Just back, Miracle, Nov 12-19

This was my 6th cruise, and DH's 1st cruise. Well, we flew into Tampa on Nov 11. One of my dear friends picked us up at the airport and we spent the night with her. I cried almost the whole way on the plane because we have never left our 2 year old for more than a day. It was extremely stressful for me to leave him, but my hubby Brent and I really needed a break from the every day life. After my friend picked us up, I told her I needed a drink to help calm me down. I was really stressing over leaving the baby.

On Sunday, we were ready to have my friend drop us off at the port, but she surprised us with limo service. Real nice. She wanted the experience to be nice since it was Brents first time to cruise, and it was our belated honeymoon. We arrived at the Port around 10:30ish. There was a line of people outside the terminal. Of course, we went to the end and asked the person in front of us if we were in line to board the ship. Yippie! We are in the right line. Then Brent discovers a coffee house right at the port. Yeap, he had to get his fix. While waiting for him, I start to talk to the couple in front of me. They were a first time cruiser couple and the husband just knew he was going to hate cruising. The line starts to move. We make it to the front door, and Brent is no where to be seen. They make me stand outside and wait for him. About 10 minutes later, he shows up and we enter the terminal. Fun pass check in was a breeze. 10 minutes tops. After we check in, we find the couple that I had just met in line and decided to sit with them. After talking for a few minutes, the lady informs me that she is a cruise critic member. Came to find out, she and I had talked a few times on the roll call here on cruise critic. We did hang out with them a few times while on the ship.

Brent was amazed at the ship. It was huge, beautiful, and clean. He was real amazed that the bathroom was as big as it was. For some reason, he thought it would be smaller. We were in room 5299, aft, with a balcony. I am not going into detail about the ship because it has already been covered here with other reviews. Food was good. Buffet was a hit or a miss. Sometimes it was good. Other times, it was just buffet food. Chocolate buffet was on the last day at sea. Dining room, table 365, server Luis with David as the assistant. They were good. Not outstanding, but good. Our table seemed to be in the corner tucked away. Didnt really care for the location, but decided to stick with it through the week. Table mates were interesting. Didnt watch a lot of the shows. Brent thought they were good, but not his cup of tea.

We bought Souvenir (cant spell tonight) glasses with the special of the day on the first day. Ok, we were cheap. We went to the liquor store the night before the cruise and bought all of our alcohol. We also bought soda, and a few bottles of water. Smuggled them on board. After we drank our water, we used out bottles and put alcohol in one, free fruit punch from Lido deck in the other. Filled out souvenir glasses with ice, and mixed our own drinks the whole time. We carried our smuggled booze and free juice in my back pack everywhere on the ship.

Met up with our cruise critic roll call buddies on the Aft deck at sail away. We really ejoyed meeting them and it made the whole cruise experience better with having cruise critic friends on board.

First day at sea - we did nothing. Lounged around on our balcony, ate, drank, went to kareoke. Nothing extraordinary. We were just trying to relax and get out of mommy and daddy mode, and be a couple.

Grand Cayman - We did the island tour through the ship. I didnt have the opportunity to research tours for Grand Cayman that was similar to the one through the ship. It was nice. I would not spend the money on it again. We didnt do Sting Ray City because Brent has had sun cancers taken off in the past, so we have to be careful with the amount of sun he gets.

Cozumel - We shared a taxi with another couple to downtown. We walked down to the Island Museum. For $3 per person, this was a neat place to go. Not very big. Only 5 rooms with artifacts, and local art. One outside area with a Mayan hut, and an old Mayan man who invites you in. Once in, he tells you about the culture of Mayan life, their number system, their calander, etc. We thought it was interesting. We later went to Fat Tuesdays and had a drink and chips with salsa and guacamole. Brent bought me an anniversary present while there. It is a tanzanite ring, set in silver. Talked them down to $60. On the way back to the ship, we found a place that was selling beer for $1/ can.

Belize - Went shopping while here. Didnt do a tour. We found a Louis Vuitton wallet for $22. We also visited the pharmacy for some meds that we have scrips for. Great prices.

