Sea sailing 2-19 review (very long)

[wacky1rn]

My husband, 3 teens, and I returned home last night from our voyage on the Sea. I must say we were all a little nervous about the trip as we had never cruised before. We had gotten so many different reviews about the sea, from horrible to awesome, that we really had no idea what to expect. Well, WE had a fantastic time! I truly believe that this would not be the boat for singles looking to party, but for families and couples it was great! I also have some "little things" worth mentioning that as a first time cruiser we did not expect, so I will share them.

We flew in Saturday morning to Bush airport and took Kay's taxi service to the dock for $60 for 5 people. Embarking was fairly easy. We arrived at 10:45 and stood in line for approx 10-15 minutes, then presented our paperwork and got our picture taken for our account card/key. We then went through the scanners and quickly boarded the boat. Upon arrival to the room, we were amazed at how small it was, but it was exciting to see how much storage space there was for our belongings. We had brought the over the door shoe hangers, but they were not needed. We had ample room on the shelf below the bathroom sink and the vanity/desk in the main room. We thought that perhaps they had forgotten our pillows on the bed because they were no where to be found. We also thought they had forgotten our trash bags in the garbage cans. After a call to the reception desk, we learned that the pillows are stored behind the frame of the bed during the day and that garbage bags are not used as they are a fire hazard. I am a smoker, and no ashtray was to be found. My husband told me that smoking must not be permitted in the rooms. Boy was I bummed! When our room steward introduced himself, he asked if we smoked and I told him I did (a bit sheepishly as I had already been "sneaking" a puff in the room). He immediately returned with 2 ashtrays and asked that I not empty them in garbage can (no bag remember). He kept those ashtrays so empty the entire cruise! So, smokers, you can smoke in your cabin! The first trip to the toilet was interesting. They work on a vacuum system, so you either push a button or pull a plug and the water/waste is "whooshed" out. Not a good idea to be sitting on said toilet when you flush!

After leaving the cabin, we were futher amazed at what a pretty ship the Sea is. No, it is not all new and glitzy, but very nice. We explored for a while and of course, found our way to the food. The buffet food was OK, barbeque poolside was awesome, dinner in the restaurants was good, at Pasta Cafe was good, and at Le Bistro was OK. Some of my favorites were the midnight chocolate buffet, the chilled soups in the restaurants, poolside barbeque, and the great variety of food you could get. Most items were good, some great, and a few were outstanding. Nothing was bad unless you just don't like to try new things.

OK, alcohol. Let me sum it up quickly and say that if you like to drink, bring tons of money. I did manage to "smuggle" my flask (shaped like a cell phone) on board with a small amount of rum and did bring back a fifth of rum from Cozumel in a water bottle. However, our bar bill was still in the five hundred dollar range for the two of us. We bought one bottle of wine and had it for two dinners, 3 or 4 buckets of beer (there is a $5 deposit on the bucket so make sure to return your buckets), and upteen different mixed drinks. I didn't find the drinks to be watered down, but they definitely were not strong. They also have this wonderful way of offering different souvenir cups every day so you feel compelled to order again. Lets say I have a new bar set at home full of different, although cute, expensive cups. We learned to order refills in our cups on one of the last days. Saves a buck or two per drink. Each time you order a drink, they add gratuity to the total and leave a space for an additional tip as well. If we didn't leave an additional tip, we felt bad, but most drinks ended up costing us around $8 apiece. We did buy the coke cards for the kids. They give you this small coke container to carry around and put a sticker on your card. You DO NOT have to carry that stupid container with you all the time. We learned this on one of our last days as well. Just show your card with the sticker and they will bring you a coke.

All of the ports were amazing as well. We did get to make Cancun and that was a nice surprise. We docked at both Cozumel and Roatan, but had to tender at Belize and Cancun. Both were easy experiences. We opted to not do any of the excursions in favor of getting out and exploring on our own to meet new people and see how they live.

We first took a taxi to Paradise Beach in Cozumel and it was very pretty. I didn't care for the food at all. It was very relaxing to drink a Sol while sitting on the beach though. We used their snorkel equipment ($20 deposit per set) and saw a starfish, manta ray, and numerous fish. We then headed to the downtown area via taxi and shopped, looked around, and talked to people. I wish we had of waited to eat because there were numerous small restaurants I would have liked to try. People were very friendly and not too pushy in Cozumel.

Roatan was our favorite port. Not commercial at all. Very untamed. Some may say it is dirty, but I love the naturalness of it. We hired a tour guide to drive us all over the island. He was wonderful. His name was Gregory and he was 21. He told us about the island, their people, and their way of life. We paid him $75 for the 5 of us and bought his lunch. We went to the iguana farm. The teens LOVED it. Not what we were expecting but something you don't see every day. We lunched on the west end and ate conch and lobster (their staples) along with rice and beans. The food was amazing. We drank Salva Vida (save your life) beer- their local beer...UMM. We finished off by shopping near the port at the small stands along the side of the road. We bought some beautiful things for cheap. People were very friendly but also very pushy. Many kids trying to sell things like seashells and seahorses. Eventually they just begged for a dollar. It was sad.

We wanted to cave tube in Belize, but money was running short, so we hired a guide to drive us along the city. He was excellent in telling us all about the city and the way of life there. We drank Belikan beer...UMM. It was so hot that day, that after our tour and a little shopping near the pier, that we headed back on deck to swim and relax. I wish we would have had the money to cave tube...but there is always next time. We really enjoyed this port and would consider moving there in the future.

