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My family and I will stop in Cozumel in late March and plan to go to Playa Mia. Is it necessary to purchase admission online beforehand or can we just pay when we get there. Is there a high risk of being sold out or anything like that? Is there a price difference? We want access to their facilities only and not an all inclusive package.

I am currently bidding on an upgrade to a non haven 2 bedroom suite. If I understand things correctly, I will not receive certain perks that would be offered had I booked the room directly. Can anyone explain what perks I would lose out on by aquiring this room type through bidding?

Our NCL cruise in March offersan excursion entitled “Playa Mia Day Pass and Transfer”. It is $40/pp forchildren as well as adults. It says “Tour includes round-trip transportation, entrance into the water park,non-motorized water toys and much more”. I will be in a party of2 adults and 2 children.

IfI book through the Playa Mia website directly, I can get a day pass withtransportation for a similar price as the NCL excursion. Or can book a day pass only for alittle less money, and pay for a taxi on my own.

Consideringthe costs are about the same either way, are there any big advantages/disadvantageswith either choice (i.e. safety, time constraints, convenience, etc.)? Whichwould you choose? Any insight is appreciated. Thanks.

Please help me decide. It looks like I can book day passeswith R/T transportation to Bananarama directly through them for $30/pp. I havea family of 4 so this comes out to $120 plus 15% Honduran tax.

On the other hand, I can book a Tabyana Beach Day throughNCL, which also includes R/T transportation but costs $85/adults and$71/children. This comes out to $312.

Our main interest is to swim and snorkel off the beach. Fromwhat I have read, the beach at Tabyana is better suited for this. If I chooseto book directly through Bananarama, would it be practical to just walk overtowards Tabyana to swim and snorkel, then return to Bananarama to relax, eat,and shower? Should I just pay the additional cost for the Tabyana excursionthrough NCL?

Greetings, everyone. My family of 4 will be on an NCLWestern Caribbean itinerary in March, which includes Cozumel. We are hoping to find a safe beach with clean, clearwater and conditions that are safe to swim around in. We also would like aplace that is not excessively far from the ship. We don’t drink alcohol and mychildren are 7 and 5. We are not particularly interested in an all-inclusivedeal that includes alcohol, but we would not mind being able to order food a lacarte. Is it necessary to pay for an excursion to find what we are looking for? Please provide suggestions. Thank you! BTW I am posting this question for each port.

This place sounds interesting. I will be in Costa Maya in March. Is it appropriate to bring young kids there? (age 6 and 8)

In Maui, Old Lahaina Luau is excellent. In Oahu, Germaine's Luau was great as well.

I cruised on Carnival for the first time in Sep 2015. 7 day Mexican Riviera. I am considering Carnival Conquest in Sep 2016 to Eastern Caribbean. I am wondering if my on board experience will be similar to that on the Miracle ( i.e. shows, dinner/dessert menu in MDR, layout of the ship, etc). Or will things be very different?? If you have any insight to this, please advise. Thanks!!

I feel a little uncomfortable putting my kids in a cab without car seats. My 3 year old still uses one and even the 6 year old uses a booster. Is there a safe bus route back?

I will likely purchase 4 unlimited soda deals for my family that is offered on the ship. It adds a 15% gratuity upfront. Are guests still expected to additionally tip the bartender/server each time they serve a soda/juice?

Thanks to all for the info. It is very helpful.

If I take a water taxi to see the arch and then get dropped off at Medano Beach, do I have to arrange a return trip with the same guy that dropped me off? Are there plenty of other water taxis available to take cruise passengers back to the ship? Do we pay again for the return trip? Also, is this an appropriate trip with a 3 and 6 year old?

I am interested in visiting these 2 places. I will be with my wife and 2 kids (age3 and 6). Are the places close to each other? Is it okay to be at either of these places with kids as young as mine? If we go there, we would likely take the bus. Is the bus ride safe? How far/long of a bus ride is it? Sorry for the rapid fire questions but any info is appreciated. Thanks.

My family (me, wife and 2 kiddos ages 3 and 5) will be on a cruise that does an overnighter in Puerto Vallarta this September. I have read that day passes may be purchased at this resort for about $30 US each (someone please correct me if this is wrong). I am considering just renting a room for about $175/night plus taxes on the day I will be there, which comes with the "all inclusive" benefits such as food/beverages, not to mention a room to change in or wash up. We have never been to been to PV. We plan on lounging on the beach and maybe at the pool and we did not want to travel too far from the port with the little ones. We also plan on returning to the ship on time to make our 8 pm dinner time, but may wish to use the facilities early the next morning. Can someone please provide some insight/opinion on this plan and even the facilities. Thanks.

Thanks for the info. Looks and sounds very do-able with my kiddos. We will probably give this place a try.

Could anyone tell me about how far/long of a walk it is from the ship to the Hilton Puerto Vallarta? Would it be difficult for a couple with 2 small children (6 and 3)?