day-day

Regal Princess departure out of Galveston on December 10 has been changed.  Roatan and Belize have switched days and Roatan arrives one hour earlier.  Our Cozumel date and time did not change.

I found out when I received an email today from my independent excursion operator which told me the date had changed and they provided me with new reservation details.

2 hours ago, Hutcha said:

 

 

Timbo41 was asking about a cruise line shuttle and not an independent operator like Galveston Express.  I don't think a cruise line shuttle will drop people off at hotels.

We stayed at the Harbor House for one night post cruise.  The rooms are nice.  Free continental breakfast that was okay (cold cereal, yogurt, muffins, etc.).

The hotel does not have a pool but guests were allowed to use the pool at Galveston Hilton (not nearby) and maybe another hotel.  The web site FAQ says there is not a shuttle to the cruise ports but the clerk at the desk told us that there was after I heard a guest asking where to wait for the shuttle (worth a call maybe).   We used Lyft to get from the cruise ship to the hotel.

There is a Galveston Island Trolley stop nearby.  The trolley costs $1 per ride and goes to the beach and pier area; it was operating when we were there on May 1.  Trolleys | Galveston, TX - Official Website (galvestontx.gov) 

I "saved" the Unlimited Photo Package after selecting one guest in each of three cabins that I have booked.  The information I read on the Disney FAQ is a little confusing:

Joining your stateroom photos with photos from another stateroom into a single account is only available (i) once a package is purchased and (ii) if you have children (immediate family only) under 21 in the stateroom you wish to join to your account. Anyone else age 21 and over in the joined stateroom will not be in the photos in your package or available for onboard or post-cruise downloading. You must specifically request the joining of staterooms to a crew member in Shutters Photography Shop.

I do not have any children under the age of 21.  Will everyone in the 3 cabins be able to have photos taken and downloaded using my single purchase of the unlimited package?  The information above seems to indicate not but then what is the purpose of being able to select each cabin?  (Maybe each quest that I selected will be able to view and download photos marked with their specific room key?)

My hope is to purchase one package that everyone in the three cabins can take advantage of.

14 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Costa Maya has had a difficult time this year between sargassum and winds. More ships seem to have abandoned their stop than I have ever heard before but that is possibly because more ships are scheduled to stop there.

 

It is certainly a port that is experiencing difficulties both man-made and due to Mother Nature.

A couple of pictures I took at the pier.  The one without the Allure of the Seas is looking right on the opposite side of the long pier going out to the ship.  It is not real easy to see but it shows how high the waves were coming into shore there due to strong winds.  The ship was rocking some at the dock as the waves were coming in broadside.  (The ship & pier were blocking the waves on the left side of the approach.)

14 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Were you advised in advance via WhatsApp of the sargassum situation on the day?

 

Were they actively trying to clear the beach, or not?

No advance notice.

There were people sweeping the beach but the sargassum was there in piles.  There were some clear areas in the sand but we had to walk through the beached sargassum to get to the water.  The high wave activity kept the sargassum pushed into the beach and it was thick.

There were no large mats of sargassum in the water because the surf was breaking it up and piling it up on the beach.  I've been in water when it was difficult to wade through masses of sargassum out in the water.

Neither one of us thought to take pictures.

32 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

Oh no!  I'm going back there in July.  Last October it was wonderful with no seaweed at all.  I really hope it gets better.  We had a beautiful calm day when we were there.  I've been to Mahahual when its windy and cloudy and it is not a fun experience.  That's a shame. 

I think we just caught the weather at the wrong (or right) time.  We still enjoyed it.  I think the person I was with preferred the waves as she had not experienced something like this before and she thought the seaweed was cool.  I tried to show her how to body surf.  I just kept thinking murky water and seaweed gives the sharks a higher chance to mistake me for food; at least on the Florida Gulf Coast I feel this way.  I've seen the seaweed piled up there at times as well.

We visited West Bay Beach in Roatan after our zip-line.  The water was clear and slick as glass so we got a little variety.

I visited Hayhu on 27-April.  The beach was piled high with seaweed and the water was very rough and somewhat murky.  We enjoyed playing in the surf and didn't mind the seaweed.   The surf was too rough to swim out to the reef.  We walked along the beach sometimes on top of the seaweed but usually in the sand and water with occasional steps sinking deep into little pockets of quicksand.

We were set up on chairs in the shade but could sit on chairs in the sun as there were only a few other people there.  It was very relaxing.  We ate the grilled vegetables with shrimp and it was excellent.

The walk from the cruise port to the taxi was explained very well with messages on Whatsapp including pictures and map.  We walked down the center median of the road.  The taxi driver had a sign with my name on it when we finally arrived at the intersection where he was parked.  It wasn't a long walk but it was long enough for me to wonder a little if I was going to the right place; very simple after the fact...

On 4/29/2023 at 11:42 AM, AZPam said:

Can you give me an idea of approximate cost for 2 people?  Cheaper to do it this way or book cruise transfers?

 

$30 per person one-way for Hobby Airport.  $35 per person one-way for Bush Airport.  $5 discount on round-trip ticket purchase for seniors (55+) and children (10 and under).

They will drop off at Galveston hotels from the airport and will pick up at Galveston hotels to return to the airport.  I took the Galveston Express shuttle from Hobby on the day before my cruise and was dropped off at my Galveston hotel.

There is value in booking early for most people.  Some folks need to book flights and waiting to see if cruise prices go up or down could also result in different, more often higher, flight prices.  Some folks need to coordinate time off from work or with other events and don't want to wait to see if cabins will be cheaper or even available for booking at a later date.

