Would anyone be interested in reading a Celebrity Reflection review from a newbie?

[anniedave]

When we started talking about the holiday and Dave took a very' back seat'! approach to participating in the planning , he did say if we were going to Mexico if possible he would like to visit Chichen Itza. Now I had never heard of Chichen Itza  ( one of the Severn Wonders of the modern World) – which Dave described to me as the Mexican version of the pyramids, when he first told me about it I misheard him.. and hence forth whenever it was referred to I called it the ‘chicken place’ ! So being the dutiful wife  (or control freak… depending on your perspective )  that I am, I started looking for the perfect  excursion to Chichen Itza… and there were hundreds… !!!! After a couple of bad experiences of large group full day excursions in the past…|(the most memorable being on our honeymoon to Malta when we spent the day in a 100 degree coach with broken air con, full of crying children,  and I got heatstroke and nearly passed out)I try now to book smaller excursions. After much searching I discovered an excursion with a company called Yucatreks.  It was quite a pricy tour  but It guaranteed a maximum of 14 pople on the tour and included de luxe air – conditioned transport , snacks and drinks, breakfast, lunch at an authentic Hacienda with local specialiaties, a guided tour of Chichen Itza, a swim in  a cenote , time to stop and sightsee at the historical town of Valladolid and bizzarely a final stop at a roadside site where the local prisioners were selling hammocks they made – apparently the best hammocks in Mexico. The price also included all admission fees. Not put off by meeting the prisoners, and feeling that for what we were getting the cost of $132 each was reasonable I booked up. One of the other things that attracted me was that it was an early morning start so that we would be visiting Chichen Itza first thing and hopefully avoid the mid day heat and the crowds.

I received confirmation of my booking for $132 – with the other half being payable in cash on the day of the trip.I was however told that there would need to be a minimum of 6 people to make the trip viable and that they would keep me updated. I hadn’t heard anything and contacted them just before Christmas and they said we were still the only booking, but people often left booking excursions until they arrived on holiday so we may not know until the last minute.  Not having a confirmed trip did make me a bit anxious ... its like not having a list ...!! but Dave pointed out there were so many trips available if needed we could just book something when we got to Mexico. Luckily half way through the  cruise I got an email to confirm that there were enough people for the trip to go ahead. 

We were up early to meet the guide in reception at 7.00am. Once on the empty coach we were introduced to our guide and our driver for the day and paid the rest of the money. He then said that actually there would only be one other couple on the excursion , but the company had decided it could still go ahead ! I was thinking to myself that online I had seen private excursions for about $500 each and we were getting almost that for a quarter of the price.!

So we picked up the other two people who were a lovely couple of ladies who were old college friends holidaying together. One was actually originally from Mexico , which was very helpful durng the day on the odd occasion they guide wasn’t around and we needed help with our Spanish !! So after a short drive we arrived at a service station to pick up some freshly made sandwiches  - our breakfast – and we were able to purchase some coffe to wake us up. On the bus there was also a cool box full of water and soft drinks as well as a bag full of sweet and savoury snacks we could help ourselves to during the day.

On the journey to chichen itza we ate our sandwiches and got a detailed history of the Yuca Peninsula. It was about a 2 hour journey  with a comfort break on the way and eventually we arrived and the guide  went off to get our tickets, apparently the world heritage site is owned partly by the local authority and partly by someone else. So you have to pay twice, one ticket is admission onto the land itself and the other to see the ruins. The guide provided us with Umbrellas to use as shade …we did need them… and some bottles of water, and we were off.

We had a very personalised guided tour of the site. It was fascinating to look at and hear all about the meaning and believed purpose of each building on sight and see all the ancient carvings . Looking at the large groups of people straining to hear their guides I felt so lucky to be part of such a small group and get such a personalised tour. The site was so vast you couldn’t possibly cover everything so being part of a much smaller group meant we could agree which parts we wanted to see. There were also many stallholders within the site selling souveniors , clothing, artwork and much more.

