Constellation Review February 8 2014

[Iamthesea]

And it's mine for 12 nights in May/June if Cindy backs out of the cruise. :D

[JimHam4]

DAY 3 - AT SEA

 

We had planned to use room service on our sea days to sit and relax on the balcony as long as possible, but with the power outage yesterday and our tour later this morning we decide it a good morning to give Blu a true test for breakfast. I have the half grapefruit, along with egg white omelet, english back bacon and a berry blast smoothie. Breakfast is VERY good and the grapefruit is one of the best I have had in a long time (and I’m from citrus country). Have to be honest though, I was walking through the buffet one morning, not even hungry but couldn’t pass up the omelet station, and the egg white omelet from the buffet was every bit as good as Blu’s (how many ways can you make an omelet right)? I didn’t order the French Toast until our last morning on the ship and regret I didn’t do so MUCH sooner. On our last morning in Blu one of the couple we met kept have plates of sticky buns brought out them. Seems they had cruised with this staff before and sticky buns aren’t always made but when they are every staff member knew he would want one so brought it out to him. Good for us, it meant they more than enough to share and all of us around them got to partake. Classic sticky buns, not to be missed if you can find them (they don’t appear on the menu). We leave Blu and head up to Cafe al Bacio to meet with the Environmental Officer for our tour.

 

A little early I can’t resist getting a cafe mocha (and a few pastries) while we wait. Cafe al Bacio was consistently good the entire cruise, I enjoyed both hot and cold coffee drinks along with their organic iced tea. Had an IGLU one morning, delicious but shouldn’t even be considered coffee there is so much other stuff in it. We meet Dimitri the Environmental Officer and sit down at a table to talk about the ship before starting our tour. Dimitri has just recently joined the Constellation after having served on the Silhouette. He tells us about his duties on the ship which include not just waste product, but anything we need to survive on board (water quality, air quality, etc.) We make our way down to Deck 1 to begin our tour where we are joined by a security officer to make sure we behave.

 

My wife tells me later she could hear very little of what Dimitri and I were talking about but she found it fascinating just looking around at the “backstage” area the crew works from and how different it is from where the guests live their lives. Reminds us of how it was at Disneyland where there was so much going on the guests never saw to make everything work smoothly. My primary focus is on their recycling and how they get the recyclables moved out of their waste stream. Dimitri explains he basically has a crew of two (two? I have eight guys to handle a similar sized waste stream!) He explains however that most of their separation occurs up in the guest area at the source; that the blue recycle cans you see and the staff working in housekeeping and food services play a large part in making sure recyclables are sorted long before they ever make it down to his team. To get the crew to buy into the program revenue earned from the recyclables is put into a crew “welfare” fund that they use to buy TV’s, Xbox’s, etc for use in the crew’s quarters. They recycle just about everything including bottles, cardboard, aluminum and paper. I found it interesting they are also able to recycle their fluorescent light bulbs and aerosol cans, two items considered a hazardous waste in California; these items are put into a crusher/filter to remove the hazardous materials and then they are able to process the glass and metal like normal recyclables. The ship uses a pulverizer and baler to reduce everything to its smallest size and make it fit into a couple of holds until they can unload it. Dimitri said the two holds can hold about a weeks worth of recyclables and on these short cruises they just unload when they return to Fort Lauderdale. On a longer cruise they have to unload at a port mid-trip to make room; he said European cities pay much more for the recyclables so they are able to choose the best port on their itinerary to unload. Food waste is one of the biggest problems for programs to get rid of, but Dimitri says it really isn’t a problem for them as they are moving through international waters. Food is pulverized to almost nothing in size and let go into the ocean when they are under way. In my experience the pulverization process removes just about all water from the food and leaves a very compact amount of waste to be disposed of, with pulverization we can reduce the volume of our waste by about 80%. Dimitri didn’t tell me but to give you an idea of how much food waste is probably produced, one of our jails (3,000 inmates) produces about a ton of food waste a day and that’s where we control what food is served; imagine how much food waste there must be where you have to produce “backup” dishes since stats only go so far in guessing what meals will be ordered on a given day. Dimitri said Celebrity’s ships are considered “zero waste” (a big deal in our circle) meaning less than 10% of the waste they produce goes to local landfills, the rest is recyled, incinerated, or put out at sea. We concluded our tour back above decks and I thanked Dimitri for the tour. He told me if I was on the Silhouette he could show me much more but he was still learning the ins and outs of the Constellation. Now that I am a Celebrity convert I hope to take him up on the offer since he said he will probably be going back to the Silhouette soon.

