B2B on Carnival Dream Western & Carnival Victory Southern Caribbean! Review w/Pics!

[brilliantseas]

And with that, it is finally time to say goodbye to Mahogany Bay, Honduras. One of the rare benefits of having such a narrow channel into and out of the port of Mahogany Bay is that the first ship to arrive (in this case the Dream) is also the last to leave, meaning that we got a slightly longer day at Mahogany Bay than the passengers on the Valor.

 

Here are a few pictures of the Valor sailing away from Mahogany Bay and of a quiet and empty Mahogany Beach as we sailed away into the sunset on our way to Costa Maya, Mexico.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, the early morning, combined with the heat of the day and the adult beverages at Fat Tuesday meant that we did not quite make it to dinner on Wednesday night. Day 5 is my least favorite of the new Carnival 7 day menu anyway, so it was no big loss, but we did get to enjoy many of the same entrees at the dinner buffet on Lido Deck as we would have had in the dining room. In four cruises on Carnival, this is the only night that I have not made it to dinner in the main dining room. The Lido Deck Dinner Buffet was a nice change of pace, and we didn't mind missing dinner in the dining room, especially since Night 5's menu stinks in comparison to the rest of the week.

 

I had the Grilled Red Snapper Fillet (3/5) and a Cappuccino Shot (an exclusive dessert to the Lido Deck - think of it as a cappuccino mousse with chocolate on top - 4/5), and my friend had the Flat Iron Steak, which is pre-cooked to two different temperatures, medium rare and medium well, on the Lido Deck.

 

By 9:00, we were both in bed and didn't wake up again until our arrival in Costa Maya at about 7:00am on Thursday morning.

 

Up Next: Costa Maya, Mexico - Power Boat, Snorkel and Beach Break Excursion at Uvero Beach Club through Carnival

[TrqoisWtrs]

Great review and great pics!

 

I don't know what Sergeant's Caye or Caye Caulker are like (the two places Carnival goes to snorkel), but I can't imagine it being more amazing than Goff's Caye, especially when you consider that there were only about 30 people on the entire island.

 

We were able to go to Goff's Caye thru a Carnival snorkel when we sailed on the Legend. It is a beautiful little island and the boat for the excursion picked us up and dropped us off right at the Legend. We didn't need to go into town.

 

I took some video of the numerous blue tangs there. :)

[brilliantseas]

Great review and great pics!

 

 

 

We were able to go to Goff's Caye thru a Carnival snorkel when we sailed on the Legend. It is a beautiful little island and the boat for the excursion picked us up and dropped us off right at the Legend. We didn't need to go into town.

 

I took some video of the numerous blue tangs there. :)

 

How many people were on the Carnival excursion?

[TrqoisWtrs]

How many people were on the Carnival excursion?

 

Hmm, maybe 50-60? It wasn't that bad though. First they stopped at the pier and let off anyone who felt more comfortable snorkeling from the beach. A lot of people got off there. Then the boat continued on like your excursion where they took us to the deeper water and we snorkeled back to the shore.

[Adam185]

Loving the review. Can't wait to read your Victory review (our next cruise).

[AryMay]

Loving the review. Can't wait to read your Victory review (our next cruise).

 

Me too, me too!

[brilliantseas]

Don't worry, I'll probably have the first half of my B2B wrapped up by Wednesday and then on to my review of the Carnival Victory. Glad you're enjoying reading it as much as I am writing it.

[candigirl41]

Wow good review. I had to go to page 8 to find no new posts. Hope to see more soon.

 

Candi

[brilliantseas]

Carnival Dream Exotic Western Caribbean - October 1-8, 2011

 

Day 6 - Costa Maya and Mahahual, Mexico

 

A few days ago I mentioned our fiasco with missing out on the opportunity to book a snorkeling excursion with Carnival (which ended up working out well since we had a great time on Goff's Caye with EcoToursBelize.com). Well at that time we wanted to make sure that we didn't miss out on the opportunity to snorkel at least once during our cruise, so at 1:30am on Tuesday morning, we booked the Boat Blast, Snorkel and Beach Break excursion with Carnival for our day in Costa Maya. The tour was $95.95 per person, which seemed a little pricey, but when weighed against the fact that it included two different activities plus an open bar at the beach (the description says it includes beer and water, but it also includes margaritas, rum punch and frozen daquiris) and the fact that it might be our only chance to snorkel on our trip (we didn't yet know if the weather would hold out for Belize and already had other plans for Roatan), so we decided to go for it.