By the time we were getting ready to leave, the place had really filled up and was much hotter and much busier, so we were really glad of our early morning start. Next stop a nice refreshing swim in a cenote.

 

 

 

[cachouonacruise]

Thank you once more Annie,

 

Your review with pictures and videos is quite helpful for people like me who has never been in Mexico. 

 

The cave restaurant was beautiful... at least.

 

I find particularly interesting that you take the time to explain the reasoning behind the choice you made. A lot of travellers including us go through the same process before a trip. 

 

But, It shows that despite our pre-trip research and past travel experiences, we’re all at risk to make newbie mistakes because we are in a new world for the first time. It is even more challenging when the country’s language and culture are different. So, we have to rely on the locals.... sometimes, it’s a hit, sometimes a miss. But at the very least, it adds a new anecdote in our travel baggage and makes it fun.

 

 

[anniedave]

Day 6 Mahekal Beach Cont/

After a short drive we arrived at the Cenote Dzitnup... for those of you who don’t know… and I had never heard of them until I started to  research the holiday… they are described as

A  is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. Especially associated with the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, cenotes were sometimes used by the ancient Maya for sacrificial offerings.

We parked the coach and there was a short walk to a changing area and then there were separate changing rooms for men and women where you could shower and change into swimwear and put your belongings in a locker. From there we  walked to the entrance to the cenote and then down some steep steps into the cavern itself . Once in the cavern we had to leave our clothes on a rock and then climb down some slippery rocks into the water. There were ropes to hold onto in the water and a lifeguard on duty.  The cenote we went to was a cave with only a small hole in the roof to let light in. There was some artificial lighting but it was still quite dim. When I post the pictures, the first one you will see I have taken from google images, as I want you to see the full beauty of what we saw, we saw,  our photos aren't very bright  and don't do it justice.  Because of my fall in Aruba I was very nervous of climbing down the rocks into the water and I nearly chickened out.... and of course Dave just got in and swam off !!Luckily the guide was going in the water for a swim too and he was very patient with me and helped me slowly inch my way in. Once I was in the water it was lovely. We had about 20 mins in the water and then got out, went back to the changing area and had a shower and got changed , and then nice and refreshed went for a short drive down the road to the hacienda for lunch.

It was a buffet style restaurant and our tour included lunch and a soft drink or beer , ( although you could buy extra drinks if you wanted)  we both had a soft drink and helped ourselves to the food from the buffet. There was a table set up for our group, which included the other couple plus our driver and guide and it was nice to sit and chat and find out more about them. It was meant to be authentic Mexican quisine and was very similar to the food we had been eating at the hotel. The food was very much mass catering and wasn't great.. it was  just okay, I think because it was so hot and we were tired we weren't really very hungry anyway. The funny thing that happened at lunch was that one of the two ladies with us ordered two shots of tequila with her lunch... I assumed it was so her and her friend could have a toast... however she downed both shots herself and her friend told her off for drinking...more of that story later!!! After lunch there was time for a quick walk round the grounds and and a look at another cenote, that unlike the one we had swam in was open to the air, so we could look down and see people swimming in  it. After that it was back on the coach and off to Valladolid.

Valladolid was a town with some shops and a central square with a park. We were given an hour to look round and do some shopping. We were tired by this time and I didn’t really want to shop ( I know, Dave was shocked by this !! I must have been very tired !!) We found a café and had a cold drink and then sat in the park and watched a group of people perform some sort of show. We had nearly run out of cash apart from two $100 bills , Dave had tried several times over the last couple of days to change them when we had bought something small, and each time he hadn't been able to. We had used one to pay for our excursion but we still needed some small bills to give tips for today etc ( see we had now got the hang of tipping! ) So he went to an ATM to get some cash out … the problem was the instructions were in Spanish … eventually with me using google to translate on my phone we managed to get some cash! Once back on the bus we were asked if we wanted to stop to buy a hammock but  both us and the other couple said we didn’t, so we never got to find out if the prisoners were friendly.   If  I had room in the suitcase I would have been very tempted… I loved my hammock – I think I have mentioned it once or twice. So back to the lady who had had the shots of tequilla at lunch. At the start of the day she came on the bus with her own large bottle of 'water' which she had frequently been drinking out of during the day. Back on the bus she was now acting quite strangely, making random comments... she then helped herself to all the snacks that were left from the day and  began talking/ singing to herself.  Dave and I decided that it probably hadn't been 'water ' in her bottle at all. She was a lovely lady so I hope it was just a case of having a bit of a drink because she was on holiday.

