A great week aboard the Jewel - A heavenly experience

[jmele999]

Day 5 - Roatan

Victor Bodden's Fun-n-Sun excursion - cont

 

We stopped at Roatan's panorama hill where we not only enjoyed the views, but also did some shopping.

 

 

 

Tip - There are lots of vendors at panorama hill. If you see something you like and don't want to pay full price, make them an offer.

 

After panorama hill, we visited Victor's monkey business and got a chance to interact with a variety of friendly birds and animals.

 

 

 

 

So, here is a question for everyone. What do jmele999 and the monkey have in common?

 

 

We both like lychee, but I enjoy mine in a martini.

Edited February 7, 2014 by jmele999

[jmele999]

Day 5 - Roatan

Victor Bodden's Fun-n-Sun - Cont.

 

After enjoying a tour of the island, we arrived at West Bay Beach at around 11:30 am.

 

 

 

At some point in the afternoon, I got hungry and decided to go to the bar to order some food. I ordered chicken wings for myself and quesadilla for my DP. The food took forever and the bartender kept apologizing for the delay while refilling my cup with some very tasting drinks. After 30 minutes the food finally arrived, I paid the bill, and gave the bartender a very nice tip.

 

We left the beach at around 2:30 pm and were back in port by 3:00 pm. Overall, it was a great day and I am glad that we decided to explore Roatan. The tour was great and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to explore the island and enjoy the beach. The cost of the 5 hour tour and beach break was only $30.

Edited February 7, 2014 by jmele999

[gardiner41]

Day 5 - Roatan

Victor Bodden's Fun-n-Sun - Cont.

 

The tour was great and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to explore the island and enjoy the beach. The cost of the 5 hour tour and beach break was only $30.[/size]

 

Ok having read about your tour compared to our private tour with the same company. I would say other than the special surprise for my DH's birthday (which I am sure I could have arranged either way) your tour was better.

I did nto tell my DH but I was disappointed with our guide. He was not who I was promiced and there were a few elements I had specifically requested and assured of that did not happen. We ended up going back to the ship early as a result.

From the sounds of things yours was a more rounded experience...and much more cost effective.

We did arrive at the Monkeys before any of the groups though and as a result had more time with them and the birds and it was just the 2 of us and the guide.

I LOVED that part. I laughed and laughed at the antics of the spider monkeys and spent about 15 minutes playing with them until the next group came along. It was an unplanned stop for us and became one of the highlights of the day for me. We are both nature lovers and I am an animal lover. So I was like a kid I there. My DH was nervous and had a very worried look on is face because I was letting the monkey jump all over me and on my head and was feeding him. He said he was worried for my safety...I think he was jealous because that little guy reached down my top a few times lol ;)

[vie lee]

We had such a good time on this cruise and loved meeting you all that Pama and I are seriously think of booking the Jewel Next Jan out of Houston for our "girls" cruise..... It's perfect for us as she lives on the east coast and I live on the west coast we just meet in the middle! :D

[PrincessJen]

A group of us (11) are sailing on the Jewel in April and we are very excited. For the Mardi Gras party did you bring a mask or was that provided?

 

LOL re: you and the lychee martini and the monkey.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review.

[BigEasyCC]

Hi Jen. The masks came from Accent Annex in Metairie (just outside NewOrleans).I brought a few masks for special friends in our CC group.

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

[PrincessJen]

Hi Jen. The masks came from Accent Annex in Metairie (just outside NewOrleans).I brought a few masks for special friends in our CC group.

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

 

Thanks!

[jmele999]

Ok having read about your tour compared to our private tour with the same company. I would say other than the special surprise for my DH's birthday (which I am sure I could have arranged either way) your tour was better.

I did nto tell my DH but I was disappointed with our guide. He was not who I was promiced and there were a few elements I had specifically requested and assured of that did not happen. We ended up going back to the ship early as a result.

From the sounds of things yours was a more rounded experience...and much more cost effective.

