TeamTrom

Day 4: Port of Costa Maya/Adventure Park Maya Lost Mayan Kingdom

As has been the norm, we wake up and snap a few pictures of the horizon with clouds filling the skies.

As we got closer to port we could see the pyramid that is the Lost Mayan Adventure Park, if you look closely in this picture you can see it too. It is the strangely shaped structure dead center of this photo. Besides for some radar towers it is the tallest object off the coast of Costa Maya.

We went to breakfast at the Windjammer, surprise, surprise. And once again I thoroughly enjoyed myself there. Our excursion was 15 minutes after we were scheduled to port so we knew we had to be ready to get off once we docked so we weren't late. We walked down towards the gangway and were all funneled to Studio B with a delay in clearing customs. We grabbed a seat near the entrance so we could get out of their quickly once allowed. We waited there for about 20 minutes and that pushed us beyond our meet time but that did not create a problem at all because of course each excursion waited patiently for everyone to arrive. Once off of the ship and after we walked to the end of the pier you are given nice clear direction on which way to head.

This port looked about as new a port as I have ever seen. They are currently working on upgrading their port right up front by adding a location for a sting ray and dolphin encounter. You can see the area that has some construction going on right here

Like your photos. Enjoying following your review.

Thanks a lot. A ton of work is going into this lol

This was our room. For those following along this was an A3 One Bedroom Aqua Theater Suite, cabin 11330. We loved the views and the extra space. We were traveling with our two girls so it was a nice fit for our family. We did not like the lack of storage space for the 4 of us. The bathroom was not an issue for us but could be for some as it is only accessible through the bedroom and only has a single sink. We also decided that if it were just my wife and I we prefer the GS or CLS but this was perfect for the kids. Great to meet all those on the cabin crawl, we were glad to take part.

Thanks for offering up your cabin for the crawl, it really made a great impression on me and Wifey. We ran into you and your two girls more so than anyone else on board. Two very well behaved kids and very talented on the flo-rider. Thanks for following along!

Sean I am really enjoying your review! It is as if I am back on the ship again. It was so much fun meeting you and your wife.

 

 

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I am glad you are enjoying my review. I hope that I can reread it over and over again to relive it myself. It was a blast meeting you as well. Thanks for all the work you put in on the cabin crawl, sail away party and talking us into the Prohibition Party. Had a great time!!!

During the Cabin Crawl we met a very nice young woman name Jennifer around our age and her mother, Mona . We talked with Jennifer for the majority of the Cabin Crawl and then at the final cabin ended up meeting her dad, David, as well. Despite looking like fools in our childish costumes we stayed in their cabin long after the crawl had ended and had a very entertaining conversation. We really enjoyed their company and this was far from our last time together. We ended up spending so much time talking they ended up being late to their dinner at Coastal Kitchen, lucky for us Izumi couldn't be reserved til 715 so we were good to go. After going our separate ways we ended up getting ready for dinner then making our way to Izumi on deck 4. If you have dinner at the Hibachi side you get seated at a table that wraps around a flat grill surface for the chef to do their work. It seats around 10 or so. Here the chef is making an endless pile of fried rice...

That rice was probably the best part of the meal, it truly was good. We also ordered a spicy tuna roll, probably one of our favorite classic style rolls. This is what was left when I remembered to take a picture

Haha it was pretty good, we forgot to take a pic until it was finished. You can also see the variety of sauces that they offer for you to dip your foods in. None of which were memorable. I ordered the scallops and lobster and Wifey ordered the filet and lobster. I thought the lobster was good while she thought it was too salty, I enjoyed the scallops and didn't like her filet at all. The flavor was not there for me. Here are similar photos of our dinner as I had of our roll.. or lack thereof lol

We have hibachi at home at a fair rate. We often go to a local place that has a great deal for lunch so hibachi is a common meal for us. Sadly this made this meal extremely ordinary. While the food was good it was no better then what we are used to so the totality of it was disappointing. My recommendations for anyone considering going is that if your haven't been to another hibachi restaurant or if you haven't been back in a while then give it a try, otherwise don't expect something much different than your used to. This meal ran up until the time that we got into our swim suits, enjoyed the hot tubs until we went off to bed.

