perfect match

I really wish DH and I could have managed to fit this cruise into out schedule. I know it’s going to be awesome! I’ll definitely be following along here. It will still be a fun week, even if I’m only there virtually. I think I may need an 😱 emoji added to the like button this week as I follow along!

Thanks for your review! I always enjoy traveling along with you. I’ll be looking for you on your TA as I’ll be going through my usual post cruise depression at that point having just gotten off Odyssey the week before you sail. Your cats are adorable! If I didn’t know better, I’d think your black one was my late 🐈‍⬛ Carly, but unfortunately it is coming up on 3 years since she passed. We now have two beautiful tuxedo cats who do their best to keep us on our toes.

Thank you @DaKahuna, for an excellent and informative review. I will be watching for your upcoming Celebrity review, as we have been considering giving them a try.

I’m looking forward to following along with you on your cruise. I’ve always enjoyed your reviews and I’m sure I’ll enjoy this one too. I’m especially looking forward to hearing about how you make out in the MDR since I have food allergies of my own to deal with. I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing cruise.

Guess I’ll have to head directly to the Princess board as I see that your Christmas cruise GSJ is already waiting for me there!

@Bimmer09, I’m finally here and through the first 10 pages of your Gentleman’s Seafaring Journal, which is excellent as always. However, it’s time to give my eves a break now but I’m planning to be back tomorrow to read the next segment. 😀

I’m enjoying your review very much @DaKahuna. Thank you for taking the time to share your cruise with us. 🛳

Thank you @Ozark_Kidfor loaning your camera to Brillohead. Thank you @brillohead for taking the video of your snorkeling at West Bay. I hope I can manage to get there myself some day. Thank you @Sea Dog for putting together the final video presentation. I enjoyed watching it very much.

Our most recent cruise was on Harmony. We loved every minute of the time we spent on her. It will be fun to see her again through her eyes. 🛳

Thanks! Enjoyed your pictures. Wonder is most likely the next ship up on our cruises to book list! 😀🛳😀

@RCCL Fan, I’m so sorry to hear about your father, and ll you’re having to deal with on what was supposed to be an enjoyable family vacation. {{{Hugs to you and your family}}}

We just got air tags too. We’re using them on other items now, but will definitely be using them in our luggage when we cruise in April.

We’re on Odyssey in April. Thanks for the info.

@brillohead, I’m glad you and your friends enjoyed Sky Reef. I haven’t booked my own Western Caribbean sailing yet because I’m also considering southern one to get me back to the ABC’s, especially B and C. I have had both knees and both hips replaced, so I’m not the most graceful person getting in and out of the water in many situations. I loved the steps off the pier at Sky Reef. I sat on what I think was the second step with my feet on the step below to put my fins on, then just pushed off gently face first into the water. Getting out I swam to the stairs and swung myself around to sit on one of the stairs, took my fins off and put them on the pier behind me so my hands were free, then stood up and walked up the stairs. I completely agree with you that some kind of protective footwear is a really good idea at Shy Reef. There wasn’t much sand, what was there was really hot, and there were a lot of sharp shell fragments laying around. I used my flip flops to walk to the pier and found a safe spot to leave them so they wouldn’t get knocked into the water and left them there while I swam. Nobody bothered them. Next time I’ll be bringing my dive booties or water shoes and leave them on while I swim. Normally I can walk barefoot on just about any surface, but that one - not so much! I think my cats 🐈‍⬛ 🐈‍⬛ are easier to herd than your Drunk 1 and Drunk 2 were. You went above and beyond the call of duty getting them safely back to port and back on board the ship with the lost cell phone. I can only hope they learned their lesson from the experience, and that the lesson was not that there will always be a Good Samaritan as kind and patient as you were to help them every time they get that drunk. They were very lucky that you were there and helped them. They may not be so lucky if they get so drunk again. Thank you very much for doing this live report over the past couple of weeks! I have really enjoyed following along with both you and @Ozark_Kid.

My very old, beat up Olympus TG 2! That camera has been through a lot and it still takes good pictures! I keep saying I’m going to upgrade and buy a new model with features mine doesn’t have, but I can’t seem to justify it since it is still performing so well.

Annie, thank you for sharing your beautiful wedding with all of us! While I’m sorry for all of the glitches and lack of communication issues you had to deal with, it sure looked to me like your wedding was absolutely amazing anyway. No excuse, though, for Royal’s wedding vendor not giving you everything listed in your contract, done correctly and in a much note timely manner. You and Bryan seem like a couple who were definitely meant to be together. Congratulations on your marriage and wishing you many happy years together!