We did arrive at the Monkeys before any of the groups though and as a result had more time with them and the birds and it was just the 2 of us and the guide.

 

Sorry to hear that your tour was not what you expected. I am sure that it was a very disappointing experience considering how much time you spent planning your surprise for your DH's birthday. However, I must say that we enjoyed the cake at the Monkey Farm.

[jmele999]

Hi Jen. The masks came from Accent Annex in Metairie (just outside NewOrleans).I brought a few masks for special friends in our CC group.

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

 

A big thanks to BigEasyCC for her gifts.

[jmele999]

A group of us (11) are sailing on the Jewel in April and we are very excited. For the Mardi Gras party did you bring a mask or was that provided?

 

LOL re: you and the lychee martini and the monkey.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review.

 

Hi PrincessJen. Thanks for following the review. I am sure that you are going to have a great time on your cruise. Let us know if you have any questions.

[jmele999]

Day 5 - Roatan

Late afternoon, Latitudes reception and dinner

 

After returning from the tour, we spent some time in the Haven relaxing - DP enjoying the Caribbean Sun while I relaxed in the hot tub.

 

At 5:30 pm we attended the Latitudes Reception for Silver, Gold and Platinum members. I was very surprised that there was only about 200 guests. Overall, I think that there were not that many Latitudes member during our cruise. During the event they served champagne and wine, but based on recommendations from fellow cruise critic members I made my way to the bar and got myself a dirty martini. After getting the first martini, the waitress stopped by and brought us several glasses of champagne.

 

 

For dinner we selected to have dinner in our balcony. Our butler, Bagus, who was great during the week brought us and served dinner one course at a time. It was a great dinner while enjoying a cool breeze and listening the waves. Here is one of my favorite pictures of the dinner.

 

 

We enjoyed dessert in the balcony and relaxed before attending the chocoholic buffet.

[jmele999]

Day 5 - Roatan

Chocoholic buffet

 

Prior the event we met up with our friends BigEeasyCC and Gardiner41 and their DHs and were allowed to enter the buffet 15 minutes before the general public. During the buffet, we celebrated the birthdays of Mr. Big EeasyCC and Mr. Gardiner41 who both celebrated their 21st birthday during the cruise.

 

 

As we entered the buffet we were welcomed by a large number of crew members.

 

 

And we wasted no time in taking pictures of the fabulous desserts before they became a delicious memory.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 10, 2014 by jmele999

[jmele999]

Day 5 - Roatan

Chocoholic buffet

 

 

 

After a great day in Roatan and lots of chocolate we went to bed early.

Edited February 10, 2014 by jmele999

[HardHeadedWoman]

Loving this review! The Haven looks spectacular! It's like your own personal oasis. My DH and I awe thinking about doing a similar itinerary in the future so I'm definitely bookmarking this thread. :D

[jmele999]

Loving this review! The Haven looks spectacular! It's like your own personal oasis. My DH and I awe thinking about doing a similar itinerary in the future so I'm definitely bookmarking this thread. :D

 

Thanks for reading the review.

[jmele999]

We had such a good time on this cruise and loved meeting you all that Pama and I are seriously think of booking the Jewel Next Jan out of Houston for our "girls" cruise..... It's perfect for us as she lives on the east coast and I live on the west coast we just meet in the middle! :D

 

Hi Vie Lee. Pama mentioned that you gals were considering the Jewel out of Houston. I told her that we are sailing on the January 17th cruise. Would be nice to cruise with you again. In order to spend more time with you and Pama, I am going to ask the hotel director to make special sleeping arrangements for me and to put my bed in the casino. LoL.

[jmele999]

Day 6 - Costa Maya

Tropicante, sail away celebration, Cagney's.

 

We did not have a lot of plans for our last port of call, Costa Maya, and so we slept in (sorry no sunrise pictures), had a relaxed breakfast, and prepared for a beach day at Tropicante.