Costa Maya - Oh my! Loved it. We found the place where you buy the tickets for the bus. We had them take us to Majahol (I think that is the spelling). It was the fishing village. Dirt roads. A lot of huts that served drinks and food. I had read where someone on Cruise Critic had suggested going to Pez Quadro at the end. We were the first ones at Majahol. As we were walking to the end toward Pez Quadro, another couple came up behind us and started talking to us. They decided to join us since they knew nothing about this little strip of paradise. We sat at a table at Pez Quadro and Brent and this other guy started buying the $2 beer. Dont know who started it, but soon, tequelia shots were being bought. Honestly dont remember how many I had, but they were $3 a shot and extremely smooth going down. This other couple were buying us a lot of alcohol because they thought we would stay out longer. Thought it was interesting that a big portion of the entertainers and social host from the ship were at Pez Quadro to unwind on their time off. We had to go back around 1pm because it was just becoming to much for my honey's skin. We took a taxi back. Brent is pretty fluent in spanish, so he was talking easy with the driver. We went to the craft area near the pool at the port so we could buy our 2 yr old Maraca's. They sold them to us, and then wanted to sell us some pot. The guy informed Brent that he smokes it at least twice a day and could get some real easy if we wanted it. We declined, and rushed back to the ship. At this point, from all the beer and tequelia, I could NOT FEEL MY FACE! And I informed one of our cruise critic friends, when we saw her on the lido deck, that I was feeling no pain. I promise, I am not a lush, and this is the only time I have gotten toasted like this in over 3 years.

Last day at sea - we got up, washed a few clothes, and started packing. Had lunch, then came back to the room and vegged on the balcony again. The laundry area on deck 5 was right across from our room. We didnt do much on this day either.

Of other notes.......

We did see 4 couples that were just sad. They were always fighting. One couple, the girl told her boyfriend that they were SO over, and that we they returned home, he was moving out, and the room steward was going to seperate their beds because she would no longer sleep with him. Then another couple, on our way back one night from a show, were in the hallway arguing. Well, I souldnt say arguing. He had his tail tucked between his legs and his head drooping real low. The next thing we heard her say was, "And thanks to YOU, YOU have now ruined this whole FUDING vacation." Ok, another word was there. To sad. Why go on vacation and argue the whole time.

Room steward, Charlem, was fanatstic. I took advise from Cotton, and gave him chocolate on the first night. Two bags. Our room was always clean, always had ice, and he even saw us in Cozumel and rushed up to us waving and saying hello.

Kareoke - Brent sang a lot, and sounded great. I sang twice, and almost made the ship sink. Ok, well, not that bad, but I told the guy hosting that if I could go behind the curtain, I would sound better because I would not be nervous. One of our cruise critic buddies sang quite a bit also. He was fantastic and even won the spot for Frank Sinatra.

The DH of the other cruise critic couple we met in line the first day was so against cruising. We had breakfast with them on the departure day and he has now changed his mind and cant wait to go again.

The porters rubbed me the wrong way. We found our luggage, and then asked one to help us. He said that he could not help us because he already had customers. We tried to get the attention from every porter that walked by, but they were ignoring us. There was an older woman porter that was telling them who to help. Finally, Brent went and found one and was bringing him back to us, when this woman porter came and stole him from us. I told her as she passed that we had found him and she could not just take him like that. She then asked me if we needed a porter. I told her yes, and that we had been ignored for about 15 minutes. She then wanted to find us one. I told her that I already had one when she STOLE him from us. She replied in a smarty tone, "Well, let me just find you one." I told her that she should do just that. After a few minutes, we just decided to try to make do, and carry it all out ourselves. I was not impressed with their services.

My friend had arranged to have a limo take us back to her house until it was time for us to fly out.

Overall, the cruise was great. I was ready to get back home to my baby. But we had a great time. Cant wait to do it again.

Hi Stacy,

Thank you for your post. My Fiance (DH at time of cruise) and i will be sailing on the Miracle in May 2007 as our honeymoon.

We have a 2 year old child and from your post i am realizing how hard it is going to be to leave him behind.:(

What did you find helpful as far as things you packed, needed, didn't need etc.

Also how did you keep in-touch with your child (and caregiver) ?

Thanks again!

