MaureenNC

Your best bet (it's never 100%) to see turtles in the wild on a snorkel is to go to Spotts Beach on the south shore. You will probably need to rent a car to get there, though. Currents can be strong there, so please be careful. I have been there twice - once it was a rip-roaring current and nobody was in the water, the other time is was mirror-calm and wonderful to snorkel.

 

Here is the location on a Google map: https://goo.gl/maps/NvenzTUNr1r

Thanks for the tip- this is what I was looking for!! We might have to see how the day is going... I have a bad knee, so if it's a good day I might give it a try. But if not, I won't risk the currents. Fingers crossed!!

Hi Maureen! Not sure why you don't want to go to the Turtle Farm, but I will tell you that swimming with the turtles there is one of my favorite Caribbean excursions - so much so that we're going back next month while cruising with our adult daughter so that she can experience it. Gliding through the water next to them felt like flying in formation, and I probably spent an hour in that part of the park. We take the city bus (really a van) there and back, so transportation is cheap.

 

We have snorkeled in Hawaii, in several places in the Caribbean, and on the Great Barrier Reef, and seen turtles all 3 places, but as other posters have said, when you're in the ocean, in the wild - there are no guarantees. If you really want to swim with wild sea turtles, I would recommend Akumal Bay south of Cancun, near Tulum. We stayed at the Akumal Bay Beach & Wellness Resort and not only did we find a turtle every day, within 5 minutes of entering the water (excursions take people there on snorkeling trips) but there were literally more than 50 nests where the turtles had come ashore to lay eggs. Not sure if your cruise will take you to Cozumel, but you might be able to get an excursion there that would take you to Akumal Bay. We're looking forward to going back and staying in a hotel in the area at some point.

Thanks for the feedback! We are animal lovers, and knowing that the turtles are farmed for food just doesn't sit well. We have also been to Hawaii and enjoyed swimming with the turtles there as well. And we found a fabulous beach in St. Thomas where there were a ton of turtles and stingrays, and we spent several hours there gliding with them- it was outstanding!! We are hoping for a similar experience in Grand Cayman. My family has done a lot of snorkeling, and they are tiring of seeing the same fish, but the turtles are always exciting!

If you are into snorkeling, this is definitely the place to do it! Klein Bonaire is a small island nature preserve not far from the cruise dock. There is a water taxi that will bring you over- it is a short walk from the cruise ship- you can see it from the ship! The one we used was called Good Return. There was a women selling tickets just at the end of the pier, and then it was a short walk. There are other options as well, but this one is highly recommended.

The snorkeling at Klein Bonaire is fantastic! They will give you directions on the water taxi- basically you walk down the beach to a marker, and enter the water. Swim a short distance out through the coral, and you will be on the ocean side of the reef. Then you basically drift back down the beach. My daughters and I did the circle 2-3 times, and took short breaks in between to sit on the beach... it was a fabulous experience!!

There are no facilities there, so plan accordingly. Probably a good idea to go early and try to beat the crowds. Enjoy!!

Are there any options that will allow me to obtain cash onboard? We typically book our own excursions, so we bring cash to pay for those. For a family of 4, that can mean $300-500 or more per port. And I really hate paying ATM or cash advance fees to get to my money. We have always used travelers checks in the past, but they are harder to find and the guest services rep always seems to be baffled by them!

So if I put a prepaid credit card or debit card on my account, can I go up and withdraw cash?

We would love to snorkel with some turtles, but have no interest in going to the turtle farm. What beaches are most likely to have turtles (as well as other marine life).

Thanks!

We went to Maya Chan in 2013. We loved the small intimate setting (I think there were about 12 private palapas there), and the service was fantastic. There was an odor of eggs (some said hard boiled, some said rotten) to the beach- we were told it was the sulfur in the water (?). The neighbors definitely did not clean up (both sides looked like a trash dump), but we preferred to look at the ocean :). Things may have changed since then....

It was definitely a relaxing day!

it's the law, everyone has that one their menus!!! It says nothing about seafood and bakery being in the same area, there are eggs in cake, my second is over

It is the law that they make this disclosure IF there truly is a risk of cross-contamination. But there are plenty of restaurants and kitchens that take the extra step to ensure that there is NO cross-contamination. Restaurants and manufacturers that make this blanket disclosure on menus or packages are simply doing a good old-fashioned CYA, and are not willing to go the extra step to keep their food safe for ALL.

