MichMom06

Taxi was $15 one way. Not sure about the trolley, though we were told there was one. We just never saw it.

Go on your cruise, Washy washy, use common sense, have fun.  You cannot live your life in fear of all the what ifs.  Chances are still very low you will be in contact with anyone who has Coronavirus. 

We were just there last week and did not see a single cat. I had heard the same about there being a ton of them but we didn't see any.  I'm not sure if that trail is open all the way around.  When we asked we were told it would be easier to take a taxi to the fort and then walk back, as most of the way would be downhill.  ;)  So that's what we did. 

Barrachina is an easy walk from the pier.  We stopped for a late lunch on our way back from El Morro and had a great meal and pina coladas. ;)  Menu is a nice mix of local cuisine and American favorites. 

On 2/2/2020 at 1:44 PM, liene said:

That is not really a solution for everybody. We are traveling with our 2 and 4 year olds. Buffet was basically the only place we planned to eat with them, as they are impatient little humans. Restaurant can be an occasional option, but it is absolutely not a way to go for us for 3 meals a day. That would be a disaster. Now, when at a buffet, we usually get plates for our boys first, then go sit them down and I stay with them while my husband goes gets a plate for himself. Once he is back, I go get my food and then we can finally all eat together. By that time, the boys have eaten most of their food, and have run out of milk, bread, fruit... whatever that might be, and one of us has to go back to the buffet to replenish the supply. Now, if there is no self service anymore, and we need to stand in a line for every time we need something, every meal will take us hours! And what happens in the mornings, when most of the people try to get breakfast before heading ashore? I imagine it is a complete chaos! I am honestly dreading this as our NCL Getaway cruise is coming up in 5 days. No self-service might work on some smaller ships, but there is just NO WAY they can make this efficient with 4000+ people on-board. And if this is meant to ''prevent viruses'', that is not going to work - with the amount of people sharing all these cramped public spaces together, the virus will spread if there is one (people cough, sneeze, touch doorknobs, chairs, elevator buttons, use bathrooms, pools, gym...). Restricting the buffet is merely for show, in my opinion, to make people think they are ''safe'' but in the end it will be more of a frustration and inconvenience than anything. 

I totally agree.  Having sailed on Escape, Epic and Getaway I can't imagine them dishing out food to every single person.  I know this virus is spreading fast, but it's not like the flu doesn't exist.  In fact, the flu is probably way more widespread and has killed more people than this Coronavirus.  Not saying precautions shouldn't be taken, but this is out of hand. We were just on RCL Harmony last week (5000 plus passengers) and they funneled everyone through the hand washing stations at the entrance to the buffet before allowing us inside, and this was after we were given hand sanitzer by the hostess. 

Just off yesterday and they were on days 2 and 6. We sailed Eastern Caribbean out of Port Canaveral to St. Maarten, San Juan and Coco Cay so for us, both formal nights fell on sea days.

Sooooo, we must be in the minority here but we loved Harvest Caye.  We were there in April and had a picture perfect day, mostly by the pool, but we did walk over to one of the beach areas, ate at the indoor restaurant and let the kids play a bit at the splash pad and it was a perfect day.  We were the only cruise in port that day, so maybe that helped, but it wasn't crowed at all.  The pool is huge!  I would think a cabana would be nice if you were planning to stay in it  all day, other wise, we really weren't near our chairs much at all.  But if you really want the cabana, go for it!  The pool area is very nice and I don't think you will be disappointed.  We found the beach to be hard and uncomfortable sand, not the sugar white sand of Florida that we love, so that may have influenced our choice to set up shop by the pool instead.  

Those symptoms can be an ocular migraine...I've had it a couple of times. You don't have a headache....but it's not always retinal detachment. The 1st time it happened, I rushed to the eye doctor....scared the hell out of me! The next time, I knew what it was.

Yep or a less serious Post vitreous detachment. Post vitreous detachments increase your risk for retinal tears and detachments but are generally not as emergent and resolve themselves over several months, mostly on their own. But having these symptoms are scary and you never know what you may be dealing with, so getting checked out promptly is always the best bet.

going back to the first post .....

 

when speaking of a cruise, most of us think of the Carib' ... and OP says this is the case

 

If so - then any medical evacuation from a ship at sea is gonna be the USCG 95% of the time (occasionally the USAF and USN helps out) {and even then ONLY if a resource is in range}

 

USCG medivacs from cruise ships are typically done to save a life .... and while this may sound harsh, a retina detachment is seldom fatal.

 

It (helo medivac) still might be done by CG but there is a factor that goes into the risk equation ....

Fatal, no, but you can very easily go blind if your detachment is not caught right away and treatment (surgery) is done. So it is very much an emergency and something that needs to be dealt with quickly. 95% of people who experience symptoms of RD (flashes, floaters, wavy lines, auras, etc) do not end up having a retinal detachment, however, if you do experience these symptoms most doctors will get you in ASAP to get you evaluated. I work for one and anyone calling to report these symptoms gets in right away. It's just not something you want to "wait out." Blindness is a real possibility if you actually have a detached retina.

Heavy Duty Magnets.

Yep, I bought a pack of 4 from Amazon prior to our last cruise and hung them on our cabin wall. Our suits dried much faster this way. ;) They were not expensive, maybe $8. Just make sure they are not teeny tiny.

For just adults : Nachi Coccum was a perfect, all inclusive beach day.

