Mitsugirly BREAKAWAYs for a summer cruise: Review/Pictorial

[JoeTec]

I was on the Escape a week ago & we had pool towels in our room.  If I left them in the room on the bathroom floor we had clean ones that night before bed but I did switch out at the pool but several times.  If you didn't hand in a dirty one they took your room # and name

[SeaHunt]

Yay another great review!

 

So sorry to hear about your accident  The only thing good in that situation is that you went on the "Breakyourleg" AFTER your Breakaway cruise and not right before it! Hope you feel better and heal up quickly.

 

I'd like to know what you think about sailing with just the 3 of you compared to the usual family style? It seems like we always have at least one or two (or three or four) other couples with us, and I've almost forgotten how it is with  just us LOL

[deladane]

OMG! Kim!  I just read the post about your leg... How horrible!  Glad your surgery went well and sending you wishes for a speedy recovery!  As a Home Health PT, I can't help but recommend you remove all your throw rugs (kitchen, bathroom, front hall, etc.) and any clutter (shoes, dog toys, etc.) to keep you safe when using the crutches.  And since I know you and your family are night owls, make sure to turn on a lamp or use a nightlight when moving around after dark so you don't have another fall!  And of course, when you can finally start PT, do your exercises!!  

[tvlworm]

I’m so glad you are able to keep up on the review after the injury/surgery and that doing so is a much needed distraction!  

 

I was really hoping to see you loved west bay. We’re going to Roatan for 2nd time and had been undecided between the tabyana beach excursion or doing a resort for a day pass. Now I’m not so sure because I too hate aggressive vendors and would mainly be a snorkeling/beach day.   We did LFK last time and while we loved it, would prefer to try something different.  Any recommendations? 

 

Thanks and hope you have a healthy and speedy recovery! 

[mitsugirly]

5 hours ago, CelticMCO said:

Always wonderful reviews best of CC.  I too have done the gas hose step-over move; never again.  One of my Harley riding friends had the same ankle injury you have (about ten years ago); here's how he did his:  He decided it would be a good idea (do not do this past 40) to roller blade with his kids and put one roller blade on his right foot and then stood up and lifted his left foot in the air to attempt to put on the left one; bad idea.  Well his right foot collapsed and separated his ankle from his leg just like yours.  I had never heard of this injury before this you have my sympathy.   Be patient it is a long recovery but you will be as good as new! 

 

Aww, I'm blushing. Thanks so much for the kind words.

 

No more gas step-over moves for me in the future that's for sure.

 

My hubby is a skater and I just read the story about your friend and he was shaking his head the entire time. He said that's never a good idea to stand and put skates on. I'm really shocked with some of the stunts he does on his skates (he does aggressive inline skating with the grinding rails and stuff) that he hasn't had a bad injury yet. He's learning his limitations as he gets older though.

 

5 hours ago, robnmo said:

This is a great review. Thank you. We will be on the Breakaway on Sunday. First cruise for me and the kids. My wife and Mother-in-law have been on a bunch. Good luck in the recovery.

 

Thanks and glad you are enjoying it. I hope you and the kids will have a great cruise. Hopefully it won't be as crowded since most kids are going back to school now.

 

5 hours ago, jeanneful said:

Sakari looks so much like actress Ali McGraw when Ali was younger!!

 

 

Hmm, I'm not seeing the resemblance. A lot of people have told me that she looks like a young Selena Gomez. We have seen her twin on gas station billboards and in an advertisement for a place in the Caribbean. I would have swore it was her (when she was about the same age as the girl in the picture) and even Sakari thought it was her. LOL  We still laugh at this.

 

 

4 hours ago, dporter said:

following

 

I hope you enjoy.

 

4 hours ago, Jasonmom said:

 

Loved the pictures of your scuba adventure.  Also wanted to thank you for picture coming into port because I wasn't sure what was there. 

 

Hoping every day is better for you.

 

 

 

Thanks so much. You are welcome for the port picture.

