xkritter

I am super nervous as my June 2023 booking is gone. I had an aft wrap and the long side balcony next to it. We booked about 2 years out to get this. And I know Spirit's wraps are suites.

We had the exact rooms booked for June 2020 and Covid cancelled them.  

29 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

maybe. buffet peanut butter that’s been sitting around all day would be my last resort. I’d rather pay a couple bucks for peanut butter if I can find it.

If you eat in the MDR tonight get the Chocolate Melting cake and ask for a side of peanut butter.  We've done that a few times. 

If you are a fan of watermelon drinks this is my new go to...since my last cruise was March of 2020...

2 oz Western Son watermelon vodka

1 oz simple syrup

1 oz fresh lemon juice

4 oz La Croix lime seltzer

It is not too sweet and great poolside

Guess we will be canceling a cruise. 

I am trying to decide between a aft wrap on deck 9 or deck 8 on the Vista.

Is there any big differences between the aft wraps on deck 8 vs 9? Is one decks balcony larger?  Or does one deck have a sofa and the other not?

Thanks.

Definitely 16001.  We love having a balcony but I would choose this room every time.  The extra space is great, the view is amazing, and we really like having the solarium.  And since the windows can slide open we didn't feel closed in at all.

Absolutely love aft wraps.  We currently have one booked for our Alaska trip next year and I just looked at my booking and it was made 599 days out.

I also like regular aft balconies though - love the view of the wake and the deeper balcony space. 

We are booked on NCL Breakway out of New Orleans on December 13, 2020 and then an Alaskan cruise on Carnival Freedom out of Seattle on June 15, 2021.

I am booked December 2020 and cannot see anything out of New Orleans until late 2021.  However, mine is still showing on MyNCL as well.

The transportation was great.  They arrange it via Costa Maya Taxis and our driver confirmed our pickup time with us as we drove out - and Natasha had also inquired about it about a week before we arrived.  I got his card for next time - and as soon as I find it I'll post his information here.  He was so much fun to talk too and we learned so much about Mahahual.

All of my communication with them was good.  We did the VIP package and $250 of the cost is for food/drink.  We had 4 of us and we did not skimp on our drinks (although 2 of us are not real heavy drinkers), the guacamole, and the large variety meal that I posted pictures of and did not go over the $250.  For the first 2 hours we had the place to ourselves.  It is an amazing place to spend the day - just be sure to go their hungry.

 

We just returned from our 3rd stay in a Haven 2 bedroom suite and although we have never needed the sofa to be made out I have no doubt that if asked, they will convert it each day for you.  We have always received excellent service in the Haven - and it definitely spoils you.

This was our first visit to Costa Maya (March 11th) and we absolutely fell in love with it.  I hope to go spend a week - or more -sometime.  I have never encountered such wonderful people - every person we met was amazing.  I cannot even imagine how this is affecting them.

On our recent cruise on the Pearl we docked at Costa Maya.  I had researched a lot of places and decided to book Hayhu Beach club - and I am so glad I did.  It is absolutely beautiful, the service is amazing, and the food...oh my gosh....the food is the best that we had on the entire trip.  If you want an absolutely wonderful experience, in a very private and relaxed setting - this is the place for you.

They arranged our transportation and our driver was great.  The drive there took about 25 minutes and was a very pleasant drive.  Upon arrival we were shown to our "deck" which had loungers, a table, additional seats, and a private bathroom and shower.  The sand on their beach is some of the softest sand that I have ever encountered.  Everyone we met was very friendly and service oriented.  Their guacamole is delish!  And the meats, etc are wonderful.

This is a place that we will definitely return to.  

8 hours ago, Marine Mom said:

My son and his friends are leaving on the Pearl on Sunday, how is the ship? Is your itinerary also Mexico/Honduras? My son and his friends are looking forward to their cruise but I'm getting sucked into all the media hype and just want to have all the facts.  Thank you.

 

Everything is great so far. Yes...that is our itinerary as well and we have had no problems.

Maik Reichelt is the General Manager on Pearl and Anoop Bhanu is the Concierge.

17 hours ago, arlielam said:

I heard that crew do the serving at the buffet now, so passengers aren't necessarily touching all the ladles and tongs etc. Anyone know if that's true?

I am currently on the Pearl and crew is serving in the buffet. This began on Day 2 around lunch time.

We will be at Harvest Cay today and have been told we are tendering. We have also been told to expect delays because of increased sanitizing. They will be sanitizing the tenders after each group...so the tender will load...go to HC...be sanitized...load...go to ship....be sanitized... 

The cruise seems full and we are having a great time. We ate at Le Bistro last night and they are also using paper disposable menus. And as diners finished eating and before the next group was sat the edges of the chairs were sprayed with disinfectant and wiped down as was the tabletop.  

We are loving the Pearl and have not seen signs of any sick crew...as mentioned above.

the buffet is no longer self serve.  They now have crew serving everyone. We also got a call that the Haven VIP party with the Captain tonight has been cancelled.

We have booked Hayhu Beach club in early March and am wondering if anyone has been?

I have read quite a few good reviews on Trip Advisor but would love to hear more.

Does anyone know if the King bed in the master bedroom can convert to 2 twins?  And do you think the sofa bed in the living room would sleep 2 comfortably (average size adults).

Thanks.

We will be visiting HMC for the first time and have a villa reserved.  Any advice on the best villa to try and get?

Thanks.

56 minutes ago, mucoyc said:

Thank you, everyone!!!  I'm a first time cruiser and appreciate all the info.  We ended up at the DoubleTree Biscayne Bay.   It allowed the 5 of us to stay together in a "condo" at a really reasonable price!

Was your condo unit nice?  I've been looking for a good rate for 4 of us (we really need 2 bedrooms) and I've been thinking about the DoubleTree but wasn't sure how the condo units were.  Right now I have 2 rooms booked at the Best Western on the Bay Inn & Marina but I can cancel with no fee.

We stayed at the Intercontinental before and it was great however the price for 2 rooms this time, is quite high.

Thanks.

Has anyone booked a tour to swim with the pigs at Crystal Beach?  I mapped it and it looks like the beach is only about 30 miles from the cruise port and I've seen a few tours.  Just wondering if anyone has any experience with this.

Thanks.

We did the Bottomless Galley Brunch Saturday on the Liberty of the Seas and were very disappointed.  It was very crowded and the tour was very quick.  And we expected a brunch but the menu was as follows:

- On the table was tortilla chips, guacamole, salsa, and a plate of Italian meats and cheeses.  (There was no bread, pastries, etc.)

- The appetizer choice was Cesar salad

- The entree choice was fish of the day, beef tenderloin, bacon wrapped chicken, and spaghetti

- Dessert - no choice and we left before it was served

The food appeared to be whatever was leftover from the prior nights dinner or perhaps what they had stocked too much of.  The fish tasted off - my adult son took one bite and was done.  My other son had the bacon wrapped chicken and the bacon was barely cooked.  Myself and my son's girlfriend had the beef tenderloin and it had a very odd texture.

We decided to leave - not eat the entrees - and have lunch in the Windjammer.  If the guest service line hadn't been so long I would have been in it.

All of our other dining experience on board were wonderful and dinner at Giovanni's was one of our top 3 dining experiences on any cruise and was definitely the best service we have ever received.

I would definitely not recommend this tour - at least not on the Liberty of the Seas.