I think I dozed most of the way back to the hotel and then when we got back to the room we quickly got changed and went for dinner, but it had been a long tiring day so we didn’t stay out late and went to bed, ready for the final full day in Mexico.

[hcat]

13 hours ago, anniedave said:

Thankyou ..I did not know that about the link with the coral and the shellfish allergy … it does make sense though! Good job it was me who slipped on the coral and not Dave then!

We never knew that either but makes sense... he should stay clear. We are usually careful esp  not wanting to damage coral but in rough water not always easy.

 

And after reading through...you did  a great job  planning  your great 5-oh b day Celebration!

Edited April 26, 2020 by hcat

[anniedave]

Day 7 Mahekal Beach

 

Today was the last day of the holiday. The 3 weeks had just flown by but what an amazing time we had had. After breakfast we had chores - packing, checking in online for the flights home and phoning to confirm our transfer to the airport. I Reminded  Dave he needed to give the concierge a VERY large tip for organising my birthday surprize. After Dave being ill from eating at the a la carte restaurant, we had decided we weren’t going again. But, the other option for the evening was a buffet in the other restaurant… titled fisherman’s feast!! So that wasn’t going to work. We booked a table at the a la carte restaurant and Dave emphasised his fish allergy and that he was also allergic to anything that had been cross contaminated with fish, hopefully that would do the trick.

Whilst we had picked up some souvenirs on the cruise we still had some gifts to buy so we walked into town to do some last minute shopping… we bought quite a lot of them from one shop and Dave finally managed to change his $100 bill!  So because we had a lot of people to buy for … guess what… I had made a list and now I needed to remember who I had already bought for and who I still needed presents for. For me, when I buy souvenirs to take home for people its about getting the balance right between something from the local area but not too tacky… and sometimes that’s tricky… add to that I also had it needed to be tiny ..’tiny tiny’ things that didn’t really weigh anything.  I say' I' because Dave doesn’t really do gift shopping of any description… seriously he was so relieved when I told him we weren’t buying each other Christmas presents last year because of the cruise. The year before I had taken pictures of a selection of things I would like and emailed him the pictures and list of relevant shops. Eventually I got everything we needed and headed back to the hotel.

I cant remember why but I was googling Charlotte airport on my phone, which was where we were transferring flights, and found out that day they had had a bad storm in Charlotte and they had  evacuated the airport and sent everyone to the hurricane shelters. It also showed up that the flights there that evening had been cancelled. It said that the airport was currently closed. I checked our flights for the next day and they were still showing as going from Cancun to Charlotte. There wasn't anything we could do about it so I just had to hope everything would be okay by the next day.

I’ve just realised that earlier in the week we did take a dip in one of the other pools in the complex, I cant remember what day , but we did try it out. So we had decided that afternoon we would try the other main pool we hadn't used… after a laze in the hammocks. What happened was we enjoyed the laze in the hammocks so much that we decided to stay there and not bother with the dip in the pool. So we spent the afternoon hammock swaying, dozing and sleeping and trying not to think about the fact it was nearly time to head home.  We got ready and went out for dinner and after a week of spicy Mexican food.. I ordered pizza and fries. They used big wood smoke ovens to cook in and the pizza was delicious, although they did think I was strange when I asked for pineapple on my pizza and the waiter had to go and find out if it was possible. We went back to sit on the veranda with a last drink and sit in the hammock and luckily dave was fine after eating dinner.  Last night in our lovely tree house.

