Wendyland

Hello fellow Missourian! You can probably bring on soda as long as it's not excessive. At worst, they confiscate it and you're out five bucks.

You can also bring on some snacks or save a pastry or something in your room.

It's very easy to around Cozumel by taxi. They are everywhere. No need to book thru ship unless you want to do offshore diving or something. Even then, you can probably make other arrangements.

Mr. Sanchos and Nachi cocum are popular all inclusive. We like to snorkel, so we usually take a $12 cab ride to the Money Bar and snorkel from the shore. They are very friendly, but it's nice to order something to eat or drink while there for using their shore. They have steps right down to the water, since its rocky.

There are ruins, jeep tours, culinary tours, etc... It's also safe to walk around San Juan and shop and eat.

I started following you on periscope. I'm very interested in your report since I'll be on FOS 9/4. I really want to know how the Internet is. I want to be able to skype with my kids at home. This is our first trip without them.

I'll be taking pics with a Ricoh GR 2. I rarely use my dslr anymore.

I recommend Nachi Cocum or Mr Sanchos for a first timer. I really like the Money Bar if you want to snorkel. They rent equipment there. If you have time on the way back, you can do some shopping at or near the port before getting back on ship. We've been to Cozumel several times, so we're thinking about renting a car and exploring. I've never found the need for an excursion in coz.

Lot's of people love the karaoke.....good or bad. That's part of the fun of it.

 

Don't knock it till you try it.

You know he/she wrote that in 2011? They've probably died from being a stuffy old fart by now. I love watching karaoke.

Next week we are going on our first vacation without the kids and they are 9,13, and 17. I think I'm past due. If you feel comfortable , leave them and have fun. Take them on the next one when they're a little older. My girls loved the kids club when they were younger, but now they like to roam the ship in packs.

If you decide to take them, carnival is super family friendly. Avoid cruises shorter than five days since they have more of a party atmosphere.

Thanks for the info. Do you remember any of the movies they were playing? I sail in two weeks.

I haven't tracked that closely for a cruise before, but we usually spend 3 to 4K on our family of five. We rented a house in Florida with a pool in June and I decided to track every single thing. It was our cheapest vacation at 2k.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I don't remember seeing Pepsi in Mexico on any trips. I'm sure it's served somewhere but Mexico seems to favor coke.

I think being close is harder. That last month is grueling. I start traveling two weeks from today. I feel like I still have so much to do. Mentally, I'm already out the door. I can't get enough cruising. Im glad I discovered periscope.

If she does go ahead and get a passport, there may be time. I got mine last month. It took less than two weeks to come back. I took my daughters yesterday to get theirs. My 17 year old only needed one parent to be present to apply and they gave her an adult passport.

I have read about people leaving labadee under special circumstances.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1811839

I remember reading another one recently where someone else brought in some supplies and met a friend that was Haitian. Try contacting Royal and ask.

With many people exploring the ship, the first day is a good day to hit the pool. It's the least crowded that day. Just wear your suit under your clothes or pack a carry on bag. If you are spa people, there's an open house the first day with a raffle.

Hi All,

 

We are first time cruisers travelling with two teenagers on voyager. My sister and her three children are also travelling with us so all up we will have 8yrs, 13yrs, 14yrs, 15yrs and 16yr olds.

 

My question is around lunch time dining in particular, are the children allowed to go and eat without an adult at lunch? If so, whereabouts?

 

If the kids are wanting a mid afternoon snack is that inclusive in fare or do you pay extra?

 

TIA :)

 

P.S They are respectful, trustworthy, well behaved kids ;)

They usually close the kids club during lunch hours. The club is only open in two to three hour blocks. All the food is free unless you eat in the specialty restaurant or get specialty items like cupcakes. You can get pizza and sandwiches anytime. You can also get room service for free 24 hours, although there is a fee late at night.

Have them show up the first day. That's when kids meet and form groups to hang out with the rest of the cruise. Make sure you also go over safety like not going in other people's rooms. Kids that age usually have the freedom to check themselves out of the kids club and walk around together.

I would probably lean towards the ship where my kids could be together in the kids club. At least at that age, my girls liked being in the same group.

My husband and I are not big drinkers. We usually go to the Money Bar to snorkel and get an appetizer. Then, we come back and explore around the port. I prefer when we dock at international pier. It's in a better location for walking around town.

We took our family to Mr. Sanchos. They have an all inclusive or you can purchase things ala cart. They have a price list when you get there. The employees were very friendly. My kids were a little older, but that's where I would go with a toddler. Or chankanaab.

As for car seats, I would ask at the taxi stand. I would probably just buckle my child up next to me. When we ride around the main city, we saw babies and kids wedged in between parents on scooters. It was eye opening!

We did a cheap day from Puerta Maya pier once. We brought our own snorkel gear, turned left when you walk to the main road, and snorkeled from the shore. There is also a shopping plaza past the taxi area and across the street. There weren't many deals there, but it was nice to browse.

Our favorite budget place is the Money Bar. It's the cheapest cab fair. They are very friendly and not pushy to buy a lot of things. You can buy a drink and just sit by the ocean. They have a small beach area plus steps that go down to the water where most people go to snorkel.

I will second the Money Bar. It was so easy to snorkel from the shore there. The workers are very friendly and not pushy. They do offer a snorkel package where they'll take you off shore. two years ago, it was about $15 to rent snorkel from the shore. I usually bring my own.

We brought our Midland GXT walkie Talkies, but barely found them useable. Only if we were on the same floor. There's so much metal to go through. We did find them useful when we went to Belize and my kids stayed in the ship with their grandparents. If they stood on top, we could communicate from the shops. I will not take them in future. I'd rather get a text app or just use do notes in the room.

We would leave notes in the room. If we were turning in at night and she was still out, we'd have a general idea of what she was doing and with who. If her plans changed, she'd leave a note in the room or call us in the room. Or we'd pick a certain time and place to meet up to check in. I also had to learn to relax

And trust that she was ok.

I'm reading studies showing that foods like whey protein that are low carb, illicit an insulin response in the body. Considering the reason for me doing LCHF, is to lower the insulin my body produces, this is a big concern.

You might be interested in this video. He talks about insulin. I've been trying to eat in a more limited window during the day.

http://www.buttermakesyourpantsfalloff.com/fasting-and-fifty-percent-insulin-problem/

I hope there won't be tons of people on their phones. I plan on getting it only to check in with my kids at home. My youngest has never been away from us more than a night. Otherwise, I love being cutoff from the "real world".

I've been looking into park and stay type places and they've all had pretty bad reviews so far. When we cruised before, we stayed at a hotel right on the beach near Daytona. It was a nice mini vacation before our cruise. That time, we actually had a friend drop us off, so we didn't have to pay to park.