Caribbean Princess out of Houston Review Nov 9-16

[whataboutport]

Loving your review - we are the ship in January!!!! Thank you for doing such a great comprehensive report. Lori

No prob! Happy to help! Glad to know it will help someone, as this was the first 7 nt sailing from this port, I had no idea what to expect. Have fun in Jan! It will be Jan before you know it!

[whataboutport]

Finally we get to Tulum! I've been wanted to come here for years!!! When you get off the bus, you walk past some shops and restaurants. Our guide recommended Senor Frosty's for food on the way back. Well we went in search of a fresh coconut and SF's had some! For $3 we got one and had envious looks for the rest of the afternoon. There is quite a bit of walking involved before you even get to the site, so keep that in mind. I wore flip flops and I was fine, but the pathway is mostly rocks and one part was flooded due to the rains.

 

Once you get to the gate you have to wait once again for your guide to get all the group's tickets for entry. But it's worth the wait. You go thru this little opening in the wall. What a neat tree too. We love plants, but I'll spare you guys 100s of pix of plants and trees.

 

 

And when you pass the wall, you are hit in the face with WOW.

 

 

 

 

 

Bc there were only two ships in port that day, it was not crowded at all. One of the cons I've read about Tulum is it's so crowded and you feel like a herd of cattle all day. That was not the case for us. So I think it's good to check to see how many other ships will be in port that day if you're thinking about coming here. Actually not a bad idea to do that no matter where you're headed.

 

Yes the ruins are all roped off, and you cannot climb on them. I don't mnd that bc if everyone were allowed to climb on them, we would have none to share with our future generations. I remember when I was a kid we were still able to climb on Chitchen Itza (sp?) but now you can't. Good. It was scary as hell anyway.

Edited November 23, 2013 by whataboutport

[whataboutport]

More pics of this beautiful site.

 

 

 

 

And then speaking of not climbing on the ruins, we see these two dumb a**es totally ignoring the signs and rops and go up there.

 

It says NO PASAR! I really wanted to say something to them. Perhaps I should have.

 

Almost getting to the beach! Actually this is a different part that I don't think you can access this beach. It was roped off.

Edited November 23, 2013 by whataboutport

[whataboutport]

Yes you can access the beach via the stairs going dwon, and OMG what a beautiful beach it was! Keep in mind there are not showers or changing rooms here. If you want to swim you have to be ready from the ship. There is however a lifeguard. The waves were pretty strong, so good for them to employ one. By this time it was the afternoon and the tide was coming in.

 

 

 

 

There are a lot of steps and they are steep. Also the very last step is about 2 1/2 feet high. If you have knee issues or something might be a bit of a challenge. Although there is a rope there for you to use, and even though I'm fairly young and used the stairs through the cruise, I did have to use this rope bc I'm really short (5'2").

 

So you can see in the pics the beach is pretty crowded and it's a tiny little beach. However if you keep going all the way to the right you will get to this.

 

And there's hardly anyone there.

Another view.

 

And heading back.

[lovevacadays]

I am loving your review and pictures. I can't wait to see more. What camera did you use? Your pictures are amazing!

[whataboutport]

Still walking back:

 

So heading back to the bus you exit through a different gate. There are actually a few of these gates throughout the site.

 

So then we had the long walk back to the bus, and we were hungry, so we went back to Senor Frosty's for another coconut and some tacos. If I remember correctly, it was three tacos with rice and beans for $8. But we didn't want rice and beans so the guy said we could get one more taco in place of the rice and beans for the same price. They had choices of beef, chicken, or fish. We got two beef, two fish. The fish had good flavor but it was very mushy in texture. Also the were served with iceberg lettuce instead of cabbage. Huh? The beef was very tough and full of grizzle. I didn't finish my beef taco which was served on a flour tortilla. Huh again. Oh well. You also get chips and salsa. The salsa is pretty hot. Lots of people got guacamole too.

 

Well we were one of the last ones on the bus, and it was time to head back to Playa del Carmen to catch the ferry back to the ship. The bus dropped us off in a different place so the guides can take you through town to shop. We saw these guys in the big plaza.

