wigglit

Thanks to all for responding! I'm sure we will have a blast.

:) - Karen

OK, I’ll admit….. I’m the first one to roll my eyes after reading a post titled “Is it safe” ….with that being said, every time I tell someone that we are porting in Belize for one of our stops they say “wow, that place is bad”! I booked a private cave tubing trip with Charlie’s Cave Tubing Tours. They are # 2 on Trip Advisor and I have never had a bad experiance after reading reviews posted on the site, then booking a stay or activity.

Is the port as bad as they say or am I being a ninny? Do we need to not wear any jewelry and carry as little cash as possible? Has anyone ever heard of small groups getting robbed? Am I being silly for even worrying about it? My Husband and I are pretty adventurous, but I will have my kids too, so I'm stressing a bit.

Thanks….

:) - Karen

Thank you very much for the info. This is where we will be going when we port in July :D

Karen

We have our own gear and are all experienced snorkelers…Where is the best place to go in Cozumel where you can enter the water on your own! I don’t mind taking a taxi if it is to far to walk.

I have read a lot about Money Bar, and how it is nice, but that a lot of the cruise ships use it for the ships snorkeling excursions. I don't really want to be bunched with the herd :D

We plan to snorkel for a while then head back to the port area to stroll through the shops.

We are sailing on the Dream docking on July8th. Any suggestions would be great…..

Thanks - Karen - :)

We did FTTF for the first time on our last cruise and already have it for our next one. The convenience of being on board so quickly, going directly to your stateroom and having your luggage awaiting you was well worth it to us! By the time we boarded the Conquest in NOLA, went to our room to drop off our carry-ons, went to Guy's and sat down to eat, it was only about 11:30 a.m.!! Needless to say, we are SOLD on the FTTF!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

So what time did you get to the port in NOLA to be on the ship eating by 11:30? I am just wondering how early to be there. We got the FTTF for our Dream cruise in July.

Thanks- Karen

I don’t drink soda and am not a fan of sweet fruit drinks!

I am a Southern Girl and I love my fresh brewed TEA!

I despise the instant tea that they serve on the ship so I make my own.

The ship provides single serve Lipton tea bags and several brands of sweetener. I bring my own cup from home to use ( so I can make a large glass ). I fill it up with ice ( with a clean cup ). I then get a coffee cup fill it up with hot water and put a few tea bags in it……let it set for a few minutes then poor it over my ice, add water if needed to make it the strength that you like.

Fresh brewed tea!

My family of 4 will be going on a Western Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Dream for MG2015, our first cruise!

 

Besides the expenses of the ship and gratuities (that we will pre pay). How much should I plan on spending onboard and on excursions? We won't need a soda card or the bubbles card. We drink tea and water. So what else would be an expense on board that we would end up spending money on?

 

For excursions, we've looked at doing the dolphin swim tours so I know that pricing. Just curious about what others have spent and what I can realistically plan to spend on food and fun.

 

Thanks!

My Family of four has cruised 3 times, this July will make # 4. Normally we buy the soda cards for my Hubby and the kids. I don’t drink soda so it would be wasted on me. The lemonade is good but the tea is gross! I'm a southern girl and tea does not come out a can! Sorry…..Rant!

My son likes to play in the arcade, normally he saves money prior to the trip and that is what he uses. We don’t do the specialty restaurants or the overpriced coffee stand. I do like a family picture every year, but only one. We also like to play in the casino a little if the mood strikes. I buy t-shirts if I see on that I like. We normally go to the candy store at least once.

We don’t book excursions with the ship, in my opinion they are overpriced and I don’t like being on someone else’s schedule. I like to do my own thing. We own our own snorkeling gear and I normally research and find the best spots to enter on your own. We take a cab, snorkel for a while then find a restaurant to eat at then shop for a while prior to getting back on the ship. Again, we like doing our own thing!

Like others have mentioned, we take cash with us for tips. The cabin steward is really good! We always leave him/her something extra daily. We also have it for the cab fares and tips for servers if we order a drink. My husband and I are not big drinkers but I do LOVE that first day sail away drink! YUM, YUM, YUM!

My husband normally takes $300.00 or so in cash, small bills and our sign and sail account is never over $300.00.

We are not being cheap, that’s just what we spend. :cool:

Where we normally overspend depends on where we are porting out of! We always go to the sail away port a few days early and that can get pricy!

Hope you have fun!:)

I absolutely loved Half Moon Cay! It was paradise. The water was so blue and the sand so fine and white. We have been to numerous ports and land vacations in the Caribbean, HMC was my favorite.

The shops are not that great but the beach is awesome! We used our S&S for drinks and bought a t-shirt at the Carnival shop while on the island.

we're staying in 8442 on the 11/30 sailing on the Dream - since you'll be on it before us, would love to hear about it when you get back :)

I am thinking of booking this room....How was it? Tks

I booked the La Quinta Inn at Cocoa Beach. The have great reviews on Trip Advisor and offer a shuttle to the port for $5.00 P. It is right on the beach.

Thanks TurtleTagger :D

The best near port snorkeling is actually located in Hogs Sty Harbour, where the ships anchor. Eden Rock/Devil's Grotto, Cheeseburger Reef and the wrecks of the Cali and Gamma are all located here. The sites are easily reachable from shore, but not off a beach. Many establishments (restaurants, dive shops, etc...) ringing these areas have are ladders for snorkelers and divers to use. Some Seven Mile Beach sections do have pedestrian snorkeling: Governor's Reef off Governor's Beach (near the Westin) has a dead reef, but lots of fish; Cemetery Beach is another popular spot with a slightly healthier reef structure. On the other side of George Town, Smith Cove Bacadere beach has some Elkhorn coral and plenty of fish close to shore as well.

Are you allowed to use these ladders to enter the water in this area? We are a fam. of four and we have our own gear. We love to snorkel and are always open fora new adventure.Tks