For the family: We hired a driver for the day from Tours Plaza and personalized a tour. We went to Punta Sur Eco Park , drove the beautiful South coast for views, had lunch, then finished with tour of a chocolate factory. Great way to see the island and quite affordable for a private tour.

We saw the Cirque Dreams and Steams on the Getaway in April and my family and I all agreed it was a great show and worth the upcharge. We sat in one of the booths along the wall and actually, our view was pretty good and it was very comfortable for the kids. We sat with one other couple and had a nice time with them. We've only ever seen Cirque in Orlando so that's the only thing I can really compare it to and I feel they are similar yet different. The stage and seating is very different in both venues as is the theming. The steam punk theme on the ship was amazing and the costumes so so detailed. We never got that close to the performers in Orlando, so that makes the ship experience totally worth it to me.

We just did the Native Choice ruins and lagoon and it was great. Highly recommend instead of doing a ship tour.

Us, too. We just got back last week and booked the tour directly through Native Choice. I believe it was $300 for our family of 4 that included a trip to the ruins and then lunch and swimming/kayaks at Bacalar Lagoon Resort. It was a great day! Our guides and driver were wonderful and we got the freshest pineapple we've ever tasted on our way back to the port. It was delicious. ** Note: If you go to the lagoon, make sure to bring water shoes. There is no beach there and the bottom of the water is rocky quite a ways out.**

We docked there last week on the Getaway and everything appears to be in working order. You can see some of the damage under the water, but on the surface it seems business as usual.

We just got off Getaway on Sunday and my husband uses a CPAP. All we had to do was ask our cabin steward for an extension cord and he brought it right over. No outlet by the bed, even USB ports, which we had on Escape. The extension cord was run under the bed and across the room to the outlet on the desk, but it was fine. It actually worked out as it was a 3 outlet extension cord, so we got 2 "bonus" outlets. ;) I also brought a multi USB plug so we could charge 4 devices using one outlet and we never had an issue there either. Hopefully you won't either. ;)

WE just got back today from our week on the Getaway and we absolutely LOVED Harvest Caye. We were the only ship in port and never had a problem finding a few chairs near the pool. We spent most of our day there, in the pool, as that's what the kids wanted to do, but we also visited the little spray pad and the Landshark Bar and Grill for lunch. Pool was clean and sparkling and just the right temperature to balance the heat outside. We had the perfect day there. Saw miles of chairs on the beach and possibly the cleanest bathrooms I've ever been in. Not even kidding. I mean, sure, it's a man made island, but it's still in Belize. The water is real, the sand is real, the sun is real. The beach is free, as is the pool. Many people spend money for an all inclusive beach with food and/or drinks, so I really don't see the big deal if you get a free beach day and then pay for your food. With 4 ports of call on our itinerary, it was nice to "only" pay for lunch instead of another excursion. To each their own, though. We loved it. Would not hesitate to go back.

Oh, and photo and internet packages need to be revamped. Both are pretty expensive for what you get.

More pools on the mega ships! 4.000 people fighting for 1 main pool and a kid's pool is cray! I hate to say it, but RCL really has something going with it's (mostly)adults only Solarium and multiple pools. I'd love to see a "family Haven" area with exclusive access to some family friendly features that didn't break the bank. I'd love to try Haven some time but a) it's expesnive and b) I wouldn't necessarily feel comfortable taking my younger kids there as we would spend most of our time in the more kid friendly areas. If we stay in the Haven, we want to enjoy our time there. ;)

We like the food and entertainment for the most part. Wouldn't really change much there.

We booked with Native Choice to see the ruins. They come highly recommended and have very good reviews. We chose the Chaccoben Extreme tour which will include a trip to Bacalar (Seven Color) Lagoon after for lunch, swimming, beach, relaxing, etch. We're pretty excited! We have never been to any ruins so we're looking forward to something different. Will be happy to report back after. Only a week till me sail!!!

13!!!!!!!!:hearteyes::hearteyes::hearteyes::hearteyes::hearteyes::hearteyes:

Thanks for the video! Looks wonderful. ;) We will be on this same itinerary in 3 weeks and have been considering parasailing with our kids so I'm so glad you posted this. Definitely going to have to check this out.

You're nicer than we are. ;) Our 11 year old will be going sans internet access for the week (unless we are somewhere with free wi-fi). For the thousands we spend on this cruise, she's not going to be spending it buried in the phone. She can stuff her face with ice cream and get sun burn just like the rest of us. lol

We just booked the Hampton Inn Miami Airport West for our April cruise. Same as you, we are getting into Miami around 10pm, so decided to stay near the aiport and then just uber to port in the AM. They do offer a 24 hour airport shuttle, as well. From what I am gathering, this area (around the Hampton Inn) is decent and does at least have a few options for food and such if you need it.

You are better off looking to share a ride with someone from your cruise roll call.

 

We have sometimes had luck matching up with others in the taxi line for your pier

 

Cab fare for 4 to Nachi should be about $17+tip each way.

 

We love that place - never crowded or noisy, a nice break from the ship. Enjoy! :cool:

We loved Nachi, too! Great food and drinks, relaxing atmosphere...just a great way to spend the day. And we got lucky and met another couple on our ship on another excursion in a different port and once we realized we were on another excursion together, we shared the cab with them to Nachi. I wouldn't hesitate to go back there.

Thank you all for your replies. After a little research, we decided to book with Tours Plaza. Same type of tour only in a van instead of a Jeep. ;) Better price, too, though in the end I think it will cost nearly the same once we pay for entrance and/or tour fees and lunch, but we're very excited! Got to personalize our tour and everything. Thanks again!