Hi KK. Oh, I really feel like a bad mommy. I didnt call and check. He was with my cousin, who also has a two year old, so I was confident that he was ok. Had he been with anyone else, well, I would have found a way to make calls back home. The phone service on the ship is $9.50 per minute. It just wasnt economical for us. We really went on this trip with a fraction of the money we wanted to. We just had a lot of different things go on with our car, etc before we left that gobbled up some of our funds. It was real shoe string for us. Anyway, I told my cousin that if anything happened, she had to call me. I gave her the phone number and info. I just never tried to call, etc. I think it would have made it worse for me. I knew he was taken care of. I can tell you, the reunion was amazing. When she brought him to me today, he was screaming mommy, and giggling, and as soon as I picked him up, he threw his little arms around me, and continued to giggle and cry because he was so excited. Of course, I was crying as well. My cousin thought I was gonna squeeze him to death because we both were holding onto each other so hard and tight.

Packing.... This is tough. Most people bring more shoes than what they need. I just tried to limit what I needed. There is a laundry on board, and after a few days, you can always go and wash shorts, tshirts, undies, etc. I would say pack only what you know you will wear. There is a shampoo dispenser in the shower. They have disposable razors that are in your room complimentary. Definately pack booze. The drinks were about $6 each. We asked how much for a bucket of beer and were told $17. Hope all this helps. Congrats on your engagement and upcoming wedding.

Thanks for sharing your experiences - we can't wait to sail on the Miracle next June! Our itinerary will be different, but we love hearing about the ship!

Hi KK. Oh, I really feel like a bad mommy. I didnt call and check. He was with my cousin, who also has a two year old, so I was confident that he was ok. Had he been with anyone else, well, I would have found a way to make calls back home. The phone service on the ship is $9.50 per minute. It just wasnt economical for us. We really went on this trip with a fraction of the money we wanted to. We just had a lot of different things go on with our car, etc before we left that gobbled up some of our funds. It was real shoe string for us. Anyway, I told my cousin that if anything happened, she had to call me. I gave her the phone number and info. I just never tried to call, etc. I think it would have made it worse for me. I knew he was taken care of. I can tell you, the reunion was amazing. When she brought him to me today, he was screaming mommy, and giggling, and as soon as I picked him up, he threw his little arms around me, and continued to giggle and cry because he was so excited. Of course, I was crying as well. My cousin thought I was gonna squeeze him to death because we both were holding onto each other so hard and tight.

You are so not a bad mommy. I just know I am a weak-willed mommy. I had a VERY rough time with my pregnancy and I just couldn't leave my son behind, so in less than 2 weeks now he is coming with us on the Miracle. He turns 2 in January. I think my son would be okay if we left him behind, but I'd be a wreck. hahaha!!! Anyway your description of your reunion just made me tear up and I know I made the right choice. It would take 4 porters to drag me on the ship if my baby were not there. hubby would be 5 feet away pretending he didn't know the crazy lady. haha!!

Anyway, thanks for the wonderful review! I will print it and take it with us so I remember where to go at mahahual (sp?)

Colleen

So glad you had a good time. Adam (karaoke host) is a hoot. I am the same age as his Mom, so we bonded and became his "cruise Mom".

Funny Costa Maya story...numb face and all! :eek:

Thanks for sharing! This will be our first time on the Miracle and appreciate your review! I'm glad you had a great time. :D

Oh no, you are not a bad mommy. I dont think i will be calling either. I am probably going to go to the internet cafe and keep intouch through a few e-mails but i know even that can get expensive. I will probably have some cell service in my ports. (puerto rico, st.thomas VI and British VI)

Thanks for the packing info!

Sorry Colleen, didnt mean to make you cry. :) I was 31 when he was born, so I waited a long time for him. Just to leave for a week was so hard. I can now say that I have done it..... BUT WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN! He would have loved camp carnival.

LHP - I didnt know his name. He seems like a real sweet kid. He told me that if I sounded too bad, he would turn my mike down and the music up. He was fun. From what I remember, Costa Maya was beautiful. I planted my back end into a chair on the beach and didnt want to move.

KK - honestly, we were on such a shoe string budget, I did not even go near the internet cafe. Plus, my cousin had my son, her 2 yr old, and her 6 yr old, so I dont think she was able to get on line much. It was hard, but I am glad I did it now. It was a experience that I think all parents need to do once. Even if it is for a few nights. Moms and dads just need that alone time. You will probably have cell service while on the ship too, but there are extra charges from your cell carrier for that. Another thing about the booze, if you find ones in plastic bottles, they hold up real well when getting your checked luggage delivered to your room. Dont try to carry it on, the cruise line will take it from you. I promise, I am not a big boozer, but we thought since no baby with us, this would be the best and safest time to have a drink.