 

2 hours ago, Suna said:

Always love finding your trip reviews. Amazing photos! Your daughter is very brave snorkeling ... how old is she?

 

Holy yikes on your foot _ you really did a great number on it. Hope the pain is getting less and less.

 

Aww thanks so much. Sakari is 11 years old. She's been swimming and snorkeling since age 3 and diving since age 8. She amazes me. She's a little fish.

 

Yep, I did a number on my foot for sure. I'm just glad it didn't happen on the ship or in port.

 

1 hour ago, FitchburgWIFamily said:

 

My husband teases me about worrying about "cruise-world" problems.  Like I tease people who complain about "first-world" problems like whining that Costco stopped carrying their brand of cucumber infused Vodka in the 2.5 liter bottle and only has it in a 1.75 liter size.  (but I digress)

 

And worrying about any cruise-world problem when you are sitting there with enough metal in your leg to mean you'll never get to go through airport security again trying to manage pain I don't want to imagine let alone manage seems superficial on my part at best.

 

But...well...ACK!  I can't help myself...I need to worry about this new towel policy NOW 3 months before my cruise.   We are NCL loyalists who just dipped our toes into Royal Carribean with a Cuba cruise on one of their smallest ships, but one of the things I hated was the towel checkout process on that ship.

 

Tell me NCL has not eliminated the towel exchange at port?  Tell me I can still get rid of my 90 lb wet sandy stinky monstrosity and replace it with a nicely cleaned rolled up wonder before I get on the gangway?

 

And is there any bright side to this new process?  If people use pool towels to hog loungers, and people are billed for non-returned pool towels...does the new check out to the room policy have any impact on the chair hogs?  Couldn't I just take their chair and their towels and deprive them of the credit for turning it in?

 

P.S.  Of course I wish you the speediest of recoveries and a belated but heartfelt thank you for all the information you provided over the years.  You sailed on the Star or the Dawn (probably both) just before one of our first family cruises and my kids would ask to look at your pictorial review almost daily while they planned in their heads their days on board.  "Find the picture of the giant chess board mom!"   You also gave excellent information about various ports and as I snorkel, I always comb through  your information to find the perfect snorkel from the beach location.  Thank you.

 

 

 

I was wondering about airport security myself. Will I really not be able to go through security again? Do they just do the wand after that? What about the metal detectors on the ship when you come back from port each time? Eek!

 

Yep, no more delivery of towels to the room now. You have to exchange everything up at the pool deck. I just don't like that you can give them any room number and it not even be yours. I can see problems with this system. Also the hand write everything down as well and if the pool towel guys hearing is anything like that of the photographers that take your picture and ask you your room number to attach the picture to your account, then we're all in for a doozy!

 

I really don't know what they are attempting to accomplish by doing it this way because I can guarantee they are not saving money this way and they are doing more laundry. I know any time I dipped in the pool to cool off, got out and grabbed and towel to wrap around me, went and got a drink and came back, I was exchanging the towel over and over for a dry one. I mean if you can just exchange it right around the corner, why sit  in a wet towel right?

 

I kept inquiring about the towels that were picked up in my room and making sure they were credited off my account. They assured me that they would be. I can assure you that they were pretty relaxed about the policy though. There was one time they just handed me towels and didn't ask for the number and said "don't worry about it". They never count how many you are returning and just go by what you say. They keep the carts of towels located right at the "Market Place" area between the pools where no one is and you could grab towels from there at any time (which the dad at the pool kept doing for everyone when they got out of the pool late at night) and I seen people leaving their pool towels on the chairs at night and never returning them. I'm not sure how that all worked out. It's just not a good system if they are attempting to keep track of the towels better and reducing any expenses for laundry.

 

Yes, you can still exchange at port for clean dry towels. That hasn't went away yet. They also are still in port when you come back giving you ice cold rags to cool down with and drinks. I'm shocked they haven't done away with that yet.

 

You have a point about the chair hogs and the towels...it definitely didn't decrease the amount of chair hogs for sure!

 

Thanks for your comments about my reviews. I appreciate it and glad they have been of some help.

