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kvickers

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    New place for us or visit an old?

    in Cozumel

    Posted

    Not much snorkeling from any sandy beach - the waves/sand cloud the water and there are no rocks/reefs for the little fish to thrive in. You might look into one of the places without a beach (like Money bar) where you can snorkel from the shore (you enter the water via steps) or a boat snorkel tour to introduce your kids to snorkeling.

     

    Where else is your cruise stopping? :confused: Some of the other islands have better/easier snorkeling options.

     

     

     

    Thanks for your response!

     

     

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    New place for us or visit an old?

    in Cozumel

    Posted

    That is definitely one place that I have always wanted to go (and also another place that I have considered each time too). The only problem is the "beach" or lack there of. Although this place is similar to Chankanaab (which we loved), at least Chankanaab does have more of a beach to it with lots of sand.

     

     

     

     

     

    I never thought of going to one and then heading to the other. We are there from 9-6pm. I know that MB wants you to purchase food and drinks there. I believe that Paradise does too? I'm not sure how that would work. Hmmm I guess another factor would be how many ships are in port as well. I realize that Paradise is huge, but if there's a lot of ships in port (and especially mega ships), I'm not sure how I feel about showing up to Paradise so late and having all the good seats taken. :confused:

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Thank you.

     

     

     

     

     

    Well, when it comes to snorkeling, if you want decent snorkeling you are limited to places like Chankanaab or the Money Bar. Chankanaab is a park and there's an admission fee. But, there's A LOT to do there. You can look them up online and see everything they have to offer. You can also check out my 2 reviews in my signature line for tons of pictures and how we felt about it. I personally love the place and they have added a lot more to it since we were there (alligators and ziplining). However, just be aware...it's not your normal beach and you walk right into the water and snorkel. Instead, you have to walk down steps to get in the water and it's a quick decline. But if your kids are good swimmers and enjoy snorkeling, it's easily done. My daughter first went in there to see the "fishies" when she was 3 years old. :D She enjoyed it and that was the start of her mermaid and scuba diving "career". hehe

     

     

     

    Thanks for your response, Kim. I will most definitely check that out! Enjoy your next cruise adventure!

     

     

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    New place for us or visit an old?

    in Cozumel

    Posted

    Been here so many times and I have tried to do something different each time. I feel like I'm sorta running out of options at this point (or at least one's that I can think of).

     

    We have been to Chankanaab x2, Passion Island, Nachi Cocum, Playa Mia, Playa Palancar, and Mr Sanchos.

     

    Every single time I cruise to Cozumel, I say I'm going to try Paradise but change it to something else. Should I give it a shot this time? Or should I try another place that may have snorkeling (since snorkeling is our passion). Do I try The Money Bar? Or Sky Reef or Buccanos, Playa Uvas, Playa Corona and what is now where Carlos & Charlies used to be (aren't they gone)?

     

    Or any other suggestions. We love the beach and snorkeling is an added feature if it's there.

     

    Let me know your thoughts, experiences, or even a place that people are dying to see a review of. :D

     

     

     

    Really love reading your reviews and posts! We are planning a visit to Cozumel for the first time, so I don't have any advice to offer you, but I have to ask, since you have been son many times (I hope that's okay)...out of all of the places you've visited in Cozumel, which one would you say you enjoyed the most? We will be traveling as a family with 2 kids, ages 8 and 11, who love to swim, the beach, and want to try snorkelling. Thanks for any advice you can offer!

     

     

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    Disappointed on the Dawn after the Escape??

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    Thinking about sailing on the Dawn with multigenerational family who sailed on the Escape last year. Will we be disappointed by the Dawn? Will it have enough to keep the kids entertained?

     

    We are not really hard to please. The Dawn has the same itinerary as the Getaway (4 stops Western Caribbean). We did the Eastern on the Escape so this seems appealing to us. I can get a better price (with flights) on the Dawn. Should I go for it? Would love to hear from someone who's been on both. Thanks in advance!

     

     

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    Anthem June 8-17, 2017 - 9 Day Bermuda-Caribbean Photo Review

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    They both have so many different options for kids, I'm not sure which ship they would prefer. I can only list some options and hope it helps with a decision. I'm sure I'm forgetting some but this is what I remember...

