Sky princess Western Caribbean 3/11-3/18

[KarmaCruisers]

Went out to Turquoise Bay today. It was OK, for $70 each..they had a different “VIP” area that had more shady spots (almost no shade in the $70 each area)

Water was nice, drinks were flowing; they had nachos out first then a good carribean lunch (coconut chicken, rice&beans, fried fish)

We actually ended up finding a tiny conch shell by accident.

Would I do it again? Maybe not, but the “VIP” area maybe I would..or just do the free beach here at Mahogany Bay.

tonight is an early night as we have to meet at 6:45am in the theatre for the Xunatunich ruins tour 

[SleepyBunny]

On 3/12/2023 at 7:54 AM, KarmaCruisers said:

From the premium dessert brochure posted at Gelato Bar

Goodness, I don't know how I would even start with one of these 😵‍💫

Interesting to see the descriptions compared to the boozy ones I have seen posted elsewhere on this forum!

[Happiest when cruising]

1 hour ago, KarmaCruisers said:

Went out to Turquoise Bay today. It was OK, for $70 each..they had a different “VIP” area that had more shady spots (almost no shade in the $70 each area)

Water was nice, drinks were flowing; they had nachos out first then a good carribean lunch (coconut chicken, rice&beans, fried fish)

We actually ended up finding a tiny conch shell by accident.

Would I do it again? Maybe not, but the “VIP” area maybe I would..or just do the free beach here at Mahogany Bay.

tonight is an early night as we have to meet at 6:45am in the theatre for the Xunatunich ruins tour 

Thanks for the information. I’ll remember your thoughts on it for next time we are there.
 There is nothing wrong with the free beach there, except you are swimming right by the ship. I love being able to just see ocean all around me. 

[KarmaCruisers]

Today’s patter 

[KarmaCruisers]

Pictures from Turquoise Bay.

our Area is the one with all the white chairs

[KarmaCruisers]

to catch everyone up.

last night dinner in the MDR was Italian night (forgot to get pictures, but it was Veal scallopine that was tough as an old boot)

After dinner we kinda just milled around until 10 and then hit the hay.

woke up literally at 5:15 this morning (an ungodly hour!) got breakfast and now waiting in main theatre for princess excursion.

to note: no hot water this morning until 5:30!

also wifi was hitting solid 5Mbps at thet unholy hour (I can only assume because most people were asleep)

[KarmaCruisers]

Also photo’s from Cozumel Paradise beach

[KarmaCruisers]

JFC!

they announced that ~1500 people booked princess excursions for Belize..this ship only holds 3600!

So literally half the ship booked through princess!

[Happiest when cruising]

5 hours ago, KarmaCruisers said:

JFC!

they announced that ~1500 people booked princess excursions for Belize..this ship only holds 3600!

So literally half the ship booked through princess!

I bet things are going to be running late. We booked one to go to snorkelling at Rendezvous Caye, it was fantastic. They picked us up right at the ship, so we didn’t end to tender into the port. 

[KarmaCruisers]

So let me recap..

woke up at 5:30 to get cleaned up and down to breakfast by 6, in the buffet. 

ate breakfast and was in the main theatre at 6:45..where we sat until 7:30 before the ship was “cleared”.

we were literally in group 1 (our excursion; which was Xunantunich with lunch) so we were on the first tender out.

got in the bus by 8:45..which we then found out was a 2-hour ride out (to basically the Guatemala border). 
we got there and unloaded and were taken across the small hand-cranked ferry (lol, which was literally half the width of the river)

piled into small 14-pax vans and they drove us up the hill to the parking lot of Xunantunich. Once there we had to hike another quarter-mile up a (pretty much 10%) grade, followed by 25 stairs)

Now; coupled with the heat and not eating for six hours, the hike up the hill done my wife in and she almost passed out from low blood sugar (she’s a diabetic)

Luckily someone had a cliff-bar and gave it to her; the staff there at Xunantunich were very accommodating and went and got the van and picked us up from the top of the hill and took us back down to the main staging area (at the bottom of the walking hill), where we sat in the air-conditioned van until the rest of our excursion group came back down the hill. (Probably about 45 minutes I’d say)

at which time we all did the reverse (van down the hill to the ferry, across the ferry then loaded back onto 45-pax buses)

Our guide said “lunch” (it was now 2pm) was 10 minutes away in a village down the road, at a restaurant.

The “lunch” consisted of a can of soda and small plate of food (piece of chicken, rice&beans, macaroni salad)..which coincidentally would have cost $7USD.

the good part was free 100Meg WiFi.

We spent probably 15 minutes there and then were back on our 2-hour bus ride back to the port. (We got back to the port area at 4:30pm)

In hindsight..a couple things..

1. I wouldn’t do this again, because it’s definitely not worth $110 each.

1a. This WAS the cheapest “ruins” tour..so if you WANTED the cheapest tour, I’d suggest..