Sneak peek into Day 4: Port of Costa Maya/Adventure Park Maya Lost Mayan Kingdom and the “Secret Party”

I must admit that I am a bit of a thrill seeker and the description that RCI has made this a must do for us. “Make a splash in Costa Maya with a spectacular day spent sliding, ziplining and swimming your way around the action-packed Mayá Lost Mayan Kingdom waterpark. With nearly 5 hours of free time in the park and nine different waterslides, you’ll discover plenty of adventure for the whole family at this theme park inspired by the ancient Mayan culture of Mexico. Thrill seekers might brave the Kamikaze slides, take a spin around the Hidrowhip or zoom down the 60-foot mat slide. For a birds-eye view of the park and Caribbean Sea, strap up and whiz across two zipline courses, totaling 3,000 feet of lines complete with a ropes course and suspension bridge. Take on the dizzying twists and turns of the Kukulcan zip coaster, or head to the Teen Park for some scaled-down aquatic fun. Those looking for some relaxation will find it while floating on a river tube through the jungle-lined lazy river or at the natural cenote swimming hole. You can enjoy it all with the convenience of roundtrip transportation to and from port.” At $89 per person I see this as a bargain and have high expectations going into this.

Additionally, we are booked to go to the Prohibition Party or otherwise known as the “Secret Party”. Some people search for but never find this party while others it seems to fall into their laps, consider me a part of the latter.

There were more rooms involved then what I have shown but they were repetitive in some capacity besides for the family cabin that had an additional set of bunk beds with a setup to sleep 4 comfortably. Still fun to check out with the group in a party atmosphere. The final two cabins were identical besides for the view. We saved the best for last with the Loft Suites on the private deck 17. Both of these room had a loft style cabin where it was the same width and similar length of my cabin but was two decks high with a staircase leading to their Loft style bedroom. This room had a significantly nicer bathroom then any one I have had in any home of mine lol

This Boardwalk view cabin was decorated very well. Some of these rooms were decorated very well, you could tell the effort that was involved. You all deserve a round of applause.

Their view was incredible!!!

The next room is a cabin that I can only describe as amazing. I'm not 100% sure of the the Category name but something along the lines of a Aqua Theatre balcony/suite type of shin dig lol It was an extremely oversized cabin with a seperate living space from the master bedroom. The balcony was a wraparound balcony that gave you the perks of a boardwalk balcony, a portion of balcony that gave a perfect view of the Aqua Theatre along with a very generous ocean view balcony as well. I'm fairly confident that this balcony alone was larger than my cabin...

We were to meet at the Schooner Bar... Woo hoo so that means we get to run into Ramesh yet again. We ordered some drinks once we arrived. There was already a good amount of crawlers here and we have about 15 more minutes until it started. I would say that we came up with about 30-40 people in our party. There was a lot more people then I could have ever imagined. Since I couldn't get a good view of Ft Lauderdale Beach from the Solarium I stole this one from the menu!!!

We were the cabin that would get to start to crawl so we led them to our cabin. Only about a third of our group could be in the cabin at a time so we waited in the hallways while everyone took their turn. Being from Ohio we made a treat that Ohio is very fond of there and well known for! Buckeyes!!! For those of you that do not know what these delicious candies are they are peanut butter balls dipped in milk chocolate. They were a hit, everyone seemed to enjoy them. Next Cabin was what I believe is a grand suite. It is the same size in length but double the size in width of my cabin This room put mine to shame. The balcony was HUGE!!! Or so I thought, but we will get to that later. You get a little peak into some of the costumes that we were able to enjoy.