 

28 minutes ago, Pat.D said:

 

I recommend it, they're fun.  From your beautiful pictures I'm guessing you found a pretty good dive center, the DM brought you to some nice sites close to the limits of DSD dives.  Really enjoying your review! 

 

 

I know what you mean, I did many DSD dives before I finally bit the bullet and got certified again (I was certified in my early 20's but couldn't afford to dive so I did not dive for 25+ years and let my cert lapse).  I am pretty sure your husband's ear issue is unlikely to be a problem with that special mask. 

 

Main reason I went for my cert again was that I wanted slightly more adventurous dives like visiting wrecks and sharks.  Link is to a dive in Nassau last March sailing the Bliss.  Saw a ton a sharks (and they were not baby sharks doo doo doo doo! 😉 lol!)

 

 

 

 

Oh hell no. I think the first time I see some sharks when scuba diving I will probably never do it again. I know, I know...everyone (divers) talk about there's not much of a chance of something happening like you see in the movies, but it still freaks me out to the max. I'd probably have a heart attack and never live to tell about it. Sakari on the other hand, she wants to swim with sharks. She's just crazy IMO. Yikes! I seen an article once about a scuba diver that was brutely attacked by a shark and there were comments from other divers saying "well everyone knows he was in the wrong position". I've always wondered if you encounter them are you to be horizontal or vertical?

 

I know if I ever get certified, it won't be to be adventurous. It will only be to save time and money in the long run. We won't have to do the classes each time before the dive and it would cost half the price. I'm perfectly happy with the diving we do now and have no desire to go any further.

 

 

11 minutes ago, JoeTec said:

I was on the Escape a week ago & we had pool towels in our room.  If I left them in the room on the bathroom floor we had clean ones that night before bed but I did switch out at the pool but several times.  If you didn't hand in a dirty one they took your room # and name

 

Well hmmm, I wonder why they are doing it on the Escape then? Our room steward took ours and never replaced them and we'd have to go back up to the towel hut and check more out.

 

4 minutes ago, SeaHunt said:

Yay another great review!

 

So sorry to hear about your accident  The only thing good in that situation is that you went on the "Breakyourleg" AFTER your Breakaway cruise and not right before it! Hope you feel better and heal up quickly.

 

I'd like to know what you think about sailing with just the 3 of you compared to the usual family style? It seems like we always have at least one or two (or three or four) other couples with us, and I've almost forgotten how it is with  just us LOL

 

Thanks so much. I'm so glad it didn't happen before too. I wouldn't have been able to go for sure.

 

Sailing with just us is usually more relaxing and less stressful. But there's good and bad with it. If it's just us, Sakari doesn't have Brayden to hang out with (but does manage to make a lot of friends...but not friends that she will have with her doing things in port) and I also miss Kendra when she doesn't go because she's my sidekick and will be out in the water snorkeling with me every time. The hubby likes to just sit back and relax on the beach. So I like it both ways. It's just harder to get a group going in the morning and organizing everything.

[mitsugirly]

30 minutes ago, deladane said:

OMG! Kim!  I just read the post about your leg... How horrible!  Glad your surgery went well and sending you wishes for a speedy recovery!  As a Home Health PT, I can't help but recommend you remove all your throw rugs (kitchen, bathroom, front hall, etc.) and any clutter (shoes, dog toys, etc.) to keep you safe when using the crutches.  And since I know you and your family are night owls, make sure to turn on a lamp or use a nightlight when moving around after dark so you don't have another fall!  And of course, when you can finally start PT, do your exercises!!  

