malmo288

On 3/18/2019 at 3:24 PM, heckofagator said:

well, we're back from the cruise.  Ending up getting off of the ship around noon and headed over to the bus/taxi stand.  We ended up doing a RT transfer to Montego Bay for $20pp.  After we got dropped off and walked around Hip Strip for a few, I was wondering, now what the heck are we going to do for the next 3 hours.  

 

We ended up at Margaritaville and bought a couple beers and hung out on their chairs and did all of their water activities.  We saw a few catamarans that were totally packed cruising right off shore.  I think I saw them stop too for snorkeling, like what seemed to be 150' from shore.  Kinda lame.

 

All in all, it was nice to get out of the port.  I'm glad we found margaritaville.

Thank you for sharing! How does the RT bus transfer work? We want to head to Montego Bay, eat at Scotchies and maybe hang out at the beach for a bit. Is it only a bus there and a bus back or is it like a hop on hop off bus style? 

On 2/3/2019 at 1:45 PM, wheninjamaicatours said:

You can check out Scotchies it's near the waterfront not on the beach though. The food is great and it's within 30minutes away from the port.

 I have been thinking about trying Scotchies when I'm in Falmouth in a couple weeks. Do you know the cost to get a bus or taxi from Falmouth to Scotchies? Is there a beach nearby that would could go relax at after we eat? Thank you in advance!

When does Royal Caribbean usually post what the upgrades will be? Or do we just have to wait and see? I am trying to plan a cruise on Liberty of the Seas for after the upgrades and its so hard not knowing what the changes will be! I'm excited for the water slide, but I'm really hoping for a Sabor!

What a wonderful report!

 

We are looking at booking for Sept this year. If we do, you times guides will be super helpful.

 

Thanks!

Good! I'm glad I could help. If you have any other questions let me know! If you do book, have a blast!

Fantastic Review!!!

 

So excited to sail on the Dream in August 2015 with my two kids (11 and 16). We sailed on the Magic a couple of years ago and loved it so much, can't wait to enjoy this one. Even more so, after reading your thorough review and suggestions for the ports.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to write and share :D

The magic was my first cruise. I loved the magic and really loved the dream. I hope you and your family has an amazing time!

Loved the review! We leave on the same cruise in March. Do you have scans of the spa specials?

Here are pictures of everything I have for the spa. Hopefully you can see it when you zoom in. If not let me know.

I want to make sure I have the prices correct.

 

We'd have to pay for the taxi to Playa Palancar. There will be 5 - 7 of us going, so that is $30 - $40

 

The snorkel tour is ~$35

 

Is there an 'entrance' fee to the place?

 

I know it's not AI, so any food and drinks would be extra.

 

Trying to decide whether to go to Playa Palancar, Chankanaab, or Paradise Beach.

 

Thanks!

There is no entrance fee. Of course they probably expect that you will buy food, drink or any other service. We had an amazing time here. It's very beautiful and not crowded at all. Have fun!

Loved the review! We leave on the same cruise in March. Do you have scans of the spa specials?

I have some spa stuff, but I don't have a scanner. I will try to take and post some pictures of them for you. March is coming soon! You will love the cruise! :D

I went cave tubing with cavetubing.com when I was in Belize. We only did cave tubing, not zip lining. I did not have to carry my own tube. One of the guys with .com carried it. I would definitely go through .com again if I ever want to go cave tubing again. They are great.

Thank you for sharing that. Maybe we had to carry our own rafts since we were tubing and zip lining. It was a more rushed experience so there probably wasn't time to help us carry our rafts. Maybe others can share if they had similar experiences as you with them carrying with just tubing and as me with having to carry with tube and zipping.

Girl I am right there with you on those beds! My bf and I have the same problem, always waking up with a few inches between us and constantly having to push them back together. I always seemed to end up in "the crack" HAHA.

Haha I'm glad I'm not the only one! That was my only complaint on the beds. Other than that, I remember sleeping like a baby.

As I reread some of the posts, it occurs to me that there is somewhat of a flaw in your survey methodology. Though done folks have described or somewhat alluded to their own demographic, many have not. So, for example if some responders think the world of one line's service and food but also think that any hotel or meal out is exceptional, you may become quite disappointed when you follow their advice. Likewise, you will get more recommendations for mainstream lines because there are more if them serving far more passengers.

My second stab at advice is that you should connect with a well respected cruise specialist TA who will get you a right match. As for who to call, check our Conde Nast Traveler which regularly publishes it's best TA lists.

