My First Cruise Ever advice wanted - NCL Dawn

[vg247]

Greetings everyone-

 

I am all new to this forum and will be taking my first cruise ever with my spouse on March 24th on the Dawn out of Tampa. It is the 7 day Western Caribbean cruise with ports at Roatan Bay, Belize, Costa Maya, and Cozumel..

 

I have been very fortunate to have read the review by "clean1owner" for the same cruise.. At this time I would like to ask for some excursion or activity suggestions for Roatan and Belize (unique and not to be missed places at those locations would be most appreciated)

....waiting to hear back from Maya Chan if we can reserve them for Costa Maya and I am planning to book with the Dawn the Tulum excursion already..

 

Anyone familiar with this ship and the ports- we would be very grateful for your feedback and input.. I am excited and rather nervous at the same time for what to expect and what to do on ship and on shore..so please patient with any rookie questions which may sound silly

 

Thank you everyone in advance for your thoughts

[che5904]

You may get more beneficial answers on your ports on the board dedicated to that.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

[darbs7]

We cruised over 10 times. We have been to Belize 3-4 times and Roatan once. Belize is a tough port. You need to have something planned...I would not wander outside the gated area on your own.

 

We did cave tubing our first time and LOVED it...really fun.

 

the second time we went to Bannister Island with one of the tour companies that are inside the gated area....we also snorkeled with this tour (about $30 per person)...this was a great time...nice island with a nice bbq pit lunch spot

 

the third time we went to Caye Caulker...awful...never again

 

This time we booked right with NCL to go to Bannister right from the ship...it was $59 a piece but we get to tender right to the island and back without having to go to the mainland tender and then to the island.

 

Roatan...we did a spa package last time...it was okay.

 

This time we booked Zip and Dip with Victor Bodden...he is the man to book a tour with in Roatan. We have never ziplined....I am very nervous, but I am pushing outside my comfort zone lately.

 

Cozumel and Costa Maya we have booked independently with tour companies to spend the day at all-inclusive (eat and drink) resorts...Cozumel Palace for about $80 a piece for the day and then the one in costa Maya is about $40 a piece for the day.

 

Cozumel is great...Costa Maya has a cool port with a big pool and swim-up bar. We have done the cooking class in Cozumel 3 X....it is a blast...open bar the whole time.

 

We did some jungle four-wheel thing in Costa Maya last time , it was fun, but would never do it again...too bumpy.

 

Good luck and have fun. Our cruise is in 3 weeks, I will let you know how all our tours went.

[LEtue]

We cruised over 10 times. We have been to Belize 3-4 times and Roatan once. Belize is a tough port. You need to have something planned...I would not wander outside the gated area on your own.

 

We did cave tubing our first time and LOVED it...really fun.

 

the second time we went to Bannister Island with one of the tour companies that are inside the gated area....we also snorkeled with this tour (about $30 per person)...this was a great time...nice island with a nice bbq pit lunch spot

 

the third time we went to Caye Caulker...awful...never again

 

This time we booked right with NCL to go to Bannister right from the ship...it was $59 a piece but we get to tender right to the island and back without having to go to the mainland tender and then to the island.

 

 

Can you provide details on why Caye Caulker was awful? We were planning to go there :eek:

[Love2travel4]

Belize: we did Altun Ha Ruins & River Wallace. Ruins were boring (I had visited Tulum I the past), but River Wallace boat tour was great! Lots of wildlife.

 

Roatan: we went to Anthony Keys Resort for the dolphin swim and snorkel. Beautiful area and amazing to free snorkel with the dolphins. Roatan's port is beautiful!

[Warmer Climes]

Roatan: did Victor Bodden tour once, Maya Key once and going back to Maya Key next month. A very nice beach/snorkeling/animal rescue excursion through the ship.

 

Belize: did cave tubing with cave-tubing.com once and did Lamanai once. This time we are doing jungle 4x4's (guys) and horseback riding in the Eco park (ladies). The ship's Lamanai excursion is probably the best excursion I have done. Fantastic boat ride up the river and then the ruins are spectacular. The cave tubing was fun.

 

Costa Maya: I recommend Native Choice to see the ruins. If you don't want to do an excursion here you can just get a cab and go eat lunch and have a swim.

[polySeraph]

If Mayan ruins are your thing, you might want to look at NCL's Lamanai Ruins and River Safari in Belize. It's currently listed on the NCL website at $109/adult and $79/child - not cheap - but it's a great way to spend the day. Normally, I'm not a big advocate of ship's excursions but in this case, it's probably the best option. When we took this excursion several years ago, we were on the first tender off the ship and the last tender back to the ship - and we returned so late that they held the tender for the excursion.

 

Wrt Roatan, the last time we were there, we took a ship's excursion (we were cruising newbies) called "The Best of Roatan" (I think). It was okay in that it delivered what it promised: an overview of the history and culture of the island. I'm not sure that it was the best use of our time since Roatan is known for its reefs and diving/snorkeling opportunities.

 

On our family cruise on the Dawn next Christmas, we are probably going to sponsor a day at Maya Key for the whole clan for the day we call in Roatan. From the reviews that I've read, it seems like a good choice - expecially for the grandchildren. If it were just my husband and I, I'd probably look at something like the snorkeling and kayaking tour through Upachaya or Radical Catamaran Adventures. Mind you, I haven't experienced any of these options yet, so you'd need to check them out thoroughly, but they are well-reviewed on Trip Advisor.