Next was an interior Central Park View and this was a far cooler room than I had anticipated.:cool:

From JR you get a pretty good view of the Boardwalk and what is on it. Here are a few pictures of what we took!

Just another one of their amazing neighborhoods that Oasis Class offers!!! We have plans set up today through CC to be a part of a Cabin Crawl. Wifey and I have never been apart of something like this and since we have never been in anything beyond an interior room before this cruise we are psyched to see different types of cabins in person. Now this is not your ordinary cabin crawl. There is something unique about this day because it is HALLOWEEN! With that in mind it was decided to make this a Trick or Treat style cabin crawl, so it is encouraged to come dressed in a costume and have a snack of some sort to hand our at your cabin. We had a great turnout and a decent number or participants offered one or the other... some even decorated their cabin. Here is our costumes, if you know of the current crave of Pokémon Go then this outfit may be recognizable to you!!!

Day 3: Day at Sea

Woke up to the sun rising in a sky filled with clouds yet again.

We repeated our morning of breakfast in the Windjammer. We took this day to trying to learn our sense of direction(something I never achieved on this cruise) and get down the layout of the ship(something I also rarely got right lol, both of which are a surprise because I am generally very good with both). We visited most of the shops today and picked out some things that we were interested in buying provided we weren't broke at the end of our trip lol very few of which we ended up buying at the end. I was very interested in checking out the watch sale that was on this day. I am a very big fan of Citizens watches and was hoping to come away with one by the time we traveled home. I was disappointed with how long in advance they were advertising for this while it was what appeared to be ready to go. They had staff walking around telling us to wait around for the start but everyone was standing in the center of the roped off area just waiting... So finally I asked when we would be allowed to take a look and they said 30 more minutes. We decided this was far too long to wait and looked at it as if I was saving $$$. We decided on Johnny Rockets for lunch today. For a small $6.95 cover charge it is a pretty good value to try something different.

The servers here always seems to have a blank stare and were absent from smiles. Disappointing once I realized this but I overlooked it at first. I decided on a Cheeseburger, well because they are known for their burgers, and Wifey tried out the chicken melt. She regretted going outside of their specialty but between our onion rings and chilli cheese fries there was plenty to eat.

I really enjoyed my burger, reminded me of a Five Guys burger!

TeamTrom, I am loving your review. The Gambee comment was right on, and if you could have incorporated some of the parade horses he would have been over the top in excitement.

 

As for the towel animal I saw exactly what you saw. I would have been howling in laughter quickly followed by posting the photo here.

Thanks for following along. This is considerably more work than I had imagined lol. If I had stumbled across the parade I for sure would've taken pictures of the dancing horses just for him. He inspired me to do this in the first place. [emoji3] I hope you continue to enjoy reading along!!!

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Hi Sean,

I am the lady who recognized you in Park Café on the first day. It was a pleasure meeting you and your family. Enjoying your review, as it brings back wonderful memories of the great cruise we all had. Yes, the weather could have been better, and there were a few minor glitches here and there, but we never let those things stop us from having a wonderful time.

 

Another funny story:

We went to Nachi Cocum in Cozumel, and there walking on the beach I spotted "Max's Mom", another Cruise Critic member, who writes wonderful reviews of their cruises. We had a great chat with her and her hubby, and shared a cab back to the ship. They cruise about 10 times a year, and will reach Pinnacle status next month. Lovely people!!

 

This was our 27th cruise and the first time I have ever recognized another Cruise Critic Member, and it happened twice. LOL Priceless!!!!!

 

Wishing you many more happy cruises:

 

Barbara

Thank you so much, I hope one day we can get to Pinnacle status!!! And I am glad we were able to be a part of your 27th and thanks for saying hi that day! I agree the weather wasn't spectacular but we made the best of it

Enjoying the review! We are on Oasis in less than a month! [emoji484]

 

 

I hope you really enjoy your vacation. The ship is truly wonderful!!!:)

Looking forward to it. I don't even know what to make out of it, that slide isn't suppose to be the highlight of our cruise, but always finds it's way center stage on my story time with my friends.