To everybody, Thanks! Glad you enjoyed my rambling review. I did it at 1am, and was tired, but knew that while my baby is up and about, I couldnt write it.

Sorry Colleen, didnt mean to make you cry. :) I was 31 when he was born, so I waited a long time for him. Just to leave for a week was so hard. I can now say that I have done it..... BUT WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN! He would have loved camp carnival. .

hahha! well, I am pregnant so I do cry pretty easily! give me a good hallmark commercial and I am reaching for the hanky.

My son was born when I was 38 and after almost 2 decades of trying so I hear you! and with another on the way, :) I just cannot bear to be away from him. Even this morning I had a medical thing done and cannot pick up baby today so hubby is home. I got jealous!!! when my son fell asleep for his nap on daddy's lap not mine. how crazy is that? hahaha I should have just grabbed a book and headed for the hills for me time.

Anyway I will be sure and come back and post a review after we get back. I was thinking this morning that a week and a half from now I'll be sitting on my balcony and watching the waves.....

Colleen

I'm glad you enjoyed the Miracle. Chalerm was our steward too! Wasn't he just fantastic? :)

I'm glad you enjoyed the Miracle. Chalerm was our steward too! Wasn't he just fantastic? :)

Yes, he was great. Every time we saw him, he was always extremely friendly. I still think the chocolate had a little bit to do with it. Every time he saw us the first 3 days or so, he commented how much he liked his chocolate.

hahha! well, I am pregnant so I do cry pretty easily! give me a good hallmark commercial and I am reaching for the hanky.

 

We are keeping our fingers crossed that we came back with our own little souvenir. Then I can reach for the hankys during hallmark commercials. Congrats on the baby, and I hope you have a wonderful time.

We were also on this sailing of the Miracle, and I have to say that in 6 cruises, overall, this was my best Carnival cruise experience yet, although my favorite ship is still the Liberty. We hardly had to wait in any lines for anything. There were lines, but they were either short, or moved fast. Stipe, the Maitre'd was very accomodating and moved me any my wife to a booth, and we didn't even have to ask. Our waiters in the Bacchus Restaurant were Titus and Made provided us *very* good service. I thought the ship was beautiful (although in true Joe Farcus style, the grapes motif in the Bacchus Restaurant was a bit...um...intense -- can you say PURPLE? :) )

One of the big changes we made this time was to book our own flight (saved us $60 per person, and let me choose when I wanted to travel), pre-cruise hotel, and transport to/from the cruise terminal (which IMO, is the nicest, and best organized cruse terminal in FLA). We were able to arrive at the cruise terminal early and didn't have to travel with a busload of other passengers. Embarkation and debarkation were both a breeze. We left our hotel at 11:00am and were having lunch on the Lido before noon. Debarkation was similar. We were at the airport an hour after self-assist debarkation began.

I highly recommend sailing on the Miracle (or the Legend when she trades places with the Miracle next year) out of Tampa.

Thank You for your review. I really liked the Miracle.

Cruisinsly --- Thanks for the review!! We leave in less than 2 weeks for our Honeymoon trip on the Miracle.

So I have to ask a few Q's...did you just pack the booze in your luggage? Don't they go thru all the luggage?

Whats the tip about the chocolate? I've never heard that one.

I also like certain diet pops...I forgot did you bring your own soda on board, do you know if that is ok to do?

Thanks!!!

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Cruisinsly --- Thanks for the review!! We leave in less than 2 weeks for our Honeymoon trip on the Miracle.

So I have to ask a few Q's...did you just pack the booze in your luggage? Don't they go thru all the luggage?

Whats the tip about the chocolate? I've never heard that one.

I also like certain diet pops...I forgot did you bring your own soda on board, do you know if that is ok to do?

 

Thanks!!!

vbmenu_register("postmenu_8381354", true);

The carry on luggage will be put through xray machines and any alcohol in carry ones will be "removed" (except for the allowed bottle of wine.)

The checked luggage will not be searched. However, do remember that this luggage has to take a lot of "handling" so proper wrapping and protection is needed and always make sure it is spill proof.