 

Well while the guide was leading us back to the ferry area, one of the shop workers there made cow moo sounds at us while we herded by. Yeah I know we do feel like herded cattle sometimes, but to make cow noises mocking us confused me. Doesn't he want us to spend money in his shop? Yet he's insulting us? So needless to say we mooved on by his shop.

 

The ferries going back are smaller and faster than the ones going out. We were bus 5 and I think we had Bus 6 and 7 still waiting to get in line to go back. So if anyone was wondering why the ship left Coz late that day, it was bc of us Tulum-ers! So the good thing about booking an all day excursion such as this thru the ship, is they won't leave behind 300+ pax! Plus it's quite a journey to the site, and I would not be comfortable trying to find my own way there.

 

Sun setting on the way back.

 

 

 

It was a very long day but totally exceeded our expectations. We want to come back soon bc on the way to Tulum there were a lot of places nearby that I want to visit someday. There's lots of cenotes in the area as well.

[whataboutport]

I am loving your review and pictures. I can't wait to see more. What camera did you use? Your pictures are amazing!

Thanks so much! I'm just using a little Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. It's the older model, and was shot mostly in auto mode! I really want to get a DSLR but I hate how big they are and of course they're pricey. This one suits me just fine as I am just now learning how to compose shots, which way to face, etc.

[whataboutport]

Oh another thing. On the way back, try to get a seat near the open air. bc of the long hot day, there were plenty of stinky people on board and the ferry was packed to the max. Smelling someone's BO for half an hour was not fun.

[ASeaPrincess1]

Loving your review and pictures.

Please hurry and finish, as I am going next week!!:D:D

 

BTW......how hot and humid WAS it????:eek:

[kellor]

WOW! I love your pictures! Thank you again!

[whataboutport]

Loving your review and pictures.

Please hurry and finish, as I am going next week!!:D:D

 

BTW......how hot and humid WAS it????:eek:

Awesome! I wish I could stow away with you! LOL

 

I'm from So Cal also, and you know how dry it is here, so we aren't used to humidity. Even at the beach, it really doesn't get that humid here. The sunny days were high 80s with 100% humidity, so it felt a lot hotter than it really was. However, you get used to it. And it seemed like th heat didn't "hold in" all day. By late afternoon it really cooled down, but in CA, on a hot day it's hot all the way until 8 or 9pm.

 

Our forecast was mostly cloudy, thunder storms, etc, and we really only got one full day of rain, and even still it was off and on. Prepare for rain, and hopefully you will get sun.

 

If you have a compact umbrella, it'd be a good idea to bring one. Even if it doesn't rain, it's great for some portable shade.

 

I'll try to finish the cruise portion in the next few days. I'll do the NOLA part later if there is any interest. (Hint: I didn't really enjoy NOLA :eek:)

[whataboutport]

WOW! I love your pictures! Thank you again!

My pleasure! Thanks for following along.

[whataboutport]

After the long day in Tulum, we pretty much just ate at the buffet and then knocked out. We had another full day tomorrow in Roatan, but good thing our excursion was just a day of relaxation. We booked the private island Maya Key.

 

The weather was gorgeous that day. This was our view from our starboard side cabin.

 

 

You could see two shipwrecks on our side. I love seeing shipwrecks. Well you know what I mean.

 

We needed to meet our group at 9:30 and can anyone guess what happened? Yup, that's right kids, we were late again! We didn't get to the meeting spot until about 20 mins after they left. I was pretty upset bc so far we have been on time for absolutely nothing. The guy we were asking said the group already left and there wasn't going to be another boat going there. Crap! now what? I knew the island was not far away. In fact the boat ride from the dock is only about 15 mins. So I asked him if there was any way we could pay for a private boat to bring us there. He actually said he could help us out if we wanted to pay $5 or 10 per person and he would personally drive us over to where he can get us a boat to come pick us up. Wow! really? awesome.

 

So we followed him to his car, and he drove us about 15 mins to the point that is closest to Maya Key, which is actually directly across from the airport. While driving he made a few calls and he was able to get someone to come and meet us and bring us over. This was our view of the island from where he brought us. You can see the dock where you snorkel off of in the distance.