Each time we begin telling about this slide we always look at one another and literally laugh out loud.

We made a stop by our cabin to change into my Dallas Jersey so we could head to the On Air Club and watch my boys play. But first let me take a selfie

We are silly. We found this when we entered our room

I wont say what first came to mind when I saw this but I think we decided it was a snake :D We watched the Boys win in OT and Tribe lose game 5 so the night had its ups and downs. We forgot to mention that we watched Tribe win game 4 of the World Series last night in the Infinity Hot Tubs by the Solarium. That was a pretty good experience. Somewhere through the night we made a quick trip through some decks and found out an interesting fact that we have come to realize most people already know about. If you look closely in the photo, you may notice something out of the norm about the decks... If you see it let us all know ;)

On our way out of Giovanni's all we could talk about is how fantastic that meal was. We had no definite intentions on going to dinner here at all but I can tell you with certainty that I am so glad that we didn't miss it. We all came out completely thrilled with our experience. We caught these out of the corner of our eyes while walking through Central Park.

Kind of surprised these are the only ones we saw during the week but these two were both pretty neat. We made a trip to the Promenade the quickest way I know how, by catching a ride on the Rising Tide Bar. I snapped a picture of my dad waiting on his drink. No idea why I decided to do this crooked angle.

Wifey said she wanted to snap a photo of me and this is what she came up with. Not too shabby!!! ;)

Dad decided on the strip loin steak and its starting to get old but he really enjoyed this meal.

For desert Wifey ordered a sort of cream dish but I forget what it was called, she named this as her favorite desert of the entire vacation, she absolutely fell for the flavor in this dish.

Krisite ordered the Tiramisu which she said was fantastic

Dad and I both ordered the Cannoli's, basically because it seemed like the lightest item on the desert menu and I didn't think I could eat another bite. I am a huge fan of cannoli's but these were not the best I have had. Just average but still tasty

I mentioned to our waiter how much we enjoyed the scallops and of course this is what he brings out just before our meals arrived.

He knew the way to my heart that is for sure. In addition to our entrees he asked if we would like to have a pasta family style to share and of course we said yes!!! We chose the Penne in a brandy sauce. This was good but I am glad it wasn't the only thing I got and it was just in addition. I would not come back and order this alone. For my meal I ordered the Grilled shrimp, which was delicious.

Wifey ordered the Lamb Chops, with lamb being her favorite that was a home run as well!

Kristie ordered the Maryland Crab Ravioli which she enjoyed as well.

Dinner at Giovanni's was scheduled for 6pm. We head down to central park dressed to kill since it is formal night. We sit down at our table and lets be honest, we are expecting something spectacular tonight so there is a high bar set. Spoiler alert, we were not disappointed in the slightest. For starters Wifey ordered the mozzarella and prosciutto bake and I got the Almond Crusted Scallops in a bell pepper pesto.

I cannot express just how delicious these were, no words can give these justice. Just know that these alone would have made the night well worth the cost. :) Kristie got a Caesar Salad, not worthy of a photo. Dad ordered the Beef Carpaccio and he talked about this all week long it was that good for him.

And I also ordered the Antipasti. It was okay, nothing special. The anchovies were far too salty but I think that comes with the territory.

We headed back on board and after a little walking around we stopped by Park Café for a quick and light lunch. Once again the line was short, tables were not crowded and the food was good. Another Roast Beef sandwich and a jerk chicken wrap that we shared.

This ship is so very large, we once again took a walk through new areas and came across this beauty. She should look familiar.

I have a little hobby/collection of the model ships for every cruise I have been on. From my signature you can see that my collection is only getting started so it is fairly small and I have plenty of room for more...sooooo.... if you happen to find a way to get your hands on the particularly larger version of the one I currently have I will give you mine in return, plus throw in a chocolate chip cookie...:)

After finishing up our food and drinks we moved on to our final spot. At the Pirate Republic Brewing Company we were brought back to see the behind the scenes of how the only brewing company in Nassau crafts their beer. This is where the magic happens.