 

 

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Thank you for the advice on recommending a travel agent. That is really smart to use them to find what would fit best for my needs. Although I started this thread to somewhat help me plan my next cruise, I also find it very interesting to hear what everyone finds their favorite even though I may not be part of the same demographic. I do take everyone's opinions with a grain of salt but I also respect and welcome everyone's opinion. I will jot down what you recommended for the future though. Thanks! :)

I agree with the age reference. When we were younger, we cruised RCCL. Now, we wouldn't consider it for the reasons stated. I actually liked Celebrity more years ago when it seemed a more upscale choice. Now, it's pretty mainstream.

So what would you say is your favorite now?

Add me to the list of Celebrity favorites.

 

But I should probably tell you that I evolved into a Celebrity lover. I'm retired now and on my cruises, I spend a lot more time relaxing in the spa and in the Persian Gardens than I used to. For someone your age who is more likely to partake in some of the more active events, I recommend Royal Caribbean. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are owned by the same parent company and whatever loyalty level you are on one, you are awarded the reciprocal level on the other. No other cruise lines do that.

Thank you for explaining that Celebrity is something you grew into with time and recommending Royal Caribbean to me. I did not know that Royal Caribbean and Celebrity were owned by the same company and that is interesting to me that you can share the loyalty level across both ships! That is definitely something that makes me want to try these ships!

Sure; here is a snap shot of each line:

 

Celebrity -- excellent food; very modern; great space ratio with an uncrowded feel; excellent service with officers that are very visible and approachable; large cabins with glass shower enclosure; great beds; one of the best loyalty programs; improving itineraries.

 

Cunard -- excellent food in the MDR, but the buffet sucks; classic feel and very formal; adult setting; loads of space and very uncrowded. British feel.

 

Holland America -- a Cunard wannabe; old people, loads of old people; dark and traditional; pretty good food; asian feel; excellent itineraries.

 

Royal Caribbean -- fresh and fun; active and younger crowd; pretty good food and improving; loads of entertainment options; short and predicable itineraries; new large ships.

 

Azamara and Oceania -- all about the food!! No kids and an upper middle class feel; classy casual; awful entertainment; port intensive cruises; expensive!!

 

Princess -- typical traditional cruise; hit and miss food, but very good over-all; crowded at times on certain ships; buffet is very crowded; good itineraries; similar crowd to Royal Caribbean; small showers and ugly brown cabins.

 

NCL -- it's been too long for me to evaluate, so we are going to give them a try in March.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

That you so much for that snap shot! I love the humorous way you explain each line! It's interesting to see how many people pick celebrity as their favorite and I hadn't even thought much about it til this thread. It's so helpful to see a comparison like this!

Thank you everyone for sharing! I welcome everyone's opinions! :D

While we have and still do cruise on a variety of cruise lines, Princess is by far our All Around favorite. :D

LuLu

We find the best fit for us is Celebrity, Cunard and if we get a deal Azamara and Oceania are nice. We are down on Holland America and Princess as of late, but I'm sure down the road we will try them both again.

 

Royal Caribbean used to be on the bottom of our list, but they seemed to have improved and we are giving them a try again. We are going to give NCL a another chance and hope that by using the Ultimate Dining Package that we will enjoy their product.

 

After 52 cruises, dollar for dollar, Celebrity is still number one!

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

Can you share what makes these your favorite cruise lines?

Thanks in advance for your opinions!

To date, my favorite line is Royal Caribbean. That's because RCI has a large range of ships in their fleet. You can either go on the biggest ships at sea with all the bells and whistles (Oasis Class) or you can go on smaller, more refined ships (Radiance, Vision and Sovereign Classes)....with a few classes in between. In other words, I find there isn't as much of a sameness across the ships that I've found on other cruise lines.

 

But having a favorite line does not prevent me from cruising other lines, so don't confuse my having a favorite with being a loyalist. I've cruised 5 lines in the past couple years. However, I keep coming back to RCI and I keep finding myself comparing those other lines to RCI. After RCI, in order of my favorites, the other lines I've sailed are Celebrity, Princess, Holland America and lastly, NCL.

How are the did you like the people (as weird as that sounds) on Rci compared to the other lines? - I am meaning as in interesting people to meet since that is one of my favorite parts and how is the crew compared to other lines? Also since you mentioned you have cruised with so many different lines, can you also share anything as far as favorites go between the ship's for entertainment, food and such? I do know we all have different tastes but I still like to hear everyone's opinions!

Thanks!

I have not been on them all, that is for sure, but for me it is Celebrity, closely followed if not equaled by Cunard.

