Photo Review - Carnival Dream Exotic Western Caribbean with FTTF - 12/8/12

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Our first stop on the Cozumel Bar Hop was Punta Morena, which is the most built up/upscale bar on the East side of the island. It is also home to the only swimming pool on the East side of the island. Since there is no electricity on this side of the island, power is provided by a combination of generators and solar panels.

 

 

 

 

 

[Cupcrazy]

Great review! Thanks so much for taking the time to post your review and fabulous pictures

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For those who didn't know, the island of Cozumel is made of dead, fossilized coral that was formed millions of years ago when the sea levels were higher. As the sea levels dropped, the coral fossilized and formed the hard rock that makes up the island today. Much of the coral is still exposed along the Eastern coast.

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Anyway, after the slight confusion over where our Sail & Sign cards were, the agent explained to us that next time we sign up for Faster to the Fun, we should proceed to the Faster to the Fun line so that we are at the same check-in area as our cards. No biggie, we still didn't have to wait in line at the regular check-in area and they were already doing General Boarding just after noon, so there was no wait in the terminal either.

 

Since we were given the FTTF stickers on our cards, we decided to go for the FTTF/Priority Boarding line at the boarding area where you get your THIRD photo taken and "ding" onto the ship for the first time. What was ironic was that the people in the general boarding line actually made it on before we did because the FTTF/Priority line only had two machines whereas the general line was using like six. So much for getting to the fun faster. In any case, it only took us maybe five minutes from the time we received our Sail & Sign cards until we were in the atrium on Deck 3.

 

Karma, perhaps.....since you didn't pay for the FTTF

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Coconuts - 2nd Stop on the Cozumel Bar Hop

 

About five minutes down the road from Punta Morena is Coconuts Bar & Grill. Coconuts sits on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea and is the highest point on the island at a little over 40 feet above sea level.

 

Coconuts does not have power except for a battery powered radio, so they do not serve frozen/blender drinks, but they do have filtered ice for mixed drinks and bring in fresh food from San Miguel every day.

 

Coconuts is also home to some of the hottest salsa that you will find on Cozumel. They use habanero peppers instead of jalapenos, and it makes for a very flavorful (and HOT!) salsa. It was delicious, but it will set your throat on fire.

 

Coconuts has a very fun/laid back atmosphere, and the owner is a big animal lover. His dog wants to play ball all afternoon with both the guests and the employees, and his cat, Garfield, will make himself at home in an empty chair at your table. He also has a few macaws and an alligator named Wilma that was injured during Hurricane Wilma and has called the area beneath Coconuts home ever since.

 

If you're nice to Greg, he might just show you the "menu" books, which are not safe for children! Lets just say that they have all sizes of coconuts to choose from.

 

If anyone happens to stop by Coconuts in the coming weeks or months, please keep a lookout for my old "FUNSHP" Ohio license plate that I left behind on this trip. I'd love to see a picture of it hanging on the walls/ceiling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Playa Bonita - 3rd Stop on the Cozumel Bar Hop

 

Playa Bonita is a neat little bar and souvenir stop on the East side of the island. The front of the building looks like a souvenir shop, but you walk through a little walkway and you find yourself in an open air bar/restaurant with sweeping views of the ocean and a nice little beach just down the stairs.

 

According to our guide, Greg, Playa Bonita is THE PLACE on Cozumel to get Margaritas. They are HUGE and strong! Greg told us to make sure to order the regular size if we were drinking them alone, as the large size is big enough to share among at least 2-3 people. My friend took this as a challenge and ordered a large for herself.

 

 

 

 

 

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BONUS STOP - Cozumel Bar Hop

 

Since our group was "so well behaved" and we were on schedule, Greg announced that we would make a brief bonus stop on our way from Playa Bonita to Rasta's at a scenic area where you can see some "land bridges" made of coral, where the water passes beneath the rock. They also have a little stand selling a drink called a Coco Loco, which is a strong rum drink served inside of a fresh coconut. This is not a scheduled stop, and there is no free shot/drink at this stop, but it was cool to spend 15 minutes here getting pictures and climbing the rocks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Beach_gal]

So loving your review!!! Thank you for the beautiful pics!