After learning how to make beer and memorizing everything she said so I could start my own brewery once I got home we went across the street to wear they sell said beer. We went to a bar that had a side room for us to enjoy our three last samples of beer, eat a soft pretzel, finish the story and ask any final questions we had. We sat on these bar stools that Wifey thought were just too cool.

She sent us on our own from here, so what else do you do when left at a bar... Go get a drink of course. We went into the actual bar only to find her Cincinnati Bengals on the tvs playing against the Washington Redskins. This game started at 9am so it was near the finish and we decided to finish it up here. This quote from Mark Twain was mounted on the wall just above the bar.

The game ended in a tie, and it was all because of me. There was a game winning field goal for Washington that I just willed for it to go far left enough for it to come true. Better for Wifey than a loss... lol We headed back and this photo reminded me of a story we just learned of 9 pirates who were hung in the very spot as a scare tactic for other pirates to retire.

We follow her through what was called town square, it had the incredibly old trees that were so very cool looking but for some reason I cannot seem to find the picture of those. When you pass through this area and just before you reach the main road with all of the shops you see this.

We continue on through town, make a couple turns, go by every possible shop imaginable and then she points out this church and I snapped a photo because I enjoyed what I saw

We continued on til we came up to this little bar that seemed to only have a patio around back. Their beer selection wasn't big but it did serve a brand of beer that I believe was brewed in Freeport and we tried 3 different kinds of it while she gave us a very passionate version of how the pirates became pirates and how Nassau was involved. Forgive me for referring to her as "She" or "Her" because I sadly do not remember her name and I am not good at just making something up for her so it is what I'm going with. Once finished with her story we were allowed to roam around while we waited for her to get our snacks that we will bring with us to our next spot. We spotted these shackles and Wifey decided to find out what it'd feel like to be tied up, I mean put in handcuffs, I mean shackles... yeah shackles!

We took a shorter walk to what appeared to be someone's house. There was a little hut on the property with a table and chairs. We sat at it and got to explore what food we could snack on while she gave us continued story on pirates. We had a bbq style chicken wing and conch fritters. Both of which were very tasty, being hungry and drinking may have helped with that. Here we also tried three more kinds of beer.

We began walking down the pier to look for our excursion meet location.

We got about that far away when we realized we weren't finding the right location and asked someone where we were supposed to be, good thing we got off a little early. lol This is us heading back to the first meeting spot right off the ship, little did we know how close we were supposed to be.

We waited here for another 20 minutes or so. About 10 minutes late our tour guide finally showed up. Full of energy and whit she introduced herself, got all of our information gathered and set on a hunt for the excursion manager to hand in our tickets so we could leave. As described before this was a tour though some of Nassau, visiting local bars/breweries learning about pirate history and drinking beer, or getting drunk as she would say lol. Funny side note, our tour guide who insisted we would be getting drunk and was so knowledgeable about the beer we were drinking did not drink at all herself. I wondered whether to trust her or not lol Never seemed to be a problem to me. Took this shot as we were gaining distance between Oasis and ourselves.

Oh who do you ask is the lovely couple in the photo??? I have NO IDEA lol. None in the slightest. If it does happen to be you, let me know, I can send you the original copy in case the one that was taken of you was no good :D

We went down to the Windjammer to see how their breakfast was. I am going to be as honest as I can about this... I really, really enjoyed their breakfast. I would not have expected that with a buffet style breakfast but their options were plentiful and their food was always very warm and fresh. We always walked in the right entrance because there was always a line on port side and never one on starboard. This held true for every morning. Maybe the food was better over there but I was always pleasantly surprised with my breakfast. This morning set a staple for the week. I would have a plate with some form of potatoes and corn beef hash(which I thought was far better than most I have eaten elsewhere) along with another plate of bacon, sausage and french toast with blueberries and whip cream.

