MistyRo76

I haven't had time to be on CC much lately, but a little voice in the back of my head was telling me that it must be time for another Jamman trip report...and here it is! As usual, you're off to a great start and Patti's new camera looks like it takes amazing pics! Can't wait to read the rest. This will have to tide me over until my cruise on the Valor which is 30 days from today! First cruise since May, 2019! And I can't wait!

Always get a Fun Ship Special to drink! They are NOT my favorite drink by any means, but it's the tradition so I keep it rolling! 🙂

I sailed on the Paradise pre-pandemic to Cuba and we had a wonderful time! The ship never felt crowded at all! Easy to get around! And the service was great (of course, that was 3 years ago! 😁). While it is an older ship and she doesn't have the bells and whistles that the newer ships have - we found that we didn't really feel like we were missing out on anything! The ship had the Red Frog Tiki Bar/Blue Iguana Bar/Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana Taco stand. The casino was great and not overly smoky. We did Chef's Table one evening and it was great! We booked that cruise mainly for the Cuba itinerary and it had been over a decade since I'd been on a Fantasy Class ship. But we had a blast!

@cruisegal40 I don't think you HAVE to make a reservation, but they do limit capacity to only about 35 people. So it's possible that you could be turned away if you don't have a reservation. It was very easy to make a reservation. Jamie was very responsive by email and I just paid a small deposit (I think I paid $12 per person) to hold our spot!

Very interesting! Do you get to request a certain style or genre of music to be piped into your headphones?

Ok...I've never heard of a silent disco. What is it?? I'm obviously out of the loop! 🙂

We moved up our Cuba cruise on the Paradise in 2019. But we did that pretty far out, not nearly as close to the cruise date as you are now. We were originally booked to sail April 30th. When I was checking prices for price drops, I noticed that Carnival had switched some other sailings on the Paradise to the Cuba routing. We were able to move it up to April 13th (which was our anniversary). There was a $50 penalty for the change, based on our Early Save rate restrictions. But even with those penalties, we still saved close to $300 cause the pricing was so much better on the earlier date! Plus we got to sail over our anniversary and some other friends were able to join us with the new date we selected. So Win-Win-Win!

Well, obviously, we don't all talk at the same time. But we will switch up who we sit next to each evening. And believe me, we've had plenty of good and entertaining conversations around a large dinner table on the cruise ship! We love our big dinners! And 25 is the max - we are usually in the 10-15 range...but still a larger group!

I have personally never done anytime dining - 19th cruise coming up and 18 times we've had late dining and once we had early (not by choice!). Of course, quite a few of those cruises were before anytime dining was an option, but even since it was rolled out, we've continued to select late dining. We usually are traveling with larger groups 10+ and up to 20-25 people. Dinner is a time for our group to get together and talk about our days since we often do our own things during port calls or even on sea days. No one is obligated to dine with us...but most of our group usually shows up most nights. It would be difficult to agree to a specific dining time with a larger group and there could be quite a wait trying to accommodate a group of our size. So assigned dining just works for us! And FWIW - late dining works for us as we like to enjoy as much of our days in port and on the ship as possible. I don't want to go in at 4:00-4:30 to start getting ready for dinner. And we like to stay out late - so things are just ramping up by the time late dining is wrapping up!

Well - we decided to go with Jaime's Blue Reef. The reviews are outstanding as far as the food, drinks and service! Plus we don't want to risk any last minute delays to the renovation Maya Chan is doing. I emailed them and they said they would be open on 10/10...but that's not much of a buffer for delays and we didn't want to be stuck finding somewhere else to go last minute. So Jaime's it is!

Jeff - Thanks again to you and Patti for another fantastic review. You truly make it feel like we are right along for the ride with you! Enjoy the rest of your summer and I'll be eagerly waiting for your Legend review!

Great review so far! I've never done an Alaskan cruise OR a cruise on a Spirit class ship - but both are on my bucket list! I'll be following along until the end!

