya Key is only available through cruise ship excursions, I didn't think to look for a separate website for them. I was looking at the the cruise line description and reviews, and reviews on CC. I still think it is strange that none of the reviews I read mention a bar or drinks.

Is there a bar on Maya Key? We've always gone to West Bay before, but last time it was so crowded. We're thinking of trying Maya Key this time. After snorkeling we do enjoy a frosty tropical dink (or two) while enjoying the beach. I've looked through some reviews but haven't seen any mention of the availability of adult beverages. Does anyone know?

Thanks!!

What is this cabin number? I want to watch for this :)

It was cabin 8390. It was a great cabin and balcony. Just be aware that it is a LONG walk from the elevators.

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There is also an ice skating rink. I believe you have to wear socks and long pants to get on the ice.

There are photos of the balcony for 8390 towards the end of this excellent review: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=42734711#post42734711

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kwbound, do you have pictures you could share of the inside of that corner aft? The door arrangement is a little different from what I expected, and I am curious about other windows in the cabin. Considering trying for one of these on a cruise next year....thanks for any info/pics you can share!

No, sorry - I didn't take any photos inside the cabin. The only window was the square window on the top half of the balcony door, which was a regular door that opened outwards. We rather liked that. The room was nice and dark for sleeping.

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We were 8390 on the May 4th sailing. It has a lovely, large balcony with 3 regular chairs, a small table and a lounge chair. You can see behind the boat of course, but also some to the side. There was always some shade available. You will have afternoon sun when you are headed south and morning sun on the way back. I never noticed it being extremely hot. Really, the only downside to this room is the distance from the elevators, but I would still recommend it.

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We were just in cabin 8390 on the Navigator 2 weeks ago. It is a corner aft with a beautiful large balcony. But we did notice that the divider would not open to the balcony next door.