     

     

     

    Vista

     

    - Sky ride

     

    - Ropes course

     

    - Water slides

     

    - Arcade

     

    - iMax theater

     

    - Thrill Theater 3D/4D

     

    - Sports deck with several games (ping pong...)

     

    - Mini golf

     

    - Basketball

     

     

     

    Anthem

     

    - Rock climbing wall

     

    - Flowrider

     

    - SeaPlex (bumper cars, roller skating, flying trapeze, video games, ping pong, Basketball and more...)

     

    - iFly skydive simulator (you can only do this once if you can get a reservation)

     

    - Arcade

     

    - Escape room (but think it may be for ages 14+)

     

    - North Star (although not a kids activity I think they would enjoy the ride and views)

     

     

     

    Thanks so much Lou! You are such a wealth of useful information. We are also from Ontario, so considering the drive to Cape Liberty for the Anthem. Wish us luck. Lol!

     

     

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    Anthem of the Seas in March...Too Cold??

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Please share your experience and thoughts on the weather/temperature,!sailing on the Anthem in March. I will be travelling with kids and I'm a little nervous about whether they will be able to swim, etc. due to the temps at that time of year. Would love to hear your experience if you have sailed from Cape Liberty at that time of year. Thanks!

     

     

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    Help me decide...Carnival Vista or MSC Seaside?

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    Trying to decide between 6 nights on the Vista with stops at Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios and Cozumel or 7 nights on the Seaside stopping in St. Martin, San Juan and Nassau.

     

    We are family with 2 active boys, ages 11 and 8. It will be a holiday sailing, so I want to make sure I pick the best one for us:)

     

    The Vista is coming up more expensive (approximately $1500 more) since kids are free on MSC. I am wondering if the Vista is worth the extra $$?

     

    We haven't sailed either of these lines yet so would love to hear feedback from those who have.

     

    Thanks in advance!

     

     

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    Has anyone been on the Brilliance OTS lately?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Considering this ship for a Christmas holiday cruise this year (2017). It's only a 5 night but the prices for that time of year are so high! This one fits into our budget better than most of the other options. I like the 2 stops that it's going to make (Grand Cayman and Cozumel).

     

    We are excited to try Royal Caribbean but wondering if this ship will be disappointing (for us and the kids,too)? Will there be enough to entertain 2 boys ages 11 and 8? Does the ship really seem old? Would love to hear some feedback:)

     

    Thanks!

     

     

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    6 Day Western Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Vista - Family Harbor Cove Balcony 2429

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    Background:

     

    I’ve gotten a lot of valuable advice from others on Cruise Critic so I thought I’d share my thoughts on our trip on the new Carnival Vista. A little background on us. This was our 4th Carnival cruise and we’ve been on 5 Royal Caribbean cruises. We’re in our mid-30s and took our 2 sons, ages 10 & 7. We also were traveling with friends & their 3 kids, ages 12-8. We primarily chose this cruise based off the availably of 5 person rooms (Family Harbor area) and all the kid-friendly activities on board. We booked the cruise before it set sail so there were no reviews available at that time.

     

     

     

    Pre-cruise:

     

    We live in MN and decided to use Southwest airlines based off good past experiences and cost. The only downfall was that this meant we had to fly into Fort Lauderdale (FLL). After reading CC we decided to use Uber (XL) to get us from FLL to our hotel in Miami (Hampton Inn & Suites Miami/Brickell-Downtown). It was very easy & cost us ~$84. We arrived at the hotel at ~1pm and we’re pleasantly surprised to learn that our room was ready & we’d been upgraded to the Hilton Honors floor with snacks & water in the room. Service was great & there was plenty seating in the pool & breakfast area. We walked Pubix for wine and found so lots of restaurant choices too. Check-out was easy & we took Uber XL to the seaport for ~$14.

     

    Grade = A

     

     

     

    Embarkation:

     

    We got the seaport at ~11:00 with a designated boarding time of 11:00-11:30. It was a short line to get into the first checkpoint & we were assigned boarding zone 8. Going through security was simple, but then at the next point they said there had been a mistake & our Passports weren’t scanned correctly by the previous person. This led to some confusion & we had to go to another line to get our pictures re-taken. By this time the terminal was completely full & there were no places to sit. It sounded like they were not checking people’s assigned check-in time…frustrating, why have the system if you’re not going to follow it? The terminal workers were also confused on where they were telling people to go as one person directed us one way and then the next said we couldn’t be there. Anyway, that chaos ended & we were able to board the ship around 12pm.