Food allergies are the pits. We have a daughter who is highly allergic to peanuts (do we really need that great big jar of peanut butter on every buffet line??). Eating (one of the great joys in life for most people) is a time of stress for her and my family. We have dealt with it for 14 years, and haven't let it stop us, but it's not easy. And as for risking it.... I would think the last place I would want to have an anaphylactic reaction is out at sea.

I've been using a pvp, but thinking about using a TA next time to get obc. How are TA's with getting you credit for price drops?

 

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Mine was awesome.... I sent an email and within a few hours I had $200 OBC (in addition to what he gave me when we booked). I have used them several times and never had an issue. PM me and I will share the name.

I booked ONCE through Carnival online. We were booked in a suite- the price of the suite had dropped $800, and there was one left. There was an issue a few days before sailing which caused a change in itinerary, and Carnival offered to refund cruises without penalty. I called to see if I could get the credit for the price drop. Instead of simply crediting us with $800 OBC, they actually made us go through cancelling the first reservation and rebooking, which meant re-doing all of the online paperwork for all 4 of us. Not a huge deal, but this was actually one day prior to sailing, and it happened to be my birthday. I definitely took the time to do it (for $800? You bet I did). But I'm guessing my TA would have found a way to get the discount.

If I have Cruise Cash on my account (or onboard credit- I believe they work exactly the same- correct me if I'm wrong), and I have NOT done prepaid tips, my Cruise Cash (or OBC) will be applied to tips on day 2.... is that correct?

It looks like we can rent a convertible car for $60, whereas golf carts are $90 and up. With a car we have the option of putting the roof up and the AC on if we need a sun break, or enjoying the ocean breeze. Also, I have seen a few comments about the golf carts not having much pep (especially with 4 adults, or a full size family), and sometimes about the carts being older, breaking down, etc.

What is the big appeal to the golf carts?

We rented from Wet Money and they had excellent communication back and forth before we actually agreed to rent. They were top notch and we had a wonderful time. :)

What did you do on GT? I have followed several of your recommendations from reviews, and always enjoyed them!

Thank you all for the feedback! The girls are both 14. I was under the assumption that the girls could not both be registered to the same room, and that there had to be an adult registered in each room. I will call Carnival and see if I can get them moved, and also get an extra key to their room when we get on board. Thanks for the great idea!

I'm hoping to get some ideas for our upcoming cruise.... My husband and I will be cruising soon with our 2 teenage daughters. This will be the first time that we are getting 2 cabins so the girls can have their own room across the hall from ours. We had to sign up with one adult in each room, along with one teen in each room. How do we work it so that my husband and I can each have a room key for our own room, and one for the girls' room? We were going to just change keys, but the girls need a card in their own names so that they can participate in the teen club. I'm sure we're not the first family to do this, so I am looking for a solution to this and also any other tips that you may have.

One more question while I'm at it.... My room is a suite, and therefore gives VIP checkin status for me and one daughter. Will my husband and my other daughter get VIP checkin status too?

Thanks all!!

My twin girls were 8 on our first cruise- and one of their favorite things was to try the sushi every night at the sushi bar! We had late dinner, so we would go to the sushi bar every night for appetizers, and then head to dinner. 6 years later, they still love sushi (and we all miss the free sushi bar concept!).

We are looking for a nice beach day with some snorkeling, and would like a beach where we can swim and snorkel. We have narrowed it down to the following, and would like to know which have shade, chairs available, and/or restroom facilities:

Kleine Knip

Playa Jeremi

Cas Abou

Porte Marie

Thanks so much- I can't wait to visit this island!!

LOL I was thinking the same thing

 

I love potato chips as much as anyone, and I definitely have a "salt tooth" as opposed to a sweet tooth, but with all the other food on the ship, I never missed or craved them. Perhaps that's because all cruise food is generally over-salted, so I get my fix all day long.

 

I took advantage of the opportunity to have other snacks in my room, such as sushi, or a fruit/cheese/olive platter, or little sandwiches from the Cafe. It's no problem to bring these items back to our cabin from the buffet or Cafe

Wait... you can get sushi from room service?? This is my first cruise on RCCL, and I have so much to learn! Can't wait to get there!!

