TwinMamainMN

Welcome to Cruise Critic. We will be doing this excursion a week from now and are looking forward to it. Sounds like our kind of adventure. The description of the excursion indicates the vehicles are manual transmission and that one should not attempt the excursion if they have neck or back injuries. That information is not hidden in any way, one just needs to read the full description of the excursion.

Thank you for your comment. I love Italian food, so it's high on my list.

@scottca075 - thanks! I will check these out. Think we need a reservation? It will be on a Saturday evening.

Google tells me there are several restaurants near the Crowne Plaza. Where would you go to eat a casual dinner the night before your Mexican Riveria cruise? Hubby and I only, no kids.

March 2023 on Oasis of the Seas.

We do this on the ship, when we RV or do land travel, and at home as well. Comfy clothes for lounging. I personally love the Cool Nights fabric and options from Soma.

For me it’s 6 pairs max including whatever is on my feet on embarkation day. Tennis shoes, sandals, 2 pairs of flip flops, and two pairs of low wedge heels to wear to dinner. I like variety. 😃

@Sailing12Away - thanks for the summary. We booked Bliss based on itinerary. Haven is out of our price range. We like the peace and quiet of a Royal Solarium sometimes. Maybe Spice H20 will be just as good. Either way, we will be on vacation which is better than being at work any day. 😉

We’re the opposite so far. Several on Royal which we enjoy, one on Celebrity which we enjoyed, and our upcoming one is on Bliss. One thing I already dislike about NCL is no free adults only swimming area. Royal has a Solarium on most ships that is not only free but also includes swimming pools and hot tubs. We will miss that for sure. Will we miss it enough to not sail on NCL if the price and itinerary are right? I can’t say for sure yet.

Okay, I stand corrected about Stone Island/Deer Island being the same. I was going off that video I posted where they explain one is to the left side and the other is to the right. 🙃

Stone Island and Deer Island are 2 beaches on the same long stretch of sand. Here is a video that talks about both, including how to get there on your own using a small boat as a ferry.

@GeezerCouple - What I meant was, having 2 non connecting rooms with little kids in one and parents in the other wouldn't work. I didn't explain that very well. I don't disagree that connecting and neighboring rooms would be a great set up, if you can afford it.

Since your kids are young, booking neighboring cabins isn't going to work like it would with older and upper-age teens. I think this is a great opportunity to find and use a travel agent. I did a little sleuthing for you and found this article that may help: Best Family-Friendly Cruise Ship Cabins (cruisecritic.com)

As long as I get to cruise, I don’t care what day it is!

We sailed to Alaska in August. I wore jeans, leggings, t-shirt, fleece pullover/quarter zip, and a waterproof windproof jacket. Sometimes I wore all the layers on the top. Some days I could just wear a tshirt. We never needed waterproof pants, but some of that depends on your excursions in addition to the weather. For example, we did a private whale watching excursion, but it was in an enclosed boat, with only the bow open to the weather. It was cool, cloudy and drizzling much of that day, but the whales were amazing and I stayed dry. I wore tennis shoes for all excursions, but we did not do any glacier walking/hiking. For dinners, I wore capri pants, a shirt/blouse and sandals. Many people wore their "port clothes" but we just prefer to change and freshen up for dinner.

I love shoes. I get wanting to pack so many, but have never gotten up to 8 pairs. Like everyone else has said, I typically wear sneakers on the airplane. I bring 2 pairs of flip flops because I like the variety and they basically weigh nothing. I bring one pair of sandals for walking in port and for casual wear, and two pairs of wedges for dinner (one gold and one a light blue denim color). That's 6. If I have space in the suitcase and am not over the weight limit, why not pack what I enjoy?

How was it and what did you order? I just looked at the website, menu and some online reviews and it looks like a good fit for hubby and me when we sail in March.

Cabin 11182, I think based on your map. I would keep it. I did a little digging and found this video of the same cabin on Encore. We always sail in a balcony cabin, and it's always windy if you lean your head forward past the "wall/barrier" or if the wind is blowing toward you. If you look at the photos in this link, it doesn't look like you will lose any privacy either. Norwegian Getaway Cabin 11182 (cruisedeckplans.com)

We sailed on Royal's Oasis OTS last March. On paper it was one parent, our daughter, and one son in an accessible balcony (daughter uses a WC). The neighboring and connecting balcony cabin was listed with the other parent and the other son. At the time our twins were 14 and our youngest was 11. We actually slept parents and daughter in the accessible room and the two boys in the other room. Parents had key card access to both rooms. It worked great and both the Royal check-in person and our room steward knew of the arrangement. Also we booked it that way with a Next Cruise travel agent while on a prior RCCL cruise and they told us it was perfectly fine and not uncommon.

I was curious so I did a google search. Other than photos and links to IG, I see nothing about them online. No store listing with address, hours, phone or website. Seems fishy. Proceed with caution.

Getting my nails done every three weeks in my only self-care. I work in education as a paraprofessional. I’ve had minimal nail art (one tiny Mickey Mouse face - three tiny black dots no eyes - or a single palm leaf when on a cruise last spring.). I keep them about one-quarter or so inch past my finger and almond shaped. They are currently a blackberry color but I like to change the shades with the seasons (or travel) based on my skin tone.

Thanks! That's helpful and doesn't really surprise me. We're going to bring some pesos for small cash purchases and tipping.

Check YouTube for videos of Stone Island. It tells exactly where to walk from the cruise pier, where to buy the boat ticket (very small motor boat) to sail across the bay, and where to go once you get there to arrive at Stone Island. If we decide to do a beach day in Mazatlan, we will do it this way. Inexpensive, easy and casual.

@NoMoreRain - the raspberry mojito sounds good!

I had a few coconut mojitos from a specific bartender on Odyssey of the Seas (Royal ship). Coconut rum instead of regular rum. Amazing!