2. Pack your own food/snacks and WATER as it’s EXTREMELY sultry in Belize.

3. Be prepared to sit on a bus for 4 hours.

4. Be in “decent” physical shape (like I said, you are expected to walk up 10% grade for quarter of a mile + 25 stairs JUST TO GET TO THE SITE FLOOR)..if you want to go onto one of the temples; it ranges from 20’ish stairs, to a few hundred)

Edited March 15, 2023 by KarmaCruisers

[Happiest when cruising]

1 hour ago, KarmaCruisers said:

So let me recap..

woke up at 5:30 to get cleaned up and down to breakfast by 6, in the buffet. 

ate breakfast and was in the main theatre at 6:45..where we sat until 7:30 before the ship was “cleared”.

we were literally in group 1 (our excursion; which was Xunantunich with lunch) so we were on the first tender out.

got in the bus by 8:45..which we then found out was a 2-hour ride out (to basically the Guatemala border). 
we got there and unloaded and were taken across the small hand-cranked ferry (lol, which was literally half the width of the river)

piled into small 14-pax vans and they drove us up the hill to the parking lot of Xunantunich. Once there we had to hike another quarter-mile up a (pretty much 10%) grade, followed by 25 stairs)

Now; coupled with the heat and not eating for six hours, the hike up the hill done my wife in and she almost passed out from low blood sugar (she’s a diabetic)

Luckily someone had a cliff-bar and gave it to her; the staff there at Xunantunich were very accommodating and went and got the van and picked us up from the top of the hill and took us back down to the main staging area (at the bottom of the walking hill), where we sat in the air-conditioned van until the rest of our excursion group came back down the hill. (Probably about 45 minutes I’d say)

at which time we all did the reverse (van down the hill to the ferry, across the ferry then loaded back onto 45-pax buses)

Our guide said “lunch” (it was now 2pm) was 10 minutes away in a village down the road, at a restaurant.

The “lunch” consisted of a can of soda and small plate of food (piece of chicken, rice&beans, macaroni salad)..which coincidentally would have cost $7USD.

the good part was free 100Meg WiFi.

We spent probably 15 minutes there and then were back on our 2-hour bus ride back to the port. (We got back to the port area at 4:30pm)

In hindsight..a couple things..

1. I wouldn’t do this again, because it’s definitely not worth $110 each.

1a. This WAS the cheapest “ruins” tour..so if you WANTED the cheapest tour, I’d suggest..

2. Pack your own food/snacks and WATER as it’s EXTREMELY sultry in Belize.

3. Be prepared to sit on a bus for 4 hours.

4. Be in “decent” physical shape (like I said, you are expected to walk up 10% grade for quarter of a mile + 25 stairs JUST TO GET TO THE SITE FLOOR)..if you want to go onto one of the temples; it ranges from 20’ish stairs, to a few hundred)

I just looked that tour up. 
It sounds like what they describe,  except the lunch sounds better than what you received. The tour actually gets very good reviews and read  like what you describe. 

I always pay close attention to the excursion details and how much time I have to be on a bus or whatever transportation they are providing. 
Princess might want to change it from a moderate activity, too. 
I am sorry it was rough for you, I sure would not have enjoyed it. I’m glad there was someone that could prove a quick snack for your wife. That was a long time between eating, for anyone. 
 

 

[KarmaCruisers]

Yeah…I probably should have done more research..which was basically me saying “what’s the cheapest excursion to go see the ruins?” So..I got what I paid for, haha. I honestly think if they’d of given us the food FIRST, then did the actual tour, it probably would have been fine; then we’d of just went to sleep on the bus ride back…

had dinner in the MDR again (cielo) and it was the “Chef’s dinner” which included Rack of Lamb (really good!), and beef Wellington (it was just OK). 
sorry for missing the menu pic yet again. 
Here is toMmorows Patter though..

the plan for tommorow is go to to Jaime’s Blue Reef (small beachside “resort” on the Malecon; that offered an AI package for $57)..if it doesn’t live up or it’s too damn crowded we went even stay (we’ll just eat the $50 deposit among the four of us) and head back to just walk around the port.

 

[KarmaCruisers]

[KarmaCruisers]

Todays recap

we were in port with the RCL Allure of the Seas. (That’s a HUGE ship, haha)

We had booked reservations at Jaime’s Blue Reef; so we got o breakfast on the ship at 9, in the buffet, then headed off-ship at 10.

Took the quick route through the port (just keep left and stick by the dolphin enclosure), grabbed a yellow cab, over to Jaime’s ($4 per person, we gave them a $20)

Scoped the scene..as if it was too crowded or not shady, we wouldn’t have stayed; it actually was nice, we had our own cabana (for four of us), the water was SUPER clear and there was a breakwater and net to keep the sargasm out. 
Our waitstaff was nice and the food was good. The oddity is..Jaime’s has no electricity…so apparently all the food is “day of” fresh.

The OOOONLY downer was..vendors were annoying..but they weren’t agressive..laughably, there was a posted sign right there by our cabana that said “no street vendors” in Spanish hahaha.

We headed back to the ship at 3, and had a nice nap until 6.