[Soccrmom65]

Loved reading the review so far.....we are sailing March 17th and I gotta say I am quite excited about leaving on St. Pattys Day even though I am not Irish..lol. I would also love to see current drink and dining menus but not sure if you took pics of those or not. Anybody else with links it would be appreciated. I am trying to decide on upgrading the drink package for myself as hubby is not a huge drinker but the only thing I would need it for would be the Martini Bar. I read somewhere that you could ask for a smaller version. Do you know if this is true? 21 Days but who is counting

[Cybercsp]

We were also on this cruise. I believe that the sommelier's name is Onur. I agree that he is excellent.

[JimHam4]

Loved reading the review so far.....we are sailing March 17th and I gotta say I am quite excited about leaving on St. Pattys Day even though I am not Irish..lol. I would also love to see current drink and dining menus but not sure if you took pics of those or not. Anybody else with links it would be appreciated. I am trying to decide on upgrading the drink package for myself as hubby is not a huge drinker but the only thing I would need it for would be the Martini Bar. I read somewhere that you could ask for a smaller version. Do you know if this is true? 21 Days but who is counting

 

Sorry, I have Daily's to scan in and post still, but I didn't get any menus. I used this link to get an idea pre-trip of what was out there.

 

http://www.thepreismans.com/ecarib_reflection_menus.htm#martini

 

The prices have changed a bit, I think the martinis were all $12 instead of $11. I've heard they make smaller ones, but I didn't see any being made. One night the two ladies next to us at the Martini Bar were drinking martinis and I know they were on the classic package. They did make comments though that they were "standard" martinis.

[emcee207]

Sorry, I have Daily's to scan in and post still, but I didn't get any menus. I used this link to get an idea pre-trip of what was out there.

 

http://www.thepreismans.com/ecarib_reflection_menus.htm#martini

 

The prices have changed a bit, I think the martinis were all $12 instead of $11. I've heard they make smaller ones, but I didn't see any being made. One night the two ladies next to us at the Martini Bar were drinking martinis and I know they were on the classic package. They did make comments though that they were "standard" martinis.

 

The very large Martini's are gone, a thing of the past.

[roohound]

I wonder why the large martinis are a thing of the past? I wonder if the servers like to serve the smaller martinis because it can equate with more orders, hence more tips? Personally, I'm ok with it - just means I can try more!

 

This is the 3rd time I've heard people say the smaller martinis are covered under the classic package, but only certain ones. Not going to lie, a banana split martini has my name on it come March 8th!

[JimHam4]

DAY 3 - AT SEA (continued)

 

After the tour, we decide to get in some pool time but run into the beginning of Team Trivia in the Rendezvous Lounge. My wife and I are trivia hounds and try to play anytime we can. Our house is filled with books of trivia and my daughter and I both tried out for Jeopardy (unsuccessfully) so trying our hand at trivia today is a no brainer. We take our seats and start to go at this alone, there is a mix of singles, couples, and teams. The director lays out the rules, basically one: his answer is the last word and there is no arguing about it. Any questions see rule #1. Twenty questions, with a pretty good variety of areas covered. Right away though it starts, one player has to comment on every question. Whether it’s to hint that she knows the answer or to make some comment about the question it’s non-stop and really slows the game down requiring the director to repeat questions several times. I won’t go into the the questions here (not fair to later cruisers if they don’t change them) but I will say we came in second place (by one question) to another couple. They win a set of coasters (I think), but the worst part is, as everyone is leaving, the player with all the comments is given a set also and I hear the director say something about giving her something because she talked so much. Please don’t reward poor behavior, it’ll just bring her back for more.