Normally I travel with my hubby and kiddo, so it doesn't really matter how our OBC is split as it's all coming out of the same account. However, my upcoming cruise is a girls cruise which was cancelled from October, 2020. My BFF and I are sharing a cabin and have $300 in OBC to share between us. I have everything tracked in a spreadsheet so we know who has paid what, what was owed what (between Future Cruise Credit and OBC) cause it was a lot! I used part of my portion of the OBC to purchase the premium Wi-Fi package before pricing went up in May. We will just figure it out in the end and make sure it all comes out close to even!

Check out @willdra's current review of her cruise on the Mardi Gras. She did a class on there that was tailgating inspired and enjoyed it! She gives a detailed description of class, how's its run and what you make. Sounded like a fun activity!

Thanks for the feedback....unfortunately, I don't think there were any available cove balconies on the other side of the ship next door to each other. But I'll check again to be sure! 🙂 I've looked at so many cabins on this ship/sailing, that I'm losing track! lol

Doing some preliminary research for a possible spring cruise on the Mardi Gras. This would be me, my husband, our 8 year old daughter and his 17 year old daughter (possibly a friend of his daughters as well - that is TBD). DH and I are balcony lovers. Was looking at potentially booking side-by-side Cove Balconies (Deck 5 - mid-ship), one for the DH and I and one for the kiddos. Looking at 5377/5381. Looks like cabins below and restrooms next to the Fun Shops above these two cabins. Just wondering for those who've stayed in this general area, what the noise level was like from the deck above. Also - do the dividers between Cove balconies open up like they do with the regular balconies? This would be our first experience with the Cove Balcony.

I'm only three paragraphs in and I've already got a stupid grin on my face and have LOL'd from what I've read so far! So excited for another Willdra trip report! And tonight when I say MY prayers, I'm thanking the Lord for a slow day at work today so I can get caught up! 😜

That vantage point of the Mardi Gras in Grand Turk really shows just how massive she is! And so striking! Can't wait to go on it! And Jack's Shack is my happy place - can't wait to get back there some day!

Anxiously awaiting another Willdra cruise report as well! 🙂

Thanks! Another post I saw said Maya Chan was closed until around 10/10. Our cruise departs NOLA on 10/22. But if they extend and aren’t open then, that would make our decision much easier! Lol

Ok - trying to decide the best location for our group to enjoy a beach day in Costa Maya in October on our Carnival Valor stop! I’ve narrowed it down to Maya Chan or Jamie’s Blue Reef. Our group prefers an all-inclusive over a pay as you go option and these two seem like the best options for AI. But how do I decide between them??? Well, as always, I come to CC for the answers! Here’s what we are looking for: * relaxing vibe - not necessarily a crowded party place. * water sports equipment - snorkel equipment, kayaks, paddle boards included * massages - private location preferred (not right out on the beach with people walking by). * good food and drinks! * reserved area - shade and sun! From reading reviews on FB and TA, sounds like food at both places is great! Service reviews at both are outstanding! I know Jamie’s restricts capacity - how does that compare to the crowds at Maya Chan? I’ve also read that sea grass can be an issue at Maya Chan (but perhaps this is less likely after Sept from what I’ve read). I also saw Maya Chan has a pool which is attractive me. what else should I know to make this decision? It’s the last big bit of planning we need to finalize for this cruise! thanks!

It’s been over 10 years since I’ve been there! Figured it was a shot in the dark…place could have closed up shop ages ago! But I loved that spot!

I know Costa Maya has great deals on beach massages with the going rate seeming to be around $20 for an hour long massage (based on recent reviews I've read). It's been a LONG time since I've cruised to Costa Maya - but last time we were there, we went to a beach club in Mahahual, but I have no idea what the name was. All I remember is that there were swings near the bar and the little beach shack had an upper level which is where they did the massages there. It was the perfect location for a beach massage since you were up and away from all the foot traffic of people walking by. You got a lovely breeze up there and if you lifted your head up you had a perfect view of the ocean. Does anyone know what this place might be and if it's still even around?? 🙂

I joined in Feb, 2003, so my 20th year anniversary is just around the corner! Wow! That is crazy to think about! I'm not sure how I did cruise planning before I found this site! So many helpful tips along the years as well as plenty of entertainment!

My favorite ship is the Breeze - is she considered a Dream class ship? Seems like she's kind of a bridge ship between Dream and Vista classes. I also love the Conquest class ships!