Hi Shannon- just wondering.... what do you have planned in St. Thomas?

We are stopping there on our cruise in July.

Thanks!

Maureen

If your ship offers it, I would highly recommend the beach day at Maya Key (Roatan). This private island offers so much- beach, snorkeling (and it is among the best I have seen), lunch, mini zoo, pool, monkeys, plenty of lounge chairs, some shade. I'm sure I missed something...

The snorkeling.... you walk to the end of a pier at the edge of the beach, and enter the water from a ladder. They have marked a path with empty 2 liter bottles to show how to get out to the good stuff! There are so many different fish and coral- it was amazing!! I have twin girls who were 10 when we went there, and they loved it as well!

We also went to Chankanaab in Cozumel, which was good, but not nearly as good as Roatan. In Belize we did a snorkel tour with Coral Breeze- we found their equipment to be in poor condition, and we didn't see a lot at the snorkel stop. However, the stop at "shark ray alley" was fantastic. Maya Key was by far the best snorkel trip in my opinion.

Good luck!

We (me, dh, tdd-12) did a similar cruise in 2013- with Costa Maya as a 4th stop (you're really not missing much if your cruise does not stop there!). We love to snorkel, and try to incorporate it on all of our excursions. On our trip, we went to:

Cozumel-CHANKANAAB... we loved it here! We splurged and did the whole package with the dolphin swim and manatee encounter (which was great fun!!). After that, we walked over to the beach part and went snorkeling- I would say it was good, but not great. But overall, we loved Chankanaab and recommend it as a nice full day on Cozumel.

Belize- we took the Coral Breeze tour to shark ray alley and Cay Caulker. This was so so for us. We made a snorkeling stop first, but we didn't see much. My daughter's mask kept leaking- actually, all of their equipment was marginal at best (we have since purchased our own!). They weren't terribly interested in helping her, so dh & I tried swapping, adjusting, etc. and we all missed most of the stop. But when everyone was back on board, no one seemed to be raving about the sites, so I'm thinking we didn't miss much. The Cay Caulker stop was for lunch, which was pretty good. Not much else to do there that I could see. Our final stop was shark ray alley, where we got out and snorkeled with sting rays and nurse sharks- what an experience!! This made up for the disappointment of the first stop. The ride out and back was pretty long (30-45 minutes) but it was absolutely gorgeous! Bluest water I have ever seen, the mangroves were very cool, and I loved the little houses that were just sitting out on their own little patches of sand. Overall a nice day, but I would probably try something different if we went back.

Roatan- Maya Key: I LOVE THIS PLACE!! I wish we could have stayed longer! It is a private resort with beach, plenty of lounge chairs (including some in the shade, which we liked), and AWESOME snorkeling!! You walk out to the end of the pier and enter the water there. They have a path marked to bring you out to the reef (not far), and there is such an abundance of fish and coral- I was in heaven! We snorkeled for an hour or 2 in the morning, stopped to have lunch (included in our pass, and pretty tasty), looked around at some of the animals they have there (quite an assortment), and then hurried back for more snorkeling! There was also a pool, and some re-created ruins to look at, and probably other stuff.... but I was happy to stay at the beach all day!

Happy planning!!

I have benefitted from your reviews in the past- we got some excellent recommendations from you for our Western Caribbean cruise (we loved Chankanaab, Shark Ray Alley and Maya Key)! So I thank you!! I can't imagine how much time it must take you to post your reviews- but so many of us greatly appreciate it!!

My family (me, hubby & 12 yo twin girls) will be on the Valor this same week (April 4). Like you, we love to snorkel, and can't wait to see some of the beautiful beaches in the Southern Caribbean. All 3 are new ports for us as well! We are leaning toward snorkel activities on all 3 (and hopefully some whale watching in Grand Turk- although it is the end of the season so I don't know if they will still be there- I sure hope so!).

I don't have anywhere near the experience that you and others have. Just to add a thought... I believe that the Valor and the Glory (and I think the Conquest) are the same "class" of ship- i.e. they have the same layout, are the same size, have the same number of crew and passengers, etc. But no, the Valor does not have Guys Burgers :mad: (yet). We sailed on the Glory a few years ago (2009?) and loved it... I don't know what level of renovations they have made since then.

I can't wait to hear your decision, and see what awesome plans you make for the ports. Have fun planning!!