Island Annie

Kermits is located at the corner of Elizabeth St & Greene St. (not hard to find). Here is their website:

http://www.keylimeshop.com/

Have fun,

Annie

My favorite is Kermit's Key Lime Pie Shop. It's by far the BEST I've ever tasted.

Enjoy!

Annie

Another vote for KERMITS. Absolutely the best key lime pie I've ever tasted.

Enjoy!

Annie

Sarky,

When you disembark your ship there will be a trolley parked near your gangway waiting to take passenger ashore. The trolley is free and requires no pre-arranging. Just hop onboard. I HIGHLY recommend taking this trolley rather than walking. Not only is the Costa Maya pier one of the longest I've ever seen, but it's usually very windy there. So windy that I saw a couple young girls who decided to walk ashore rather than take the trolley, and as we went past them they looked as though they were about to be blown overboard. Play it safe and take the trolley.

Once you're ashore there is a large terminal building with shops, restaurants, bars, etc. Enter the building and proceed directly towards the back. When you're getting close to the very back of the building, you'll see a sign that says "Taxis------>". Follow the direction of that sign, and You'll find yourself outdoors at the back of the building. Here there is a taxi stand against the building with a chalkboard listing their prices to different destinations. Purchase a ONE-WAY ticket to Majahul($3). I was then instructed to "stand in line with a group over there" which I did. A few minutes later, a large (charter-type) bus pulled up and everyone from my group started to board it. I mentioned to the man who was standing next to me that I had bought a TAXI ticket and was hesitant to board the bus. He assured me that this was the transportation to majahul and seem to know what he was talking about so I boarded.

The ride was only about 10 minutes. The bus driver announced our first stop for anyone who wanted to disembark at Tequilla Beach Club. Knowing my plan to explore majahul & the beach, my new guy friend told me to stay on until we reach the town center. so I did. Just a few minutes later the driver announced we were in Majahul at the town center. I recognized several places that I had seen posted on this board and on http://www.webshots.com so was comfortable knowing that this is where I need to be getting off.

The entire length of the town is only about 6-8 blocks long, has only one main street (actually a dirt road) is all beach on one side of the road and stores, bars, and restaurants on the other.

The entire beach is lined with palapa-style bar/reataurants which will provide you with a lounge chair (they call them sunbeds) as long as you purchase your food & drinks from their establishment. I took the recommendation of several posters on this board and decided to have my lunch & drinks at TAPAS. My waiter showed me to a nice umbrella table right on the beach and then took my order. Their food & drinks were delicious and very reasonably priced. After lunch my waiter showed me to a lounge chair that would be mine for the remainder of the day. There were beach massages available in that area on the beach as well as a strolling mariachi band. The water was very calm and shallow out several yards. It kind of reminded me of that beach on the Corona tv commercial.

Tip: If you go to webshots.com & do a search for Majahul you'll find several pictures that your fellow cruisers have posted to give you a better idea of the village.

When you're ready to go back to your ship: you'll find a taxi stand on the main street (beachside) where you can purchase your return ride to the terminal building (this time only $2 and in a yellow cab)

I found the people & business owners of Majahul to be extremely polite & helpful.

I hope my information will be helpful for you.

Annie

When cruising "solo" I always book a 1A gty.

A couple times I ended up with a nice upgrade, and a couple other times I got the 1A.

I've actually had 2 different types of 1A cabins. 1 has 2 twin beds side by side that can be pushed together to be 1 king size, and the other has bunk beds.

When cruising solo, I like to use the other bed to lay out everything I will need for the next day (especially when going ashore). That way I don't feel so rushed getting ready in the morning.

In my opinion, the 1A cabins are a very nice size for 1 person, and think there's plenty of room for a 2nd person.

I'll agree with Ladysail2 that if you can snag one with a porthole, it's nice to be able to see out without having to pay for the OV.