[anniedave]

Heading Home

 

Time to say good bye to our treehouse and hammocks and begin the long journey home . By this time tomorrow we would be back in the UK 😞 . We finished packing and went for breakfast... I hope its not just me and that everyone else takes some fruit and cookies or pastries from breakfast on their last morning of their holiday, so they have some snacks for the airport? 

We paid our bill and said goodbye. The previous day Dave had said that he had told the maid she was welcome to take the flowers home with her once we had left. He didn't speak any Spanish ( apart from being able to order a beer.. but he can do that in most languages !) and she didn't speak any English , so Im really not sure whether she understood ! It was a shame to have to leave them behind as they were still in full bloom and smelt gorgeous. I did take one flower  with me, and one from my cruise flowers, to take home and press and put in scrap book ( the one I still haven't done yet.) 

The transfer car took us  to the airport and it was the opposite of the smooth transition we had through Miami airport. It was chaos, with massive queues everywhere and no on really sure where to go.  We had allowed about 4 hours pre flight, it took so long to get through security /passport/baggage drop off etc , once we were in departures we had about an hour before boarding. Of course Dave wanted to find somewhere to have a cigarette. After trawling departures he found out that there was a 'beer garden' where for a price he could smoke. To enter the beer garden we had to pay for a wrist band $10 each - which we could use on credit for food and drink. Im sure it wasn't necessary but it was easier than having a grumpy nicotine deprived husband for the journey home. So Dave ordered a large beer, I had a large wine and we ordered a very large burger and fries to share ….and to be honest it was delicious. I could have  happily sat and lingered for longer but it was nearly time for our flight, so we made our way to the gate. Once we got to the gate we found there was a delay . Eventually it took off about 50 minutes late. 50 minutes didn’t seem a lot,  but  there was only 80 minutes between our connecting flights.  Originally we had been due to fly via Chicago and there was a 4 hr gap between the connecting flights, but a few weeks before the holiday I received the revised schedule. The pilot made up a bit of time and when we landed we had 45 minutes to get to our flight, I was stressed  we weren’t going to make it … Dave true to form was not stressed and said maybe they would have to put us up in Charlotte overnight, and we would get an extra nights holiday ! Luckily we made it and got to the gate just as the flight was boarding. The flight home was half empty and we were able to spread out. I dozed, read, watched a couple of films and we arrived back in the UK slightly early at 6.30am.  

After going through passport control, customs and collecting our bags we got a taxi back to the hotel and picked up our car to drive home.

[anniedave]

The last 3 weeks had just flown by. The best thing about Florida was meeting up with my cousin and spending time with her and her family, and we also got to experience the alligators in the everglades. As well as all the fun of the cruise, we went on a horse drawn carriage ride in Columbia, ate on a beach at sunset , went off-roading and jumped in a cave pool in Aruba, Had a jeep ride round the island of Curacao, saw flamingos in Bonaire and Swam with sting rays in Grand Cayman. Then we went to Mexico  and as well as having a relaxing week in a tree house with hammocks we got to eat dinner in a Cave, saw Chichen Itza and swam in a cenote. What an experience !!

 

Thank you to everyone who has read my review and made such kind positive comments. I know times are really difficult and I hope that my review has helped some of you feel a bit more positive. Im sure most of you reading this have a funny story or anecdote about a cruise, or maybe a post or pre cruise holiday that you could share. If so I know I and lots of others would love to hear about it on the celebrity board.

 

Shortly after we arrived home we booked this cruise for Feb 2022 on the Celebrity Millenium

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Von & John]

Annie - Your Tour Day looked fantastic! 

Were people allowed to climb @ Chichen Itza?  I didn't see anyone doing so in your pictures.  I was there back in Highschool (just a few short years ago 🤣) And we climbed to the top...  Going up was no problem for me...  It was the coming back down that was the problem...  I ended up sitting on my behind & scooting down.  Local kids were running up & down, like it was nothing!

The Cenote you went to looks amazing - both the google image & your photos!