Talking about Sky Reef has me wanting to book another Western Caribbean cruise. I hadn’t looked at my pictures from that cruise so I’ve been going back through them and really wanting to be back there again soon! Sorry, but I can’t resist posting a couple more. Be sure you look behind every fan coral. You will most likely find somebody hiding there! This one is for the mooring line fans. It connects the white buoys marking the edge of the reef. Seriously, look behind and under everything you see! Every fan coral seemed to be sheltering somebody! I had a lot of fun finding the hidden fish.

@brillohead, Mitsugirly is the one who turned me on to Sky Reef. I haven’t been everyplace she has, but of the places I’ve been to that she has recommended she has always been correct. . If you’re looking at Mitsugirly’s review, you don’t need me to hijack this review with any more pictures but I do want to mention that you should bring cash if you can. Sky Reef was charging a credit card fee and a currency conversion fee if you wanted to pay by credit card.

@brillohead, I can’t wait to see what you find at Sky Reef, and how things are going there now! If it is still anything at all like it was when we were there you are not going to want to get out of the water! I know I didn’t. DH had to pretty much drag me out. 😱

Too shallow for most of the big creatures. Baby ones, maybe, but they only take small bites 🦈😱😂! The water at the bottom of the stairs where it is Sandy and no coral was only about waist deep. People were standing there easily. Overall, I’d call Sky Reef a very safe place for snorkeling. That said, before anyone gets into the ocean they should always be aware of the prevailing conditions of the day you’re there. Safety is always #1.

Here’s a few Sky Reef pictures. Walk out the dock to stairs to get in and out of the water. Entry and exit couldn’t be easier. Water shoes are a good idea to walk from your seats to and from the dock. Tequila tasting bar. Massage area is right behind this. The coral 🪸 is spectacular. Healthy and colorful. These were taken in September 2021 when we were on Allure. I haven’t been on a western Caribbean cruise since then, so I hope it is still as good as it was then. For those of you who are divers, I’m told that if you were to swim straight out, you would end up on Yucab reef. I haven’t tried that and am not about to. It would not be a good idea! That ship in the distance is Allure. The white buoys mark some of the edges of the reef. The reef is really shallow in many places, especially at low tide. It’s important to keep track of where your feet are so you don’t damage the beautiful fan coral. The rental fins at Sky Reef are the short ones which do help with that. We did not make advance reservations or go really early, but it was September 2021 with about 2200 people on Allure. We had no trouble getting the table of our choice right by the water. Plus, we were the only ship in port that day. With cruising back in full swing, I think reservations might be a good idea.

It’s about a 10 minute taxi ride. You probably could walk it, but I don’t think it would be a very enjoyable walk. I’ve been having computer issues this week so I haven’t managed to get any pictures where I can post them. Hopefully I’ll manage to get that done now that the computer issues seem to be resolved.

Yep, you and I would have a great time snorkeling together! If there’s a lot of marine life or healthy coral where I am, I’ll just float there watching what’s going on until I see something in the distance that inspires me to start swimming again. I’m actually a long time certified scuba diver, but as I’ve gotten a whole lot older than I used to be I’m finding myself choosing snorkeling over diving for a whole lot of reasons. I haven’t totally given up on diving yet though. I still want to enjoy it while I can. I’m thinking of diving in Grand Cayman on our cruise in April. If you want some really great snorkeling nest time you’re in Cozumel, try Sky Reef! They’re a small beach bar not too far from where Royal ships dock and have several different entry plans to choose from ranging from all inclusive food and drink to the very basic plan we chose which allowed us use of their facilities to snorkel, snorkel gear rental if you need it, one drink each, a 5 minute massage each, and a tequila tasting. I was about to post a few pictures from my underwater camera, but when I went looking for them I realized that I don’t have them accessible in this tablet. I could have sworn I had some here. I’ll go get some moved where Incan get them and post them over the weekend. I need to head to bed before it gets any later. In the meantime check out their website at http://www.skyreefcozumel.com

I’m really enjoying this review! You’re both doing a great job! I’m glad I finally am caught up here. @Ozark_Kid, you and your crew really seem to know how to have a good time! It’s fun cruising along with you! @brillohead, I want to go snorkeling with you! It’s hard to find a snorkel 🤿 buddy who wants to get in the water and snorkel for as long as I do, not even my DH! Maybe some day our paths will cross. 😀

I’m in! This is going to be fun!