 

 

When the boat showed up, we thanked him profusely and tipped him generously. I also forgot his name, but he's a light skinned guy, he said he was born and raised on the island, and a bit on the shorter side. Very nice guy. Thank you!

 

So now we got a private boat ride over to the private island!

 

 

And since it was the start of the season, our ship was the only one in port, so it was really quiet, and our island was even MORE quiet! Perfect!

Edited November 23, 2013 by whataboutport

[satxdiver]

Great review. I just found it. I have been to Tulum three times and loved it. They closed the pier because the Carnival was coming in and would be tied to the other side of the pier. They did not want pax on the pier at that time due to possible injuries to pax when attaching the other ship to the pier as well as pax getting in the way of the workers.

 

Coz has three ports for cruise ships. The Carnival Corp uses Puerta Maya for all its different cruise lines like CCL and Princess. RCCL uses the International Pier which is a short walk away. Puerta Maya is nicer IMO than the International pier.

 

Your advice to use the ship Tulum tour is spot on. The last time we did this the ship had to wait for our return. Once we all had boarded the ship, it left port. I also second the idea of getting a window seat on return because the smell can be rather strong.

[whataboutport]

Great review. I just found it. I have been to Tulum three times and loved it. They closed the pier because the Carnival was coming in and would be tied to the other side of the pier. They did not want pax on the pier at that time due to possible injuries to pax when attaching the other ship to the pier as well as pax getting in the way of the workers.

 

Coz has three ports for cruise ships. The Carnival Corp uses Puerta Maya for all its different cruise lines like CCL and Princess. RCCL uses the International Pier which is a short walk away. Puerta Maya is nicer IMO than the International pier.

 

Your advice to use the ship Tulum tour is spot on. The last time we did this the ship had to wait for our return. Once we all had boarded the ship, it left port. I also second the idea of getting a window seat on return because the smell can be rather strong.

 

Ahh makes perfect sense! Thanks for posting that. So obvious now that you've pointed that out.

[satxdiver]

So you missed the tour again! I hope you were able to catch the boat ride back to the ship. :D

 

I have found the people on Roatan to be quite friendly and willing to help. Last time we were there we had a taxi driver spend the day taking us to several sites we wanted to see followed by a beach break at the West End. He waited for us and took us (5) back to the ship all for $100 including tip.

 

Roatan has two cruise ship ports. You should have been at Mahogany Bay which is a destination in itself. RCCL ships tie up at the Coxen Hole pier.

 

We were on the 5 day CB cruise to Progresso, MX just prior to your cruise. It was a special cruise for US veterans. The arrival of the ship from NYC and our boarding was the first time Bayport had been used since the few weeks it was used after hurricane Ike closed Galveston several years ago. So having a cruise ship use Bayport was a new experience and they have problems to solve in their approach to working with cruise ships. Like others have said, the staff in Bayport are not full time employees but rather temps. The cruise terminal will only be used on Saturdays this winter for the CB. Other than that it sits empty.

[whataboutport]

Once we got off the boat and tipped the boat crew, we were met by a woman who gave us the run down of where everything was. The island is small, but has lots to do. Gorgeous plants everywhere! The island is very well maintained as far as the plants, However there was trash in many places and I'll talk about that as I get to that area.

 

 

 

There is a gift shop with ice cold AC on, where you can buy snacks, souveniers, etc. We should have bought some post cards here, bc I think this is the only place you can get Maya key post cards (since it's a cruise ship owned island). There are large and very clean bathrooms and lockers you can use which I think are free but no need to use them bc there were only a handful of people on the island, and I didn't feel i needed to. left my stuff on a lounger and nothing went missing. Now if it had been busier, i would suggest to use a locker.

 

There is also a place to rent snorkel equip. I thought the excursion cost included the snorkel equip but it does not. I think it was $12 for snorkel/mask/fins, and $15 if you wanted all that and the vest. The quality of the equip was not bad. Masks didn't leak, fins were sized instead of the one size fits all kind. The water there is so calm you don't need a vest. But I'll get in more detail of the snorkeling in a bit.