 

For those who have never been to Costa Maya before (like myself), the port reminds me a lot of the port at Progreso, Mexico, only larger. It is basically a long narrow corridor with shops lining both sides, which opens up to a large courtyard area with a big Senor Frogs branded pool complex. There is also a sandy area with beach chairs along the shore, but it is strictly made for laying out in the sun, not for swimming, as the coastline is rocky. There are no beaches in the immediate area.

 

Outside of the port, the town has not really recovered from Hurricane Dean in 2007 that destroyed the port. The cruise industry has rebuilt the port area itself, but the town has been less fortunate. There is a hard rock cafe and a few shops surrounded by a lot of old concrete shells where businesses used to be. It is kind of depressing.

 

Another thing to note is that because the port is a private facility for exclusive use of the cruise line, independent tour operators are not allowed to sell excursions within the port, so your only option here is to book an excursion with the cruise line or to venture outside of the gated area and do an excursion on your own (a popular independent option is Maya Chan).

 

Anyway, we got off the ship at about 8:40 to head to the excursion meeting area, which is at the end of the long pier to meet for our 9:00 excursion. I wasn't feeling all that well, so I headed into the port area to get a bottle of a water and some Pepto from the pharmacy. It was located just inside the port area, but I almost missed our 9:00 excursion due to a slow line to check out. I made it back just in time to sign the waiver and walk over to the bus.

 

The excursion starts with a 45-50 minute ride on modern motor coaches (with onboard restrooms) through the mangrove jungle and back roads that separate the port of Costa Maya from Mahahual.

 

 

When you pull up at Uvero Beach Club (also home to Carnival's Jungle Beach Break excursion), you are greeted by your guides who explain the facility to you. There are two open bars, serving margaritas, daquiris, pina coladas, rum punch and Dos Equis Lager, along with a small kitchen serving under a giant palapa. There is also a rental counter for kayaks and jet skis and a small craft shop. Guests from the Jungle Beach Break and Boat Blast, Snorkel and Beach Break tours both ride the same motor coaches to Uvero, at which point those who are doing the Boat Blast and Snorkel tour head off to the side of the beach to receive instruction on the snorkel gear and miniature speed boats, while those just there for the Jungle Beach Break get to proceed to the main part of the beach and enjoy the loungers, water, and open bar.

 

 

We had four guides and a total of 20 people doing the Boat Blast, Snorkel and Beach Break Tour, so we all paired up, received our snorkel gear and then headed to the boats. One of the nice things is that they give you a brand new snorkel with their logo on it for you to keep, so you are not using a snorkel that 50 other people have used, as I have experienced on some other excursions. They require two people in every boat, so if you have an odd number in your party, you may be paired with a stranger, but both people will get an opportunity to drive the boat. The first boat driver gets to drive for 15-20 minutes as you zig zag out to the floating dock over the reef where the snorkeling takes place and the second driver gets to drive for 15-20 minutes as you head back to the beach. The boats go probably 25 miles an hour, but it feels much faster in such a small boat on the water. Be prepared to get splashed!

 

 

Once you reach the floating dock (it looks like a floating jet ski dock), you guide your boat up to a ramp where the guides will grab the rope from your bow and pull your boat out of the water and onto the dock, which is maybe 1/2 a mile out from the beach. From here, the guides break you into smaller groups of 6-8 snorkelers, each with a guide that takes you in a different direction so you don't get too close to too many people and end up running into each other or scaring off all of the sea life. From there, you snorkel over the reef for about an hour and get to see all sorts of sea life. The water ranges from about 15 feet deep over the sandy bottom, to as little as 3-4 feet deep over some of the coral on the reef. You always stay fairly close to the floating dock and never more than about 50 feet from your guide. There is also a fourth guide standing on the dock watching everyone so if you start to show signs of distress, he can see you and get to you with a boat or signal the other guides that you need assistance. We got to see a star fish, a sting ray, and numerous colorful fish around the reef.

After you are done snorkeling, you climb the ladder out of the water and onto the floating dock, where you re-board your miniature speed boats and get to go zipping around for another 15-20 minutes before finally landing back on the beach.

 

 

From there, you are free to enjoy the beach facilities and open bar. There are three different return times for the motor coaches, so you have your choice of how long to stay. By the time we were done with our snorkeling and boating, the first return shuttle had already left, so we could either take the 2nd shuttle in about 30 minutes, or take full advantage of the beach and stay until the last shuttle left at 1:30pm (ship's time). Most people waited for the last shuttle, but even with that the beach was not crowded at all. I would estimate maybe 80 people spread across the entire facility. It was very peaceful. The facility itself is very clean and upscale, with modern restroom and shower facilities, lounge chairs, sun beds, and hammocks, all of which were easy to get as the facility was not crowded.