Booking early benefits the cruise line but usually benefits the customer as well.  Some people only see a price drop closer to the cruise date but don't think about the value they realized by booking early.

4 hours ago, Beav1279 said:

I just got off yesterday - drink package started at 5:45pm! Guess the captain was ready to get out of TX.

5:45 is about the time it started on the February 26 cruise as well.

I'm trying to confirm that the purchase.  I purchased the internet package for my cruise coming up in 40 days.  It does not indicate "purchased" or "reserved" on my My Royal Cruise web page.  When I look at my profile on my iphone ap, I scroll down and see internet package and Voom.  Is this normal? 

I'm guessing what I am seeing on the ap confirms that I have purchased the internet package.

My OBC showed up yesterday but was later removed.  Now the new OBC is showing in my account.  I'm wondering if I should wait to use the OBC or give it a try now.  My My Royal Cruise page says a little over 32 hours before the Cruise Favorites sale ends.

I'm guessing the sales prices I'm seeing right now will at least be available during the day tomorrow so I'm inclined to wait until then to purchase.  I don't know if my OBC will actually hold or if I will get hit with a notice that I owe additional money for a package I purchase today.

Any thoughts?

31 minutes ago, Boz575 said:

Not how contracts work. The supplier can’t raise prices if they signed a contract. 

Depends on what is set in the contract.  Contracts are often written with price fluctuations based on a market index or some other metric.

Do you know what is in the contracts that RCL has with various suppliers?

I was only interested in the package for the internet savings.

If this is not a glitch, does anyone think that there would be a limited number offered.  It is date limited but there is no way to know how many people will try to book it within the dates.  There has to be a limit as to how many people some of the listed perks and activities can accommodate.

Is the internet with Premier Pass the same two devices that would be purchased with the internet package?  Looking at the costs I'm seeing, it would be less expensive for me to purchase the Premier Pass just for internet alone.

On 3/8/2023 at 6:32 AM, mitsugirly said:

 

This is in Cozumel, not Costa Maya.

The OP mentioned snorkeling in Costa Maya prior to visiting Cozumel...

I have not seen an answer to the OP's question, "Is there a way to modify your MTD times without cancelling and rebooking the reservation?".

Based on the responses, it appears to be "no" but I'd like to know as well.

What is the BOGO for dining?

I just returned from my cruise and ended up doing this excursion last week.  I took some peanut-butter crackers and pre-packaged trail mix along with a bottle of water with me.  To answer my own question, there was a little time allowed to buy snacks and drinks at the Cave Branch location before leaving back to the ship.  One van group left sooner; I think they had quests that were on a ship that departed sooner than mine.

I was on the Ruby Princess.  Our port time was 8am to 5pm.  I got on the earliest tender to the port; probably arrived about 8:45.  I used the bathroom (I drink a lot at breakfast and I knew we had a fairly long road trip....) then exited the terminal to meet a representative from VIV.  I was walked to the van and waited there with others until everyone arrived.

We departed at about 9:20 and it took about an hour ride.  Inside the van was a little warm to start but cooled off nicely after 10 minutes or so.  It was a 14-passenger van; we had 12.  We made it back to the cruise port at 3:30 so there was no stress with 5pm being the last tender scheduled for the ship.

I enjoyed the excursion and was hoping to do it with a friend on my next cruise but the ship will be going to Costa Maya instead of Belize.  I don't know if the water temperature fluctuates much throughout the year.  This trip was at the end of February and I'd guess the water temperature was 80 to 81 degrees F.  Just a little cool; a quick, little shock when I jumped in.  It is not cold like spring fed water that has just come out of the ground.  The river is out in the open and flows through the caves.

5 hours ago, Galveston Cruiser said:

Absolutely.  And, even those costs can vary depending on time and size of vehicle.

We pay $140 to go to/from IAH from the island and $80 to/from Hobby for private transportation; not Uber or Lyft.

Who do you use?

I just booked Hayhu Beach for our April 23 cruise on Allure of the Seas.  I have never cruised on a ship of this size; I can only imagine the impact it can have on crowds at Costa Maya.  I booked Ala Carte for two people.

I booked the cruise a few days ago so I am just now starting excursion planning which is probably a little late for this ship and port.  I tried to book Maya Chan for our date but it was not available.

I have been checking prices for the last several days.  I have seen Uber from the cruise port to IAH (Bush International Airport), and the reverse, between $63 and $83 and higher for small.  They seem to have averaged around $70.  Not $50 as stated by the travel agent mentioned earlier.

On 11/9/2022 at 12:53 PM, Tyler414 said:

After going through this thread I reserved the Cozumel Bar Hop Tour with Cozumel Cruise Tours, it starts with a quick snorkeling adventure, so that appealed to me.  It appears to be the "wrong" company from what seems to be recommended on this tread, but I'm sure it will be fun.  I do still have "Driving Adventure Tour: Snorkel, Jade Cavern & Playa Mia Beach break" booked through Celebrity, it was an excursion I was looking forward to, but the bar hop is appealing as well to me.

Has anyone ever done the Driving Adventure that could comment on that?  Thanks.

I will be in Cozumel in late February (2023).  Have you done this Cozumel Bar Hop Tour with Cozumel Cruise Tours yet?

I have gone on the well known Cozumel Bar Hop several times and enjoyed it.  It is a good value for a solo traveler.

The one through Cozumel Cruise Tours appears to be a better value.  The website indirectly indicates that there is a free shot at the bar stops but it is not clear.  Also, where do cruisers meet up with the tour and where does it end?  (The original meets at Senor Frogs downtown and guests are dropped off at the cruise port.)