 

First thing we did was walk around the island. There are many animals on this island that are supposedly rescues. I don't know if this is true or not. Personally i don't know how I feel about the large cats in cages for the rest of their life. But the animals all looked well fed and healthy.

 

 

This guy looked extremely bored.

 

There was another big cat that would not stop pacing in his cage, which made me sad.

 

These parrots were a hoot. They kept fighting with each other, then they'd go in this corner and help each other dig a hole.

[whataboutport]

So you missed the tour again! I hope you were able to catch the boat ride back to the ship. :D

 

I have found the people on Roatan to be quite friendly and willing to help. Last time we were there we had a taxi driver spend the day taking us to several sites we wanted to see followed by a beach break at the West End. He waited for us and took us (5) back to the ship all for $100 including tip.

 

Roatan has two cruise ship ports. You should have been at Mahogany Bay which is a destination in itself. RCCL ships tie up at the Coxen Hole pier.

 

We were on the 5 day CB cruise to Progresso, MX just prior to your cruise. It was a special cruise for US veterans. The arrival of the ship from NYC and our boarding was the first time Bayport had been used since the few weeks it was used after hurricane Ike closed Galveston several years ago. So having a cruise ship use Bayport was a new experience and they have problems to solve in their approach to working with cruise ships. Like others have said, the staff in Bayport are not full time employees but rather temps. The cruise terminal will only be used on Saturdays this winter for the CB. Other than that it sits empty.

 

OMG if we missed the boat back to the ship I think I should just be locked up. But thank goodness, no we did not miss that one! haha!!

 

Yes we did dock in Mahogany Bay. Our CD said on the AM show that sometimes they do dock in Coxen Hole also. When bf heard him say "Coxen Hole" he burst into laughter. I guess he heard something different. :cool: After Maya Key we walked around mahogany beach since we still had time to kill. I'm glad we didn't go there. It was much to "spring breaky" for me there.

[whataboutport]

Continuing on with our animal tour, we saw this cool looking island and the howler monkeys hang out here.

 

We circled all the way around the back and there is a very steep hill. if you go up that hill you will be at the top of the replica Mayan ruins. There is a museum inside with some replica artifacts and most importantly, ice cold AC! Then we took the stairs down the front of the ruins back to the animal area. We saw this.

 

And then walked the rest of the island on the water's edge as much as we could.

 

 

 

 

 

Can anyone say paradise???

[whataboutport]

If you go to the right from the main beach area (back towards where the boat docks) it gets a little rocky, but if you want to see critters, go there. First you will get to a very rocky spot and if you look closely on the ground, it will be covered in baby hermit crabs.

 

 

I even found a baby uni (sea urchin). I love unis, I even named my dog Uni. Unfortunately it was dead.

 

It is also in the area, unfortunately, that there was lots of trash. I saw several Dora the Explorer diapers, a shoe, various bottles and bottle caps. It sucked seeing that. I know people do litter, but many times it's washed up on shore from somewhere else. But seeing several of the same kind of diaper tells me someone on that island sometime in the past was being very inconsiderate. :mad: I wish the staff would keep the less traveled parts more clean. But overall it was not trash everywhere. however, I did see some other pax that were picking up trash out of the water and throwing it away. Good for them!

 

Anyway, from the hermit crabs, keep going to the right. You will now be getting within eye shot of the dock where the boat is. There are several places you can enter the water and then it gets really rocky, perfect for looking for critters. And guess what i found? More unis!

 

 

 

I was able to pry this white one off the rocks.

 

I tried to pick up a black one bc those are the ones that are good eatin' but the spine are much more pokey and I got stabbed.

Edited November 23, 2013 by whataboutport

[whataboutport]

Time to go snorkeling. You go to the end of this dock and the reef is right there.

