CarefreeCruising

Glad to see all this info. I was planning on using room service breakfast to help get the kids up and around faster on our first port day. It's a short visit, so no time to waste. Also good to know how easy it is to order (and not have to actually talk to a person.) I was dreading that part.

Yes, it is easy to order! Just a note of warning though... We love room service on port days for the reason you mentioned - it makes it easier to get up and out the door. However, one of our port days, we were getting ready and wondered why room service was taking so long to come. (You select a 1/2 hour window of when you want it to arrive.) We waited a few more minutes and then I got suspicious. I opened the door and sure enough, the order card was still hanging on the handle... they had never taken it. We called, explained what happened and asked them if they could bring the food ASAP. To their credit, they brought it within 5 minutes (much quicker than normal). This happened to us again later in the cruise only that time I knew to check and realized we needed to call in the order. With that said, don't hesitate to order by the card on your door, just might be helpful to check and make sure your order was taken.

Oooo... I didn't realize that OBC works for onboard shops too... I'm well travelled but this is my first cruise :o

No worries! Every experienced cruiser took their first cruise at one point! :) They don't take cash on the ship so everything is paid for using your onboard account. Because of this, your OBC can go for anything on the ship that isn't free - specialty dining, coffee, alcoholic drinks, excursions, merchandise in shops, spa services, photos etc, etc. Have fun!

Carefree, I took the Native choice tour of Chaccoben ruins last year while in Costa maya. It was one of the best experiences of our cruise. I understand your reluctence of booking a private tour, I was worried also, but what we got was far and above what I expected. We were transported from the cruise port to Chaccoben on a very nice luxury air conditioned bus. I had visions of a rickity old school bus going through the jungle mountains lol. Chaccoben is only about an hour from the port, so even if you had trouble the tour is designed so your back early enough to make your ship. The tour itself was great. Our group was small enough that we saw the whole complex and our guide like a previous poster mentioned was fun and informative. We were back at the port and had plenty of time to shop the port, eat lunch, or take in one of the resorts.

What ever way you go have fun. I would use Native choice again in a heart beat.

Thanks! I've heard so many good things about Native choice and it is very tempting to book through them. However, I know my husband, and know that he would be watching the clock and unable to really relax as he'd be thinking about the possibility of missing the ship. I think Native Choice is an excellent choice for many but, in our situation, I'm willing to pay a little extra $$ for my husband to truly relax and enjoy the day.

I cannot comment about the excursions you mentioned, some you might think my response is useless to you, But....

 

Costa Maya is a great port, if you get away from the actual dock ( which in fairness is okay, but just very commercial ). All the good beach clubs are actually only a short trip from the port, say $3 taxi fare, per person. The beach is lined with great bars and restaurants, some of which call themselves Beach Clubs.

i appreciate that you might only want to do organised tours ( because of the missing ship factor ) but at CM the distance from the beach to the ship is so short, and you can see the ship from the beach. This is one stop where traffic is not a problem.

So if the ruins thing is a must, then I am sure others can help you, but for the beach I would do it yourself. It is safe and much cheaper than doing a tour, giving you flexibility to go and return when you want.

Get a great massage on the beach, $20 for 30 mins, followed by a fresh lunch and a cold tipple, hope you love CM as much as we do.

Thanks for the feedback! I considered just doing a local beach but we're already basically doing that in Cozumel (reservations at Nachi Cocum). My husband has always wanted to see the ruins and it would add something in to the mix so it isn't two beach days in a row. (I'd love that, him not so much.) Missing the ship is a factor for us. I know there are some great resources for tours of the ruins but after almost being late to the ship in Jamaica (on a ship excursion) we're not into chancing it. The extra $ we pay for the ship excursion is well worth the peace of mind to us.

If you don't get any reports, and you take this excursion, please report back. This cruise is one of several I'm considering.

Regardless of whether I get any reports, I'll be glad to provide a review. I think we'll probably end up taking this excursion. I realize that a lot of people on CC book their own private excursions but that isn't the best choice for us this time around. Since there's so little info on this excursion, I'll post a review and pictures so that it might help someone else.

Anyone?? I can't find any info about this excursion or Uvero Beach club... :confused:

Great- thanks for the recommendation. Is it completely waterproof? We are still on the fence about purchasing a waterproof camera but if we don't buy one, we will definitely be bringing our own point & shoot camera and definitely do not want to risk getting it wet!

Yes. It is completely waterproof. We have taken it snorkeling with us and not a drop of water has gotten in. But, I'm not sure they make them big enough to fit your camera. However, that link another poster listed may have something big enough.

We have the solid dry box from Ron Jon surf shop and love it. http://www.ronjonsurfshop.com/search/default.aspx?perpage=14&match=AND&Keywords=solid%20dry%20box That's where we got ours but I have seen similar items at several other places. It isn't big enough to hold our camera but it does hold our room cards as well as any cash or credit cards we may have with us. Whenever we have an excursion that involves water, my husband always has it. We actually also use it when hanging out at the pool. It's nice not to have to worry about your room card disappearing and paying for someone else's drink. :)

Thank you for the reply. But, as I said, booking a private excursion is not an option for us. We are only interested in booking through the ship. Can anyone provide any feedback on the RC tour I was asking about Costa Maya Village, Ruins and Beach Buffet? Any input would be appreciated! Thanks! :)

We are getting excited for our upcoming Jewel cruise stopping in Costa Maya & Cozumel. We are looking at excursions for Costa Maya and are considering the "Costa Maya Village, Ruins and Beach Buffet". Does anyone have any experience with this and can provide any feedback? It would be much appreciated! :)

I'm posting this on the RC board instead of the port board because I'm interested in info specific to this RC excursion. Yes, I know you can book tours privately and that may be cheaper. However, that is not the best option for us so I'm only interested in RC excursions for this stop...

S/he is quoting the website list of amenities for each C&A level.

 

No need to patronize.

Thank you for your response. You said it much more kindly than I would have.

I'm glad to hear that for some, it gets easier the more cruises you take. I forgot to mention the one good thing about all of this... my husband feels fine and volunteered to unpack and do laundry becasue I wasn't feeling so hot! :D

Did you, by chance, where a transderm patch for motion sickness? On my last cruise I was very sick for a couple of days after removing the patch. (Was also sick the first day on board) Wore them for years with no ill effects. Never again.

No, I have never taken anhy remedies for motion sickness. I don't have any problems with motion sickness while on the ship... just after I get off! Good to know I'm not alone and it should pass soon.

No, I'm not talking about that sad feeling when you know that vacation is over. I got off of a 5 night cruise on the Navigator on Saturday. When I first got off, I felt a strong feeling that the ship was still moving (even though I wasn't on it). This persisted through much of the day. Yesterday I didn't feel the room moving as much but still a bit dizzy feeling. I'm doing even better today - still feel a bit "off" with a slight earache. Since it's getting progressively better, I'm not too concerned and don't think I"ll run to the doctor but just wanted to see if anyone else experienced this. When we were on the ship, we went through 50 mph winds the last night and the ship was really rocking while we slept. I don't know if that contributed to this.

How about celebrity antics or certain current events as newbiecruiser suggested?

Perhaps a vacation at an adults only all inclusive resort would be a better fit for you than a cruise that welcomes guests of all ages. I don't say this to be mean, but if you don't like being around kids, you shouldn't be somewhere they are welcomed. Of course, venues with age limits are an exception. But the ship in general and the main dining room there shouldn't be any restrictions!