Cancun was SO commercial. NCL offers a free shuttle to the mall so we got off of the boat and stood in line for the shuttle. After we boarded the boat, some guy comes on board and tells us that we will have to get off because the bus is not legal. The guide is telling us that another bus is coming to please wait, but these other guys are telling us that they will offer us free rides to the mall in their taxis. I speak Spanish so I asked a cop who was standing close by what was going on. He seemed really embarrassed and pulled me aside. Seems the taxi drivers don't think it is fair to have the free shuttle so they find anyway they can to get people in their taxis and make them pay after they arrive at the mall. Reminds me of some of the dirty tricks of Tijuana. Anyways, we got to the mall. It was basically an air-conditioned area of lots of souvenir shops. There was a Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville and Outback Steakhouse, but they were expensive. Hair braiding was cheap here though so one of my girls got her hair braided. We saw numerous shops where t-shirts are $5 each. We picked up some souvenirs then headed back to port. It is really crowed at the pier, but we did some shopping and then put our feet in the water at Fat Tuesday's. The water is abolutely gorgeous. We boarded the tender boat and drank Sol as we headed back to the boat.

Our last day on board was overcast, but we had experienced absolutely fantastic weather up until that point so we just loafered around and got our things together and packed. My husband and I ate at Le Bistro. It wasn't as great as I had hoped, but the escargots were wonderful.

We really enjoyed the entertainment and the entertainment staff. Kevin, the cruise director is a blast! The shows were nice, but what we really enjoyed were the gameshows and karaoke in the Stardust Lounge. DO NOT miss these! They are hilarious and the kids can go too. Boomers was a let down. From 10-11 it is for teens only, then just a few elect to do any dancing. I tried it one night and it was only OK because there just wasn't that many people there. The casino was OK as well. We aren't big gamblers so we spent little time there. Each evening was a series of dinner, game show in Stardust Lounge, show in Caberet Lounge, back to Stardust for some other entertainment like band or karaoke.

Saturday morning arrived...unfortunately. We were packed and ready to go. Got up at 5:30, dressed, settled onboard account. At 7:15 we went through immigration (no big deal) then ate breakfast. At 9:00 they cleared us for express disembarkation. We had purchased a total of 8 bottles of liquor (the max you can get for two adults.) We had to pay a duty on 6 bottles after we made off the boat- $17. Still a wonderful deal on alcohol though as we purchased liter bottles of Crown Royal for 2 for $32.95 and Cruzan flavored rums for approx $7 a piece. We never were searched though. We could have lied and gotten more. Guess I have a better conscious for not doing so though.:)

Anyway, we took Kay's transportation back to airport for another $60 and stayed in hotel until early Sunday morning when we flew home. We were wore out and glad to be home, but boy do I miss the SEA and it's staff!!

If anyone has particular questions, please let me know. I will be glad to answer.

[Sea Girls]

We're going on the Sea next week. My daughter wants to know if there is ice cream served daily up by the pool. If so, is it soft serve or hand scooped and do we have to pay for it?

 

Also, do the bathrooms have showers or tubs? We're really looking forward to this cruise. Thanks for the great review.

[wacky1rn]

There is ice cream daily in the buffet from 11-2. It is the scoopable variety. They usually have 4 flavors with 3 kinds of sauce (choc, strawberry, and butterscotch) with sprinkles. The Lickety Splits place was not open poolside that we saw. It was free.

 

We were on deck 2 and we had a small shower. Just large enough to get business done. No tub.

 

Hope this helps!:)

[kidfanz]

What did your teens do mainly, while on the ship? Were there any activities specifically for them to do? Did you notice if there was a ferry that would drop off at Isla Mujeres rather than Cancun? Thanks

[wacky1rn]

Most teens hung out together. Mine unfortunately did not go the first night to Boomers to meet everyone, so they just hung out with each other at the pool, playing ping-pong, dancing at Boomers, swimming/sunning, going to shows, eating, singing karaoke, etc. We saw the teen group hanging out together several times, but could not persuade our kids to join in. We made it until Wednesday night before their first big argument! LOL 3 teens in one small room WAS pushing it! Anyways, there was plenty for them to do if they were interested.

As far as Isla de la mujeres, we saw several boats near our tender boat with that name on it. I am sure they have a tender to the isla, but I can't give you more specifics. I know for sure that when we made it to Cancun, there were guides, etc that could arrange any type of tour for you...including isla de la mujeres. Sorry I can't be of more help on that one.

[crazyteach]

Thx for the great review. Going on the SEA 3/19 & enjoying everyone's comments. How did you set up Kay's Taxi? Renting a car on the day we leave is getting a little $$. thx

[bako]

crazyteach join us in the roll call for Sea 3/19. i assume you are a teacher?

my wife and i are both teachers along with 2 friends going on this cruise.

[icanflossu]

Thanks so much for such a FABULOUS review. Tell me more about what food you thought was OUTSTANDING. My family of five is traveling with another family of five on 4/16 and we can't wait. Our kids are 14, 11,11,9,3,3 so it will be interesting to say the least. We love to cruise with our kids. Last year we wetn on RCCL Nordic Empress and it has the same reviews as the Sea, people either love it or hate it. It's their oldest smallest vessel as well. I am not at all discouraged about the reviews, the room size concerns me a little, they are about 50 sq feet smaller than our rooms on our last cruise. I have heard lots of negative about how long it takes to be able to get a tender if you don't book an excursion through the ship, did you kind that to be a problem? I REFUSE to book through the ship with that many kids.

 

THanks so much again for answering questions and filling us in on your trip.