     

    Grade = C+

     

     

     

    Food/Bars:

     

    This was the first Carnival ship we’ve been on with the upgrades & we loved them. For breakfast we usually ate at the Family Harbor Lounge (FHL) which included fruit, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, waffles, oatmeal, toast, pastries, cheese, deli meat, cereal. We tried the Marketplace on Lido one morning (made-to-order omelet), although my overall favorite breakfast was a burrito from the Blue Iguana.

     

    For lunch we ate at Guys Pig & Anchor BBQ right after getting on the ship (great time if you want to avoid lines!) & thought the meat was cooked excellent. We also thought the Guys burgers & options at Blue Iguana were very tasty. The pizza was definitely better tasting in my opinion than what’s available on RC, however the lines can be long at times & I wish pizza wasn’t the only free food available late at night. We only ate at the Marketplace buffet a few times. The food was good although there weren’t many choices. My kids loved the soft-serve ice cream & frozen yogurt machines and we were presently surprised to see freshly made “regular” ice cream available at lunch time.

     

    We had a early dining for our group of 9 at a long table in the Reflections dining room. Service was very mixed. For the first 3 nights we had only 1 server…no assistant. He must have been new as he wasn’t very good…no explanation of the menu choices, didn’t ask about drinks, didn’t ask the ladies their choices first or remember preferences for the next time, and even brought out our apps & main courses at the same time one day. I’m not sure why he didn’t have an asst. as I know a table of 9 can be overwhelming. Then on day 4 we had 2 ladies who used a team approach to take care of us & they were much better. The formal nights were days 2 (sea day) and day 4 (Grand Cayman). Lobster & prime rib were on the first night. Food here was overall good. We’re not a picky family & figure if we don’t like something then don’t eat it & try something else next. Drink service was very slow, often nonexistent, so a tip is to bring your drink in with you…saved us lost of $ by bringing a glass of wine from our room w/us to dinner.

     

     

     

    We ate at two speciality restaurants. The Mongolian grill at JiJi’s was free at lunch time. It was good, but way too many noodles & not enough veggies so I’d suggest asking for 1/2 the noodles & double the veggies (you pick whatever toppings you want by marking the choices on a slip of paper. The waiter takes your slip away & brings back the food to your table. We also ate Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse. It’s an extra $35/person. The food was delicious, but what really made it worth the extra money to us was the superior service we received…it reminded us of the main dining room service from 10-15 years ago. We made our reservation ~1 month prior to sailing for a 7:30 time on the 3rd night (Jamaica day) which was a perfect evening to go. Guests in the FH area get to have the kids eat free at 1 speciality dining area, but we chose not to have the kids come as we wanted to enjoy the peace & quiet. I didn’t see any kids in the steakhouse while we were there either.

     

     

     

    We liked the variety & number of bars on this ship & noticed that many of them had outside spaces. We didn’t spend a lot of time in them since we were with the kids so I can comment a whole lot other than to say that the service was so-so. Since the introduction of the Cheers program in seems to me that there are a lot less bartenders & waitstaff. This means that if you want a drink you’ll most likely have to go get it yourself from a bar & expect a wait. I agree with another person’s comment about the RedFrog Pub bartenders being rude…like you were a bother to them rather than a paying guest. A shame because I had envisioned that being a favorite hangout spot. Other bartenders seemed to be too busy to smile & engage in a little friendly conversation. Our last cruise was on RC one year ago and I’d say their service definitely beats Carnival.

     

    Grade = B+

     

     

     

    Room

     