Bistro on Five is our choice for lunch and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the good things I’ve heard about it. My quick advice is it is well worth the $5 surcharge and I hope Celebrity does not convert them to another type of restaurant. I’ve never had a savory crepe before (crepes aren’t real common in California, we call them burritos) so I’m curious to try the Cowboy and my wife has a salad. The Cowboy with steak, onions, bacon, spinach and cheese is delicious and very filling but I’ve saved room for dessert. I debate between the Spanish (Dulce de Leche) and the Italian (Bananas, Nutella and Pistachio) but the waiter convinces my to try the Italian telling me he guarantees I’ll like it or he’ll bring me another crepe. I was hesitant as I like pistachios, but not the ice cream and wasn’t sure how a pistachio sauce would taste. Well, no need to hesitate, I would have eaten two if I hadn’t started to feel like I just walked out of Ocean Liners and still wanted to get a workout in.

My wife decides no more delay, it’s time get some sun by the pool and I decide it is finally time to hit the gym. The pool area is crowded but not crazy like the Carnival boats I was on. There’s music playing and plenty of activity, but there are also a fair number of lounge chairs available for being a sea day and middle of the day. My wife grabs a chair partially in the sun and I head on back to the gym.

 

The gym is nicely laid out with a small free weight area and circuit of machines; there are also treadmills, ellipticals, upright and recumbent bikes. The machine circuit is fairly complete and covers just about all the muscle groups. The gym is crowded (I’m sure we all feel the need to get out a few poisons), but I’m able to jump right on the machines without a wait. There are two drinking fountains available with paper cups, but I decide with beverage package I might as well get a bottle I can carry around with me. This proves to be more complicated than it should have been. The staff member working the desk hands me a bottle but tells me I have to go out to the front desk to pay for it. It’s not far, maybe 20 feet, but the two girls working that desk don’t seem to know how to record the sale so it takes a while to complete. Probably because Steiner is a separate entity they can’t just scan my card, they have to hand write the sale and give me a receipt. Not really a big deal, but when I’m working out I like to move quickly from place to place and keep my heart rate up, should have just got a drink from the fountain. I go back into the gym and find a bike to ride. There is only one bike open near the windows and I quickly find out why as it sounds as if something is broken inside; it works well enough for me to get some minutes in though and I complete my workout.

 

Exiting the gym I start to head back to the pool to check on my wife and come across the Aqua Spa Cafe hidden in the Solarium. The name and location of the Cafe seem awkward to me, as I’ve read questions on this board about who is allowed to use it. The cafe is open to everyone, not just Aqua Class guests, and probably the most difficult thing about the cafe is how they have it squeezed behind a wall in the Solarium. I decide to try one of the smoothies (customizing it a little bit), and have found my favorite non-alcoholic spot on the boat. The smoothies are not the frozen kinds we see here in the U.S. but are really just a mix of items (fruits, berries, seeds, etc.) thrown into a blender. Smoothie in hand I proceed to the pool and find my wife. She’s about done by the pool so we decide to get ready for dinner early and see the first show in the theater.

 

Tonight’s show is a magician and contortionist. We get there just a bit before the show starts hoping to sit in the balcony but it’s already full so we head down to the lower level. Whiskey and wine in hand (we brought them with us) we find a seat far stage right but close to the stage. The show is entertaining but not spectacular. The magician is good and he has a variety of tricks from card to escape, but nothing really stands out. The contortionist acts as his assistant until the end when she has a routine by herself. Her act is good too, but for some reason neither one really inspires me. I can’t put my finger on if its just me having seen too many of the top notch Vegas shows or something else. After the we quickly head down to Blu hoping to beat the crowd to a table. There is already a line at the Maitre’d stand but he deals with it quickly and we make our normal trip to Cellar Masters to wait 15 minutes for our table. Dinner at Blu and the rest of the evening is similar to the night before so nothing really surprising to report here. Tomorrow is Cozumel and our off road trip into the jungle….