 

Thanks so much. Yea, I'm a nurse so know all those things. I don't keep throw rugs in the house (other than at the kitchen sink and that was the first thing to come up). The hubby and Sakari have been making sure I have a clear path and shoes and dog togs removed from the floor area I'm in. They've been real good about this. I got my new wheelchair yesterday so I have been using that everywhere and not using the crutches. I have bruises on my arms from them (they were borrowed from the neighbor and not the right size). We always have the led lights on under the cabinets and several very bright night lights on at all times (before breaking my leg) so plenty of light for me. We have moved our bed down stairs to the living room and everything I need has been brought down including daily clothes changes. All I need is a walk in bathroom on the 1st floor and I would be set. LOL

 

I know PT is going to be rough but I honestly can't wait to get to that part of my recovery. I just want to walk and not feel so helpless anymore. 😞

 

18 minutes ago, tvlworm said:

I’m so glad you are able to keep up on the review after the injury/surgery and that doing so is a much needed distraction!  

 

I was really hoping to see you loved west bay. We’re going to Roatan for 2nd time and had been undecided between the tabyana beach excursion or doing a resort for a day pass. Now I’m not so sure because I too hate aggressive vendors and would mainly be a snorkeling/beach day.   We did LFK last time and while we loved it, would prefer to try something different.  Any recommendations? 

 

Thanks and hope you have a healthy and speedy recovery! 

 

It has helped me concentrate on the review instead of the pain. I'm glad I have something to keep my mind occupied.

 

If your main goal is to snorkel...definitely go to West Bay. It's just amazing and one of the best! Just tell the vendors no thanks and they move on...it's just that there's so many and you have to keep saying no. LOL

 

Are you going to be on an NCL ship? If so, another choice would be Maya Key. The snorkeling there is great too. It's just different because you go out on a pier and go in the water and snorkel and not from a beach. You can check my review of it from my website and see what I mean. There's other things there to do as well.

[mitsugirly]

WEDNESDAY DAY 4: BELIZE: HARVEST CAYE

 

One of the main reasons decided to go ahead and book this cruise was that it was going to a new place for us and I always like to experience new places.

 

Here is a little about Harvest Caye (pronounced Key) that I took off the internet and says it better than I ever could remember.

 

Harvest Caye sits at the southern end of Belize, about 50 miles north of the border between Guatemala and Honduras. And while it is an island, it sits only about a mile from the mainland and roughly five miles from the town of Placencia.

The island itself measures just about a mile long and only about 400 feet wide at most points. In other words, it’s easy for most people to walk anywhere on the island in just a few minutes.

 

The most distinguishable landmark on the island is the lighthouse, which towers over the landscape. The lighthouse is actually the signature of the zipline course that runs across the island. If you decide to do this adventure, you’ll get to ride from the lighthouse across the beach. Other points of interest include the city/shopping area, the wildlife reserve, and the marina.

 

Swimming Pool (Free)
Located just as you walk off the ship’s pier and in the heart of the island, there is the swimming pool. It’s a large resort-style pool with lots of bends and turns, a bridge with waterfall, swim-up bar, a gently-sloping shallow kids area, and hundreds of chairs/umbrellas for you to lounge. The pool is the heartbeat of Harvest Caye and you’ll find the most cruise passengers spending their time here. Private pool cabanas are are available for rent for $249, but other than that, it’s free to use. **I want to say the pool is saltwater**

 

Beach (free)

Across from the pool is a scalloped cove of the beach that runs for hundreds of feet. There are ample lounges and umbrellas, as well as shaded “clamshell” covers that you can rent for $39 for the day. Along the beach there are lifeguards posted, and there are a number of beach games like volleyball and soccer. One more thing, the water isn’t the best. Visibility can be iffy, and don’t expect the electric blue color you might find elsewhere in the Caribbean.

 

Zipline (Paid)
If there’s a signature of Harvest Caye, it has to be the zipline. The most exciting run goes from the lighthouse, over the beach, and across the water. The zipline costs between $29 to $89, depending on the route you want to take and adult versus child pricing.

 

Paddleboarding/Kayaking (Paid)
On the backside of the island is a calm area of water that features a number of bends and turns for guests to use stand-up paddleboard or kayaks. The area is roped off from the surrounding water (so you don’t have to worry about taking a wrong turn into the open water). It’s also a bit out of the way so you can feel like you’re out on your own without going far. The cost for renting a kayak or paddleboard is $29.

