OttoCal

14 hours ago, Cruise Kay said:

How was the entertainment?

The Ice Show, Mamma Mia and Ocean Aria on Allure were all fantastic. There was live music all over the ship at various times. There was a comedy show and headliner show recently that ran multiple times, but we did not catch that one. They did a 70s party on the Promenade one night that was festive and fun. (All from 6 night sailing last week). 

Duffy's- fun sports bar, good for groups, kids etc. 

Kelly's landing- small, popular with locals, great seafood selections. 

Southport Raw Bar- outdoor seating on marina is fun, dive bar type atmosphere, but good food. 

Gilbert's 17th Street Grill- strip mall, but Mrs. Gilbert is a legend, that place is super fun. Burgers, beers, excellent desserts

Boatyard- fancier

LaSpada Hoagies- just need a sandwich? These are top notch! 

There are dozens of hotels in Fort Lauderdale. And the airport is not far from the cruise port, or the beach, so you don't really need to book close to airport. 

Note that the early check ins would be tricky, as the rooms are often all booked by people checking out that morning at 10am ish to get ON the same cruise you got off! 

Try to find one with good pool/beach access and plan to drop luggage and do your own thing or hang by the pool or visit beach. 

Sorry, welcome to spring break time in South Florida. It's always like that. 

There are plenty of rates that are coming in well  under $300 on Hotwire for that date though. Did you check there? 

Louie Bossi's for sure, and make reservations! 

I like Rocco's Tacos, even though I know it isn't the best tacos, because it's a fun atmosphere. 

Brunch is a thing in Fort Lauderdale for sure. You will need reservations! Louie Bossi's is a favorite for sure, and all of the hotels on Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd have decent brunches. Coconuts is the most casual probably, but no reservations, walk ins only. 

You can also walk over onto the Causeway bridge and see them. It's actually pretty cool to do anyway, if you are up near the center at the :00 and :30 minutes of each hour is when the bridge goes up, and there is a pedestrian area to watch this from. It's oddly fascinating. 

I've stayed here multiple times, I like it pre-cruise because if you have a bridge view room you can see the ship arrive in the morning which is fun. Watching the bridge go up and down is strangely fascinating too!

Walkable to grocery store, several good restaurants. Shuttle to beach. Water Taxi stop right there (check for happy hour sale pricing)

They treat Hilton status (Gold/Diamond) guests well. And they are totally hit or miss on upgrades, rooms etc. The renovated rooms are nice. It's a big hotel and honestly I have seen people there complaining like crazy fools and they have *mostly* very obviously been ready to be unhappy about everything, so I would take a bunch of the complaints being a grain of salt. The last time I was there this summer I booked a basic roommate got upgraded to the top floor corner.  

The Hilton FL Beach Resort is definitely nicer, however it's a much higher price point. I feel like some of the complainers also don't understand that you get what you pay for, and for that the Marina Hilton does a good job. It's a solid hotels but it's not really upscale. It gets some partiers at times.  I like the pool, location, easy access to port. 

They were still ongoing in June, restaurant closed so breakfast was a bit wonky, but it was also different bc of Covid anyway. The room we were in was renovated but we had a high-floor diamond upgrade. 

I've always liked this hotel, especially pre-cruise with a bridge view so you can see your ship arrive in the morning, but I feel like there are certain people who just don't have a great experience there. But I've seen these people in action at the front desk and they would likely be unhappy anywhere and have no ability to roll with a situation that is not 150% perfect. 

I Lift & Shifted my cruise, but the Cruise Planner Refund for the pre-paid stuff was confirmed on December 5 and hit my Capital One credit Card on December 14. 

I ended up with 8 different options for the Lift & Ship with entirely different groupings of ships and different embarkation ports and itineraries. Seriously- went from San Juan Southern Caribbean to Miami with a  very mild itinerary. Other choices were out of Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, Houston, Port Canaveral. The sticking point was the number of nights- so it had to match the current booking. And I was able to choose my cabin when I choose the new cruise. I did price compare the options, and ultimately chose and option where I got a better value on the L&S than I would have with both the 125% Future Cruise Credit AND the 125% OBC for pre-paid Cruise Planner stuff. So be sure to check the pricing. You can do mock bookings to see what rooms are available to start with though. Good luck!

