Lovetwocruz2009

Enjoying your review...thanks for posting :)

Porto maire has a sign saying 6.30 pm closing

Thank you

What time do these beaches close in July? We will be in port from 2pm to 11pm. We are thinking about renting a car. Are the beaches open until sunset and if so, what time is that?

Thanks for your help

I think we paid a $6 each entrance fee which included a beach chair and umbrella. It may have been even less, but not more. (I cannot remember if the kids had a reduced rate).

Thanks again

Great video. Thank you for posting.

May I ask how much your Avis rental was for the day in Curacao. Is the Avis close to port? We love to snorkel from the beach. Your pics look wonderful. I believe the taxi cost may be cost prohibitive.

Thanks again.

Just show up. Be sure to get there early for the adult only shows. The room fills up fast. Have fun...

DH and I enjoyed the Carnival Spirit to Acapulco a few years back. It was great sailing out of San Diego.

Just off Breeze a couple weeks ago. We had an aft balcony. The two balconies beside the aft wraps on decks 8 (Veranda) and 9 (Vista) are larger than the rest in the middle (cabins 8468, 8475, 9474 and 9477). The balconies are 1/3 larger. We had 8468 and really didn't hear any noise as there are rooms above. It was very quiet but be aware if you want to sit out on the balcony long it is very hot. But you have room for 2 lounge chairs/2 reg chairs and a table and you simply cannot beat the view!!!:)

We have 8468 in July. Its going to be hot! :eek: Can you tell me if the loungers were already there or did you have to request them from the cabin stewart. I think I may invest in a cheap beachchair umbrella that will attach to the lounger :D Thanks for the information.

Thank you for your comparison. We are hoping to have a better experience because we are cruising on a newer ship. We chose Royal over Carnival this time because Carnival would have meant repeating virtually the same itinerary we just did in October. We are keeping an open mind and keeping our fingers crossed that we will have a good cruise on RC.

We have cruised on RCI and Carnival. DH and I enjoy Royal. The ship design (Freedom class) is great IMHO. The MDR food and service are comparable. I would cruise either line. I definately enjoyed the Allure with the multiple dining options.

However, DH believed there was something missing on our past 4 RCI cruises. He thought our fellow RCI cruisers were friendly and cordial but a tad bit uptight. I didnt really notice. He calls it pinkys up :p.

I say try all the lines and see for yourself. We continue to cruise Carnival for the ports. But I am looking foward to trying Celebrity for our Europe cruise next year..not sure how hubby is going to fare with even more pinkys in the air :D

Have a great time...

Thanks for the photos. Was there an admission fee to the beach? Price for the chairs?

We love to snorkel from the beach..so fun.

Thanks again.

I am happy you had a great time on the Conquest. Dh & I cruised on the Conquest from Galvestion a few years ago.

May I ask how you would compare NCL to Carnival.

I am thinking about cruising on the Getaway in the fall. I was wondering how the ship layout, service, and cabins compare. I am leaning towards a large balcony cabin on the Getaway as the regular size bacolny seems quite small.

Any tips or comments are welcome. Thanks for your time.

Just noticed in your signature that you're on the Breeze in July! Enjoy! That was my favorite of all our Carnival ships we've been on - we were onboard January of last year! I have a review to my cruise in my signature (sorry no pics for that one are posted though).

Yes, we like the Breeze too. We sailed on her last July. We are going on the 8 day Aruba route this summer.

We live in Northern California, so we do not have snow but it has been a chilly 30s and 40s for us. I think 80 degree weather would be great. We love to snorkel so hoping the water temps are warm. Although the Caribbean waters are much warmer than the Pacific anytime of the year.

Thanks again for the review and photos. I am off to the Celebrity site to check on cruises/ships.

Thank you for the photo review. I would love to try Celebrity.

We do not have any children but usually sail during the summer because DH likes the hot weather. How was the weather on your cruise? In the 70s or 80s?

