May 8th review 7 day Western Caribbean on the Triumph

[smurfm69]

Hey there we just got back a couple weeks ago from this great cruise and here's a quick review with a few pics. Sailing out of New Orleans is very convenient since we live here so no info on flights or hotels in my review.(sorry) Embarkation here is usually very smooth and fairly quick so we got to the terminal for 10:30am. It took longer to start the boarding process because there were 16 people still on the ship from the previous cruise. Once they were off, it went pretty quick and I believe we were up on the Lido deck eating burgers by 12:30, so not too bad considering. After eating we each got a DOD and relaxed until the cabins were ready. This is always one of my favorite parts of the cruise, enjoying a Funship Special with the whole 7 days ahead to look forward to.

[smurfm69]

We originally had an 8c balcony cabin but were able to get upgraded to an 8n cabin with a much larger balcony. Instead of just two chairs and a small table, it also had one of those nice deck chairs like on the Lido Deck. We enjoyed our first aft balcony very much.

[smurfm69]

Our roll call for this cruise was the largest we have been a part of with well over 50 people. We had our first meet and greet by the water slide after the muster drill. We also did a cocktail party which is something I never knew about until this cruise. The cruise director, Lenny, even stopped by to chat with us for a little bit. You need to have at least 20 people and it costs $11.44 per person and includes dry snacks,(chips, pretzels, etc.), and unlimited free drinks(including alcohol) for one hour. This was held in the Big Easy piano bar and there were two waiters serving the drinks. We had a total of about 30-40 people in there and DW and i had 3-4 drinks each. To set something like this up, you need to contact Carnival well ahead of time and have the total paid for in full 30 days prior to your sail date.

[smurfm69]

We had sunny skies the entire 7 days and calm seas most of the time except for the evening we left Roatan and again leaving Cozumel but was only about 10ft waves so not too extreme. We had early dining in the Paris(aft) dining room upper and felt some vibration being on the back of the ship but it wasn't a problem. The food was good and our waiters were also very good and friendly. Oh while I'm thinking about it, there are hair dryers in the cabins on the Triumph but dw didn't like them at all. They are mounted on the wall in the bathroom and were somewhat oddly shaped. On the Fantasy, the room steward would bring regular plug in hair dryers to you upon request and they worked fine so we thought it would be the same on this ship. Next time we will probably bring a small plug in one from home.

[smurfm69]

Our first port was Belize and this is a tender port. We didn't have an excursion through Carnival so we had to get tender stickers. We got number 6 and decided to go down to deck 0 to wait for our number to be called. There was no big crowd down there and two tender boats tied up to the ship loading up with people. We saw some people with tender number 7 getting on so we did the same. Tendering can be a pain but it was not that bad at all. They were loading two at a time and when they pulled out, two more tender boats were right there to pull in. It was about a 10-15 minute ride and not bad at all.

We were doing cave tubing in Belize and after research on Cruise Critic decided to go with Major Tom and his crew from cave-tubing dotnet. It cost $80 per person with Carnival and only $45 per person with Major Tom. This was one of the best excursions we have ever done.

[smurfm69]

We met our guide just a short walk off the tender and after a short wait we were on our way. The bus ride to the cave tubing area was about 45 minutes and on the way the guide told us about the country and the people. Once there, we got our tubes and lights and set off on our journey through the rainforest. After a few minutes we got to a spot where we had to cross the river and it was low at this spot so no problems. It was pretty hot and the guides told us we could get in the water and swim around a little to cool off. Just a few feet from the path the water was deep enough to swim in and it felt so good. The water comes from a spring in the mountains so it is clear and quite cool but refreshing. It was time to walk some more and we went into a small dry cave where we saw a few bats and cave formations. Along the way they told us about the plants and trees and their various medicinal uses and were allowed to sample some of these including allspice. We also were offered a sample of termites which actually tasted like mint. During the walk dw asked me to carry her tube which I did but before long, one of the guides took it from me and carried it along with his own tube. The other guides did the same thing. Our group was much smaller than the Carnival group and we felt we got much more personalized service.