We had a great time at the beach and opted to take the last shuttle back to the port, which put us there about 30-40 minutes prior to the all-aboard time for the ship. Just enough time to browse for souvenirs and grab one last drink at Senor Frog's.

 

Overall, we had a great time, and even though the $96 price tag was a little more than I would ideally spend for a snorkeling excursion, we justified it by also considering that we got about 40 minutes on the speed boats (Disney charges about $50 for 30 minutes to rent one of these boats) and almost 90 minutes of open bar on the beach when we got back. We enjoyed it enough that we would strongly consider doing the same excursion, or the $39.95 Carnival Jungle Beach Break at Uvero Beach Club (which only includes transportation to the private beach and the open bar) on our next visit to Costa Maya as Uvero Beach Club is such a beautiful facility and there is not much to do in Costa Maya itself.

 

Now, without further ado, here are the pictures from our day in Costa Maya that I know you are all looking forward to. All of the pictures were taken at Uvero Beach Club in neighboring Mahahual, Mexico, on the Carnival Boat Blast, Snorkel and Beach Break shore excursion.

 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

 

 

 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

Unfortunately, my underwater camera must have gotten turned on in my backpack accidentally while we were at breakfast or on the bus, as my freshly charged camera battery died shortly after we started snorkeling. Sadly I missed getting photos of most of the beautiful coral and colorful tropical fish, but thankfully I carry two cameras with me so I was still able to get pictures of the beautiful facilities at Uvero Beach Club in Mahahual, Mexico, near Costa Maya.

 

OPEN BAR @ UVERO BEACH CLUB!

 

You can see how many open chairs there are, and this is just one area of the beach. It was so peaceful!

 

 

[brilliantseas]

 

 

 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

 

[brilliantseas]

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos from Costa Maya itself to share. There really isn't much to see there. Think of the port facility as an outdoor mall with a pool in the center. After riding through town on the motor coach, I decided that I wouldn't really feel safe or have any desire to travel outside of the port facility itself as there isn't much out there. Many of the businesses have closed, and those that are there are completely deserted. There is a Hard Rock Cafe, but without a view or really anything around it, I have no real desire to pay the inflated prices to eat there when I could go to Senor Frogs at the port facility for drinks and back to the ship for lunch.

 

Speaking of heading back to the ship, Costa Maya is also the 2nd elegant night, also known as Formal Night Lite. I say that because without any fancy food offerings (they only haul out the lobster on the 1st elegant night), it feels like just another night in the main dining room aside from the fact that people are slightly more dressed up. Most wore their fanciest outfit on the first elegant night and are wearing whatever is left over at the end of the cruise on the 2nd formal night. I put on a jacket, but it still didn't feel the same as the first elegant night, especially when it is immediately followed by the Lido Deck Party and the late night Mega Mexican Buffet. Those two things just don't seem to fit well with the Elegant Night theme.

 

I wasn't in the mood for cold soup tonight, so as much as I like the chilled bing cherry soup, I decided to go for the Every Day option of fresh fruit cocktail. It is on nights like this that I really miss having shrimp cocktail as an option.

 

Fresh Fruit Cocktail (4/5)

For what it is, the fresh fruit cocktail is light and refreshing. There isn't much here to fill you up, but the presentation is nice, with the fanned melon slices and mint garnish.

 

Grilled Tiger Shrimps (4/5)

These shrimp seemed bigger than the ones served with some of the other shrimp dishes (perhaps because they are a main entree and not an ingredient), and they were cooked properly and very flavorful. The "special marinara sauce" really isn't a marinara sauce, but rather seemed almost like a tomato broth. There isn't much of it on the plate, just enough to give the plate some color.

 

The mustard mashed potatoes (5/5 - yes they deserve their own rating!) that are served with the shrimp is perhaps my favorite side dish on any of the Carnival menus. The mustard adds tang to them and makes them quite flavorful. I would order this entree just for the potatoes.

 

Just before dessert, it was once again time for some singing and dancing waiters. This is Norman, our Assistant Team Waiter and, along with Alexander, our Head Waiter, are the best wait staff I've ever had on a cruise!

 

 

For dessert, I ordered the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake over the other options of Baked Alaska (good to try once, but not something I'd order every cruise), Diet Cheesecake or the Amaretto Cake, which I've had once before on the Triumph or Imagination (can't remember), and didn't care for because it was so dry. Well my friend ordered the Amaretto Cake and I tried a bite and this time it was wonderful. I wish that I would have ordered it instead of the WCMC myself.