 

Cozumel is one of my favorite ports...I just love the bar hopping tours!

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Rasta's - 4th Stop on the Cozumel Bar Hop

 

Rasta's is the last stop on the Cozumel Bar Hop. It is a Reggae themed bar located just outside the Punta Sur preserve.

 

Rasta's is known for the coconut shrimp, which are not to be missed. Like Coconuts, they don't do blender drinks, but their margaritas served on the rocks are STRONG!

 

 

 

 

The infamous Laurie never showed for the bar hop, so Greg had an extra t-shirt. He passed it around and we all signed it and hung it on the ceiling.

 

And this is what you do after four free shots and the giant margarita from Playa Bonita...

 

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After five hours of drinking, Greg needs to do a head count to make sure everyone made it back on the bus...

 

 

Turns out we added a passenger back at Coconuts...

 

Unfortunately, our extra passenger would later get lost after too much to drink at Fat Tuesday back at Puerta Maya.

 

The Cozumel Bar Hop is one of the best excursions that I have been on, and certainly something different from the typical water/adventure activities offered at most ports. This was my fifth visit to Cozumel, and the first time that I have done something other than the tourist beaches and Senor Frogs. It was awesome being able to get away from the crowds and see the bars where the locals hang out on Sundays. The entire East side of the island has a different feel to it, and it is something entirely new and different to do for someone who has been to Cozumel several times in the past.

 

I highly recommend the Cozumel Bar Hop (www.cozumelbarhop.com) to anyone who is looking to do something different in Cozumel. Like I said, our group ranged in age from 24 to 70+, and everyone had a great time, and we came away with some new friends that we would run into again many times later in the cruise. For $57, the Cozumel Bar Hop includes a shot or small house specialty drink at each stop, a Cozumel Bar Hop t-shirt, and your transportation and guide for a five hour tour of the East side of the island. You get 45 minutes at each stop, which is just long enough to have a few drinks and maybe try the food or hang out on the beach before moving onto the next bar. I can guarantee that I will be back next time I'm in Cozumel!

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At the end of the bar hop, we had the option to either be dropped off at Puerta Maya or take the bus back downtown, but being that all of us were on the Carnival Dream and we only had about 90 minutes before we had to be back onboard, our entire group opted for the drop off at Puerta Maya.

 

As if we hadn't had enough to drink on the five hour bar hop, we decided to stop off at Fat Tuesday for one more before heading back to the ship. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos to share from Fat Tuesday, but we had quite the experience there and after a few of their 190 Octane (orange flavored frozen drink make with vodka and grain alcohol), needless to say, our friend the grasshopper got left behind and for the second time in three nights, we didn't make it to dinner in the dining room.

 

By the time we were up and moving again, we had missed dinner, so we headed to the Lido deck and had pizza while watching part of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides on the Seaside Theater screen.

 

Up next: Belize

[Beachlover1964]

Great review and beautiful pictures! Thanks for taking the time to write your review. Looking forward to the next installment.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review!

[cruisegal58]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review, which is wonderful. Love all the pics! Sailing the Dream in 2 weeks, fun to see what lies ahead, maybe not the bar hop! :eek:

Cindy

[travlngrl1996]

Awesome start. Anxiously awaiting my time :D.

[Cruiser 2 too]

Photos are beautiful! Anxiously awaiting the rest of your review. Thanks for sharing.

[reerun25]

Thanks for the review!! Really enjoying it, and we will be sailing the same itinerary in 3 months!

[MzOhioLady]

Awesome Review and Pictures!!

[dst]

Great review - looking forward to more as we are doing the same itinerary next month

[labgirl34]

This is an awesome review. We just contacted CBH to see if they had any room for this January. Sounds like crazy fun!! :)

[TrqoisWtrs]

Great pictures. Thanks for posting!

 

Did any of the waiters at Coconuts show the 'surprise' under their apron? :D