[tomko2]

Absolutely loving this review. Thank you so much for taking the time to write it.

 

We sail on the Constellation on the 22nd of March.

We are old hats at RCL but this is our first on Celebrity. We have the Classic drink package. I don't drink but love my Perrier and the odd Tonic Water. Think I will probably bring some Perrier along unless I find out I can buy it on the ship.

Thanks again

[Cindy]

And it's mine for 12 nights in May/June if Cindy backs out of the cruise. :D

 

Sure hope that doesn't happen!:p You are, of course, welcome for a drink!:D

[JimHam4]

Absolutely loving this review. Thank you so much for taking the time to write it.

 

We sail on the Constellation on the 22nd of March.

We are old hats at RCL but this is our first on Celebrity. We have the Classic drink package. I don't drink but love my Perrier and the odd Tonic Water. Think I will probably bring some Perrier along unless I find out I can buy it on the ship.

Thanks again

 

Didn't see any Perrier, I think the only sparkling water I saw was Pelligrino.

 

Sent from my HTC One X using Forums mobile app

[JohnSnowGOT]

I wonder why the large martinis are a thing of the past? I wonder if the servers like to serve the smaller martinis because it can equate with more orders, hence more tips? Personally, I'm ok with it - just means I can try more!

 

This is the 3rd time I've heard people say the smaller martinis are covered under the classic package, but only certain ones. Not going to lie, a banana split martini has my name on it come March 8th!

 

WA WA WHAT??!! did you just say banana split martini??? OH man I am so there!!! Save me a seat at the martini bar Roo... we'll be there 3/8 too

[tomko2]

Didn't see any Perrier, I think the only sparkling water I saw was Pelligrino.

 

Sent from my HTC One X using Forums mobile app

 

Great - thank you. Pellegino is just as good as Perrier for me.

 

BTW, what enticed you to book an Aqua Class cabin on the Constellation.

 

Kathy:)

[JFontaine]

I enjoyed your review - and your writing style. Thank you.

[JimHam4]

 

BTW, what enticed you to book an Aqua Class cabin on the Constellation.

 

Kathy:)

 

 

Just kind of evolved, the only thing we set out for was a balcony. Originally had one of the triangle bump out cabins on the cruise going out the week before. Was able to upgrade that one to an aft cabin on deck 8 until we ran into scheduling programs and switched cruises for this one. Afts were all taken but for the same money got a bump out on deck nine in aqua class. Really wanted aft and was nervous about deck 9 overhang so when a CC cabin opened up aft we took it for same cost as the AQ we gave up. Then we got greedy and decided we wanted both worlds so I kept checking the website for AQ aft. 1138 popped up for only $20pp more then we were already paying so it became a no brainer. Didn't realize how coveted they are, and how lucky we were, until later. I think if forced I will choose aft over AQ in the future, but I really want both from now on.

[JimHam4]

DAY 4 - COZUMEL

 

It’s been 24 years since I’ve been to Cozumel and the little town has grown up. We’re docked at the International Pier next to the the Silhouette who arrived about an hour before us. Off our balcony in the distance I can see what looks like a HAL ship at a dock and at another pier forward of us is a Carnival boat. As I sit on my balcony enjoying the sun I see another larger Carnival boat on its way in to dock next to its sister ship. We’re told the ship will be staying on Ft. Lauderdale time so everything in Cozumel is an hour behind us; this means the 9:30 time we were given for our excursion means we don’t need to be off the ship until our watches say 10:00. This means we can relax a little bit as we get ready and head down to a nice breakfast at Blu before leaving the ship. We load up on the usual fruit, pastries and omelettes before heading out with full bellies. The International Pier is busy with stores and kiosks of all types and their owners out front hawking their wares, of course this is when I realize I left my credit cards and most my cash in the safe; probably a good thing when I think about the stuff for sale around here. My wife and I have signed up for the X-Rails Off Road to Jade Caverns.

