Review: Dec 08 FOS Western Caribbean

[mnolan770]

Still in the car on the way home from Port Canaveral. Wife and I were on the December 08 FOS western Caribbean cruise. Background, first RCCL cruise. In the past couple of years we've done a few Celebrity cruises and a few HAL cruises. We are mid 40s, no kids.

 

Embarkation: Fairly painless embarkation. We drove down from Atlanta the day before and stayed at the Residence Inn near the port. With one night stay, we we're able to able to leave the car in their parking lot all week for free. They also provided shuttle to and from the port. We got to the port around noon thirty. Took about 45 minutes through security to the room. The rooms were ready when we boarded.

 

Room: We were in 7694 port side balcony. The bed was near the balcony. Sofa on the inside. Room was very clean. Very impressed with the cleanliness of the room. The balcony included two chairs and a small table for drinks. The only bathroom amenity was shampoo in a preloaded dispenser in the shower. There was plenty of storage for the two of us. We travel pretty light. One large suitcase and two carry-ons.

 

Drink packages: we both bought drink packages. Wife got the replenish package for $20 per day. This included coffees and teas from the onboard Starbucks, bottled water, and the freestyle soda cup. I bought the select package for $40 per day. This included most beer, wine $8 and under and the freestyle cup. A few caveats on the $40 package. You can not get wine that is over $8 and just pay the difference. I asked several different bartenders and was told no by everyone of them. Also, it does not include all beer. The first few hours of the cruise, I was enjoying Sierra Nevada. Later in the evening, I was declined. I asked why and the bartender showed me a printout that had been distributed to bars that excluded it and many others. I'm not sure of the exact others, but the list was pretty long. I was able to get Stella and regular Sam Adams. All in all, I would say the packages are worth it for us. Wife enjoyed her morning latte. I enjoyed not worrying about how many beers I had during the day.

 

MDR: Food was not bad...but it was not great. It did not compare to what we have grown accustomed to on Celebrity and HAL. This was consistent for all dining venues. We did MyTime dining and never had to wait for a table. Had the same server every night but one. We ate in the MDR 4 nights.

 

Buffet: Like the MDR, not bad, but nothing to write home about. Not a lot of variety at any mealtime. We ate in the buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the week. Breakfast was the worst. Dinner was the best.

 

Chops Grill: good food. We both had filets. What you would expect from a mid tier steak restaurant on land. No complaints.

 

Sorrentos: Inconsistent. Some days the pizza was pretty good and other days inedible.

 

Shows: Freedom Ice is one of the best shows at sea that I've seen. One of the comedians was pretty good, the other two that we saw were weak. Especially the guy that was doing impersonations. The worth impersonator I've ever seen. He wouldn't have made it through one round on America's Got Talent.

 

Cruise Director: I liked him. I know some don't but I thought he was funny and memorable.

 

Ports: Due to a medical emergency shortly after we left Port Canaveral and the subsequent return to the port, we missed most of the day in Labadee. But the few hours we had there were nice. A good private location.

 

In Jamaica we booked Dunn's River falls and horseback riding through Peat Taylor's tours. It was a fun but long day. The falls were fun, but wouldn't recommend the horse back riding portion. Tired horses with a trek through a local neighborhood. We felt like jerk Americans riding our horses through their neighborhood.

 

In Grand Cayman, we took a city bus (van) over to 7 Mile Beach for the day. $2.50 per person each way, very easy and much cheaper than a taxi. Bus parking is located a few blocks off the main road at the port. Just walk towards the library. It's right next door. Tell the guy in the booth where you want to go. He will give you good instructions from there.

 

In Cozumel, we booked a day at Mr. Sancho's. We did the all inclusive for $45 per person. Took a cab from the port, $16 each way for the four of us; me, wife, and another couple that was traveling with us. I can't recommend this place enough. I will always go here when I return to Cozumel. Good food, nice beach, nice people, drinks, great facility. Do this!

 

Disembarkation: no trouble here. They were running a bit behind. But we were still off in under an hour from our schedule time.

 

Any questions, let me know.

[MsBrownize]

Thanks for review! Getting on in a week...

 

I actually had considered the Dunns River Falls and horseback riding, but will definitely stick with just the Falls.....

[caral2004]

Thanks for the review! We will be on FOS on March!

[mnolan770]

Thanks for review! Getting on in a week...

 

I actually had considered the Dunns River Falls and horseback riding, but will definitely stick with just the Falls.....

 

You may want to consider just taking a cab and doing it on your own. Not sure the guided tour would be necessary for just the falls.

[mtns2sea]

Welcome back. Thanks for the review.

 

 

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[mnolan770]

Now that I've been home for a week, I thought of a few other things to add.

 

1. In Cozumel, we wanted to grab a cab to Mr. Sancho's. There were two RCCL ships in port. We arrived at practically the same time. So the line for cabs was huge. Next door, the Carnival ship was just getting tied off. We knew it would be at least a half hour before they starting letting people off. So we walked next door to their dock and got right in a cab, no waiting. Totally worth the five minute walk.

 

2. The husband of the couple traveling with us booked the $60 Flowrider private lesson. He really enjoyed it. It was an hour lesson. There were about 6 people in his group.

 

3. We could not get escargot at any time we were in the MDR for dinner...for those interested in that sorta thing.

[jenfromjersey]

We were also on this sailing as our honeymoon. I agree 100% about the impressionist. He was horribly boring. His impressions weren't bad, but the set ups were just way too long. We actually left about 10 minutes in.

 

I adored Richard Spacey, thought he was the best CD I have seen in my 5 cruises. He made the cruise for us. This was my new husband's first cruise and he has now been bitten by the bug!

[3DBeach]

Nice review, thanks for taking the time to share.

 

 

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[atlgants]

Subbing!