 

And since I forgot to take pictures of Costa Maya itself, here is a bonus picture of what we called the Seductive Towel Animal, since we couldn't figure out what kind of animal it actually was.

 

 

Up Next: Last Sea Day on the Dream :( and Carnival Victory!

[brilliantseas]

And here is a photo of Alexander the Head Waiter (he is the one holding out his hand), with Norman, our Assistant Waiter. The best MDR team in the fleet!

 

[nzdisneymom]

The Pasta Bar was great and not at all busy on embarkation day. At the top of the stairs, you are given an ingredient card for each person, along with a pencil and a table number. You then select your seats and fill out your order card. Once everyone has decided what they want in their pasta, you take the cards to the hostess and return to your table to wait for your pasta. Our order only took about 4-5 minutes and looked hot and delicious. I had pasta with pomodoro sauce, garlic shrimp, spinach, and I don't remember what else, but it was delicious. I also ordered a caesar salad (fresh tossed) and bread. My friend had penne with pomodoro, sausage, and some vegetables. She loved it as well. Looking back on the trip, I wish that we would have done the Pasta Bar again, but there are so many options for lunch, I don't think we repeated any dining option twice.

 

 

Looking forward to reading the rest of the report - I've read several others that suggest hitting up the Pasta bar the first day - thank you for sharing the details of how it works! We sail in December for the first time as a family on Carnival, so the more I learn about the logistics of things ahead of time, the less time we'll spend trying to figure things out :)

[nzdisneymom]

After the video, they dismiss the outside sections of seating first, followed by the center of the theater. A little secret to know if you want to get out early.

 

After the muster drill, we hurried back to the room to grab our cameras and then headed to the "secret" deck, deck 7 forward. To get to the secret decks on the Dream, go all the way forward in the cabin hallways on deck 6 or 7. Decks 4 and 5 also have a secret deck, but those are strictly "Crew Only" as they are accessed from the front of the show lounge. We were joined by maybe 20 people out there, not nearly as crowded as the lido deck sail away. A very peaceful way to watch sail away from the best view on the ship.

 

Two more tips I'm putting in my file! I'm glad to know that we don't have to do the whole life-jacket thing - DCL recently switched that up which is nice and much more convenient.

 

And I'm absolutely loving the idea of being on secret deck 7 forward for sail away - sounds like a perfect place if you don't want to be in the fray of the crowds!

[Poorplaya]

Great review and wonderful pictures, thank you so much for sharing

[cruisingcouple2008]

Cant wait for more.......

 

Tell me...our group is planning to go to Maya Chan Beach Resort in Costa Maya did you hear of anyone on your sailing choosing this private company?

[whendoweleave?]

Subscribing so I can pick it up later! Thanks for the hard work and time!

[brilliantseas]

Cant wait for more.......

 

Tell me...our group is planning to go to Maya Chan Beach Resort in Costa Maya did you hear of anyone on your sailing choosing this private company?

 

Our table mates actually did Maya Chan. They loved it. Very relaxing, they said it didn't even reach its 50 person capacity, and they enjoyed the free drinks. I believe it is $50 per person?

 

The Jungle Beach Break is also open bar at Uvero (where the pictures were taken), and is $39.95 per person with free transportation through Carnival.

 

If I were just going for the beach, I'd probably try Maya Chan next time just because I've already been to Uvero, but I was quite happy with Uvero (there were more than 50 people there, but it is so spread out, it still felt empty and very exclusive. The facilities and beach chairs/beds/hammocks felt very upscale.

 

The main difference is that Uvero has water sports equipment for rent (jet skis, kayaks), whereas Maya Chan, to my knowledge, does not.

 

I'd be quite happy with either option, so I guess it depends on where your group's preferences lie and if the extra $10 makes a big difference to you or not. Everyone that goes to Maya Chan raves about it, but I thought Uvero was worth a 5/5 rating as well, so it is pretty much a toss up for me.

 

Hope that helps!

[cruisingcouple2008]

Thanks for the Reply Brilliant ......looking forward to the rest of your review. This has be so very well Written.:D

[4c's]

Nice review, Thanks

 

Can't wait for the Victory portion....

 

 

Jim

[shonandsuzie]

So far it's been great! I love your details and pictures a bunch!

I am sitting on pins and needles wating for the Victory part too.

[legalwife]

I know you are probably sick of writing review, but we sure are waiting for the Southern Carib on the Victory end.

 

Thanks and hang in there for those of us that are counting on you. You shouldn't have made the first part so good. :)