I’m excited for this excursion, but a little nervous as the latest reviews I’ve read say this excursion has steadily slid downhill in quality over the last year or so. My wife and I find the Celebrity Canopies easily at the end of the dock and locate the sign for our excursion; a Celebrity representative is there to greet us and tells us it will be about 15 minutes still before they start checking people in (it’s just a little after 9) When check-in starts we are asked to sign a waiver and given a wristband to identify which excursion we are on. After everyone is checked in we are led through the shops by the representative to our taxis. Here is my first beef with the day, the guide is very nice but she insists on leading us in a cheer to show how excited we are to be going on this trip and have fun. Not a big deal but I just wanted to drive our buggies, not waste time here for a pep rally. There’s about 16 of us and we load up into two vans to head to the south side of the island about 20 minutes away. For those who don’t know the X-rail tour is an off road trip in vehicles similar to sand rails and can go over 60mph. If you’re curious they look like this http://motormaxintl.com/XrailWhiplash.html We will be driving two to a buggy out into the jungle to a cenote where we will have a little swim before driving the buggies back to our starting point. This trip can be booked independently of the ship through a group called Wild Tours. But the costs are close to the same and with the chance of mechanical breakdown I liked the peace of mind booking through Celebrity.

 

We are greeted at Wild Tours by a different guide, but she's in the same cheer leading mode as the last one. She explains to us that we need closed toed shoes (we had them but nobody told us this before hand) and that if we don't have them we can rent them. They also rent lockers, goggles, gloves, and sell bandanas. The lockers are $2 (necessary) but I didn't check the other prices as we didn't need them. We had brought our own bandanas which were helpful this trip but not necessary, in a drier time of year I would think you HAVE to have them. Eyewear should be a requirement, but sunglasses suffice you don't new goggles. Gloves I leave up to you; I didn't need them but at least one of the drivers came away with some blisters. The locker is necessary; anything in your buggy is going to get soaked and muddy so stash some extra clothes and towels in the locker. The locker is a good size and fits our tote easily, could probably fit two, if you're with friends just get one locker. You will need extra clothes, whatever you're wearing will get ruined and probably just thrown away. Put everything in the locker you won't need anything on the ride.

 

After basic instruction on the buggy we are led through a little animal encounter where we are not allowed to take pictures since they want us to buy them later to support their "rescue" efforts. It's kind of a neat encounter, you can hold a macaw, eagle and snake, but I don't buy the "we're saving the animals" line. Time wise it's not really an inconvenience as people are still using the rest room and putting things away. We are led to our buggies where we get helmets and strap ourselves in. We will have two guides that are on ATVs, one leading the group, the other riding chase. During the ride we are allowed to take pictures and video and here's where my GoPro comes in really handy.

 

 

At the cenote we are given water bottles to drink and life vests to put on if we wish to go in the water. Some of us climb to the top of the cenote's overhang about 15 over the water and take the plunge, others use the steps from the little dock into the water. I leave all my clothes on and use the plunge to give myself a quick rinse cycle,some others do the same and some take of the outer clothes just wearing the bathing suits into the water. We're the only ones there and the water is cool and refreshing. Fruit bats live on one side of the cenote and we see them flying around as we swim around for a few minutes. Refreshed it's time to get back in the buggies and head back.

My wife and I had planned to switch so she could drive back but after watching the work it takes to control the buggy she decides she likes just being a passenger and let's me have all the fun (I hate being a passenger unless its on a ship with a drink in my hand). We start out at a pretty good pace but are soon brought to a stop by one of the guides. He tells us to wait as he heads to the back of the pack. He soon returns and leads the group off again. What we didn't know was that the buggy at the back had run themselves up against a tree and been turned on their side(minor scratches were bandaged and the buggy replaced). As we're heading back the girls in front of us decide to switch drivers back the setup they had on the way out. This delay works out great as it creates a great amount of space between us and the lead group and the two of us are able to drive like bats out of hell again until we return to what passes for civilization.