 

 

 

There are staff members in the hut at the end of the dock to help you out if you've never snorkeled before. We went in and the water was very warm, though not that clear. And the first thing I saw was another Dora diaper. =/ There weren't as many fish as I had hoped. There were fish but I imagined it to be teeming with fish that it was not. I don't know if the reef was really alive or not. It looked more like stuff growing on rocks rather than all coral. But there was still stuff to see. There is a trail of bottles underneath the water and that's the "trail" you follow. At the end of the trail you see the drop off. I was too scared to venture out past the drop off. Also my Go Pro ran out of battery and I forgot to charge it. (When we got back to the cabin I found that I forgot to bring the charger! Grrr.) I got a few pics but bc the visability wasn't great, the pics didn't come out great either. Also when I uploaded them, they got erased from the camera, and I can't find them on my computer either. WTH?

 

After snorkeling it was time to eat. Lunch is included, and though it's set up buffet style, I don't think it's all you can eat, as they mark off your wristband when you go to get food. But the food was good! BBQ chicken drumsticks (they try to give you two, but I usually don't care for chicken so I just said one. it was good, I should have got two!), deep fried sea bass, salad with choice of dressing, red beans/rice, fried plantain chips, and included ice tea and water. Everything was very tasty except the plantains were kinda stale. There's also a bar to buy beer or liquor, and they also sell cigarettes. Near the restaurant/patio area there is also a pool in the shape of a turtle which looked nicely maintained.

 

Then I finally went into the beach section and got in the water there. There you could see lots of very tiny fish in schools and would swim right up to the shore. I like to look for shells and lots of people who doing the same. However, the rocky place I mentioned before is a much better spot for shell hunting. I thought I was trying to pick up one shell here and it turned out to be one of these guys.

 

Then later on I thought I was kicking a rock, but it was another much larger crab. He was too fast and I wasn't able to catch him for a pic.

 

We just lounged around for the rest of our time there, and thankfully we were NOT late to the boat back to the ship. It wasn't until now that I noticed they have a shark out by the dock. He is fenced in.

 

Just a short boat ride back to the Mahogany. Looked like we were going to get run over by the CB in this shot.

[sminfiddle]

. The cruise terminal will only be used on Saturdays this winter for the CB. Other than that it sits empty.

It gets a good amount of cargo business weekdays; each time I've driven down they are loading or unloading a cargo ship.

 

 

 

~sent using Cruise Critic app~

[whataboutport]

Oh about the insects. We did get bit, even though we brought and used bug spray. I got a few bites on my back and legs. Bf got a bunch on his back. But only a few of them got itchy, which was weird. The next day I was talking to a woman on the tender back from Belize and she said they hung out at Mahogany and they got bit a lot from the sand fleas (no-see-ums). But def bring some. You can find them at sporting goods stores in the smallest pen size one and that's more than enough for two people.

 

So now onto Mahogany Bay beach. Once I saw statues like this I was glad we did what we did that day. Like I said, too "spring breaky" for us.

 

 

It's basically a big wooden boardwalk with bars/restaurants and then the beach area lined up with loungers and cabanas resort style.

 

All the way at the end of the beach is this dock, which I guess you can snorkel from.

 

Looking back at the ship from the beach.

 

They have those ski lift chair things that you can take from the pier to the beach, but really it's not a long walk at all. you can see them above this fan palm.

 

There's also some shops before you get to the beach area. We spent some time in there, but didn't see anything we had to have.

[whataboutport]

It gets a good amount of cargo business weekdays; each time I've driven down they are loading or unloading a cargo ship.

 

 

 

~sent using Cruise Critic app~

I think you are correct, bc when we got back, their was a freighter in front of us and I think they were docking there as well. Right next to the cruise ship area you can see those giant cranes they use to unload the containers from the ships to the trucks and there were a LOT of containers there.

[whataboutport]

Nice photo op here.

 

This was taken from on the bridge. You can do water sports here, stand up paddle board, kayak, etc, and the other side you can do dolphin encounter stuff. The water here didn't look very clean though. Or I suppose it was just deeper.

 

There's also little nature trail that's maybe not even a 1/8 of a mile. LOL

 

Over on the other side of the port area there is more shopping. This is the area where you meet with your excursion groups in the morning. We found a shop that sells all t shirts for $5. They had some pretty nice looking designs but the fabric quality is cheap. What can you expect for $5?

 

We were pretty much done with MB so we went back on the ship. Not enough time to really do anything else.

 

 

 

Last shot of MB as the sun goes down.