 

Ropes Course (Paid)
If you have an older kid or teen, they might be interested in the ropes course. It’s basically a multi-story jungle gym. You strap in and climb around different obstacles that are dangling up to 20 feet above the ground. It’s also affordable at only $19 per person.

 

Beach Villa (Paid)
Sometimes you just want to relax… in style. There is a section of Harvest Caye’s beach that is roped off and available only to guests staying in the handful of private beach villas. Here you have everything you could want, including your own cabana with air conditioning, loungers, daybeds, facilities, and more. The cost is steep — $599 for up to six people. Extra persons are $49 each. Still, if you want to ensure you have your own comfortable spot away from all the other cruise passengers, this is your ticket.

 

Shopping
If you’ve never been on a cruise, then you might be surprised at how much shopping is promoted and encouraged on the ship and on shore. Harvest Caye is no different. In the “town” section of the island there are a number of souvenir stands and shops selling everything from small trinkets to bamboo bed sheets. There is even a Harley-Davidson-branded store.

 

Wildlife Experience (Free)
On Harvest Caye is a small “Wildlife Experience” for guests. Inside there is a butterfly exhibit, a boa constrictor, and two aviaries with a toucan and scarlet macaw. The entire area is free but only takes about five minutes to walk through. If you’re looking for a calm shady spot to sit down, it’s a great idea to get away from the buzz of the rest of the island.

 

Kids Splash Area (Free)
If you have smaller kids, check out the splash area. With tons of contraptions spraying water in every direction, it is one of the most impressive splash pads we’ve seen. Kids are sure to get wet and have a blast without having to worry about the depth of the pool or the ocean’s waves at the beach. Best of all, it’s free to play.

 

Places to Eat & Drink in Harvest Caye (Paid)

Of course, a big part of cruise life is the food. Unlike other private islands run by cruise lines, Norwegian doesn’t supply food on Harvest Caye. You’ll need to bring money and purchase anything you want to eat. You can also head back to the ship for lunch if you don’t want to pay.

*LandShark Bar & Grill
If you eat on the island, it’s a good chance it will be at LandShark. Sitting poolside (there is even a bar that serves you in the pool), the multi-story restaurant is right in the heart of everything. It offers all your favorite drinks, and the food is traditional American fare. There are burgers and baskets, sandwiches, salads, wings, and more. As with all food on the island, the prices are a little high (about $12-18 for an entree), and made higher by a 12.5% tax and a 15% service charge that’s tacked onto your bill.

*Laughing Bird Bar & Grill
Down the beach from LandShark, the Laughing Bird was another popular spot to sit and have a drink and a bite to eat. It features all your favorite beach drinks (pina coladas, margaritas, etc.) As for food, it’s tropical bar eats with some BBQ options, ceviche, burgers, nachos, and chicken baskets.

*Horse Eye Jack’s
The smallest bar and restaurant on the island, Horse Eye Jack’s is also the least busy in our experience. It sits near the end of the island by the private villas. Here you can sit at the bar looking out over the water or even dine with your feet in the sand. The drink menu is as you would expect with everything from soda to beer (including local brews) to rum drinks and more. The food is a mix of burgers and salads, with local snacks like plantains and ceviche.

*Manatee Bar
Away from most of the buzz of the pool and beach, the Manatee Bar is a large complex sitting near the marina on the other side of the island. You can find your favorites here, including Belize’s own Lighthouse Lager if you want to sample the local brew.

 

Lockers Are For Rent
Around the island you’ll see several locker stands that have a couple of dozen spots for people to rent. The cost is $5 and you can actually put it on your ship’s card (no cash is accepted). For the price you get the use of the locker all day and are given a key to let you access it when you need to do so.

 

Rides Are Available Up and Down the Pier
To get to Harvest Caye, there’s a lengthy walk from the ship down a long pier. If you have mobility issues, don’t fret. There are carts that run the length of the pier, picking up and dropping off passengers between the ship and the shore. If you walk the pier, just be sure you stay on your side of the walkway to let the carts pass.