 

Back at camp the guides take a picture of our group and lead us to the "Mexican" showers (basic spigots strung up on PVC about six feet high). We're able to get some of the mud off and luckily one of the ladies in the group brought wet wipes to help the mud off. They sit us at a table and offer some stale chips and canned nacho cheese while we wait to see our group's pictures and video. Sodas are available for $1 and I buy a pretty nice T-shirt for only $12. The wait for our photos becomes way to long as the group ahead of us decides to watch their video again. I ask the ladies how much are the pictures anyway and am told $80 for everything, I don't bother to ask individual prices which is to bad since we might have bought a picture of us with the animals. Tiring of the wait or group starts to walk toward the taxis to leave. The woman in charge gets a little rude and tells us she is in charge of the taxis and loading us in. We tell her were leaving, she doesn't argue with us, and most of us pile in for the ride back to the pier.

 

It's a pretty easy walk back to the boat from the taxi and we do it covered in mud. Back on the boat it is time for a necessary shower as mud comes out of every imaginable nook and cranny and my clothes go in the trash. Refreshed and semi-clean it's time to head topside and watch people running down the pier trying not to miss the boat.

 

This tour has its problems with the little extras they try to insert into the experience, but I still highly recommend it. The driving guides were professional and very friendly and the driving experience itself was incredible. We're already thinking of doing it again next year and one of the guys on our tour this time had done it before.

 

Next up, dock runners and our last sea day.....

[emcee207]

DAY 4 - COZUMEL

 

It’s been 24 years since I’ve been to Cozumel and the little town has grown up. We’re docked at the International Pier next to the the Silhouette who arrived about an hour before us. Off our balcony in the distance I can see what looks like a HAL ship at a dock and at another pier forward of us is a Carnival boat. As I sit on my balcony enjoying the sun I see another larger Carnival boat on its way in to dock next to its sister ship. We’re told the ship will be staying on Ft. Lauderdale time so everything in Cozumel is an hour behind us; this means the 9:30 time we were given for our excursion means we don’t need to be off the ship until our watches say 10:00. This means we can relax a little bit as we get ready and head down to a nice breakfast at Blu before leaving the ship. We load up on the usual fruit, pastries and omelettes before heading out with full bellies. The International Pier is busy with stores and kiosks of all types and their owners out front hawking their wares, of course this is when I realize I left my credit cards and most my cash in the safe; probably a good thing when I think about the stuff for sale around here. My wife and I have signed up for the X-Rails Off Road to Jade Caverns.

I’m excited for this excursion, but a little nervous as the latest reviews I’ve read say this excursion has steadily slid downhill in quality over the last year or so. My wife and I find the Celebrity Canopies easily at the end of the dock and locate the sign for our excursion; a Celebrity representative is there to greet us and tells us it will be about 15 minutes still before they start checking people in (it’s just a little after 9) When check-in starts we are asked to sign a waiver and given a wristband to identify which excursion we are on. After everyone is checked in we are led through the shops by the representative to our taxis. Here is my first beef with the day, the guide is very nice but she insists on leading us in a cheer to show how excited we are to be going on this trip and have fun. Not a big deal but I just wanted to drive our buggies, not waste time here for a pep rally. There’s about 16 of us and we load up into two vans to head to the south side of the island about 20 minutes away. For those who don’t know the X-rail tour is an off road trip in vehicles similar to sand rails and can go over 60mph. If you’re curious they look like this http://motormaxintl.com/XrailWhiplash.html We will be driving two to a buggy out into the jungle to a cenote where we will have a little swim before driving the buggies back to our starting point. This trip can be booked independently of the ship through a group called Wild Tours. But the costs are close to the same and with the chance of mechanical breakdown I liked the peace of mind booking through Celebrity.