[KarmaCruisers]

Tonight’s menu plus Jaime’s menu

[KarmaCruisers]

The MDR lobster was perfectly acceptable; the wedge salad was GREAT!

we went and watched Spotlight Bar in the main theatre.

now we’re in the room watching Ghostbusters:Afterlife and probably going to order some chips/dip and a salad. We gotta set the clocks an hour forward tonight to get back on Florida time. Sea day (last day) tommorow 

On a related note; I ran into @corncat today when we were heading to breakfast (or rather, she ran into us, asking if we were @KarmaCruisers)

[Princess Chatterer]

We are boarding the Sky tomorrow for the repo run.  The Sky repo voyage appears to be seriously undersold.  No crowding expected.  Good times.

[KarmaCruisers]

Recap of today 

Slept in till 11:30; then got ready and went and had lunch in the MDR (Estrella).

After, we milled around and washed through our freeplay and OBC in the casino ($1000 freeplay cashed out as $900; then we had $800 of OBC that we “washed”)

then we got some gelato..which is free when you’re on the “plus” package (confirmed as our friends had gotten different flavors each night and 1, 2, and 3 scoops..all never showed up as charges on our folio)

had a snack at Alfredo’s, packed a bit; then watched a gameshow in Princess Live.

we’re going to go check the buffet (for dinner) right now as we have another gameshow at 8:30, then comedian at 9:30, and another comedian at 10:30

[KarmaCruisers]

5 minutes ago, Princess Chatterer said:

We are boarding the Sky tomorrow for the repo run.  The Sky repo voyage appears to be seriously undersold.  No crowding expected.  Good times.

I agree; it’s still got rooms available CHEAP..probably the 7/14 sea days haha

[victoriaj]

On 3/12/2023 at 6:38 PM, KarmaCruisers said:

Dinner menu for tonight’s MDR (fwiw I was able to get shrimp cocktail and fettuccini Alfredo anyway/also)

I was on for 2 weeks prior to you embarkation and had Shrimp Cocktail every night not a problem even if not on the menu in MDR. Delicious !!!!!!

[victoriaj]

On 3/14/2023 at 6:59 PM, Happiest when cruising said:

Thanks for the information. I’ll remember your thoughts on it for next time we are there.
 There is nothing wrong with the free beach there, except you are swimming right by the ship. I love being able to just see ocean all around me. 

Tour we took was disapointing and wished we had just walked to Mahogany Bay as fellow passengers had done and  reported it was great, so close and easy to get to. Lesson learned for next time !!!

[KarmaCruisers]

FWIW the WiFi this final sea day has gone to pot..literally 56Kbps!! Basically; non functional (I’ll actually be surprised if this posts)

[Happiest when cruising]

42 minutes ago, KarmaCruisers said:

FWIW the WiFi this final sea day has gone to pot..literally 56Kbps!! Basically; non functional (I’ll actually be surprised if this posts)

Oh, that’s too bad. 
Did they have anything fun for St.Patrick’s Day? 

[KarmaCruisers]

7 hours ago, Happiest when cruising said:

Oh, that’s too bad. 
Did they have anything fun for St.Patrick’s Day? 

Amazingly, not really. 

Here’s the patter

[KarmaCruisers]

We’re waiting for the first leg of our flight at FLL (to CLT; then on to SFO), so I’ll wrap this up.

We definitely enjoyed returning to Paradise Beach club, in Cozumel.

It was our first time visiting Turquoise Bay Resort, in Roatan; it was OK..I think in the future we may just go over to the free beach within the Mahogany Bay port.

In Belize, we did the Xunantunich tour..it was cool to be able to see Mayan Ruins (although only for about 4 minutes, and a brief glimpse until wife nearly passed out)..worth $110 per-person, HALE NO! Being as I THINK it’s a “free” experience if you were to go there on your own. If this tour was $50 per-person, I think that would be more in line with value.

In Costa Maya, we had reserved Jaime’s Blue Reef All-inclusive day pass..I think between the four of us; this was basically our favorite day. The weather was perfect, our cabana was nice and the beach area was clean and clear water.

 

The food on the ship was overall good, however there were a few misses (the veal was about as tough as shoe leather, the sweets all basically had no taste). But there were also hits (lobster in the MDR, any lamb dish we had)

As an aside, the other guy in our group, wanted TWO mains one night (spaghetti AND beef Wellington) but somehow the waiter misconstrued it as the Wellington on TOP of the spaghetti…we all got a good laugh out of that the rest of the trip.

 

Service was a little lacking; ordering drinks through the app was super spotty whether we’d ACTUALLY get the drinks within 30 minutes. Room service; we came to expect took an hour no matter what we ordered it (so we started ordering it an hour before we turned in for the night)

 

We didn’t visit the casino (other than to “wash” money), spa, pools, speciality restaurants or most bars; so I have no comments on those.

 

I’m not 100% sure if “plus” is actually worth it for us anymore, at $60 per (this “plus” package was paid for by casino). I was doing some napkin math..

$15 for daily gratuity

$7.50 for daily WiFi (after this next cruise, that’s already paid for, we’ll be platinum)

If we drinks four pop’s per day; that’s only $10 (and maybe even less because whenever we ordered a pop from

the buffet servers, they never asked for our room number or had any way of knowing it, as we didn’t our have medallions with us one day)

VS.

$60 per day for “plus”

So that’s a savings of $55 per day..and on a 7-day that adds up ($385)