The article doesn't mention the $50pp deposits :rolleyes: That motivated me to book in January. Looking forward to going back on the Breeze this summer.

From John Heald page:

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES REPORTS RECORD SALES; SETS ALL-TIME HIGH FOR NUMBER OF GUESTS BOOKED IN A SINGLE MONTH

MIAMI (February 3, 2014) – Carnival Cruise Lines set a one-month reservations record, taking net bookings (new reservations minus cancellations) for more than 565,000 guests between January 1 and January 31, 2014. The record number of reservations was 17 percent higher than th...e same one-month period a year ago. Additionally, traffic to the cruise line’s web site carnival.com also reached an all-time high with 13 million visits during the one-month period.

Bookings were at unprecedented levels across the line’s 24-ship fleet, which operates three- to 23-day voyages from a wide range of convenient North American homeports as well as cruises from Australia.

Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill attributed the record booking activity to a number of factors, including continued product enhancements and innovations being introduced across the Carnival fleet, very attractive promotions in the marketplace, strong support from travel agent partners, and a new “Moments that Matter” advertising campaign launched last fall, which is currently in heavy rotation in broadcast and digital channels. Cahill also cited increasing recognition among consumers that Carnival cruises provide a truly exceptional vacation value.

"Now is the time of year when many people focus on their upcoming vacation plans and the cruise industry typically sees an escalation in booking activity. We are definitely observing a strong uptick in reservations with bookings coming in at unprecedented levels,” said Cahill. “We are seeing heavy sales growth in all channels, particularly via our travel agent partners, and we would like to express our tremendous appreciation for their support,” he added. Cahill also pointed out that Carnival did not introduce any new ships in 2013 so added capacity would not account for the stronger booking activity. “More than anything, I believe consumers are increasingly recognizing that, when it comes to an exceptional vacation experience at a great value, Carnival easily comes out on top.”

Among the new initiatives introduced over past several months are a one-of-kind vacation guarantee that gives consumers the option of ending their voyage early and flying home at Carnival’s expense if they are dissatisfied for any reason, a comprehensive revamp of the line’s main dining room offerings, and a fun and exciting partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises to enhance the activities programming for Carnival’s youngest guests. Last month, the line announced an enhancement to its live music offerings through upgraded house bands and the Carnival LIVE concert series which features performances by many of today's top artists including Jennifer Hudson, Gavin DeGraw, Lady Antebellum, Olivia Newton-John, Daughtry, Styx, Martina McBride, Jewel and many others.

Additionally, the line has continued to roll out its $500 million Fun Ship 2.0 product enhancement program across the fleet, which includes a variety of hugely popular new dining, bar and entertainment upgrades. In 2014, a total of 11 Carnival ships will feature major Fun Ship 2.0 enhancements, including vessels that sail from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral, Tampa, New Orleans and Galveston.

Haha, look up, I linked it above. :D

 

I would also be interested in this excursion but we are not stopping there this time.

Thanks. While I was cutting and pasting..you beat me to it. :D

Cozumel, Mexico

 

Our final port of call was Cozumel, which is an island off the east coast of Mexico. Like Grand Cayman, Cozumel is a major destination for cruise ships. There were six other cruise ships in Cozumel the day we visited! In fact, there were so many cruise ships in Cozumel that day that I saw something that I've never seen before in all my previous visits... there were more cruise ships than there were piers to handle them! There were seven ships in port that day, and only six places to dock... so one of the ships had to tender her passengers in. I've never seen that before in Cozumel. The unlucky ship on this day was the Norwegian Jewel.

 

In Cozumel, we were docked at the Puerta Maya pier next to an old friend, the Carnival Magic. I call her that because we had a really nice cruise on her in 2012. You can read about it here. At the adjacent pier, it was a treat to see the largest cruise ship in the world... the Allure of the Seas. I'll probably sail on her, someday, just to see what all the fuss is about.