Don't judge me, I am a growing boy lol Wifey liked her waffle and fresh fruit. We took a little walk over the pool deck to kill some time and ran across a view I have seen a hundred times from other reviews but realized this wouldn't be complete without it

We headed to the gangway and got off board quickly and with ease. We noticed that three of the four ships we saw earlier have set sail leaving only one. One very memorable ship to me and Wifey in particular. This lone ship left just so happened to be the very first cruise, a cruise I mentioned earlier, that I had ever been on. The experience I have in my memory is the reason behind my passion for cruising and was pretty cool to see again and compare to what we were just getting off of.

Day 2: Port of Nassau/Bahamas Brews

Today we are set to arrive in Nassau at 7am but I woke up far too soon for someone who works when I do. Did I mention how easy it was to switch my sleep schedule and how difficult it is switching back, work will be miserable come Tuesday. I woke up and snapped pictures of the port full of cruise ships. They look magnificent illuminated in the pitch black!!!

As we round into position to dock at the end of the pier we get a look at Atlantis while the sun begins to shine its light on us.

This was a good time to take a picture of the lifeboats which sit one deck below us. You can tell that being on the "hump" means that we see less of them from our balcony but that it does create a little bit of a distraction in your view looking straight down to the ocean

A little over an hour later and we are fully in a docked position and many passengers are leaving to explore the island. Our excursion doesn't leave for a few hours so we can relax prior to going ashore. I snapped this shot of our balcony view after the sun has made a full appearance.

We asked for a photo at the end of our dinner and Adonis obliged willingly. Turned out pretty well. We can pretend to be happy in one anothers company well huh :p

We ended up going our separate ways. We did not do much besides roam the ship to try and get a little more familiar. Oh did I mention I wanted to try every food option on day 1? Well here is Room Service lol We ordered the Spinach Artichoke Dip, Honey Stung Chicken and Cheesecake. The delivery came a little over an hour after ordering which was about 30 minutes late. It came with an order of Chocolate covered strawberries which was actually the best part of the meal if you asked me. The cheesecake was not good at all. The Dip was good and the Chicken was fine, not what I remembered but still okay. Little did I know that anyone I talked to that ordered day 1 room service also received the strawberries so keep that in mind if you go on Oasis to try room service to get free Chocolate covered strawberries.

Sneak peek into Day 2: Port of Nassau/Bahamas Brews

We have been to Nassau before but went on a snorkeling excursion so we barely even touched land. As describe by RCI, Bahamas Brews is “a voyage that transports you back in time to an age when piracy reigned and smugglers, scallywags, and vagabonds roamed Nassau’s streets. You’ll hear tales detailing pirates’ plights as you bar hop at the finest brews and get an authentic taste of history. Enjoy delicious three-ounce samples of nine locally crafted beers and indulge in tasty appetizers during your journey. Your festive crawl introduces you to the history, culture, and traditions of beer making. Discover Smuggler’s Beer Garden when you can enter a secret shaded courtyard to try Kalik beers and delicious conch fritters. The quaint colonial Hillside House is defined by its grandeur, history, and character. The building holds the fascinating artworks of Antonius Roberts, which celebrate Bahamian and African heritage. It is here you’ll receive delectable samples of Sands Beer and chicken wings. Close to the docks is the Pirate Republic Brewing Company. Here, enjoy a selection of extraordinary craft beers named after pirates, and munch on German pretzels. You can also visit the souvenir shop to collect some sparkling trinkets. Learn about the exuberant Junkanoo culture and delight in sips of all the flavorful suds the Bahamas has to offer. Then, independently amble back to port.” For $69 per person it sounds pretty cool so let’s see how it measures up to the real thing. While on most days a bar hop from 10:45 in the morning til 12:45 would be a little questionable, this day I am on vacation and have no concerns ;)