    We stayed in room 2429, Category FM, Cove Balcony in the Family Harbor area on deck 2. There are only 4 rooms in this category on the ship & we got the last one when we booked. The room had plenty of room for our family. Storage space was minimal so bring things like an over the door shoe holder to help you stay organized. It was nice to have usb plugs built in for charging our electronic devices. Room temp was great & the fridge was ready to chill our water (no having to ask the room attendant to remove mini bar items). We chose this area mainly because the family we were traveling with needed a room for 5. The Family Harbor Lounge (FHL) was really nice since we were traveling with the kids. They enjoyed the simple breakfast, soft-serve ice cream machine, and PS4 (Trials Fusion - race game & Kung Fu Panda games). They were well behaved enough to use the FHL by themselves while we took a few extra minutes to get ready. That being said there were a few kids who were being quite disrespectful in the FHL…garbage & food everywhere, trowing pillows & cushions, abusing the ice cream machine, etc. We were on a couple of excursions with 2 naughty boys (pre-teen age) and they seemed to be ok when they were with the dad & grandma so my guess is that age, peer-pressure & lack of supervision brought out the worst in them. SO, what I’d suggest is that if anyone stays in the FH area please do everyone a favor & talk to your kids about being respectful otherwise it’s these types of amenities that are going to be lost for everyone. Besides families w/kids my age I also see this as a great place for a parent to hang out with a young one who’s an early riser while the other parent sleeps or gets ready.

     

    Now, that being said there was one thing that was horribly wrong with our room and that was the noise! I had heard a few people on CC comment about noise, but thought it can’t be that bad, right? Oh boy was I wrong! I’ve never had issues sleeping before, although I’ve only had rooms on floors 6-8. After seeing the plans I now realize that we were under the kitchen galley and I’m not sure what specifically, but it was loud, loud, loud, esp at night and all night. I had a fan, white noise, and earplugs and I could still hear & feel the banging. Thank goodness my kids slept through it, but this made for a long trip w/no sleep for me. I’ll never stay in a room like this again, and if it hadn’t been for the other couple traveling with us having a room in the same FH area, I would have asked to move rooms. Odd thing is that their room, an oceanview ~4 doors down, didn’t have any noise issues.

     

     

     

     

     

    Back to the service. Our room attendant George was ok. He made animals every day which our kids enjoyed & kept the towels fresh. I didn’t feel however that he was very personable as we didn’t see him much, & when we did he never called us by name or asked if we needed anything, rather it was us saying hi & him saying hi back. Not a big deal but, just not as personable as I’m used to. He didn’t say anything about picking morning or night service…so it was the usual cleaning & turn-down I’m used to.

     

    Grade = this is a split decision…A- for the room/FHL area, but F for the sleeping factor.

     

     

     

    Entertainment

     

    Entertainment quality varies greatly from person to person & what you desire. For our family the ship had plenty to do & kept us entertained the entire trip! Matt, the cruise director, is AWESOME. Definitely the best we’ve ever had. He was great with the kids & was able to slip in many adult jokes that we enjoyed. He was so personable and made connections with guests all over the ship. Our family had fun dancing with him on the pool deck. I’ve heard some complaints on CC that people don’t like the shows, but we thought they were pretty good overall if you like music & movies. Get to the America Rocks show early if you want a free bandanna and face painting. I’ll agree with others that the theatre, Liquid Lounge, isn’t great…movable seats on the main floor = not easy to see over heads & no cup holders for your drinks. In my opinion some of the best seats were in the back where there was stadium seating. The comedian was pretty good too. One of the other reasons we picked this ship was for all the sports activities. We loved them! The sky ride and ropes course were unique although with long lines we only went on it a couple of times…tip go on it right away then you board as the lines were the shortest then! You have to be 52” for the sky ride & 48” for the ropes course. The waterslides were fun. Our younger son was just shy of the 48” needed to go on the tube ride, but he could go on the body slide…which was faster & had a shorter line usually. The main & aft pools were also favorite family spots for us. The tie thing about the aft pool area was that there were 2 hot tubs to use. The main pools instead have a covered seating area w/ankle deep water. There are life jackets available to use if want although we found it useful to bring our own so we could take it on shore excursions with us. Our first day at sea it was pretty windy so the sky ride, ropes course & water slides were closed…another reason to go right away while in Miami or while at one of the other ports. Our family also really liked the sports deck…mini golf, ping pong, exercise equipment, etc…lots to do!

     

    Grade = A

     

     

     

    Kids club

     

    We only used the Carnival kids club a few times…when our kids were arguing & we needed a break:) Since we were traveling with other friends & had access to the PS4 in the FH lounge they weren’t very interested in spending more time there, but I did bring home a copy of the schedule for those who are interested.