Had a 1A right up in the point of the triumph a couple years ago. Now that was an interesting arrangement! The cabin was "triangle shaped", had 1 twin bed & a sleeper sofa. Fortunately I had the twin bed:-), but all night long I could hear the bow of the ship cutting through the waves while in route to our next destination. Have to admit though, the sound of being being that close to the water WAS relaxing:-) (almost like one of those sleep machines)

In my opinion, It's always worth the savings to book a 1A. I wish there were more 1As available. They always seem to go so fast.

Enjoy!

Annie

I've found myself in a similar situation on my last cruise. I simply left my things on the table, and asked a person sitting nearby to keep an eye on it while I ran back up to get another coffee. fellow passengers will usually have no problem doing that for you, and will also be more likely to let a busboy know that you'll be right back if they see one starting to clear your table.

I would suggest that you take any "valubles" (sunglasses, camera, S&S card, etc) with you, but to leave something such as a book, or sun lotion on the table so that people (and busboys) should know someone is sitting here & has obviously gone back up to the buffet line to get something. (just a good idea to ask someone sitting near you to keep an eye on it for a little extra assurance that both your table & your belongings will be there when you get back.

That's the nice thing about cruising "solo". The more times you do it, the more of these little tips you learn, and the more comfortable you become in cruising solo again (and again, and again:-)

I hope this info will be helpful to you.

Island Annie . . . (18 "solo" cruises:-) (so far;-)

I had a similar experience last March on the Miracle.

I had requested late seating dinner at a large lable. When the matradi showed me to my table the first night, there was only one elderly gentlemen already seated. He had silver hair, and was wearing a white tux. I'm not sure what his exact age was, but I'm guessing somewhere in his late 80s/early 90s.

I sat down next to him, and we started talking. Turns out he had just returned from a cruise around the world, and had all kinds of interesting stories to tell.

Later, he told me he lives in Ft. Lauderdale, and travels quite extensively. He LOVES to cruise, and takes 2-3 per year solo.

Throughout the week, he would tell me about what he did each day while ashore, and I would see him out & about evenings onboard. (even saw him in the disco one night, and he could keep right up with all the younger guests on the dance floor!

He was so fun to talk to, and I really admired his attitude about life, and never being too old to do anything.

Yup, it's true! IMHO . . . . You're never too old to cruise solo.

Also a special thank you to DCT61 & Host Doug.

Sorry I missed you guys in my first post. I got too caught up in the articles.

Am curious though how you found those articles. Can you explain?

Thanx again.

Annie

Killafee,

My very first cruise was also on the SS Brittanis back in 1986, and was also the one that got me hooked. I met some very nice people on that cruise. Some of which have become life-long friends.

Back in January,1995 we decided it would be fun to get the group together again, so decided to have a "reunion cruise", and it was to be again on the SS Brittanis:-)

One member of our group was from New York, so he booked through his local travel agent there. Two other ladies were from Chicago, so they used their local TA. I was living in Minnesota at the time, so I used the local TA I had used the year before to book.

We would all be flying into Miami the morning of our cruise, and made plans to meet on board at the pool.

We had all kept in touch over the years via email, cards & letters, and I was SO excited to see everyone again! Oh what fun we have!!

About a week before we were to depart, my guy-friend from NY called me, and said he had just gotten a call from his TA, and She told him that the SS Brittanis had been chartered by the government to transport Haittian refugees, so would no longer be in service:-( but since we were already booked, and were paid in full, we had been upgraded to one of their newer ships. We would now be going on the Celebrity ZENITH, and had each been upgraded to a balcony stateroom:-)

My first thought was that I was sad to learn the Brittanis was no longer in service, but the fact that we had been upgraded to the Celebrity Zenith was also very exciting! And having a balcony stateroom was something I had only ever dreamed of back then. So this cruise was already off to a good start:-)

And that cruise, to this date, is still one of my fondest memories, and still a part of what keeps me coming back.

Again today, I am saddened to read that the Brittanis sank off the coast of south africa a few years back:-(

There's just "something" about those old classic ships that no one seems to be able to duplicate these days. I am just thankful that I took LOTs of photos, and still have them placed securely in an album to look back at & remenise when I feel the need.

Thanks to all for the updated info.

Annie