 

There’s No Wi-Fi

 

Coke is Served on Harvest Caye
It may sound silly, but loyal Coca-Cola drinkers don’t want Pepsi and vice versa. Pepsi products are served on Norwegian, and if you’re a Coke drinker you are out of luck. But on Harvest Caye, Coca-Cola is served in the restaurants. If you’re a Coke lover, it’s an oasis in a desert of Pepsi.

 

 

So that gives a run down of the place itself. You also can't use your ship card for any purchases. You must bring cash or credit card to use there.

 

 

 

 

[dporter]

Mitsugirly, i am enjoying your review, thank you. I am sorry to hear about your injury and wish you a speedy recovery.

 

I have followed many of your reviews and they are always spectacular! You give tons of information and take fantastic pictures. I agree with others that you should have some sort of cruise blog.  Have you ever followed John Heald on Facebook, he is with Carnival, I don’t know his title, but his English humor keeps me laughing. You should pick your favorite cruise line and get the same type of job with them, you would be fantastic!

 

You are the reason we did a NCL cruise a few years back and loved it, even repeated the ship the following year. We will be on the Epic in February, I contemplated the Breakaway but based on some of what you shared in this review I am glad we opted for Epic. We know the bathroom  layout is a little weird but who cares someone else is cooking and cleaning so that’s a win in my book.  We pick cruises based on itinerary more than ship or cruise line so I will probably never be platinum or whatever anywhere. I can remember when loyalty meant a free cruise, gone are those rewards.

[Cruzinnana47]

First off, so sorry, Kim about your accident and am joining others here to wish you a speedy recovery.  As always, enjoying your review and pics...great job as usual!  

 

Have to comment on your observations & concerns about the Breakaway and how you enjoyed your 1st cruise on her more than this recent one,  We sailed on her within the 1st year of service (early 2014) and although the ship was still very new, attractive and innovative,  we found her TOO BIG for us.  The idea of having to reserve just about everything on a ship touting the NCL "Freestyle" theme was a turn-off, as well as the crowds everywhere we went.  Sorry to read that so many features were not available or not working during your cruise.  

 

Have to agree that NCL cut-backs are making it harder to enjoy achieving Platinum status. We sailed this past spring on the NCL Sun and were "underwhelmed" with service and some of the food. Also, we had a major problem with customer service not delivering what they promised.  We are taking a break from NCL for awhile--even cancelled a cruise we had booked with an FCC.

 

Ok, enough of that.  Looking forward to reading the rest of your review!  

 

[mitsugirly]

Our time at Harvest Caye would be from 8-5pm. Since this was a "free" port day with no excursions planned, I decided to get up when I got up. It was still early, but I didn't set an alarm or anything.

 

We headed for breakfast and once again I wasn't very hungry. But, I know in the past everyone has complained about the biscuits on NCL. They have always been as hard as hockey pucks and inedible. I knew I wanted to give it another shot and see if this was still the case. They were finally not hard anymore and edible, but very dry. Why can't NCL get this right? I love biscuits and they just ruin it for me.

 

 

 

 

Once we were done eating, we were free to walk off the ship. We stopped for pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most of the photographers were located after you walked down the long pier and coming onto the island.

 

This pier was long and it was hot out. You could catch a ride on one of the many golf carts they had going by. Thank goodness they decided to do up this pier right and they have the entire walkway covered to protect you from the sun. Now if they'd just install some fans or a/c....:D

 

 

 

 

Man groves lined the walkway

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Finally arriving at the island

 

 

 

 

 

They had some misting stations and boy did it feel good on this hot and humid day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's plenty of shopping in this area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Of course the center of attraction is the ginormous pool!

 

 

 

This thing goes off in various areas and twist and turns and has little islands with palm trees on them.

 

 

 

Over by the restaurant, there are some pool chairs in the water

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's a walk way across the water with a waterfall under it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

We picked our spot along side the pool in the front row.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I actually made it in the water before Sakari this time around. It was so hot.