     

     

     

    Ports

     

    Jamaica - This was our one stop where the weather wasn’t the best - light rain in the morning. We didn’t book any excursions for this stop since there wasn’t anything that appealed to us as a family & my husband & I did Dunns River Falls before. We did get off the boat mid-morning & walked around the port area to do a little shopping. We got back on around lunch time, ate & then enjoyed the activities on the ship…highly suggest this as the lines weren’t as long for the popular attractions.

     

    Grand Cayman - We booked the Deluxe Stingray City & Sandbar for All Ages excursion through Carnival. What a fun unique experience to be so close to wild stingrays. I brought my 7 yr old’s life jacket with us which was nice because the water was too deep for him stand by himself w/the waves. I ended up holding him most of the time because I didn’t want him to swim & kick any stingrays. We had enough time to walk around the port a little too before & after the excursion.

     

    Cozumel - We booked the All Inclusive Passion Island by Power Catamaran tour through Carnival. Another great trip. We had fun on the water bouncy toys…although they can be tough to get on! Bringing the life jacket was nice since the water was deep by the bouncy toys. They do have some life jackets available, but they weren’t as nice as ours. The water was clear & sand was nice. Yummy nachos & tacos. Included margaritas, rum punch, & Corona beer, plus some non-alcoholic drinks. Upon our return we spent a little time shopping although were disappointed that the bartering for items wasn’t as good as we hoped. Tips - buy your items right away as the prices/dealing was much better!

     

    Grade = B+

     

     

     

    Disembarkation

     

    Our flight home wasn’t until 6pm out of FLL. We were assigned zone 31 luggage tags which the flyer said had a disembarkation time of 10:15. We instead decided to do self-disembarkation so we could get off the ship & enjoy our day in Miami. Times are then assigned per floor. Since we were on deck 2 our assigned disembarkation time was 7:45. It was announced that we could leave right on time, we carried our luggage up one floor (Gangway is on deck 3) and then it was a quick & easy walk off & through customs. We were outside easily w/in an hour. We used Uber to take us to Budget car rental for ~$15. We got a rental car for ~$45 and drove ~45 min for a airboat tour of the Everglades River of Grass Adventures. It was a 1.5 hr semi-private tour w/our family of 4 and another couple. What an awesome experience seeing all the alligators and hearing a lot of info about the Everglades. We then leisurely drove our rental car to FLL, stopping at a mall on our way back. We got to FLL around 4 pm which was perfect as we avoided all the crowds of people at the airport. FLL won’t let you past security until 4 hrs from your flight time, plus it’s really small with not much to do, so this is NOT an airport to hang out at if at all possible.

     

    Grade = A

     

     

     

     

     

    Overall thoughts

     

    It’s too bad that Vista is getting such negative reviews because our family did really enjoy her. Lots to do & crowds weren’t that bad. That being said I think picking a time when schools were in session tremendously helped with crowd control. Besides having a noisy room, a slight decline in overall service would be my only other negative comment when comparing this trip to our recent trips on Royal Caribbean. This trip was cheaper that comparable RC cruises so I’d say it offered a great value overall!

     

     

     

    Let me know if anyone has questions!

     

     

    Thanks for a very informative review! My boys have a peanut/tree nut allergy. Would you say there was a lot in the family harbour lounge to be concerned about with respect to peanuts/peanut butter? I'm not sure that kids without supervision would be diligent about washing their hands after eating so I am a little concerned, but would love to be able to enjoy the lounge and that particular area of the ship.

     

    Also, do you think all rooms in that area would be affected by the noise that you experienced?

     

    Thanks.

     

     

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    Vista to be featured on Mighty Cruise Ships season 2 premiere

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    I had seen online that it premiered last Sunday, the 12th and was going to be repeated on this Friday, twice on Saturday and again during the day on Sunday the 19th. But it's all only on Discovery Canada. The Smithsonian Channel, which carries the show in the US, was going to be repeating the shows from season one starting later this month. They had originally premiered back in 2014. Did not see anything on the Smithsonian Channel website about them doing anything about possibly showing episodes from season two.

     

     

    Thanks so much for your response!

     

     

     

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    Mike & Tracy's continuing adventures: B2B on Carnival Vista & Norwegean Getaway

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

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    That’s it for another night; tomorrow we disembark and get on Norwegian Getaway.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    Really enjoying your review thus far! We are also from Canada (Ontario) and contemplating cruising on the Vista or Getaway in December of this year with our kids. Looking forward to the rest of your review!!

     

     

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