 

The Hal Ryndam was docked next us and it is a very small ship in comparison to the Jewel.

 

 

Here are some pictures of the port area. There is a large pool, several bars, and lots of stores for those who want to spend the day shopping and relaxing in port.

 

 

After doing some shopping we walked outside the plaza and took a shuttle for $3 per person to the beach area. The shuttle makes five stops and if you don't know where you are going, simply tell the driver where you would like to go. Taxis are no longer allowed in the cruise terminal to pick up passengers. However, you can take a taxi on your way back to port.

 

Tropicante is a small beach front resort where you can get great margaritas for 5 dollars, an hour-long massage for $30, and lunch for about $10. The owner, Steve, and staff are very friendly and go out of their way to make your stay very enjoyable and relaxing. http://www.sandalsandskis.com/Tropicante.html

 

 

 

When we got to Tropicante we were informed that some of our friends were waiting for us. We were surprised that TinaWhiteCar and her husband had reserved some loungers for us. Thanks TinaWhiteCar. Shortly after arriving, we go massages on the beach ($30) - they were great! After the massages, we grabbed some nachos and margaritas and enjoyed the view. However, very quickly it got very cloudy and it started to rain.

 

 

Edited February 11, 2014 by jmele999

[tmcmom]

Hi jmele999 -

Just catching up on your posts after getting that wedding business out of the way. I'm loving the photos! We took a spur of the moment trip in Roatan with Bodden Tours, and ended up being the only ones there visiting the monkeys. Was the highlight of my daughter's trip.

 

 

[NSinMG]

I've beeing reading your review over the last few days and enjoyed it along with the pictures.

 

Looking forward to more.

[LAKECLIFF]

Hi Vie Lee. Pama mentioned that you gals were considering the Jewel out of Houston. I told her that we are sailing on the January 17th cruise. Would be nice to cruise with you again. In order to spend more time with you and Pama, I am going to ask the hotel director to make special sleeping arrangements for me and to put my bed in the casino. LoL.

 

Great Idea! Slumber Party!!! :D Let's all sleep in the casino!

[destaw7182]

I am thoroughly enjoying your review. The pictures are amazing and I like how detailed your reviews are of each port of call. Thank you so much for sharing!

[Mrsjones0202]

Love this review ! Great pictures and very informative.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[TowerOrchard]

Loving this review - DH & I will be on the Jewel in October. Caye Caulker sounds perfect - we were debating even getting off the ship in Belize since we've been there and done the cave tubing and zip lines before. I had never even heard of this as an option!

[gardiner41]

Sorry to hear that your tour was not what you expected. I am sure that it was a very disappointing experience considering how much time you spent planning your surprise for your DH's birthday. However, I must say that we enjoyed the cake at the Monkey Farm.

 

:-) That was a great cake and surprise for Rob. I was very pleased with that. So glad you and your DP could join us. We have discussed the day since and he was very pleased with everything so even though it did not go the way I planned or hoped, he was happy..and that was the ultimate goal so it was a win :-)

 

DH speaks fondly of you and your DP :)

[jmele999]

Hello all,

 

Sorry for the delay. I have been sick with a bad cold, but now feeling better and ready to continue with the review.

 

Before continuing with the review, I wanted to share something that a fellow cruiser, LAKECLIFF, wanted to post, but was unable to share the pictures. Thanks LAKECLIFF for your comments.

 

Here is what she wanted to share:

 

"I wanted to comment on the difference between the "welcome back onboard" reception between the Jewel and the Ryndam. The Jewel had the dance music blasting with the crew members dancing in two lines with each other and the passengers. The Ryndam had a few crew members and a stack of wheelchairs by the entrance.... AND the Ryndam decks were lined with people looking down at the party going on at the Jewel entrance and I am sure they were wishing they were on our ship...lol.

The Jewel "Welcome Back Onboard" party

 

The Ryndam.

Edited February 14, 2014 by jmele999