There always seems to be someone who brings their own "Water" Bottle with them 🙃

[Von & John]

I have now caught up to the end...

Thank you for your most enjoyable review!!!

It looks like you will have a fun filled cruise on the Millie to look forward to...

Your review brought some sunshine & warmth into our rainy dreary days!  

We finally saw sun yesterday & today in Talkeetna - so that's helping as well.  It's so nice to spend time outside 🙂

Wishing You & Dave a very happy upcoming week.

Cheers  --  Von & John

[Deb25]

Thank you for writing the trip report. It was a fun read! We have met some very lovely Brits on our cruises and on our visits to London and other areas in England. Last year we sailed ft lauderdale to Southampton, called a transatlantic or repositioning, and then stayed on for a cruise to Norway , called a Back to Back. 
Sometime you may want to try a transatlantic. Lots of relaxing sea days and then a few ports . Glad you enjoyed your first cruise and had a special birthday.

thanks again for spending the time to do this report . If you don’t mind, could you tell us where your from in England?  What area?
deb

[ejnsb]

I wonder if I could ask what specifically you had in your minibar on the ship.  We are weighing the various drink packages and it would be helpful. 

[cachouonacruise]

Thank-you very much Annie for your review!

 

It was entertaining and fun to read. It really gave me the itch to go on our next cruise  on Silhouette.

 

I wish you and Dave a beautiful cruise on Millenium!

 

 

[lkj1301]

Annie,

 

Loved reading about your birthday holiday.  What a wonderful holiday it was. Happy belated bday.  Glad you caught the cruise bug 😉

 

Lorie

[anniedave]

15 hours ago, cachouonacruise said:

Thank you once more Annie,

 

Your review with pictures and videos is quite helpful for people like me who has never been in Mexico. 

 

The cave restaurant was beautiful... at least.

 

I find particularly interesting that you take the time to explain the reasoning behind the choice you made. A lot of travellers including us go through the same process before a trip. 

 

But, It shows that despite our pre-trip research and past travel experiences, we’re all at risk to make newbie mistakes because we are in a new world for the first time. It is even more challenging when the country’s language and culture are different. So, we have to rely on the locals.... sometimes, it’s a hit, sometimes a miss. But at the very least, it adds a new anecdote in our travel baggage and makes it fun.

 

 

Thankyou. I remember when I was about 12 and my dad took me & my mum on a spur of the moment trip to Belgium confident that we would be able to get by with the bit of French he spoke...except when we arrived he had taken us to the Flemish speaking part of Belgium ..and we spent 4 days with him pointing at things and miming actions 🤣

[anniedave]

6 hours ago, Von & John said:

Annie - Your Tour Day looked fantastic! 

Were people allowed to climb @ Chichen Itza?  I didn't see anyone doing so in your pictures.  I was there back in Highschool (just a few short years ago 🤣) And we climbed to the top...  Going up was no problem for me...  It was the coming back down that was the problem...  I ended up sitting on my behind & scooting down.  Local kids were running up & down, like it was nothing!

The Cenote you went to looks amazing - both the google image & your photos!

There always seems to be someone who brings their own "Water" Bottle with them 🙃

Climbing it must of been amazing. We weren't allowed to climb it. Apparently they closed it in 2006 after they decided it was getting too much wear and tear from the tourists and then the final straw was, someone sadly  fell and died whilst coming down. They have done alot of restoration work in recent years , enabling people to see more of what it originally looked like.

[anniedave]

6 hours ago, Von & John said:

I have now caught up to the end...

Thank you for your most enjoyable review!!!

It looks like you will have a fun filled cruise on the Millie to look forward to...

Your review brought some sunshine & warmth into our rainy dreary days!  

We finally saw sun yesterday & today in Talkeetna - so that's helping as well.  It's so nice to spend time outside 🙂

Wishing You & Dave a very happy upcoming week.

Cheers  --  Von & John

Thankyou. I just googled where Talkeetna is. It looks beautiful, Alaska is on my bucket list. Glad you finally have some sunshine .