[Loucat]

Can you provide details on why Caye Caulker was awful? We were planning to go there :eek:

 

I cannot respond for the OP on Caye Caulker, but we have been there twice. How you get there and back is important! The island is a long boat ride away from the port. Taking the local ferry to get there is fine. Relying on the last boat back can leave you on the dock if the boat is already filled when it arrives at the dock. It does not matter if you have a ticket.

 

If you go with a well know private tour, ask what boats they would use to get there. Our second trip with this local agency was scary. We were in an overloaded small craft and the engine cut out. We were in the stern and were covered with overwash from spray.

The island is interesting to see. We rented a golf cart with another couple and toured around. There are some good restaurants and shops.

We are not beach people so others could comment on that aspect.

It is small! You can walk the length of the main street in 15- 20 minutes.

We liked it but having seen it twice, it is not worth the hassle of traveling there always thinking of getting back to the ship.

[vg247]

Thanks so much everyone: we have booked Victor Bodden for Roatan utilizing a personal tour guide for the day. Mainly we are just interested in a relaxing day on the beaches and nothing more. Any input on which beaches and resort areas that we should ask the driver to take us? From my research and what Victor shared there are resorts offering day passes for chair, fresh water shower use, etc. I like to hear about some experiences as to which resorts are best for this? He mentioned they are capacity controlled but others on the forum have mentioned some were over crowded at Bananarama so it would be nice to hear more from you all on this..

 

We are booked with Coral Breeze in Belize for the snorkel excursion and decided to do the Tulum ruins booked via NCL, I hope we will have enough time to enjoy the beach at Tulum as well. Read that one barely has enough time to see the ruins and be in the beach, so it will be interesting how the days goes..

 

Many thanks again cruise experts..we are nervously excited, being first time cruisers!

[my_crib_too]

The Dawn is a great boat and the crew is top notch.

 

Put a little money on the side and try each of the specialty restaurants. I would try to have a meal in each MDR and every restaurant.

[vg247]

The Dawn is a great boat and the crew is top notch.

 

Put a little money on the side and try each of the specialty restaurants. I would try to have a meal in each MDR and every restaurant.

 

Thanks for chiming in- we have reservations for Cagneys, le bistro, and la cucnina...can't wait...

 

I've heard the MDR Aqua is not as nice as the Venetian but we'll give it a try during our cruise

[shelly11]

I have a review in my signature from New Years. We had a blast!

[vg247]

I have a review in my signature from New Years. We had a blast!

 

Hi Shelly, many thanks for taking the time to write the review for many learn from your experiences..especially new cruisers like myself... I did read it and learned a lot, and will read it again up to our departure March 24 th.

 

You all have been really fantastic here on the forums ;)

[10s nut]

VG...Will be on your cruise:D Have you signed up for the meet & greet?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=349

[sunnywithachance]

We actually preferred Aqua over the Venetian. Liked the atmosphere and decor.

[jdvmd]

We actually preferred Aqua over the Venetian. Liked the atmosphere and decor.

 

We were the opposite! Thought the ceilings were low and Aqua just seemed dark, full of big, loud groups. The Venetians a beautiful space.

[sunnywithachance]

Different tastes but we found the aqua more intimate and modern. and the group we sat beside the second night in the venetian rivalled any other we encountered when it came to (crass) noise.

[vg247]

We will give both Aqua and the Venetian a try to mix things up..thanks everyone!

 

I learned that one can reserve the MDR's in advance for the week once on board, does anyone know if we can reserve prior to embarkation?

 

 

Great to learn about the meet and greet, I'll get on that ...be great to connect names and faces with cruise critic friends:cool:

[jdvmd]

We will give both Aqua and the Venetian a try to mix things up..thanks everyone!

 

I learned that one can reserve the MDR's in advance for the week once on board, does anyone know if we can reserve prior to embarkation?

 

 

Great to learn about the meet and greet, I'll get on that ...be great to connect names and faces with cruise critic friends:cool:

 

Won't be able to reserve in advance of embarkation unless you are in a suite.

[Rapsmac]

Roatan: did Victor Bodden tour once, Maya Key once and going back to Maya Key next month. A very nice beach/snorkeling/animal rescue excursion through the ship.

 

Belize: did cave tubing with cave-tubing.com once and did Lamanai once. This time we are doing jungle 4x4's (guys) and horseback riding in the Eco park (ladies). The ship's Lamanai excursion is probably the best excursion I have done. Fantastic boat ride up the river and then the ruins are spectacular. The cave tubing was fun.

 

Costa Maya: I recommend Native Choice to see the ruins. If you don't want to do an excursion here you can just get a cab and go eat lunch and have a swim.

 

Also did cave tubing with Major Tom @cave-tubing.com Great Day Not rushed like everyone else. Walk to the cave was educational. If you wanted you could try eating termites, sugar cane and when we were out of the cave, chewed on a nova cane leaf. Yes, mouth was numb! That was in '09 and kids still talk about it. You just have to go at the right time of year or the caves are to full of water. All the stops are great and I'm sure whatever you do you'll have a good time. Read the boards and pick a tour guide that sounds like they are a fit for you and you party and you should be OK! Have a great trip! P.S. termites are minty. No wonder the chimps like them.