[jj1975]

i will be on the triumph july 5 so im loving this review keep it coming.and i would love to see you pics of the boat

[smurfm69]

After about a 30 minute walk, we arrived at the place to enter the river to begin tubing but first we were allowed to get in the water and swim some more and cool off. There was also a large rock about 5 feet high that we were able to jump off of into the water.( from what I heard, the Carnival folks didn't get to do this) We linked up in small human chains with a guide for each and began tubing. Our guide pulled us along through the shallow parts and when we got to the deeper parts inside the cave, he got on his tube and put his feet under my tube and paddles us along. I tried to help paddle but he said to let him do all the work and just relax and enjoy the ride. The caves were very interesting and there were a lot of stalactites and stalagmites and other formations. There were large hols in the ceiling of the cave where bats live but we didn't see any. After about 30-40 minutes we exited the cave and were allowed to break the chain and free float the rest of the way. We had lunch which consisted of cole slaw, chicken and red beans and rice. The rice is cooked in coconut milk and was yummy. We boarded the bus and headed back to the port/tender area getting there with an hour to spare before the last tender. Now for some more pics.

[smurfm69]

We had an unbelizeable experience and would not hesitate to go back. This is one of those ports however where you really need to have an excursion planned. If you try to go out the fenced in area you will be swarmed by locals trying to sell you stuff.

[CorvetteLady]

Great review, can't wait till our Sept. cruise.

 

Is there a serenity area on the Triumph?

[smurfm69]

This is one of the ports where an aft balcony is a plus as the ship turns and backs in to the pier. We were going to go to Fins n Flippers here when we first booked the cruise but they changed the name to Maya Key and doubled the price.(I think it's a ship sponsored excursion now.) We decided to do Tabyana Beach break through Carnival,($37 per person), and loved it! If you book anything independent here, you have to walk up a pretty steep hill to get outside the port area to meet your guides. We had a 30 minute ride up and down the mountains which was an excursion in itself. lol Tabyana Beach is beautiful and we got a couple chairs in the shade of the palm trees. The waiters there will get you drinks and keep an eye on your stuff as well so we tipped him for that when we left. There is free unlimited lemonade and ice tea here but food was extra. Nothing spectacular to eat here. You could pay $15 for the buffet or pay separately for the items. I got a burger for $5 and dw got a hot dog(no chili? *****?) for $3. I think the chicken and red beans were $5 each. They do rent snorkel gear but heard the supply is limited so you have to get it early. We have our own so we brought that. Straight ahead of the beach is the swimming area and off to the right is the snorkel area. You only need to go out about 15 yards to get to the reef, and it was incredible. It was like swimming in an aquarium with lots of colorful fish all around you and right in front of your face. There are a couple guys in kayaks out there just in case anyone has trouble or wanders off too far. You can take a taxi to the West Bay beaches but were told by others that did that they were bothered constantly by people trying to sell them stuff. At Tabyana this didn't happen and there was a gift shop if you want to buy anything. The prices were about the same as the shops in the port area. There is transportation leaving to go back to the ship about every 20-30 minutes. Some pics of Tabyana Beach.

[smurfm69]

Great review, can't wait till our Sept. cruise.

 

Is there a serenity area on the Triumph?

No serenity area on the back like the upgraded Fantasy class ships. We still loved this ship though.

[LBumb]

great photos, keep them coming

[smurfm69]

We left Tabyana and got back to the port area with a couple hours to kill so I went back to the ship to put our snorkel gear and other stuff in the room and got back off to check out the shops. We walked around a little bit and took some pics and met up with some friends at Fat Tuesdays. This place was kicking with music and people dancing. They have a chair lift that you can ride to the mahogany beach area near the ship. It costs $10 per person or there is a walkway that leads to the beach as well. There are places on that beach to eat and drink but we didn't go down there so can't comment on it but heard it's nice. Roatan was very beautiful and I would love to return again. Ok, now for some pics of the Mahogany Bay port area.