[anniedave]

5 hours ago, Deb25 said:

Thank you for writing the trip report. It was a fun read! We have met some very lovely Brits on our cruises and on our visits to London and other areas in England. Last year we sailed ft lauderdale to Southampton, called a transatlantic or repositioning, and then stayed on for a cruise to Norway , called a Back to Back. 
Sometime you may want to try a transatlantic. Lots of relaxing sea days and then a few ports . Glad you enjoyed your first cruise and had a special birthday.

thanks again for spending the time to do this report . If you don’t mind, could you tell us where your from in England?  What area?
deb

Thankyou, glad you enjoyed the review. From the  reviews I  have read on the transatlantic/ repositioning cruises they sound lots of fun, and I would imagine more relaxing than ones that are port intensive ....although there are so many places I want to visit!. Sadly I think  unless we win the lottery a B2B is only a dream. 

We live in Essex - about 50 miles North East of London.  We live in a village a few miles from Colchester ( you may have heard of it it's the oldest town in England and has a lovely castle) Although it's only 40 minutes on the train we very rarely go into London. I think last year I only went twice, once for work and once to a gig.

We have friends who live in Southampton and every year we go to a festival in Portsmouth which is only a few miles away.

Dave was born in Essex but I was born in Yorkshire and grew up in Norfolk, so I have family all over the country.  

[anniedave]

6 hours ago, ejnsb said:

I wonder if I could ask what specifically you had in your minibar on the ship.  We are weighing the various drink packages and it would be helpful. 

There is a thread called  'drinks and more' where people have posted about their experience of the package which may help you Lots of people have  had problems with it. I think they rolled it out but didnt tell the cabin stewards who were confused about what people could have ! In the mini bar we got 2 half bottles of wine ( 1 red, 1 white - sorry cant remember which - didnt try the red -  the white was okay but nothing special ) some beer, some evian water, some regular & diet coke, 2 kind bars, a mini tub of pringles and 4 mini Tito vodka. You couldnt exchange anything  but whatever we used got replaced each day except the kind bars .

[Von & John]

1 hour ago, anniedave said:

Thankyou. I just googled where Talkeetna is. It looks beautiful, Alaska is on my bucket list. Glad you finally have some sunshine .

 

Annie - you & Dave definitely need to visit Alaska.

The preferred trip would include by land & water...

You have the opportunity to visit Rain Forests, the highest mountain in North America, wildlife & wilderness, tundra & taiga, water (oceans / rivers lakes / ponds...), glaciers & mountains & that's literally "just the tip of the iceberg"...

We are a vast state covering over 630,000 square miles

I took a vacation w/ a friend in August 2000...  I knew during that short 2-week spur of the moment trip I would be returning & set the ground work just a few short months later 🙂

May 2001 - I took a Leave of Absence from work & life...  Headed to Alaska for the next 5 months...

April 2002 - started my first road trip to Alaska & another 5 months

Nov  2002 - returned to spend the winter...

We officially moved in 2004

2006 - we purchased our property in Talkeetna & started building our house...

Alaska is an amazingly beautiful state.  I have never hear a single person who regretted visiting.  Some have expressed they'd never live here - but were so happy they had the opportunity to visit!!!

Take care & if you make it this way - let us know...

Cheers - Von & John

[Deb25]

7 hours ago, anniedave said:

Thankyou, glad you enjoyed the review. From the  reviews I  have read on the transatlantic/ repositioning cruises they sound lots of fun, and I would imagine more relaxing than ones that are port intensive ....although there are so many places I want to visit!. Sadly I think  unless we win the lottery a B2B is only a dream. 

We live in Essex - about 50 miles North East of London.  We live in a village a few miles from Colchester ( you may have heard of it it's the oldest town in England and has a lovely castle) Although it's only 40 minutes on the train we very rarely go into London. I think last year I only went twice, once for work and once to a gig.

We have friends who live in Southampton and every year we go to a festival in Portsmouth which is only a few miles away.