You can take your diet soda in your carry on (which is what I recommend) Carnival does not mind. We took 2 12 packs of soda on the Miracle in October.

Cruisingly-thanks for all the great info. I sail on the Miracle in less than 2 weeks and have one silly question. Where did you find the Louis Vitton?? Were they commonly seen in Belize? Because that is CHEAP!

Cruisingly-thanks for all the great info. I sail on the Miracle in less than 2 weeks and have one silly question. Where did you find the Louis Vitton?? Were they commonly seen in Belize? Because that is CHEAP!

When you get off the terminal, there are stores all along that are inside. There were a lot of stores that had Louis Vuitton, Coach, etc. I hope it is real. I keep praying that it is not a knock off. It has Louis Vuitton all over it. Have a great time!

...did you just pack the booze in your luggage? Don't they go thru all the luggage?

Whats the tip about the chocolate? I've never heard that one.

 

Thanks!!!

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Hey MrsBtobe. LHP pretty much answered all of your questions for me. :) I will only add about the booze is that when we went to the store to purchase, we found alcohol in plastic bottles, not glass. I still wrapped them in bubble wrap, and packed them into my checked luggage. We had some left over (not much), and our cabin steward thanked us when we offered it to him. His eyes perked up and he smiled real big. He had already told us that he had been out drinking on his night off, so we were sure that it was ok to offer to him.

Regarding the chocolate.... One of the members on here, Cotton, had just returned from a cruise and talked with her cabin steward about offering them something when you first get there. Some think that if you give the cabin steward something, then the cabin steward will provide good service for you. There was a time when everybody was taking phone cards to the cabin stewards. What Cotton found is that they are now overrun with phone cards. Her cabin steward suggested chocolate. I can tell you from experience, when we gave him the chocolate, he was stunned. It was at least 3 days into the cruise and he was still thanking us for the chocolate. Even when we saw him in Cozumel, he had his arms in the air trying to get our attention and was yelling hi to us. As we walked away after saying hi, we heard him tell the others that we were the ones to give him chocolate. Every time we stepped out of our room, it was cleaned. We always had ice, clean towels, etc. He never skipped a beat with us. Our table mates, however, did not like the service that was provided from their cabin steward. I told them about the chocolate, and while in Grand Cayman, they found some, gave it to their cabin steward, and he improved. Instead of paying them extra tips, just offer them a little something and they usually will appreciate it.

Congrats, and have fun on your honeymoon.

this was my best Carnival cruise experience yet, although my favorite ship is still the Liberty. We hardly had to wait in any lines for anything. There were lines, but they were either short, or moved fast..

I have to agree.... This was one of the best experiences for us too. The lines always seemed short. We would find a table at Horatios, then we would each seperately go and get our yum yums. Never had to wait more than 5 minutes for each other, and we always went around noon.

I thought the ship was beautiful (although in true Joe Farcus style, the grapes motif in the Bacchus Restaurant was a bit...um...intense -- can you say PURPLE? :) ).

I thought the ship was beautiful, but a mixture of things that I wouldnt have put together on a ship. I didnt care for the color scheme in Bacchus. Or the lights. Just a little odd.

One of the big changes we made this time was to book our own flight .

I have always done this. I never book with the cruiseline for air because you can almost always do it cheaper yourself. We flew from Nashville to Tampa for $300 round trip. That is total, not per person.

the cruise terminal (which IMO, is the nicest, and best organized cruse terminal in FLA). We were able to arrive at the cruise terminal early and didn't have to travel with a busload of other passengers. Embarkation and debarkation were both a breeze. We left our hotel at 11:00am and were having lunch on the Lido before noon. .

I agree also. I have been out of Miami and Port Canaveral, and this one did seem to be the best. We were in group 3 for boarding. We boarded around 11:30am.

I highly recommend sailing on the Miracle (or the Legend when she trades places with the Miracle next year) out of Tampa.

Me too! So glad you had a great time. You should have joined us on the roll call.

I looked at your pictures from this cruise. Really enjoyed them. Dumb dumb me left our camera in the back of my friends car when she dropped us off at the airport Sunday night. They were rushing us to move at the drop off place and we just overlooked it. Cant wait for her to send it to me.