 

[smurfm69]

This was our 5th time in Cozumel and had been to Paradise Beach a couple times and loved it there but decided to try something different. We booked a day at Nachi Cocom through Island Marketing and it cost $49 per person. This includes food and all you can drink.(including alcohol) You pay a deposit of $12 per person ahead of time and pay the balance when you get there. Note the balance must be paid in cash or traveler's checks. Nachi is less than a half mile from Paradise Beach so taxi would be about the same price for both places. We docked at the Puerta Maya pier and taxi for 5 people to Nachi was $20 total. They don't have the water toys at Nachi like at Paradise beach but they do have a swimming pool with a swim up bar. We spent most of the day here and while it took a while to get our food, it was yummy. Nachi has a few areas by the pool where you can shower the sand off but no building with showers/changing rooms like at Paradise Beach. We still had a great time here though. A couple pics of Nachi Cocom.

[SMSACE6]

Very nice review. Thankyou for taking the time to post this and for the photos too. I loved my cruise on Triumph in 2004. No matter which ship Im on I just love that "Funship Special" the day you get on board, with the 7 days to look forward too. I just love that moment too!:)

[firefly333]

Hi ya, waving to fellow cruiser. It was a great roll call wasn't it? Beautiful weather. Only a few clouds in Cozumel, the rest was blazing sun at the ports, two nights of wind and a little rain.

[smurfm69]

We changed and headed downtown for some shopping and to hit Carlos 'n Charlies. The taxi from Nachi to the downtown Punta Lagosta pier where Carlos n Charlies is cost $25 total for 5 of us. We met up with some friends here and did a little singing, a little dancing, and a lot of drinking. lol Always a party here.

[smurfm69]

Well we stumbled out of there and went back to the ship. The taxi back to Puerta Maya pier from there was $16 for 8 of us. We walked around the shops and got some vanilla and other souvenirs before getting back on the ship. Enjoyed dinner and crashed early this night.

The next day was our last sea day and the weather was again nice and sunny. We just laid out by the pool and relaxed. As the sun was going down I got the required sunset picture from the balcony.

[smurfm69]

We loved the large video screen out on the Lido deck and I watched Avatar on the last night at sea. They also showed concerts as well as the cruise director shows in the morning. The food was as always very good but I think the next time, we will try the anytime dining option. 6pm is too early since it's not even dark yet and 8:15pm is too late. Never had a problem with any of the staff as they were all very friendly and really enjoyed all the shows. The soda card for unlimited soft drinks cost $6 per day I think and the drinks were around $2 each so if you will drink more than 3 per day it is worth it. We always bring a 12 pack of soft drinks and also drink mostly ice tea or lemonade at dinner.

Something else we did to help cut down on the final Sail and Sign bill was to prepay the tips and purchase coupons. We bought three $15 photo coupons and four bar coupons which were $5.25 each. The 8x10 pictures cost $22 so we only paid $7 each for three of them and for the drinks, you are charged the difference in price which ended up being like $3 each instead of $8. You are still spending the same amount of money anyway by doing this but we bought these a month before the sail date to keep our final bill down.

[smurfm69]

Here are a few pictures from around the ship.

[smurfm69]

Well this turned out to be the only negative of the trip. We chose to do self assist to get off early. I have never heard of this but it must be something all ships do periodically. There was a full security check not just for us but the crew of the ship so it took longer to get off the ship. Luckily we did self assist and were off and on our way around 8:30am but heard the last people finally got off the ship around 12:30 in the afternoon. It was aggravating but nothing that would keep us from cruising with Carnival or out of New Orleans again. The post cruise blues hit not long after it was over so the other day I put the deposit down on a 7 day cruise next May on the Victory out of Puerto Rico. It feels better now having another cruise to look forward to even if it is a year away. :)

[smurfm69]

Hi ya, waving to fellow cruiser. It was a great roll call wasn't it? Beautiful weather. Only a few clouds in Cozumel, the rest was blazing sun at the ports, two nights of wind and a little rain.

Hey there Firefly, yeah having such a large roll call made the cruise even more enjoyable. I didn't want it to end.

[Jifner]

I'm enjoying your review. What cabin were you in? We have an aft balcony booked for our September cruise, same itenerary! We've never had one before and are looking forward to it.

[smurfm69]

I'm enjoying your review. What cabin were you in? We have an aft balcony booked for our September cruise, same itenerary! We've never had one before and are looking forward to it.

We were originally going to be in cabin 8405 but got upgraded to 8435 which is right next to the aft wrap balcony. Being on the back, you can't see where you're going but still enjoyed the larger back porch.