Dave was born in Essex but I was born in Yorkshire and grew up in Norfolk, so I have family all over the country.  

Hi Annie

funny thing is the transatlantics are notoriously inexpensive but are long. Usually around 14 days. Many people can’t get that kind of time off from work but we are retired.  We sailed for around  $1200 each . This was in a wonderful balcony deck 9 mid ship. Of course , if you buy a drink package or WiFi etc that would be additional. It is not for everyone but most people love it once they have tried it. We like only having to fly one way.

On a completely different subject, we have just discovered “Last Tango in Halifax” and are very impressed . Husband and I have laughed hard at the humor. Just what we needed after about 40 days of lockdown . We have already watched all of Scott & Bailey ( set in  my grandparents home area) and Line of Duty which we like very much. This lockdown has caused us to watch many shows on Netflix, Prime, and Hulu. 
Last year in London getting on a bus going to the British Museum , we sat down and then an older gentleman ( at 67 older means 90 plus) says “ do I detect some Yanks on the bus?” Yes,  yes you do we said and then had a lovely conversation with him. And a lady made sure we got off at the correct stop closest to the museum.

We found wonderful helpful people everywhere. And so many went out of their way to help, especially on trains and buses. One of the best parts of traveling is our encounters with people we met there. And when on a cruise ship, getting to know our fellow cruisers. Glad you had a great experience on and off the ship. Not sure if you said already, but did you join the roll call for your cruise? Since I learned about roll calls I have been involved in them very successfully. Great way to join in on small group tours and fun activities on the ship. 
if you need more info just ask. 
thanks again

deb

[frteach]

I can't remember how I celebrated my 50th, but I would remember if it had been as well marked as yours! You have so many  great memories that will sustain you until cruising time again, which we all hope will come soon. A TA friend of mine has told me that those who are new to cruising or may have been considering one are running for the hills after all the publicity, but seasoned cruisers are booking well into the future and researching how to make their cruise credit work for them. Count me in the latter group, and I believe you are in it too. I am relying on reviews like yours and CC to get me through until my next one in March (knock on wood). Your descriptions of your activities in the ABC's will help me make up my mind. I have read a lot about the golf cart rentals in Bonaire, and have reserved one already. Did you see any when you were there? The stingrays will be on my list too. Did you get to see the movement of the floating bridge in Curacao? It is quite interesting. Like most of us, we will remember all the wonderful, helpful people we meet when we cruise, and even "negative" encounters (only had them when off the ship) become funny stories in the future. The mime jumping into your carriage in Cartagena must have been hilarious. I would have given him money to get him to go bother someone else! Thanks for the great review with a lot of info and laughs. I saw my Dave and me when I read about your interactions in many places. Hope we meet some day on a cruise. 

[swigso]

Hi 

you and Dave seem great people, be safe and enjoy cruising

we are on the Constellation in Feb 2021 and Feb 22

great itineries and great prices 👍🏻🍸🍸

once again thanks for a fantastic review I felt I was really there

[dolittle]

Smart of you to see Chichen Itza many go to Mexico and miss this jewel.Was lucky to have been able to climb it in 1992. Little scary on the way down .Great review I fell like I know both of you . Happy cruising in the future.

[tartantiara]

Hi Annie, thank you for your wonderful review, although we have been to most of the ports you visited it was so nice to read your opinion of them. Our cruise on Solstice in March to Australia and New Zealand was cancelled so now we have to wait until October when we are doing Boston to Canada and New England then on to the ABC islands , well we may be doing that ??fingers crossed. I am sure , like us , you will have many cruising days ahead of you. Happy cruising , take care, keep safe 🌈🌈🌈

[vms]

Thank you so much Annie for this delightful review!

 

I've always wanted to go to Chitzen Itza since I saw it on a TV show once, and your pictures let me know it should stay on my bucket list. And your swimming in the Cenote- how cool! That was a really amazing almost-private tour that you had.

 

Thank you for bringing some joy into my day with your review.