Sometimes in the cruise ship secured area there will be a tiny little office that you can seek out and get a passport stamp. If that's what you are looking for anyway. My folks have done it in several places because they like the stamps.

We've been to Costa Maya and Belize several times, and Grand Cayman once.

The 'Cruise Bubble' pictured is actually pretty nice- but we wouldn't personally spend our time there. We like to get out and do things. The ruins that you can reach from Costa Maya are pretty far away by bus, and less developed sites, so they aren't as inspiring as some others you can see. We do like to go to Majajual the little beach town just south of the port at CM, and you take a fun safari bus there for a few bucks. We pre-booked at one of the restaurants and had beach chairs, a shade umbrella and great beach access right there, it was a great day. When we wanted lunch, they just set us up at a table. This was probably a middle priced option. There were cheaper clubs that we spoke to some younger couples that they really enjoyed, and they were thrilled to get a killer deal. I do love those flamingos in the Cruise Bubble though.

Belize- you just have to book an excursion and get out of Belize City. This is a port that I recommend doing ship excursions, mostly because some of the activities are not close to the port. You're looking at another long bus ride, but the ruins are better. We've been to Xunantunich, and Lamanai- both are interesting sites. Lamanai you take a bus then a boat to get to, which is fun. But it's LONG. Don't try this on an independent tour. The food in Belize is unexceptional compared to Mexico in general though. For better beaches, you'll have to get out to one of the Cayes, either by ferry from Belize City or on a ship excursion. It's also big on those adventure excursions.

Grand Cayman- it's great if you want to go play with the stingrays on one of those tours. I do agree that of these stops, it probably has the best snorkeling options- Belize is good, but better in the southern part of the country or out off of one of the Cayes.

For ALL of the excursions- read the fine print. Do the math to find out how long the bus ride is. Don't book multiple tours with those long rides, you'll get annoyed real quick. All of the tour descriptions really do tell you everything you need to know, but it's all hidden in the way that they present it. Like a 10 Hour Tour that includes a 1 hour boat ride, lunch, shopping stop, round trip motor coach, and 2.5 hours at the ruin means you get a 2.5 hour each way bus ride. This is why we never recommend Tulum as an excursion from Cozumel, by the way- it's a gorgeous site, but a pain to get to from the island.

And I also fall into the 'Jamaica's not my thing' crowd. Headed there in Dec. w a port stop in Falmouth, but it's a good possibility we won't make it farther than the Margaritaville.

alabuk,

Do you mean your daughter is looking at a wedding at a resort, or on the island while there for a day on a cruise?? Totally different, If you're there at a resort, you probably would be unlikely to leave the resort other than if you book an excursion, and at the resort, everything will be all smiles and white sandy beaches. The resorts are typically secure, and don't really have safety issues.

Jamaica's not my fave, and yes, I have done both land and cruise visits. But people that go on land vacations tend to love it as much as they love Dominican Republic as a land vacation.

Just curious where did you read a travel warning for Jamaica?? My daughter is looking at having a wedding there...my hubby and I are concerned about Jamaica. Would like to find concrete info on the safety there.

Thanks!

 

 

 

quote=aprilsp88;55508683]Hi,

 

I read the travel warning for Jamaica, but it doesn't mention Falmouth. We've been to Mexico while it's in travel warning and never felt unsafe.

 

I read if I step outside of the secured area of Falmouth pier, I may encounter aggressive vendors. Do they include Taxi drivers and tour operators? If I just refuse them politely, will I be endangered? I'm trying to decide if I should just choose a tour inside the port area, or go out for more options? (Is there any)?