 

We are greeted at Wild Tours by a different guide, but she's in the same cheer leading mode as the last one. She explains to us that we need closed toed shoes (we had them but nobody told us this before hand) and that if we don't have them we can rent them. They also rent lockers, goggles, gloves, and sell bandanas. The lockers are $2 (necessary) but I didn't check the other prices as we didn't need them. We had brought our own bandanas which were helpful this trip but not necessary, in a drier time of year I would think you HAVE to have them. Eyewear should be a requirement, but sunglasses suffice you don't new goggles. Gloves I leave up to you; I didn't need them but at least one of the drivers came away with some blisters. The locker is necessary; anything in your buggy is going to get soaked and muddy so stash some extra clothes and towels in the locker. The locker is a good size and fits our tote easily, could probably fit two, if you're with friends just get one locker. You will need extra clothes, whatever you're wearing will get ruined and probably just thrown away. Put everything in the locker you won't need anything on the ride.

 

After basic instruction on the buggy we are led through a little animal encounter where we are not allowed to take pictures since they want us to buy them later to support their "rescue" efforts. It's kind of a neat encounter, you can hold a macaw, eagle and snake, but I don't buy the "we're saving the animals" line. Time wise it's not really an inconvenience as people are still using the rest room and putting things away. We are led to our buggies where we get helmets and strap ourselves in. We will have two guides that are on ATVs, one leading the group, the other riding chase. During the ride we are allowed to take pictures and video and here's where my GoPro comes in really handy.

 

 

At the cenote we are given water bottles to drink and life vests to put on if we wish to go in the water. Some of us climb to the top of the cenote's overhang about 15 over the water and take the plunge, others use the steps from the little dock into the water. I leave all my clothes on and use the plunge to give myself a quick rinse cycle,some others do the same and some take of the outer clothes just wearing the bathing suits into the water. We're the only ones there and the water is cool and refreshing. Fruit bats live on one side of the cenote and we see them flying around as we swim around for a few minutes. Refreshed it's time to get back in the buggies and head back.

My wife and I had planned to switch so she could drive back but after watching the work it takes to control the buggy she decides she likes just being a passenger and let's me have all the fun (I hate being a passenger unless its on a ship with a drink in my hand). We start out at a pretty good pace but are soon brought to a stop by one of the guides. He tells us to wait as he heads to the back of the pack. He soon returns and leads the group off again. What we didn't know was that the buggy at the back had run themselves up against a tree and been turned on their side(minor scratches were bandaged and the buggy replaced). As we're heading back the girls in front of us decide to switch drivers back the setup they had on the way out. This delay works out great as it creates a great amount of space between us and the lead group and the two of us are able to drive like bats out of hell again until we return to what passes for civilization.

 

Back at camp the guides take a picture of our group and lead us to the "Mexican" showers (basic spigots strung up on PVC about six feet high). We're able to get some of the mud off and luckily one of the ladies in the group brought wet wipes to help the mud off. They sit us at a table and offer some stale chips and canned nacho cheese while we wait to see our group's pictures and video. Sodas are available for $1 and I buy a pretty nice T-shirt for only $12. The wait for our photos becomes way to long as the group ahead of us decides to watch their video again. I ask the ladies how much are the pictures anyway and am told $80 for everything, I don't bother to ask individual prices which is to bad since we might have bought a picture of us with the animals. Tiring of the wait or group starts to walk toward the taxis to leave. The woman in charge gets a little rude and tells us she is in charge of the taxis and loading us in. We tell her were leaving, she doesn't argue with us, and most of us pile in for the ride back to the pier.

 

It's a pretty easy walk back to the boat from the taxi and we do it covered in mud. Back on the boat it is time for a necessary shower as mud comes out of every imaginable nook and cranny and my clothes go in the trash. Refreshed and semi-clean it's time to head topside and watch people running down the pier trying not to miss the boat.

 

This tour has its problems with the little extras they try to insert into the experience, but I still highly recommend it. The driving guides were professional and very friendly and the driving experience itself was incredible. We're already thinking of doing it again next year and one of the guys on our tour this time had done it before.

 

Next up, dock runners and our last sea day.....