This was my 6th cruise, and DH's 1st cruise. Well, we flew into Tampa on Nov 11. One of my dear friends picked us up at the airport and we spent the night with her. I cried almost the whole way on the plane because we have never left our 2 year old for more than a day. It was extremely stressful for me to leave him, but my hubby Brent and I really needed a break from the every day life. After my friend picked us up, I told her I needed a drink to help calm me down. I was really stressing over leaving the baby.

 

On Sunday, we were ready to have my friend drop us off at the port, but she surprised us with limo service. Real nice. She wanted the experience to be nice since it was Brents first time to cruise, and it was our belated honeymoon. We arrived at the Port around 10:30ish. There was a line of people outside the terminal. Of course, we went to the end and asked the person in front of us if we were in line to board the ship. Yippie! We are in the right line. Then Brent discovers a coffee house right at the port. Yeap, he had to get his fix. While waiting for him, I start to talk to the couple in front of me. They were a first time cruiser couple and the husband just knew he was going to hate cruising. The line starts to move. We make it to the front door, and Brent is no where to be seen. They make me stand outside and wait for him. About 10 minutes later, he shows up and we enter the terminal. Fun pass check in was a breeze. 10 minutes tops. After we check in, we find the couple that I had just met in line and decided to sit with them. After talking for a few minutes, the lady informs me that she is a cruise critic member. Came to find out, she and I had talked a few times on the roll call here on cruise critic. We did hang out with them a few times while on the ship.

 

Brent was amazed at the ship. It was huge, beautiful, and clean. He was real amazed that the bathroom was as big as it was. For some reason, he thought it would be smaller. We were in room 5299, aft, with a balcony. I am not going into detail about the ship because it has already been covered here with other reviews. Food was good. Buffet was a hit or a miss. Sometimes it was good. Other times, it was just buffet food. Chocolate buffet was on the last day at sea. Dining room, table 365, server Luis with David as the assistant. They were good. Not outstanding, but good. Our table seemed to be in the corner tucked away. Didnt really care for the location, but decided to stick with it through the week. Table mates were interesting. Didnt watch a lot of the shows. Brent thought they were good, but not his cup of tea.

 

We bought Souvenir (cant spell tonight) glasses with the special of the day on the first day. Ok, we were cheap. We went to the liquor store the night before the cruise and bought all of our alcohol. We also bought soda, and a few bottles of water. Smuggled them on board. After we drank our water, we used out bottles and put alcohol in one, free fruit punch from Lido deck in the other. Filled out souvenir glasses with ice, and mixed our own drinks the whole time. We carried our smuggled booze and free juice in my back pack everywhere on the ship.

 

Met up with our cruise critic roll call buddies on the Aft deck at sail away. We really ejoyed meeting them and it made the whole cruise experience better with having cruise critic friends on board.

 

First day at sea - we did nothing. Lounged around on our balcony, ate, drank, went to kareoke. Nothing extraordinary. We were just trying to relax and get out of mommy and daddy mode, and be a couple.

 

Grand Cayman - We did the island tour through the ship. I didnt have the opportunity to research tours for Grand Cayman that was similar to the one through the ship. It was nice. I would not spend the money on it again. We didnt do Sting Ray City because Brent has had sun cancers taken off in the past, so we have to be careful with the amount of sun he gets.

 

Cozumel - We shared a taxi with another couple to downtown. We walked down to the Island Museum. For $3 per person, this was a neat place to go. Not very big. Only 5 rooms with artifacts, and local art. One outside area with a Mayan hut, and an old Mayan man who invites you in. Once in, he tells you about the culture of Mayan life, their number system, their calander, etc. We thought it was interesting. We later went to Fat Tuesdays and had a drink and chips with salsa and guacamole. Brent bought me an anniversary present while there. It is a tanzanite ring, set in silver. Talked them down to $60. On the way back to the ship, we found a place that was selling beer for $1/ can.

 

Belize - Went shopping while here. Didnt do a tour. We found a Louis Vuitton wallet for $22. We also visited the pharmacy for some meds that we have scrips for. Great prices.