 

 

 

 

A mermaid was entering the water

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was hardly anyone there at that point and we pretty much had the pool to ourselves. Sakari and I were standing in the water in the middle of the pool and she went in and got the whistle blown at her and was told "no diving". Um say what? We were standing in the middle of the pool...how was she diving???? He said you can't go in head first like that. Are you serious? Head first? You want us to just ease our way down into the water and go under is that what you are saying? Yes, no diving in or going in the water head first while standing in the water. YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!  This pattern would continue the rest of the day of the lifeguards blowing their whistles non-stop....for every little thing. But yet, there's signs all over the place that say "no life guard on duty". Every time I seen a kid go in the water head first "hey lifeguard, was that diving? I didn't hear you blow your whistle"  It was irritating. They wanted you to get in and just stand there. These are kids...they don't want to get into a pool and just stand there. They want to swim. I was shocked they even let her swim with her mermaid tail on. I was just waiting for that whistle to come.

[mitsugirly]

So let's take a look around...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The shower station coming from the beach to the pool area

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were plenty of seats everywhere...plenty...even if the entire ship got off there would be plenty of seats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zip lining across the water...

 

 

 

You'd never know if there were any jelly fish or stingrays in the water until it was too late. The water is murky and not the crystal clear water you usually find in ports. I'm not sure if this is because it's a new port and things haven't settled or what or if it's just the area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

They did have beach volleyball but I can't imagine playing it on a hot day like the day we were there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You could tell that they take good care of this island/port. The sand was all smoothed down and scraped perfect in areas that people had not walked on yet.

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Going up away from the beach...

 

The Landshark restaurant:

 

 

 

Anyone for a game of chess or checkers?

 

 

 

Mobility problems? Not an issue. They have beach wheelchairs.

 

 

 

Lockers for rent for the entire day. You use your ship card and receive a coin to use in the machine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

They have a kids water park with the bucket of dumping water, water spraying out everywhere and I believe ones that you can control as well. (Sakari didn't want to go there after seeing it and thought she was "too old" for it). LOL

 

You will also find a shower in this area as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Moving along toward the lagoon area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At least you could use your ship card for these events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

The lighthouse. This is where you go to zip line (and maybe the ropes course?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 20, 2019 by mitsugirly

[mitsugirly]

Walking back down by the beach and toward the pool

 

 

 

 

 

Plenty of chairs from one end of the beach to the other

 

 

 

 

 

Private cabana area:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I headed back to the pool area and the hubby went and got drinks (soda/pop). They charge you taxes AND the 15% service charge.

 

 

 

 

My little mermaid was sunbathing on the steps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Next up was the "Wildlife Experience". I don't know about "wild" life...but they had some birds, a snake and some butterflies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A scarlet Macaw

 

 

 

 

And a person that stands there all day feeding another one seeds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toucan Sam x2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boa

 

 

 

 

The butterfly exhibit

 

 

 

 

 

Very pretty butterflies...when their wings are open or in flight. The outside is brown and the inside is a pretty blue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then they had a wild forest of animals at the entrance making all kinds of noises...only it was a speaker.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 20, 2019 by mitsugirly

[mitsugirly]

Around the area was various animals carved from wood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's one thing that you can say about Harvest Caye and that is that it's beautifully decorated. A lot of thought went into the layout and landscaping of this place and it was just gorgeous!!! Everywhere you look there were flowers and greenery, bushes and palms and umbrella and everything that could be thought up. It was just so nice there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Back at the chairs, we decided we would order some lunch. It was really hard to get service from the people walking by and after asking for a menu, the hubby decided to just walk over to the restaurant and get one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I ordered the fish tacos. They were "ok" but I've had a lot better!!! The chips and salsa were decent but the salsa merely tasted like tomato sauce and I'm not sure if it was their attempt at making pico de gallo but pico de gallo it was not!

 

The mini human ordered her usual....chicken tenders and fries and the hubby ordered the pulled pork tacos. I didn't hear any complaints from either of them, so it must have been good or at least filling.