 

Now I know where all the mud on the carpets and stairs came from that day!!!;)

 

Wasn't it cool having the Silhouette next to us that day. Love that ship. I think the ship you saw at the dock way behind us was the NCL Pearl, not HAL. We were on the 2/3 sailing also and we saw her then also. Boy, the Carnival ship with no balconies looked downright scary............

[JohnSnowGOT]

Thanks again I really like your style. You write very well.

Question......The International Pier.. is this the pier farthest from the town? say 3 miles perhaps? If it is... is a cab ride about 8 bucks to town? We usually walk from this pier into town. It's a nice walk

[kampinguru]

Didn't see any Perrier, I think the only sparkling water I saw was Pelligrino.

 

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They have Perrier in the large bottles in the Ocean View cafe at the drink section. You need the premium package to get the large bottle. I did see the bar tender at the pool bar pouring Perrier from the small bottles in mixed drinks so it is available.

[JimHam4]

Thanks again I really like your style. You write very well.

Question......The International Pier.. is this the pier farthest from the town? say 3 miles perhaps? If it is... is a cab ride about 8 bucks to town? We usually walk from this pier into town. It's a nice walk

 

Thank you. Not sure where "town" is in Cozumel, it looked like it stretched off in both directions from where we were parked. Right off our pier there was a resort with brown conical roofs and a small beach. The pier to the carnival boats hit land a little further south of us even though the boats were almost side by side with us. The NCL(?) boat was to the north of us, could have been three miles.

 

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[akowilm]

Just kind of evolved, the only thing we set out for was a balcony. Originally had one of the triangle bump out cabins on the cruise going out the week before. Was able to upgrade that one to an aft cabin on deck 8 until we ran into scheduling programs and switched cruises for this one. Afts were all taken but for the same money got a bump out on deck nine in aqua class. Really wanted aft and was nervous about deck 9 overhang so when a CC cabin opened up aft we took it for same cost as the AQ we gave up. Then we got greedy and decided we wanted both worlds so I kept checking the website for AQ aft. 1138 popped up for only $20pp more then we were already paying so it became a no brainer. Didn't realize how coveted they are, and how lucky we were, until later. I think if forced I will choose aft over AQ in the future, but I really want both from now on.

 

 

There is really nothing better! We have 1138 on April and 1140 on the Summit in January. If we have to book a year in advance, so be it, but we always want 1138, 1140, or 1141!

 

Just figured out why I love this review so much! You are wearing a UGA shirt in Cozumel!!!! Go Dawgs!! (class of '90)

Edited February 28, 2014 by akowilm

[emcee207]

Thanks again I really like your style. You write very well.

Question......The International Pier.. is this the pier farthest from the town? say 3 miles perhaps? If it is... is a cab ride about 8 bucks to town? We usually walk from this pier into town. It's a nice walk

 

You are correct, International Pier is prob the furthest from town and I believe the $8 cab right is correct as some frinds were taking the "Bar Hop" bus tour and had to pick it up at downtown near Carlos and Charlies.

[KKB]

Now I know where all the mud on the carpets and stairs came from that day!!!;)

 

Wasn't it cool having the Silhouette next to us that day. Love that ship. I think the ship you saw at the dock way behind us was the NCL Pearl, not HAL. We were on the 2/3 sailing also and we saw her then also. Boy, the Carnival ship with no balconies looked downright scary............

 

A ship with no balconies??!!:eek: WHAT IS THE POINT?:confused: I don't get that at all!

Which ship is it?

[FLJudi]

We have 1140 booked on the Constellation in November and just booked 1140 again on the Millennium to Alaska in 2015, both booked over a year in advance to grab the best cabin. We love the afts on the M classes and the new AQ is an added bonus.

[JimHam4]

A ship with no balconies??!!:eek: WHAT IS THE POINT?:confused: I don't get that at all!

Which ship is it?

 

Just looked it up on the port listings. The Carnival boat with no balconies was the Conquest and the ship off on the distance was the NCL Jewel. Other boats that day beside us were the Silhouette and Paradise.

 

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