 

Costa Maya - Oh my! Loved it. We found the place where you buy the tickets for the bus. We had them take us to Majahol (I think that is the spelling). It was the fishing village. Dirt roads. A lot of huts that served drinks and food. I had read where someone on Cruise Critic had suggested going to Pez Quadro at the end. We were the first ones at Majahol. As we were walking to the end toward Pez Quadro, another couple came up behind us and started talking to us. They decided to join us since they knew nothing about this little strip of paradise. We sat at a table at Pez Quadro and Brent and this other guy started buying the $2 beer. Dont know who started it, but soon, tequelia shots were being bought. Honestly dont remember how many I had, but they were $3 a shot and extremely smooth going down. This other couple were buying us a lot of alcohol because they thought we would stay out longer. Thought it was interesting that a big portion of the entertainers and social host from the ship were at Pez Quadro to unwind on their time off. We had to go back around 1pm because it was just becoming to much for my honey's skin. We took a taxi back. Brent is pretty fluent in spanish, so he was talking easy with the driver. We went to the craft area near the pool at the port so we could buy our 2 yr old Maraca's. They sold them to us, and then wanted to sell us some pot. The guy informed Brent that he smokes it at least twice a day and could get some real easy if we wanted it. We declined, and rushed back to the ship. At this point, from all the beer and tequelia, I could NOT FEEL MY FACE! And I informed one of our cruise critic friends, when we saw her on the lido deck, that I was feeling no pain. I promise, I am not a lush, and this is the only time I have gotten toasted like this in over 3 years.

 

Last day at sea - we got up, washed a few clothes, and started packing. Had lunch, then came back to the room and vegged on the balcony again. The laundry area on deck 5 was right across from our room. We didnt do much on this day either.

 

Of other notes.......

We did see 4 couples that were just sad. They were always fighting. One couple, the girl told her boyfriend that they were SO over, and that we they returned home, he was moving out, and the room steward was going to seperate their beds because she would no longer sleep with him. Then another couple, on our way back one night from a show, were in the hallway arguing. Well, I souldnt say arguing. He had his tail tucked between his legs and his head drooping real low. The next thing we heard her say was, "And thanks to YOU, YOU have now ruined this whole FUDING vacation." Ok, another word was there. To sad. Why go on vacation and argue the whole time.

 

Room steward, Charlem, was fanatstic. I took advise from Cotton, and gave him chocolate on the first night. Two bags. Our room was always clean, always had ice, and he even saw us in Cozumel and rushed up to us waving and saying hello.

 

Kareoke - Brent sang a lot, and sounded great. I sang twice, and almost made the ship sink. Ok, well, not that bad, but I told the guy hosting that if I could go behind the curtain, I would sound better because I would not be nervous. One of our cruise critic buddies sang quite a bit also. He was fantastic and even won the spot for Frank Sinatra.

 

The DH of the other cruise critic couple we met in line the first day was so against cruising. We had breakfast with them on the departure day and he has now changed his mind and cant wait to go again.

 

The porters rubbed me the wrong way. We found our luggage, and then asked one to help us. He said that he could not help us because he already had customers. We tried to get the attention from every porter that walked by, but they were ignoring us. There was an older woman porter that was telling them who to help. Finally, Brent went and found one and was bringing him back to us, when this woman porter came and stole him from us. I told her as she passed that we had found him and she could not just take him like that. She then asked me if we needed a porter. I told her yes, and that we had been ignored for about 15 minutes. She then wanted to find us one. I told her that I already had one when she STOLE him from us. She replied in a smarty tone, "Well, let me just find you one." I told her that she should do just that. After a few minutes, we just decided to try to make do, and carry it all out ourselves. I was not impressed with their services.

 

My friend had arranged to have a limo take us back to her house until it was time for us to fly out.

 

Overall, the cruise was great. I was ready to get back home to my baby. But we had a great time. Cant wait to do it again.

Stacey,Enjoyed your very detailed story as I going on this ship New Year's Eve.Did they start yet putting up Christmas decorations? Did you like this ship compared to others you have travelled on? I only cruised one other time on RCL but loved it. I find it hard to travel raising children, I'm glad you got away now it's even harder later when they get older. I hope to hear from you again. Lisa

Hi Lisa. Welcome to cruise critic. Yes, they started with the decorations the day we boarded the ship. I prefer the bigger ships, but it was nice. Overall, it was a wonderful time. Cant really say why I prefer the bigger ones, I just do. With him being only 2, I didnt want to have a bad time traveling. Last time I took him on a plane, he ended up with an ear infection. Since it was our belated honeymoon, we just decided to leave him with family. Still missed him like crazy though.

Stacy