Thank you for sharing. What makes these two lines your favorite?

They had to almost give away the cabins at rock bottom prices. The demand just wasn't sufficient to sustain a ship there.

Thanks for that information. That makes sense. I hope they aren't planning on canceling sailing out of Galveston anytime soon cause nola and Galveston are the two closest ports to me.

Hate to see Serenade and RCCL leaving New Orleans. We are taking our first ever cruise on the Serenade at the end of February. The only way we could afford it is because NOLA is within driving distance and we can cut the airfare. Now any future cruises will have to be on Carnival or NCL...:(

How come royal caribbean is leaving new Orleans? I was hoping another ship would replace serenade cause I love sailing out of new Orleans and am wanting to try Rci.

Thank you for sharing. I would be part of the "younger group" but I too don't like to travel with a lot of kids. I just want something with good food, good entertainment and good people(crew and passengers). A lot of people I know, recommend Rci but have also not traveled with many other cruise lines. I appreciate everyone's recommendations.

We sailed Celebrity about 5 or 6 times and Princess the same. We also sailed RCI once and learned that was not a good fit for us. One cruise (sort of) on Carnival and we settled into HAL as our cruise line of choice. We've sailed that line over 80+ times and for us it is about the crews/Officers/Staff, the comfortable elegance of HAL's ships, the ambience, flowers, art, spacious cabins, itineraries, size of the ships and the CREWS. :)

 

What was it about Rci that made it feel like it wasn't a good fit?

As I have been told, I have become addicted to cruising after only 2 cruises. So far I have only traveled with carnival but am starting to research other cruise lines and am undecided on what to try next. So I ask, what is your favorite cruise line that you have traveled with and why?

Please send me a copy of your trip report! I'm planning my next cruise with Oasis post Reno, but I would love to have a copy of your report!

malmo288@gmail.com

Thank you very much for your reply I am currently looking into a site a travel agent gave me for some excursions tour deals the only thing I'm wondering is the safety of going with them and not missing getting back to the ship in time not sure if just getting scared for no reason because it will be our first time or if I should really be concerned about only booking thur Carnival.... I just keep hearing different things as far as booking outside of carnival on our own and it kinda scares me because we are having to cruise with just our legal documents BC, ML & IDs not passports. Well I'm probably putting more into it than I should just all new and my excitement probably isn't helping either Lol...:D Thanks again for your reviews and help!!! :) Yall are too sweet loved all the pictures :)

Your welcome! I would maybe look through those ports of call on cruise critic and see if anyone else has went with those private companies that your TA is recommending and it might help ease your nerves about not going through carnival. If you can't find a post already about it, feel free to create a new one and ask in the specific port you have a question about. Someone out there will know the answer. The only thing I can say is your TA knows what they are doing usually. They depend on you to have a perfect vacation so that you'd recommend them and travel through them again. So I would think they are only going to book private excursions through people they would trust so that you have that perfect vacation. I can say from personal experience, I have never booked with the cruise ship and have always had great experiences. But I of course did the research on the companies I was traveling with before hand.

I have really enjoyed reading all your reviews of The Dream as this will be our First Family Cruise 2 adults 3 kids 11,16,17yrs. We are planning on taking the Dec 14th cruise to Keywest, Freeport, & Nassau I've tried looking up as much info about everything as possible alot to take in Lol... not too much time left and I'm getting more excited daily!!! If there is anyone with any suggestions as far as going to these ports it would be great or maybe anyone who might be cruising on The Dream Dec. 14th would be great also as I have already said we're all first timers on cruising!!! Any ideas or suggestions is appreciated.... I've looked up the weather supposedly for around that time it says high around 79 so hoping this is meaning a warm 79 for light clothes like sundresses, shorts/tanktops and warm water for swimming. If anyone has ever been there around that time to maybe help I would love your input. Thanks in advance for any help!!! Excited about getting to enjoy a first time family cruise with my husband 2 boys and my sons girlfriend.:D

Hey! Thank you for reading my review and I'm so glad you enjoyed it. You should join a roll call here on cruise critic for the cruise your going on. That's where I got a lot of information before our cruise because the roll call is full of people who are experienced cruises to some that are new like yourself. Here is a link for your roll call.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1972160

As for recommendations to what to do at those. Ports of call, I would look under ports of call on cruise critic cause you can find info for each and every one. Besides learning information about the ship, learning about each port individually and what is recommended to do there was one of my favorite parts of planning for our cruise. I wish I could give advice for those places, but I have never been! I hope this helped and have a good cruise!