 

 

Our final shore excursion of this cruise was a real treat. It's a relatively new shore excursion known as "La Casa En La Playa". In English, that's "The House On The Beach". La Casa En La Playa is located at Playa Palancar... which is about a fifteen minute ride from where the cruise ships dock in Puerta Maya.

 

 

La Casa En La Playa is basically a little cottage at the beach. What's special about this shore excursion is that it's limited to just 16 people, and everyone is treated like a VIP. There's a private chef to cook for you, and a bar staff to bring you unlimited drinks. You can swim or kayak in the ocean... or enjoy snorkeling at a small reef just a few feet off shore. I wish I had brought my water proof camera on this shore excursion, as there were more fish at this reef than I saw anywhere else during the entire week. I didn't even realize they had a reef, so I left my waterproof camera back on the ship.

 

All around La Casa are little places for you to relax... pick whatever suits your mood. There are tables to eat lunch at... loungers at the beach for those who want sun... and under the palm trees are day beds, hammocks, and loungers for those who want to stay in the shade.

 

I know it doesn't look like much, but believe me... this was paradise!

 



It was warm that day, so we stayed under the shade of the palm trees when we weren't in the water

 

 

Spaniel Lover reviewed this excursion. Start post #18. I don't know how to link his review. It was his review of the Sunshine. Beautiful pictures. I would like to visit on our next trip to Cozumel.

I didn't realize the Sunshine and Liberty are sailing to Aruba too. I need to check it out. The Breeze and the Freedom are expensive this summer.

Hi All,

One more question.. how is the Choice Air? We will be flying from San Francisco, CA to Barcelona.

Thanks again.

Thanks to everyone for the replies. My DH and I are not party goers anymore. We pretty much work hard and rest on the weekends. We are in our mid 40s so we will be fine with an older demographic. I dont believe we will have much time for ship activities.

Sooo, Celebrity Equinox is the winner! I am glad some of you agree with cruising the Med in September. We are free to travel any month of the year but I heard the Spring and the Fall are the best.

Any suggestions for cabin location? I would like a balcony. I want to be able to see Venice on the way to the dock. Should I be on the port or starboard side?

Also, can anyone book the "your time or anytime" dining? Not sure if Celebrity calls it this.

Thanks again.

Hi All,

This will be DH and I first Med cruise. I have narrowed it down to the Serenade of the Seas June 4, 2014 or Celebrity Equinox Sept 20,2014. It will be the Western Med.

I have not sailed with Celebrity. The itinerary and price are about the same. Which ship would you choose and why? Anyone sailed on both cruise lines?

I have posted the same question on the RC board too.

Thank you in advance for all your opinions.

__________________

Thanks for a very entertaining review. I love your sense of humor.

I have family in Houston and Port Arthur...so I know your hometown pretty good. Hubby and I live in Northern California so when you mentioned Lake Tahoe, I knew you had been on this side too.

Looking forward to our Breeze cruise in July. Hope to meet you in the casino one day. I am going for those millions too!

All the best!

Traci

DH and I enjoyed reading your review. Thanks for sharing and taking the time to post. I love your sense of humor and adventure. It is great to see a woman empower herself and live life to the fullest. All the Best!

LoveTwoCruz2009,thanks so much for reading along! I'm so glad you enjoyed the trip report!

 

We were so glad we visited in September. We had really beautiful weather the entire time (well, except that one day in Barcelona), and the crowds are prices were a bit more manageable than the middle of summer!

 

Will you be going on a Carnival ship?

 

Have a wonderful time planning! That's half the fun!

Yes, I am open to taking a Carnival ship. But the only cruise line that has their rates out for sept 2014 is NCL. The NCL Epic looks good. But I will wait for Carnival and RCL to post their sailings.

I only can take two weeks off. So I am hoping for a 9 day cruise

Thanks again for all of your help.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love your trip report..especially the details of each port. This will be our first time in the Med next summer. I am going to bookmark your review.

I am in the very beginning of planning. I think I have now decided to go in September and to the same ports you visited.

Thanks again. Your photos and family are beautiful.