 

Or, if we just want to explore the town of Falmouth, or walk to the nearest beach, or go out to catch a taxi, will we be approached by people trying to sell us something or attempt to rob?

 

Thanks,

April

Or you can get screw cap wine and not worry about it. No, I'm serious. They make some darn good wines with screw caps.

As a reminder, a waiter's corkscrew with a knife blade probably won't make it through TSA in a carry on, so check it if you are flying.

I have always felt like there was the least to do in Antigua.

In St. Kitts, I like Caribelle Batik and the fort for some history. Plus the views where you can see both the Atlantic and Caribbean, which is cool.

In St. Martin, I'm addicted to Maho Beach, where you can watch the planes land.

Barbados-- Mt. Gay Rum factory, Agapey Chocolate, and it's a fun place for catamaran tours. Plus it's very civilized.

St Lucia is pretty.

I'd skip Antigua or St. Lucia, depending on if there was a tour or something specific you wanted to do on one or the other island.

Heartbroken for you SamFritz. So sorry to hear this.

30 minute free internet codes have been distributed to all staterooms while we have been at dinner. (Serenade).

Your English is great, and we appreciate your review and photos!

What did you think of the American Thanksgiving celebration you had on your last night?

I have now posted the full review - however still draft and more will be added

Post on Day 5 - Costa Maya

The entire review

 

Since English is not my first language, please let me know if wording should be changed in order to make it more understandable - questions and comments are welcome.

I have visited Belize several times, both on cruise and land vacations, and been all over the country. I will say this: I love it there, and will happily go back. but I have seen many cruisers end up unhappy because they thought Belize City might be a fun DIY port. It's not. Belize City is pretty blah. Get out of Belize City and do the fun stuff!! Mayan Ruins! Cayes! Caves! Zip Lines! So many fun choices.

Book an excursion. And if your trip involves 2+ hours of travel each way, pay the extra $$ and book it through the cruise line. The roads can be wonky there.

Also, my expectation is that you have an awesome time. Any replies and posts to us are just a welcome bonus!!! :D:D:D

Thank you to all for the comments.

I'll do my best to meet your expectations and try to make some daily updates.

Oh great, looking forward to hearing about your experience, we're on the same itinerary Dec 15.

Have a blast!!

I e-mailed MGM directly and asked them to link my M LIfe and Royal Caribbean C&A accounts, and asked what the benefits are.

Received this reply:

Good afternoon,

Thank you for contacting M life Member Services. We have added your Royal Caribbean number to your account, at this time they are updating their rewards partnership we don’t have an ETA when it will be back up, you can contact them at 800-762-0702 to see if they have more up to date information at this time. Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance.

Best regards,

I just saw this posted on Facebook by one of the Puerto Rico groups I follow::

PuertoRicoDayTrips

7 hrs ·

Puerto Rico is working on getting back on its feet after Hurricane Maria and we need your help!

Puerto Rico needs tourism.

One of the best ways you can help Puerto Rico is to come back for a visit. Please consider making a trip to PR this winter and enjoy what PR has to offer.

We might not have every hotel or restaurant open, and there may still be some rubble or broken trees around, but we will still have plenty of great food, great fun, great people and culture, and great weather.

As the electricity is restored, more and more businesses are opening every day.

Already you can go to Guavate for your Lechon fix, go on boat snorkel trips, go horseback riding, ATV tours or even check out Bacardi for a tour. And the island still has so much natural beauty for you to explore.

We at PRDayTrips are dedicated to supporting PR and our local tourism businesses. We will be posting info on who has reopened. If you are (or know of) a local business that is open and ready for visitors, let us know and we will post the info.

Let's get PR's Tourism Industry going again!

Plan for about $9 each person for the fare each way. Plus small tip. Taxis will be plentiful.

Figure about a 20-25 minute ride with NO traffic, and 40-60 minutes with traffic.

I'd rather leave earlier than I need to than be sweating bullets in traffic on the way back, I wouldn't leave past 3 just to be safe. :eek: